South Seas Island Resort
South Seas Island Resort is a 330-acre (1.3 km2) resort located on the shores of the Gulf of Mexico in the community of Captiva on Captiva Island, in Lee County, Florida. The original resort, South Seas Plantation, was opened in 1946 as a fishing resort by Clarence Chadwick, following a dry hurricane (salt-water storm surge kills the plants) which ended commercial farming on the island. Chadwick owned much of Captiva and portions of nearby Sanibel, making his fortune inventing the Checkprinter in the 1920s. His heirs sold the property to Mariner Properties in 1966, which began the modern era of the resort. The original Plantation house, suffering from termites and wood rot, was demolished in the 1990s.
In 2004 South Seas was seriously damaged by Hurricane Charley, and was renovated and reconstructed in the two following years. South Seas Resort is managed by Interstate Hotels & Resorts, the largest management company of independent hotels in the world.
The resort was closed for 18 months after Hurricane Charley and reopened slowly in March 2006. The resort village boasts 2.5 miles of pristine beach and is a haven for nature lovers, with dolphins, manatees, over 230 species of birds, and epic fishing opportunities. It has seen an increase in tourism since it reopened and received the 'Certificate of Excellence' by TripAdvisor in both 2013 and 2014. There have been extensive renovations to the facilities, including a new pool complex featuring three pools and the H2Whoa! water slides, new restaurants, water sports, on-site golf, tennis, spa, and more. The resort is a composite of hotel rooms, timeshares, and whole ownership condos, villas, and homes for rental through the resort. For more information, please visit SouthSeas.com.
Coordinates: 26°32′58″N 82°11′52″W / 26.54944°N 82.19778°W