Marco Island Travel Guide
My mom and I took a mini trip (3 Days) to Marco Island in celebration of a friends wedding. If you haven’t heard of Marco Island, it’s just a small island off the coast of Naples, Florida and is the largest of the 10,000 islands. It’s known for its beautiful shelly beaches and breathtaking views.
Let’s kick off the guide with how we got to Marco! We flew in to Fort Myers airport which is pretty small airport which means you’ll likely be on a smaller plane. If you can fly first class, your flight will be a lot more enjoyable. PRO TIP: During COVID they have shut down all food and beverage service but NOT in first class. We got free unlimited water, coffee, bloody’s and mimosas. :)
When we got there we rented a car via Turo and made the hour drive to the island. Originally we rented a Maserati but the person that rented it before us blew out the engine so we ended up with a Yukon Denali, still nice but HUGE for just the two of us. Our friends rented a Jeep through Turo also and it was so fun! PRO TIP: In some cases if you rent through Turo, the owner of the vehicle will be able to throw in beach chairs, umbrellas or coolers if you’d like so that you don’t have to rent them at your resort or buy them and then leave them behind like I’ve seen done!
We stayed at the JW Marriott Marco Island. This resort is right on the beach with two pools and seven restaurants to choose from. We only got to try three of the seven restaurants… Quinns, 10k Alley and Maia! All of them were phenomenal BUT I will say… this resort is not all inclusive and is pretty pricey. Beach chairs and chairs right next to the pool with food and beverage service were also an additional charge. We stayed in a standard room with a balcony over looking the ocean. It was gorgeous!
Places to Eat Outside of the Resort:
Snook Inn - You can’t go to Marco and not go to Snook Inn! It’s such a fun little spot. I got a salmon cesar salad there and it was AMAZING! Snook Inn is right on the water and we had the pleasure of witnessing the Christmas boat parade. SO COOL. If you go around Christmas make sure you don’t miss this!
Thai Sushi by KJ - Easily the best sushi in Marco. There were signs and flyers for this place everywhere and everyone we asked recommended this place! It’s a local favorite and it’s CLEAR why! On my list of top 5 best sushi I’ve EVER had!
Nacho Mamas - Some of the best fish tacos I have ever had and you get a lot of food for your $$!
*Full Disclosure: I didn’t take any photos while at Nacho Mamas because I was starving and all I could focus on was eating!
OOOPPPS! :}
Things to Do:
Rent Paddle Boards - We rented from Florida Adventures and Rentals. Super easy process and they gave us everything we needed plus little mesh bags to collect sea shells and sand dollars. We found THREE whole sand dollars. Well…my mom did.
Take out a Boat - The owners of the AirBnB that our friends rented had a couple boats and offered to take us out. This was easily the highlight of the trip. We got to see so many dolphins right as the sun was setting. It was INCREDIBLE. The dolphins got super close to us. One even
*I might add that Tigertail beach is closed. There is no way to get to it right now due to COVID. We made the mistake of not calling and going there only to find out that there was nothing for us to do. FAIL. We rented paddle boards instead which was so fun!
Beach weddings are super popular here apparently… understandably so! If you’re planning a destination wedding this would be a great place to check rates! My best friends got married here and it was STUNNING!
Marco is one of my favorite places in Florida. It is breathtakingly beautiful, such a relaxing city and really gives you all the island vibes we all tend to crave. If you’re traveling to Marco soon, I hope you found this useful and if you’re planning your next vacation, I hope this inspired you to take a trip to this beautiful island! You won’t regret it!
