Anytime you go on vacation, you’ll need to make sure you enjoy as many activities as possible – you’ll be back at work soon enough, and you’ll want to have made good memories when you had the chance. And while there are certainly plenty of things to do at Tarpon Lodge, we like to encourage our guests to spend at least one morning or evening introducing your children to fishing.
Photo courtesy of Hoke Fishing Charters
Fishing is a positive and fun way to spend a few hours, at it becomes a healthy, lifelong hobby for many. But if you want your child to enjoy fishing, you’ll want to make sure their first trip is a good one and that you catch plenty of fish in the process. Read More
Tarpon Lodge: The Best of the Gulfshore 2018 Award Finalist
Tarpon Lodge has been selected as a finalist in Gulfshore Life’s “Best of the Gulfshore” 2018 Awards for BEST Hotel/Resort, BEST Weekend Getaway, BEST Special Occasion and BEST Waterfront Restaurant! Thank you to all who voted!🎖
Tarpon Lodge: One of Coastal Living Magazine’s 50 Secret Places
We’re honored to have been chosen by Coastal Living Magazine as one of their 50 Secret Places. You can read more in the March issue on newsstands now.
Pine Island, Florida The Tarpon Lodge
A salty dose of Old Florida culture, and surprisingly within reach
Old Florida is having a serious moment these days, and this island perched off the Gulf Coast feels a million miles–and years–away from the hurly burly of Fort Myers. To make the escape complete, bed down at the gracious, old-school Tarpon Lodge. Rates start at $115; tarponlodge.com
As we head into spring, our chef will prepare fresh salads using greens, herbs, seasonal fruits and vegetables from Pine Island Botanicals. One of Southwest Florida’s best farms, Pine Island Botanicals follows the principles of natural and organic growing.
Look for daily, unique creations using lettuce varieties such as Golden Frill, Ruby Streak, Italian Arugula, Spinach Bloomdale, and Tangy and Spicy Mustard lettuces.
Explore the natural setting and incredible history that makes our area so unique.
Our friends at Captiva Cruises have created a special lunch excursion from Captiva to Tarpon Lodge and the ancient Calusa Indian Mounds on Pine Island. You’ll cruise by historic fish houses en route to Pineland, with Captain Sean and Captiva Cruises’ Educator, Richard, discussing the history and unique properties of the area. You’ll then enjoy a delicious lunch at Tarpon Lodge. After your meal, you’ll walk over to the Randell Research Center where you’ll be led on a guided hike to the top of a pre-Columbian mound of the ancient Calusa Culture. This Center is dedicated to learning and teaching about the archeology, history and ecology of Southwest Florida.
On Jan. 19th, Massaya Vineyard owner Sami Ghosn introduced a selection of unique, award-winning wines and our chef prepared exquisite culinary samplings of Mediterranean design, pairing each course with Estate bottled Massaya wines from Lebanon.
As this review goes live, many people in the USA and Canada are probably wishing they could be staying at a place like Tarpon Lodge on Pine Island, Florida. Far away from wintry gusts, ice storms, and snow, the grounds here are shaded by palm trees and the orange sun sets each night over the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
This cozy lodge with the charm of old Florida is north of Fort Myers, on a large island that’s mostly residential. To get here you head west from I-75 toward the Gulf and cross onto the island through the colorful town of Matlacha, where it’s worth stopping for a bite to eat or at least some ice cream. After a meandering drive on roads that are seldom crowded, you get to the two-story collection of buildings making up Tarpon Lodge, next to a marina filled with pleasure fishing boats. You can charter one for some fishing, maybe snagging a big namesake tarpon, or explore the islands nearby that extend north from Sanibel and Captiva. (The lodge here shares ownership with the long-established Cabbage Key Inn and restaurant—the only place to stay on that small island with no roads.)
A retreat to Tarpon Lodge Restaurant is a dose of the unexpected, especially during a Global Wine Dinner
A trip to Pine Island itself, just 20 minutes from parts of Cape Coral but a world away, is an escape.
From passing through the funky, brightly hued fishing village Matlacha to driving by mango grove after mango grove, there’s a frozen-in-time quality that’s hard to get anywhere these days. For food lovers, the experience is worth the trek even more, for a trip to old-time fishing retreat Tarpon Lodge, whose restaurant has cultivated a reputation for so much more than coconut shrimp.
We sometimes say “we’ve seen it all” in the decades that our family has owned and operated Tarpon Lodge. But in all the years, our community has only very rarely experienced a storm of such strength and magnitude as Hurricane Irma, a category 4 that reached our shores on September 10. Needless to say, we were worried about our staff, we worried about our guests, and we worried about our loved ones. When we realized everyone was safe and the damage to our properties was only minimal, we felt relief for a minute – until we learned that not everyone in our region was so fortunate. And yet, we knew how important it was for all of us to move forward. For us, the best way to do that is to regroup, rally our amazing team, and continue to work.
What better way to begin the road to recovery than with a wedding? At Tarpon Lodge, planning and creating a couple’s new beginning are among our favorite things. We love engaging with the wonderful people who celebrate the most special occasion of their lives with us. As with Amber and Paul, during the year or so of wedding planning we establish friendships that often last way beyond the wedding day, and we treasure those relationships. So even in light of these challenging circumstances, we knew we had to do everything we could to make sure that Paul and Amber’s wedding was all that we had worked for, and all that we had promised. Amber’s touching words follow, and we so appreciate that this new bride took the time to share her story.
Our staff is standing by to help you book your stay and answer any questions you may have about your relaxing Old Florida getaway. (239) 283-3999or Book Online Now!
