What’s unusual about Marco Island? What’s unique about this island that residents and visitors call “Paradise Island”? What makes it so special that once you arrive in Paradise you don’t want to leave?

Marco Island is a barrier island in the Gulf of Mexico off Southwest Florida. It is linked to the mainland by two bridges south of the city of Naples. It’s home to resort hotels, beaches, marinas and golf courses, as well as a network of inland waterways.

Marco Island Beaches

Marco Island Sunsets

Marco Island’s sunsets are famous for their unique colors and brilliance. Many of the island’s restaurants are located with views of the Gulf waters or on inlets. This allows diners to have a delicious meal of fresh seafood while viewing a beautiful sunset. Many of the island’s guest accommodations also have fantastic views of the sunsets. A favorite among both locals and island visitors is being right on the beach to see the best sunset. Around the sunset hour, the beach gets very active with beach goers. Bring a camera to capture that perfect sunset picture!

A Green Flash?

Especially unique about the Marco Island sunset is the “green flash” that you can occasionally see. The Green Flash is a real, if rare, phenomenon that looks just like its name. It is a fleeting burst of vivid green above the upper rim of the sun just as it disappears into the horizon. Some Green Flashes are bigger than others. Some are more noticeable than others. But all of them give you the feeling you’ve witnessed something magical. If you go to the beach for a sunset, you will always hear mention of the “green flash”. It is real, but not often seen!

Marco Island Wildlife

And what about the unique wildlife that inhabits Marco Island? May-September is loggerhead turtle nesting season on the island. Beach combers will see yellow roped off areas where the turtles have laid eggs. If you are really lucky, you may get to see a nest hatch. My husband and I witnessed this several years ago and it is just a “magical” experience.

Marco Island’s Tigertail Beach is also located on the Great Florida Birding Trail. The island is home to many unique birds including the blue heron, white egret, osprey, black skimmer, ibis, eagle, pelican, and roseate spoonbill. What fun it is to watch these birds in action! They either wade by the shoreline or fly high above the waters, diving to catch their food.

Many tours around the island offer opportunities for guests to see dolphins, manatee, and sea turtles up close and personal. What a thrill to be boating or jet skiing with a mother dolphin and her calf playing in your wake!

Fishing in Marco Island

Backwater fishing gives you the chance to fish for Florida’s most popular game-fish among the mangroves of the 10,000 islands. Backwater fishing offers calm waters, beautiful scenery and little travel. Most popular catches are Snook, Redfish, Sea Trout, Tarpon, Pompano, Snapper, Jack Crevalle, and Ladyfish.

Offshore fishing ventures into the Gulf of Mexico. Fishing the wrecks and reefs off of the coast of Marco Island and Naples is a very popular sport. Catches like Tarpon, Red and Black Grouper, King Mackerel, Shark, Snapper, Goliath Grouper, Permit, Cobia, Barracuda and Tripletail make for an awesome adventure.

Restaurants that Prepare The Fish You Catch?

Are you ready to book a deep sea fishing excursion and bring your catch of the day to one of the island restaurants? Many island restaurants offer the service of cooking up your catch of the day!

Cape Romano Dome Houses

The dome houses, built in 1992, were the primary residence of Janet Maple and Lee’s grandson Mike Morgan up until 1993, a year after Hurricane Andrew. This hurricane didn’t do much damage thanks to the home’s unique elevated and rounded structure. In 2005, the house was purchased by John Tosto, just before Hurricane Wilma. Unfortunately, Wilma sadly caused a fair amount of damage to the domes. It also washed away some of the coastline. For unknown reasons, the Tosto’s never actually removed the houses. This left a pretty interesting site for locals and enthusiast visitors to explore. Cape Romano is only accessible by boat now and the domes are fully reclaimed by the sea. However, visiting Cape Romano remains one of the most popular tours off of Marco Island.

A Unique and Magical Island!

What’s unusual about Marco Island? Whatever you consider “unique”, this island will have something to satisfy your cravings. The island is also described by many of it’s visitors as having a “magical” quality about it.  In fact, many return year after year because of the island’s unique qualities.  I have to admit, that is what happened to us several years ago when we decided to purchase our rental condo, Sea Mar Condo. We would love to share this magical piece of Paradise with you!