Sanibel Cottages Resort, Hilton Grand Vacations

Casa Ybel Resort on Sanibel Island began as a Victorian 30-room inn, The Sisters in 1890s when Rev. George Barnes Ship ran aground on the island and he decided to build and stay with his family. The resort is located close to Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport and accessible from the mainland. Nature preserves take up more than 70 percent of Sanibel Island, and Casa Ybel Resort maintains its own sanctuary, where cormorants, ibises, ospreys, pelicans, sanderlings, and other birds come to feed. The resort boasts its own in-house restaurant, the Thistle Lodge. Originally built as a wedding gift, it hosts hundreds of weddings, anniversaries, and other celebrations for guests from Florida and throughout the world.