Reviews | Tarpon Lodge - Part 6

Old Florida Charm at its Finest

Posted on August 1, 2012
By Kayak Fishing ClassicS Tournament Series
Events, Fishing, Fishing Tournaments, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

Old Florida, the words conjure up the very essence of Southern Charm, Hospitality and Grace. That is what we found waiting for us at the Tarpon Lodge in Pineland, Florida. It is a quiet peaceful island community off of the shores of Cape Coral and a century away from the light speed of everyday life.

The Tarpon Lodge was the lodging host for the Kayak Fishing ClassicS latest tournament, the Pine Island Master Slam Classic which was held on July 14. In addition to being at the old lodge which was established in 1926, the ClassicS staff was there for a photo shoot with artist Steve Whitlock. Steve’s famous art work hangs on the walls at the Tarpon Lodge and his unique style blends right in with the Old Florida lifestyle of the lodge.

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Tarpon Lodge Featured in Coastal Living Magazine Love It Guide

Posted on May 23, 2012
By Costal Living Magazine
Fishing, Fishing & Boating, Tarpon Lodge Overview

Tarpon Lodge offers waterside accommodations in the original 1926 lodge and auxiliary buildings, plus a great onsite restaurant. The property is the perfect base for fishing and boating day trips with osprey, egret, and dolphin sightings.

PLACES WE LOVE! Use our Love It Guides to browse our favorite hotels, shops, and attractions. You’ll find hidden gems we love, as featured in Coastal Living magazine, plus exclusive recommendations from our editors.

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Tarpon Lodge Featured on CNN Travel: Top 10 coastal inns

Posted on December 30, 2011
By Jeff Book, CNN Travel (Coastal Living)
Pine Island, Recreation, Restaurant Reviews, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

Plan a weekend getaway to one of these coastal inns for inviting accommodations, great food and plenty to keep you busy. Or, just kick up your feet and relax!

Tarpon Lodge

Tarpon Lodge offers waterside accommodations in the original 1926 inn and auxillary buildings, plus fishing and boating day trips with osprey, egret and dolphin sightings; 239/283-3999.

Eat: The Tarpon serves always fresh (never frozen!) fish and outstanding blue crab-and-roasted corn chowder. Bert’s Bar & Grill in Matlacha, an islet towards the mainland, features tasty seafood, live music and dockside dining.

Do: Hike the Calusa Heritage Trail that winds among ancient shell mounds and the remnants of an impressive cross-island canal built by the Calusa Indians. Or, rent beach cruisers from Pine Island Cycles; 239/560-0320; or vessels from Gulf Coast Kayak to paddle the area’s placid inlets.

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Book Tarpon Lodge for an island restaurant getaway

Posted on December 29, 2011
By Drew Sterwald, Florida Weekly Cuisine
Restaurant Reviews

WHEN WE LONG TO GET AWAY FROM THE city traffic and the sea of chain restaurants, savvy Southwest Floridians take a leisurely drive to the islands.

There’s nothing like wending your way through the tree-lined curves of Sanibel- Captiva Road or crossing the Matlacha Pass bridge into the Old Florida wonderland of Pine Island to make you feel like you’ve left the workaday world far behind.

Such is the singular charm of a destination like Tarpon Lodge, which is even more thoroughly steeped in history and the authentic Florida experience than most coastal landmarks. Dating to 1926, the lodge and restaurant sit on the edge of Pine Island Sound, a renowned angling hot spot and storied commercial fishing hub.

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Top 10 Coastal Inns

Posted on December 28, 2011
By Coastal Living Magazine
Restaurant Reviews, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

Tarpon Lodge #2 of 10

Pine Island, Florida: Tarpon Lodge offers waterside accomodations in the original 1926 inn and auxillary buildings, plus fishing and boating day trips with osprey, egret, and dolphin sightings; 239/283-3999.

Eat: The Tarpon serves always fresh (never frozen!) fish and outstanding blue crab-and-roasted corn chowder. Bert’s Bar & Grill in Matlacha, an islet towards the mainland, features tasty seafood, live music, and dockside dining.

Do: Hike the Calusa Heritage Trail that winds among ancient shell mounds and the remnants of an impressive cross-island canal built by the Calusa Indians. Or, rent beach cruisers from Pine Island Cycles; 239/560-0320; or vessels from Gulf Coast Kayak to paddle the area’s placid inlets.

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Tarpon Lodge, A Trip To The Past

Posted on July 7, 2011
By Capt. Rob Modys
Cabbage Key, Fishing, Fishing & Boating, Restaurant Reviews, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard the expression, “Old Florida”. Most of the time the description is close, but not right on the money. Tarpon Lodge on Pine Island, in my opinion, is the exception.

My wife, JoNell, has a fairly grueling travel itinerary associated with her job. She goes on excursions both near and far to preach the gospel of vacationing in the Collier County area of Florida. In the month of May, her birthday month, she traveled to New York City and San Francisco and spent her big day on the road, or in the skies as it were. She very much wanted to do something special for her birthday. She told me so, but our schedules just didn’t mesh. The window of opportunity was made smaller when she told me she had another trip scheduled to the state of Texas in early June. What’s a guy to do? ….

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Florida’s Secret Islands: Discover Matlacha/Pine Island

Posted on March 10, 2011
By Jeff Book, Coastal Living
Cabbage Key, Fishing & Boating, Pine Island, Recreation, Restaurant Reviews, Tarpon Lodge Overview, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

Pine Island’s sparse traffic–and the bike path running from one end to the other–makes it ideal for cycling. Hikers take the Calusa Heritage Trail, which winds among ancient shell mounds and the remnants of an impressive cross-island canal built by the Calusa Indians, who settled here around A.D. 1. Trail signs illustrate the thriving seaside village that greeted Spanish explorers in the early 1500’s.

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On the Edge of Old Florida

Posted on October 6, 2009
By by Patricia Letakis | Photography Jon Whittle | Florida Travel + Life
Pine Island, Recreation, Tarpon Lodge Reviews

A trip to Southwest Florida’s outer islands shows us it really is possible to live without TV and WiFi

It’s one of those Florida days in early summer when mornings are gloriously hot with crisp blue skies and evenings take a mysterious turn, morphing into a spectacle of thunderbolts. Eager to reach my destination — Tarpon Lodge on Pine Island — before the heavens dump buckets of rain, I leave North Fort Myers behind, whizzing across causeways and bridges and cutting through Matlacha, a fishing-village-turned-artist-colony where brightly colored shacks blur into a rainbow as I speed along. The final leg before arriving on the 17-mile-long Pine Island is a stretch of wetlands where telephone poles serve as canvases for local artists who paint decorative fish, hibiscus and manatees on them. I like this place already.

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Fine Dining in a Vintage Sportsman’s Lodge

Posted on June 8, 2006
By Cheryl Blackerby, Palm Beach Post, The (FL)
Restaurant Reviews

The Tarpon Lodge has a reputation as a getaway for sport fishermen, but its restaurant is equally well-known among those interested in fine dining.

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