In the age of iPhones, Blackberries and netbooks, the phrase “all-wired-all-the-time” resonates with most of us. You can order groceries from your laptop and scope out real estate while sitting in an airport terminal. You don’t really have to talk to anyone–ever–if you really don’t want to.
But is that the way to LIVE?
Here’s a better idea for escape: Renting Florida vacation homes on Captiva Island with your loved ones.
This exclusive island in the Gulf of Mexico is about as discreet as they come, with the only access by one road. Long ago, pirate Jose Gaspar kept his harem of women and wealthy prisoners captive there, hence the name. Today, the narrow land is dotted with millionaires’ homes, dirt paths treaded by golf carts–a common method of transportation around the island–and vibrant bougainvileas.
A friend’s family surprised her with a 30th birthday “vacation” there last year. All she knew was that she and her sister were landing at the Ft. Myers airport. From there, she took a taxi to a dock, where a man took them on a boat to the island. Their mother was waiting in a golf cart landside.
Not until the morning did she realize that she was in a Captiva Island vacation rental, a Key West-style charmer with its own pool, kitchen and all the food and booze she could wash down. Because that is all they did during the trip, and she was thankful for it.
If you’re going to be held captive, that is the way I would want to be stranded anyway.
