We need some sun to warm our bodies and minds. So here we are, off for a week on the west coast of Florida, in Port Charlotte to be precise.

Our favorites

Sunset in Punta Gorda

In Punta Gorda, sunset is an event celebrated with music. People gather in Gilchrist Park at the end of the day with their drums or any other percussion equipment. Together, they play the drums and dance until the sun sets, then part ways, only to return the next day.

It must be said that the place offers a superb view.

Manasota Key Beach

The unique feature of Manasota Beach isn't its beauty or its fine white sand, but rather the main activity practiced there: shark tooth harvesting. We were surprised by the number of people who come to the beach just for this. Equipped with their shovels and sieves, they can search for hours like real gold prospectors. It's fascinating.

Our travels

Plane

We took a direct flight from Montreal to Fort Meyers with Porter.

Car

We booked a rental car before our departure with pick-up and drop-off at Fort Myers Airport.

Our accommodation

For this trip, we booked a beachfront apartment in Port Charlotte for the entire week through Airbnb.

The accommodation was very practical, super well decorated and had a magnificent sea view.

The beaches

The West Coast is a long line of fine white sand beaches, each as beautiful as the next. Our two favorites are Siesta Beach and Manasota Beach. They offer two very different atmospheres. They do have one significant thing in common, though: both beaches offer free parking, which isn't the case everywhere.

Siesta Beach

Siesta Beach is located south of Sarasota. It is made of fine quartz sand, which doesn't burn your feet. The beach is huge. All services are available (showers, restrooms, picnic tables). However, it gets very crowded. You have to arrive early to be sure of finding a parking spot. We were very lucky. We arrived around 12:30 and got a spot right in front of the main entrance to the beach.

The place is ideal for swimming. The water was the perfect temperature for us.

Manasota Beach

A little further south than Siesta Beach, Mansota Beach offers a very different atmosphere. The beach is smaller and the sand is a little less fine. Along the water's edge, you'll find lots of small shells and pebbles containing shark teeth. People come here not to swim but to look for shark teeth. They're like gold prospectors. Equipped with their sieves and shovels, they can spend hours in the water or on the shore collecting these little teeth. But even without equipment, it's possible to find shark teeth.

Punta Gorda

Punta Gorda is a small town of about 20,000 people that was hit hard by hurricanes in previous years. Remnants of these disasters still remain in the marina and downtown area.

Punta Gorda is a great place to watch the sunset. The waterfront tiki bar or Gilchrist Park are perfect gathering spots.

At Gilchrist Park, people arrive at the end of the day to play music until the sun sets. A festive atmosphere is guaranteed.

Kayak excursion

During our stay, we spent half a day kayaking in the mangroves and in an inlet at Big Hockory Island.

We went to an island whose beach was filled with beautiful seashells. It felt like the Caribbean.

It was a pleasure and see you soon.