Ft. Myers: Beach Getaway in the Time of Covid

“Lets go somewhere the sun kisses the ocean.”
-Anonymous

Hola, my friends! Summer is almost fully over, and for most of us that’s actually a good thing…it means life is slowly returning to normal. Covid-19 had us trapped indoors for most of the verano and it’s nice to get back a safer, more cautious routine. Yo no se about you, but the pandemic affected my mental health; it made me sad, it made me anxious, and it made me stir-crazy. I’m sure I’m not alone in that. Midway through our quarantine, El Marido thought it’d be good to book a week-long getaway to boost my spirits… a staycation with a view. Fue genial! It was genius! Our family desperately needed to be out of nuestra casa, we needed some fresh air, and we needed some intentional quality time. Y si no era ovio, we needed it AWAY from people. Ft. Myers Beach was just the place! Only 2 hrs from our Tampa home and totally beautiful. Allow me to share with you all about our beachy quaran-cation… haha… our Cov-vacay. You get the picture!:) Fuimonos!

Finding the perfect lugar for a staycation is crucial, especially during a pandemic. The place has to be comfy and CLEAN, it has to offer you enough room to spread out for those inevitable family annoyances, and it has to give you something you can’t get en casa. For us, that was a view. Oh, y tambien, proximity to the beach. We found the perfect Airbnb on the north end of Fort Myers Beach. It came with lovely furnishings and a kick ass balcony that looked out over the Gulf. El lugar perfecto to watch sunrises over breakfast and sunsets with a glass of wine. Ft. Meyers isn’t overly populated, even in the busy season, so the area was quiet, which was ideal. It’s also home to some of the whitest, softest sand that you’ve ever seen. Como baby powder, tan suave! There’s a reason why it’s home to the Annual American Sandsculpting Competition (look it up). The point is, we did good. Our spot was perfect.

“The best legacy we can leave our kids are happy memories.”
-Og Mandino

Dejame decirte algo, the point of a getaway is to relax. I know that there are travelers that are all about checking cosas off their listas, but the older I get the more I realize… unlike “trips”, getaways are for renewal. Staycations especially. Renewal and intentional time con las personas that you love. So, yep, that was my goal for our week at the beach. Watching the kids splash in the surf, listening to the sound of the waves crashing on the shore, looking for the perfect assortment of seashells, building next-level sandcastles, and letting my melanin pop in that sunlight. Eso, y nada mas. The only other things on my vacay wish-list were meaningful conversations, belly laughs, cat naps, and maybe some sunset gazing. Ft. Meyers came through for cada cosa en mi agenda. And then some. I’m so grateful for the memories made.

“After a day’s walk everything has twice the normal value.”
G.M Trevelyan

So, one of my favorite things to do on ANY vacacion is to explore… on foot. I love caminando around a new town and soaking in a place with all of my senses. Es una actividad esencial; a crucial part of any trip. Ft. Myers was no different. I woke up early every morning and went for a brisk walk along the shore, just so that I could take in the Ft. Myers beach area at a leisurely pace. Several of the days, I even took one of the kids for some one-on-one bonding time; we walked 2 miles to the pier and back. We saw muchas cosas: wildlife, hotels, sea turtle preserves, seafood restaurants (like The Dixie Fish Co.— pictured below), and cute little beach bungalos… you get the picture. Fue nada y todo a la vez. It was not much and everything, all at the same time. Funny how such simple surroundings can bring you a sense of peace and joy, especially after being quarantined inside of the same 4 walls for 5 months. Yo soy un fan de exploratory strolls through a new city, and I highly recommend them. I’d say, more often than not, those walks are the memories I most cherish when I look back on a vacation experience. Would you agree?

“Traveling in the company of those we love is home in motion.”
-Leigh Hunt

Any parent can tell you, Covid has a way of making parenting a nightmare sometimes. Mainly porque you can’t get away from your ninos. Being stuck together for untold amounts of tiempo can be too much para todos. That’s why a trip like this was so necessary for us. Nuestra familia needed to enjoy each other again; we needed to push restart and put an end to the monotony… all the while still being safe during the pandemic. Para nosotros, that meant board games, burying each other in the sand, learning how to boogie board, eating yummy seafood platters, and nightly games of beach bocce ball. No te voy a mentir, it felt forced at first, but after the first intentional activity, it was smooth sailing. Staycations have a way of making the things you often disregard, super entertaining. Que chistoso, no? It’s quite funny actually, but those bocce ball tournaments were such a friggin bright spot in our whole time at the beach. I had a blast! Now, maybe that was because I always won, but the quality time was awesome too. Hahah! The thing I learned (that I will keep trying to remember) is that my family is my everything, y es posiblé to have special moments together even while we aren’t traveling. It’s all about intention.

“Of all the paths you take in life, make sure a few of them lead to magical sunsets at the beach.”
-Anonymous

Florida can be a shit show sometimes, I accept that, but damn…. we do have some incredible sunsets. Especialmente on the Gulf Coast, son maravillosos. Soul stirring, breath taking, energy renewing. I made a point to be outside from 7:30- 8:30 every evening just so that I could see the show every night. It did not disappoint, lemme tell you. Cada noche fue diferente, every night it was a new blend of colors, a new accumulation of clouds. The sky would go from bright, bold colors that would shock you into silence to soft, pastel vibes that you make you hum a song of serenity. The sunsets alone were worth the trip. Ft. Myers Beach, being so so small, provided wide open spaces para estar en la playa…without having to worry about knocking elbows with other sunset watchers. Another perk! Really, truly, the west coast of Florida provides the kind of beach sunsets people who are landlocked only dream about. Tienes que verlos!

Every time I stand before a beautiful beach, its waves seem to whisper to me: if you choose the simple things and find joy in nature’s simple treasures, life and living need not be so hard.”
-Pysche Roxas-Mendoza

Staycations and getaways are crucial for my mental health. Maybe you feel the same? Traveling fuera de la casa is so important when you’ve been actively “Staying home” during this Pandemic. I think, the key to making travel work for you both physically and economically during this time, is just keeping it simple. No tienes que viajar to a place far away, you don’t have to spend a lot of money, and you don’t have to expose yourself to the Coronavirus. You *can* have a relaxing getaway with your loved ones if you just put some intention into finding the perfect location and if you make the room in your schedule just to GO. It could be a cabin in the woods, it could be a high rise hotel with a view and great takeout options, or it could be a fantastic beach like Ft. Myers. The important thing is that you GO, and you go SAFELY! Take care of yourselves, my loves!

Con mucho cariño,

Joana