We like: 1) a nice place to stay, 2) photography, 3) shelling, 4) biking, 5) Ding Darling Nature Preserve, 6) Lighthouse, 7) Love Boat Ice Cream
A. We've stayed at four places on Sanibel in our price range. To date: Colony Inn is our favorite for decor, layout, and location.
B. Sanibel is ideal for photography. Sunrise/Sunset on beach, plenty of flowers, and all the wildlife at Ding Darling /Bailey's/etc.
C. 5 minute walk from beach/shelling. The website said "3 minutes", but we never made it faster than 5. Still, 5 minutes is plenty good.
D. Biking - 2 minutes from Lighthouse, 15 minutes from ice cream/groceries/snacks, 40 minutes from nature center. Absolutely ideal.
E. Nature Center - perfect for hiking, biking, and photography. We spotted and photographed between 20 and 30 amazing animals during our stay. (We are internally debating if it was 23 or 26 animals.)
F. The lighthouse is cool. We found coconuts washed up on shore, which we harvested and ate. Some shells were to be found. Lots of birds congregated for identification and photos. In the past, we found a gopher tortoise here (but not this time). There are nature trails, foot-washing stations, restrooms, and beaches here.
G. Let no one dissuade you otherwise: Love Boat Ice Cream has the best ice cream, the most ice cream, and the best prices. If you like ice cream, this should be one of your meals each day. It's worth it for a vacation.
In short: Colony Inn is a beautiful place to stay that is perfectly located for each of our interests. The TV/DVD player, the cheap LED/mercury lighting, and the kitchen leave some things to be desired on the interior, but we did not come to Sanibel for the DVD player, the lighting, or the kitchen. Beds were comfortable (including - shockingly - the fold-out couch), the patio/balcony is delightful, the pool is small-but-pleasant, the foot-washing/shell-washing station is a bonus, and the towel service is just right. The shower pressure and temperature are a dream.
We look forward to staying here again.