Best For: Seashell seekers in search of the uncrowded beach. It was early in their courtship that Clark Rambo invited Pam Kirby down from Virginia to visit him at a house he’d rented at South Seas Island Resort in Captiva. Both avid seashell collectors, they waded in the shallow water looking for the prized specimens the island is famous for (along with its big-sister isle, Sanibel, of course). Being in that frisky stage of courtship, Pam took a run at Clark, who unfortunately had one foot wedged into the soft sand—and broke her new boyfriend’s leg. “It’s a contact sport,” explains the redhead with a twinkle in her eye while trolling the wash line at Blind Pass, the first beach you come to after crossing the short bridge from Sanibel.

Pam’s last name eventually became Rambo despite the incident, and several years ago the couple relocated to Captiva to live the beach life. When she’s not hosting at the Mucky Duck, the beachfront pub where sundown is ritualistically observed, Pam is often gathering information and photos to report on her blog, iloveshelling.com. Broken leg aside, the Rambos’ story is by no means exceptional: Captiva locals are almost absurdly passionate about what their island has to offer. Take Kay Casperson, who long ago moved here from Minnesota and owns a day spa on the five-mile- long island. Casperson’s own product line features marine botanicals like extracts of seaweed and red marine algae. “They have so much life in them,” she says. “That’s why we love to swim in the ocean; our hair and skin feel so great when we’re done.”

Every so often, Casperson and her husband and kids take a getaway: They drive all the way from their home in Sanibel to the South Seas Resort in Captiva, a journey of 20 minutes. “Why go anywhere? We live in paradise.” Plus, she adds, “If you forgot anything, you can just go home and get it.”

Hot Spots: Besides the beach and the shells that wash ashore, part of what people find so appealing about Captiva is its small-town atmosphere. It’s got a fairly serious case of the cutes. Andy Rosse Lane is the hub of pastel-colored, Key West-flavored joints, where Buffettesque live music plays day and night; the Mucky Duck and the Bubble Room (with its museum-quality collection of vintage Hollywood memorabilia) have been around long enough to earn “institution” status. Locals, however, will point you to the bayside Green Flash for a grouper sandwich for lunch or back across the bridge to the Mad Hatter for a pricey but reliably excellent dinner. (Hope that it’s bouillabaisse night.) Lodging options include the friendly ’Tween Waters Inn, with exposures on both the beach and bay side; Captiva Island Inn, an assortment of rooms and cottages in the heart of town; and the South Seas, the resort that occupies the last two miles of Captiva—an astonishing piece of property open only to guests.

A former Key-lime plantation, the sprawling, family-oriented South Seas Resort includes hotel rooms, beach houses and several multimillion-dollar villas. Even so, the emphasis is on nature. On the Gulf side, dunes, palms and nesting sea turtles dot the gorgeous two-mile-long sweeper of a beach; on the bay side is a marina where manatees take refuge and dolphins feed on the fish that come around. “The fishing is incredible,” says South Seas naturalist Vince McGrath. “Fish migrate from the Gulf to the bay; the seas are always on for something.” It’s a festival of bird life too—ospreys, herons and pelicans, to name just the most noticeable of the more than 200 species McGrath has spotted in his 23 years here.

For beach connoisseurs and shell seekers alike, nearby Cayo Costa is a dream come true: It’s eight miles long, and 95 percent of it is an uninhabited state park offering solitude on the sand and heaps of the 175 types of shells that come in from the coastal shelf. Capt. Brian Holaway of Captiva Cruises has been guiding seashell tours out here since 1995.

“I just love it,” he says, treading on a carpet of sea shells so thick you can’t avoid crunching them as you walk. “I even come out here on my days off.” Of course he does; after all, he works in paradise. See the sites: fortmyers-sanibel.com; captivaisland.com.

Find a spot for your towel in our Ultimate Florida Beach Guide »