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• The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, January 24, 2001

• South Florida Sun-Sentinal, March 9, 2003

• Or see what our guests have been saying!

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta, Georgia, January 24, 2001 (Living)
Getaway: Old Florida's served in comfort, style

Bokeelia Tarpon Inn by Charlotte
Harbor gives visitors as much laid-back luxury as they desire, plus lotsof peace and quiet.

Paula Crouch Thrasher - Staff
Wednesday, January 24, 2001
Bokeelia, FL

The large screened-in second-story porch at the Bokeelia Tarpon Inn, with its sweeping view of Charlotte Harbor and Gasparilla Island to the north, is a perfect place to let the world go by. It's a great retreat where you can read, play a game of Monopoly or just watch the ebb and flow of life as it moves quietly by in this laid-back community on the north end of Pine Island, off Florida's southwest coast.

Little traffic passes along the narrow lane called Main Street that traces the southern shore of the harbor and dead-ends into a trailer park just beyond the Crossed Palms Gallery, the rustic fishing pier and Capt'n Con's Fish House. Every now or then, a car drives by and seems to slow down to get a look at this stately yellow and white inn in the palms. A kid on a bicycle glides past. A jogger trots by. A couple out exercising their frisky golden retrievers turns the corner.

This unassuming little fishing village may seem at first to be an unlikely place for an upscale bed and breakfast, but it doesn't take long for us to be caught up in its Old Florida ambience and myriad charms.

The inn has only been open since mid-December, and we are glad to be among the first guests. In fact, on this night, we have the house to ourselves. After greeting us and showing us around, innkeeper Chris Desjarlais-Lueth hands over the keys and tells us to make ourselves at home.

This includes full access to the kitchen; raiding the well-stocked refrigerator and freezer for bedtime --- or anytime --- snacks is encouraged. A quick peek inside the fridge reveals some yummy-looking slices of key lime pie, yogurt, fruit and soft drinks, bottled water, cheese, cut-up fruit and, in the freezer, ice cream treats and individual frozen pizzas.

We are kids in the proverbial candy store.

The handsome inn --- derelict and missing a front door just five years ago --- is the restored 1914 Poe-Johnson house, one of the earliest homes built on the island. Inside, the woodwork, hardwood floors and fireplace are mostly original. The furnishings were custom-made in Indonesia.

Off the living room is the den. Here's where guests find bottles of single malt scotch, ports or sherries for nightcaps. And there's a fly-tying bench with all the materials for nimble-fingered fisherman to craft their own colorful fishing flies, plus books and periodicals on sport fishing. Long, sturdy rods and reels for tarpon fishing are mounted on the walls.

After all, the sport of tarpon fishing originated in Pine Island Sound in the late 1880s, and Boca Grande Pass between Cayo Costa and Gasparilla Island claims to be the "Tarpon Capital of the World." Tarpon migrate here by the thousands in April, May and June, and fishermen follow, hoping to land one of the fighting giants that can weigh hundreds of pounds.

The fisherman's lair, which has a Murphy bed, can double as a handicapped access guest room, complete with accessible bath facilities. Another guest room is downstairs as well, while four others are upstairs.

All are named for islands in Pine Island Sound: Useppa, Cayo Costa, Boca Grande, Captiva and Bocilla. Light-filled and airy, the rooms have louvered shutters for privacy. In each private bathroom, toiletries are stashed in fishing creels hung on the walls. Each room has a queen-sized bed and is individually decorated --- ours, the Cayo Costa, is swathed in soothing neutrals while our daughter's room, the Boca Grande, is a lively palette of coral and turquoise.

Breakfast is served downstairs in the dining room. In addition to cereals, muffins and fresh fruit spread out on the buffet, there is a hot main dish--- during our visit, excellent bacon, egg and cheese quiche.

It seems they've thought of everything: Guests are given small canvas tote bags with the inn's name embossed on the front; inside ours are chocolates, a couple of pieces of fruit and a disposable camera.

A cache of big black umbrellas is waiting by the front door in case of a sudden downpour. A row of bicycles stands ready if you get the urge to take a spin around the island. There's a golf cart if pedaling's not your thing.

Want to rent a canoe or kayak to explore the backwaters or creeks? They can fix you up. Want to rent a fishing boat and equipment? Just ask.

Want to be left alone? No problem with that either.

For now, the porch is a fine nest. As dusk begins to settle around the northern tip of the island, the breezes off the harbor grow colder, but we toss on another layer and stay put, nibbling on the cheeses, summer sausage, nuts and fruit our hostess has prepared for us, and sipping a 1997 KWV Australian Merlot we selected from the inn's fine collection of domestic and imports. Had it been spring --- or even a milder winter's day --- we could easily while the night away out here, lingering long after the pinkish-purple sky of twilight turns inky black. Instead, we follow our noses to the Capt'n's for no-frills fried seafood dinners.

Several days before our visit, Jon and Sam Bolen of Gainesville were guests at the Tarpon Inn. They were staying at a BandB in nearby Fort Myers when they read about the new inn in the local newspaper. Since they were planning on driving out to Pine Island to visit Sam's grandmother anyway, they decided to check it out. They were so charmed by the inn, they booked two nights and Sam went back into town to retrieve their belongings.

"It was the single best bed and breakfast I've ever stayed in," says Jon Bolen, managing director at Radiant Systems in Alpharetta. "It was so isolated, and the decor was just perfect in setting the tone and mood."

One afternoon, he says he went kayaking despite a constant drizzle and the temperature never rising much over 50 degrees.

"When I got back in, Chris (the innkeeper) was adamant that I have a glass of sherry," Bolen says. "I really was trying to unwind, and she made a personal quest to make me relax. That was exactly what I was looking for."

Comparing notes, we discover both our families opted to walk to Capt'n Con's rather than drive more than 10 miles to Froggy's in St. James City, a new restaurant that's among the ones Chris recommends. We marvel at the wonderful wines available to inn guests, and laugh about the abundance of snacks --- so many munchies, so little time.

"And we spent hours on that porch," Bolen admits. Having been there and done that, it comes as no surprise.

Getaway: YOUR WEDNESDAY GUIDE to QUICK and GOOD DEALS IF YOU GO Getting there: Delta and AirTran fly to Southwest Florida Regional Airport in Fort Myers for $178 round trip. From the airport, take I-75 north to Exit 26, then follow Pine Island Road (Fla. 78) to Pine Island. Take a right at the four-way stop at Stringfellow Road. Continue seven miles until road curves to the left. At this point you are on Main Street in Bokeelia. The inn is less than a mile on the left.
Rates: Through April 15, rates are $250-$290 a night, single occupancy. Extra person, $30. 1-866-827-7662, www.tarponinn.com.
Area attractions: The 59-passenger Tropic Star of Pine Island, an African Queen-style boat, offers a full-day narrated nature cruise to Cayo Costa and Cabbage Key. Departs Bokeelia daily at 9:30 a.m. 8135 Main St., Bokeelia. $25 adults, $15 children under 12. 941-283-0015, www.tropicstarcruises.com.
The Museum of the Islands traces Pine Island's history from ancient Calusa Indians to early fishing pioneers. Exhibits include an authentic palm-thatched kitchen with old-time utensils and household items from early settlers, remnants from the lives of the Calusas and displays on how archaeological explorations are conducted. 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tuesdays-Saturdays, 1-4 p.m. Sundays through April. (11 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays, May through October.) $1 adults, 50 cents ages 6-16, free for ages 6 and younger. 5728 Sesame Drive, Bokeelia. 941-283-1525.
Information: 941-283-0888 (Great Pine Island Chamber of Commerce). Also, 1-888-231-6933, www.leeislandcoast.com (Lee Island Coast Convention and Visitors Bureau).

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From South Florida Sun-Sentinal, March 9, 2003
Excerpts from "Heaven near the Harbor on Charming Pine Island"

Bokeelia Tarpon Inn was rescued from neglect
By Robert Tolf, Special Correspondent

"Sanibel and Captiva are not the only islands worth your time west of Fort Myers. There's Pine Island, anchored by Matlacha at the center, St. James City on the southern end and, 18 miles distant on the only road on the island, Bokeelia on the northern tip facing Charlotte Harbor. Definitely not Sanibel or Captiva and still blessedly free of the glitter and glam, the gated golf course condominiums and the strip malls."

"Bokeelia competed for attention from snowbirds and adopted its Spanish name, meaning 'little mouth,' when early settlers started building their homes away from home."

"The oldest survivor in Bokeelia date from 1904 and today houses a restaurant, Cap'n Con's."

"A two-story survivor from 1914, known as the Poe-Johnson house, was rescued from a half-dozen years of neglect and very carefully restored to bring the heart of pine floors and walls back to life. The fireplace was restocked and new paddle fans were installed."

"Lots of wicker from Indonesia was added to the main floor and porch areas, and some was used in the six guest rooms, which have individual temperature control units, private baths, louvered shutters and comfortable queen-size beds, telephones but no TV's."

"The dedicated midwife responsible for the rebirth of this historic property is Chris Desjarlais-Lueth, who opened for bed-and-breakfast business two years ago."

"A retired librarian from Brown University, and possibly the only retired university librarian ever to do something so completely different as opening a BandB. At least in Florida."

"Especially one that caters happily to fisherfolk. The waters around the Bokeelia Tarpon Inn teem with tarpon, redfish, snook and sea trout where local fishing guides demonstrate the fine art of tying lures. There's the only television in the inn, ad it has a library of fishing videos, including instructional ones on fly-tying."

"...you don't have to do any more at the Bokeelia Tarpon Inn than kick off your shoes and sit back on the porch, gazing out a Boca Grande and the panorama of giant Charlotte Harbor. There's plenty of snack stuff plus complimentary wine for an afternoon attitude readjustment at sunset time."

"You start your day at Bokeelia Tarpon with hearty breakfast built around fresh squeezed grapefruit and orange juice, sticky buns, choice of cereals and freshly brewed coffee, plus a healthy portion of good ole biscuits and gravy. And you end it with the comforting confidence that you have in fact stepped back in time and found a simpler form of Florida."

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What our Guests are Saying

"The Best Bed and Breakfast we've ever stayed in! Wonderful hospitality! Hope to return soon! Fantastic weather!" (MK, Palm Beach, FL)

"Can't wait to come back, one of our favorites." (MG, Stuart, FL)
 

"The ambiance, decoration, breakfast and style are wonderful. Thank you for a laid back weekend." (KD, Boca Raton, FL)