bowman's beach

It was Ashley's 29th birthday and our last night of vacation. We popped champagne and watched the sunset at Bowman's Beach on Captiva. Then we ate a big Italian feast and drank bottles of chianti at Matzaluna, I had frutti de mare and tiramisu.

   I am so grateful for this time. And for them.

sanibel & captiva

Last week, I took a vacation that went a little something like this: serene moments on the beach where a piercing hot sun and soft white sand leave you wanting for nothing but the respite of a dip in the gulf of mexico. Relaxing under a canopy of palm trees as a great blue heron and egrets frolic along the shore. Beautiful sunsets and tropical drinks followed by fresh grilled mahi mahi and crispy coconut gulf shrimp. Girlfriends who make the quiet island nights come alive. And more importantly, who make time for each other year after year as we get older and life gets even more hectic.

Key Lime Bistro & The Bubble Room | Captiva

The last experiences to share on this blissful, relaxing, warm, sunny, picture perfect island vacation off the coast of southwest Florida are two super fun must-visit spots on Captiva. My time on Sanibel & Captiva would not be complete if I let these places fall by the wayside. I didn't eat dinner at either. What won me over at Key Lime Bistro was the Key Lime Pie, and at The Bubble Room, the atmosphere. But let's get to that in a minute.

We scored a front row table on Key Lime Bistro's patio for the live entertainment duo of the evening "Carey & Gary". Mike and I are enjoying Frozen Butterslides ($10) Van Gough Vodka, Kahlua, Bailey's Irish Cream and Butterscotch schnapps.

Adam enjoyed something new and different - a draft beer, while Dave tried a Dirty Girl Scout ($10) Green Cream de Menthe, Bailey's Irish Cream, Cream de Cacao.
Tricia sipped a Key Lime Martini Van Gough Citroen Vodka, KeKe Key Lime Liqueur, pineapple juice and a splash of key lime juice. The service was exceptionally slow, but we chalked it up to the frozen drinks. Our server himself was unfriendly and we chalked it up to him disliking tourists who order frozen drinks. Sometimes even a smile goes a long way to make you feel welcome. No worries though because the Homemade Award Winning Key Lime Pie ($8) made my night.
I guess a place named Key Lime Bistro better have an awesome key lime pie! This blew me away. Smooth creamy custard with robust flavors of tart key lime topped with frothy whipped cream over a pool of sweet raspberry lime sauce to the rescue.

Our next stop was The Bubble Room right down the street at 15001 Captiva Dr SW. It was closed! And it was still pretty early. We decided to check out the exterior and had a ball doing so.Good times. Since all we could do was run around like idiots in Bo Bo's cage, we decided to return on our next Captiva Visit! (After the second Mucky Duck Sunset and before drinks at The Timbers.)

The inside revealed:

A plethora of kitschy Christmas decorations, children's toys and vintage artifacts fill the spaces of this funky feel good Captiva hot spot. A wraparound fish tank lines dining room walls and tabletops are collaged with disco records and party favors. Retro décor outlines the windows and walls.Our plan was to grab a drink at the bar, but it ended up being so packed we passed and just caroused the interior until we had our fill.

That's The Bubble Room in a nutshell. Word of mouth is the food's not that good anyways....

It hurt my heart to leave this place.

Knowing Disney World awaited us definitely dulled the pain.