Travel Diary: Two Weeks in Bonita Springs

I have been going to the Bonita Springs and Naples area of Florida since I can remember. It holds a special place in my heart and always will. My great aunt and uncle have had a home there for almost 40 years and some of my fondest memories are visiting them.

Something that you need to know about me: I am a massive family gal. Family above everything. I love to spend as much time with my relatives as possible - aunts, cousins, grandparents, my parents. I'm with someone I'm related to all the time. On my 18th birthday I was asked what I wanted to do and my answer was to visit my great aunt and uncle down in Florida and that was exactly what I did. It was one of my favorite trips to date. Last year was a really big travel year for me and a priority for me was to visit my great aunts and great uncles. So, I booked flights for me and my grandma and we made our way down to Bonita Springs in February. We stayed with my Aunt Gloria and Uncle Tom, who have their own place down there and we visited with my Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob who had a beach house on the island. I was so excited - I hadn't seen my Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob in over five years (since my 18th birthday!)

We spent a total of two weeks down there, and when I tell you we did everything we possibly could there, I mean everything. Aunt Gloria made sure we had something to do every single day with the exception of two (yes, two) rest days. It was one of the most fun experiences, especially since my relatives are all in their 80s and I was the one that had to keep up with them!

Days 1-3: Work, Relax, & Ave Maria

The first few days were some of our slowest. We arrived to a cute letter board welcoming us to my Aunt Gloria's and relaxed for the rest of that travel day. I still had to work remotely for my job, so I spent the next morning scoping out a coffeeshop to work at. This is when I found Downtown Coffee & Wine Company in Old Town Bonita and it quickly became my favorite. Afterwards I was picked up for some thrift shopping in the area and lunch, then returned home for an afternoon by the pool.

This third day, however, we ventured out to Ave Maria. If you don't know about Ave Maria, it is this newer town in Southwest Florida (they don't even have their own zip code yet) and at the very center of town is this beautiful church. This is a highly religious and incredibly small college town, so everything is very intricate and it wasn't Spring Break for them yet, so students were all around. I have been here before but this was my grandma's first time. We entered the church during service, spoke to some people, went to the small Mother Theresa museum on campus, and finally had lunch. My grandmother was in awe - this is definitely a place to at least visit once if you get the chance.

Days 4-6: More Work, Family Time, & Sightseeing

These next few days there wasn't a whole lot to report about. I went back to my beloved coffeeshop, we shopped at Coconut Point, and we headed to Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob's for a pizza dinner one night. On another day we drove around Fort Myers and Bonita Beach to sightsee and observe the damage that had happened from Hurricane Ian the previous fall. On the sixth day we went back to Aunt Sally's and I treated everyone to a home cooked meal! My aunts and uncles love when I cook for them, so it was fun for me to be able to do this for them. I ended up making caprese and dill salmon flatbread.

Days 7-9: Everglades, The Wonder Gardens, & a pool day

On the seventh day we headed out to the everglades to do an airboat ride. Again, this was something that I have done before but my grandma hadn't, so it was a special thing for us to do. The three of us were situated in the front of the boat (not my favorite place to sit) and it was quite beautiful and fun to experience. We saw quite a few little alligators and some even swam right up to the boat (this is why I don't like sitting in the front)! Our driver was interacting with the braver alligators and we got to see them up close - my grandma definitely enjoyed this! Once we were done with our ride we stopped at the smallest post office ever and then headed to dinner. Joanie's was closed, so we opted for a fisherman's spot still on the water where we ate alligator bites and French fries.

The next day we went just down the road to the Wonder Gardens. Situated right in Bonita, this place looks small but is actually quite large once inside! Think botanical garden meets zoo and that's what this place is. Super beautiful inside and we got to see more alligators, the oldest flamingoes in the gardens, and some of the best scenery. That night we went to dinner at a place in the Promenades and stopped by Deromo's for dessert.

The ninth day was one of our pool days, so we lounged for hours. We ended up going to this really fancy place for dinner, meeting with Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob, and just spent more time together. It was really a special treat!

Days 10-14: Venetian Village, Koreshan Unity Settlement, & great foods

On the tenth day we headed over to Venetian Village to see the big houses (massive) and shop around. We stopped at the little pub beforehand for lunch and it was right on the bay! This lunch spot had a jar complimentary pickles at every table which instantly made this place one of my all time faves. Afterwards my aunt and grandma sat at some outdoor tables while I walked around and shopped. Although I didn't get anything, I certainly got some great inspiration for what I want in my future home!

The next day we left for brunch at my coffeeshop. It was amazing, as always! I got the tomato burrata with toast point and chia pudding. My grandma got the smoked salmon bagel and my aunt got the salmon blt. I paired my food with the tiramisu latte while my aunt got the chai latte. I recommend everything we got there!! Afterwards we spent the rest of our daytime at the Koreshan Unity Settlement. This is a huge property rich with history. Although many of the original buildings are no longer there, the property itself is next to a river and is an absolutely gorgeous space to walk around. Weirdly enough, I was dressed in something very similar to what the Koreshan women wore....

My last few days were spent with family and of course, eating. On one night we stopped at Coconut Jack's where we had amazing key lime pie margaritas and coconut shrimp. We even stopped to get a pic with their big beach chair! On our last day we once again met up with Aunt Sally and Uncle Bob at Iguana Mia - this place is special because this is where I celebrated my birthday five years prior!