My husband, two kids (ages 6 and 4) and I spent our winter vacation here, and it was just heavenly. We stayed in the Marina Villas, which we liked because we had a perfect view of the marina, complete with boats and frolicking dolphins. Our room was also close to the kids club and the amazing kid pool, complete with water slide.

The kids went to the kids club almost every day; it costs a extra, but it was worth it as they had a blast and my husband and I got some rare time to ourselves. The beaches are beautiful, and I've never seen so many gorgeous shells in my life. My little girl and I were obsessed with collecting them and, yes, we transported a big bucket of them home on the plane.

We spent a lot of time lolling around in the pools (there are several great ones to choose from). My son also loved taking the trolley, which transports guests around the resort. Some people rent golf carts, we chose not to. One day, we went to the local wildlife refuge, JN Ding Darling, which was spectacular—birds galore. We also took a day trip to the Naples Zoo; it wasn't the biggest one, but cute and perfect for little kids. Captiva and Sanibel are both captivating, and it was just relaxing to drive around there.

At the resort, we dined at Scoops & Slices, The Pointe and the barbecue place (delicious). Off-site, there are lots of great kid-friendly restaurants, including The Lazy Flamingo and Island Cow on Sanibel. The hotel had a couple of great evening family carnivals/parties while we were there; the one on New Year's had live music, a barbecue and art projects for kids.

All in all, a very fun vacation for all, I'd highly recommend it.