By Ray Collins
I’ve probably driven past Punta Gorda a hundred times since I first moved to the Gulf Coast of Florida in 1987 but have to admit I’ve rarely had reason to pull off the road. All that changed last year when Allegiant Airlines opened the $800 million “Sunseeker Resort on Charlotte Harbor.” (www.SunseekerResorts.com)
I was shocked at the size. Besides the enormity of the resort itself, you can’t overstate the huge impact it is having on the community, socially and economically.
Seven floors, 785 rooms, 7 signature restaurants plus a 25,000 square foot food hall, two beautiful swimming pools, an off-site golf course, a spa, rental bikes and plenty of meeting space.
My wife, Erin, and I arrived on a Saturday and were pleased with the big clean room with a picture window overlooking Charlotte Harbor, the second largest estuary in Florida.
The main pool is something I’d never seen outside of Orlando or Las Vegas. Lots of families having fun–and then an adjacent more sedate adult pool. But we headed to the rooftop pool and bar called “Level Blue.” It offers an expansive view of the entire region. (Admission is $20 and they say reservations are suggested to secure a lounge chair and umbrella.)
We had dinner the first night at “Stretto,” an Italian restaurant with live entertainment. We sat at the bar and had a lovely experience with the bartender who moved down from Staten Island, We looked out at the sun setting on the harbor while enjoying a wonderful pasta dinner.
When we came outside after dinner, we were pleasantly surprised by the activity along the “boardwalk.” It reminded me of its own separate village in Punta Gorda. A DJ was playing some fun 80s tunes and we wound up spontaneously dancing at an outdoor restaurant/bar we came across during our walk back to our room. Fun!
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The next morning while Erin was still sleeping, I went down to the Harbor Yards Food Hall and found some gluten-free banana muffins and decaf coffee. We had a full day planned, starting at 8am with yoga in the Fitness Center. The class is included in the $30 dollar resort fee. (Sidebar: Erin teaches Sarasota’s largest yoga class—200 people twice a week–and she was so impressed by the facility, she’s already organizing a yoga retreat this fall at the Sunseeker!)
After that we went next door for “his-and-her” spa treatments at Lorelei Natural Beauty & Wellness. Erin got a facial and I chose a deep-tissue massage.
For lunch, we got a sandwich in the food hall off the lobby before retrieving our car for the first time and heading into Punta Gorda. (The daily valet fee is $25.) We drove a couple miles from the resort to a new pickleball park where we quickly assimilated with the locals and got a few good games in before heading out to our next activity.
We went to Fishermen’s Village in Historic Punta Gorda for a sightseeing cruise. King Fisher Fleet has a variety of cruises. We chose the 90-minute Harbor Tour where Captain Glenn told us about the area’s history—and his First Mates Kathy and Sam pointed out dolphins and took pictures for us and many of the other visitors on board. ($39.) They have a full-service bar and restrooms on board. (www.KingFisherFleet.com)
That night, some friends of ours who recently moved to the Punta Gorda area met us dinner. (He was pleased the resort had a charger for his electric vehicle.) The four of us ate at “Maury’s Steak & Seafood.” It’s named after the founder of Allegiant Airlines—and boasts Southwest Florida’s widest selection of wine. I had scallops, Erin had grouper–and we were both happy with our choices. We had a terrific waitress named “April” who hit that delicate balance of being professional yet still personable. It was a perfect final night on the waterfront as we watched the sun set over Charlotte Harbor while enjoying our meal.
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On our final morning, we treated ourselves to a hot breakfast at “Waterside” which was a charming restaurant full of big windows, sunshine and wood flooring with a bright beachy-décor. I had bacon and eggs, and Erin had an omelet, each $18.
It only took us 40 minutes to get back to Sarasota—even though it felt like we were far from home. It’s so nice to have a new place to ‘getaway. Erin said it best during dinner on our first night, “I’ll never look at Punta Gorda the same way again.” So true. Thanks Sunseeker!
Ray Collins has been published more than 150 times with articles about destinations around the world. www.raycollinsmedia.com/articles. He is a Sarasota-based writer, elected official, award-winning Realtor and former TV news anchor.
