A guide to Fort Myers

You could say nature is healing in Fort Myers, two years after being so cruel to it. Hurricane Ian stripped the life and soul from much of southwest Florida overnight, and suddenly made this calm coastal city a place of panic and evacuation.

Even today, many of its iconic palm trees still recline backwards as if frozen in a permanent state of shock. If that's an unnerving reminder of the recent past, it's redeemed by the inspiring people of Lee County, who continue to play a pivotal role in returning Fort Myers to its former glories.

The atmosphere

Fort Myers feels every bit as serene as the waters of the Gulf of Mexico on which it rests. There are polite gated communities but it's not simply the gilded retirement home the region is narrowly stereotyped as.

There's curious history and exotic wildlife waiting to be explored, as well as a compact but vibrant downtown. It's there you'll encounter lively Gen-Z types from all over the country, soaking up its bar scene and the carefree spirit of the endless summers.

Nature & culture

Spotting bottlenose dolphins for the first time in the shallow waters surrounding Fort Myers is pure magic. Even the locals were quick to assure me that the novelty never wears off. The best seat is aboard a Captiva Cruises boat to Cabbage Key, where it's a near certainty that you'll be chaperoned by a glossy school of these adorable creatures, who lap up the attention.

But you're in Florida, so let's not pretend you're not itching to see one of its million or so alligators too – perhaps from a safer distance. Consider booking a guided tram tour at the Ding Darling nature reserve or walk the Six Mile Cypress nature trail (Gator Lake didn't get its name by accident). Failing that, if you're en route from Miami, take the scenic Tamiami Trail or Alligator Alley through the Everglades, where they routinely bask on the swampy roadsides.

The Everglades was also the birthplace of the Calusa: one of the most influential Native American communities in the region. Mound House is a former Calusa settlement on land they once built using vast piles of seashells laboriously collected by hand. Learn why from one of the engaging resident historians – even better from the cooling shade of the archaeological site beneath the house, where nearly two millennia of Calusan architecture is documented.

If that unlocks a sudden fascination with seashells, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum and Aquarium on Sanibel Island is a smartly designed and excellently curated highlight, especially for children. While still a work in progress, executive director Sam Ankerson and his enthusiastic team have done a heroic job rebuilding what was lost to the hurricane.

Beaches

For those intrigued by white sand, clear water and even historic lighthouses, beach time at Sanibel Island is the perfect activity. The survival of the lighthouse, which suffered serious damage during the hurricane, is a source of major pride for Sanibel natives. A beach really doesn't need much more, but I wasn't complaining when a curious manatee appeared only a few metres from where I swam.

Just south, Fort Myers Beach is overlooked by a string of modern hotel resorts that line its promenade, some more appealing than others. It may lack Sanibel's unspoiled marine aura, but it's a clean and highly convenient beach nonetheless with water just as warm – even at the crack of dawn when it's blissfully quiet as the intense Floridian sun begins to wake up with you.

Eating & drinking

The Veranda is an unmissable slice of "Old Florida" hospitality. Bow-tied staff smoothly oversee the carpeted floor of the dining room to the distant sound of a piano played from the romantically lit front bar. The menu, where southern comfort mingles with classic French, is unapologetically retro but delicious, especially the juiciest, freshest local shrimp cocktail anyone could wish for. But make no mistake, this is all about the timeless setting.

Another historic venue, the Cabbage Key Inn & Restaurant , is an essential part of the excursion with Captiva Cruises. Order the catch of the day, usually grouper or mahi-mahi, plucked from the very same waters you just cruised with the dolphins. And save room for their key lime pie, advice I could give for almost anywhere you eat in southwest Florida.

For breakfast, Heavenly Biscuit is a Fort Myers institution near the beach, serving up the eponymous southern speciality from a food truck. They could be my new favourite hangover cure if I could get them on my continent. They also serve warm cinnamon rolls drenched in icing and robust coffee. The Farmer's Market Restaurant is a legendary blue-collar diner in the middle of a vast parking lot where you can blend in by ordering fried catfish and eggs.

By day, Bay Street Yard serves global street food, fruity cocktails and live sports on its oversized screen from repurposed shipping containers. At night, DJs play danceable beats and Taylor Swift. It's quite the social hub, but if simply a quiet, well-made drink is the brief, the 86 Room does the best around if you don't mind the speakeasy theatrics. Hop heads, meanwhile, may prefer the honest graft of artisanal beer brewers like Point Ybel and Voodoo , which are as good as any.

Where to stay

Fort Myers has always attracted out-of-towners, Thomas Edison and Henry Ford being two of the most famous. If you can't buy a summer estate like they did, The Luminary is downtown Fort Myers' bougiest hotel, with a fourth floor terrace pool and unrivalled views over the river from many of the sleekly designed rooms. The pool is on the rooftop bar at the more functional Banyan Hotel nearby, which attracts plenty of non-guests too.

Margaritaville is a kitschy beach resort that's hard not to love. "When life gives you limes, make margaritas!" a sign reads in the hallway on my floor, advice I'm happy to take. It might be refreshingly lacking self-consciousness, but the facilities offer excellent value for money. Rooms are spacious, clean and smartly optimised for the modern traveller. There's a lagoon-shaped pool and restaurants overlooking the Gulf of Mexico serving craft beer and tacos stuffed with locally caught shrimp. It might not be to everyone's taste, but its standards and sense of personality can't be faulted.

Getting there

From outside the US, Miami airport will be your most accessible door to Fort Myers, if not technically the closest. That would be Tampa. From Miami, there are two roads to choose from: US Highway 41, also known as the Tamiami Trail, is a famously scenic, if longer route, deep through the Everglades. A quicker route, approximately three hours by car, is the I-75, which skims the northern fringes of it.

Dominic Kocur was invited to visit Fort Myers by Four PR agency, working on behalf of Visit Fort Myers . Margaritaville, The Banyan and The Luminary hosted Dominic on a complimentary basis, while Visit Fort Myers sponsored the experiences at selected businesses in Fort Myers during his stay.