Resorts get into the spirit of turtle season
By Georgina Cruz
Each year, fromMay to October, Florida’s coasts play host to somewonderful visitors: sea turtles that come lay their eggs on our golden sands. Many resorts feature nighttime turtlewalks and other activities. Here are some Florida and Caribbean resorts with turtle-related features.
Clearwater Beach: Typically, more than 150 loggerheads nest on the beaches in the St. Petersburg/Clearwater area, where the ClearwaterMarineAquarium patrols the coastline and does a handful of turtle releases. Guests staying at the SandpearlResort are notified 24-48 hours of scheduled turtle releases on the property’s beach. Info: sandpearl.com.
Fort Lauderdale: Whenguests kick back with a TipsyTurtle Cocktail at the Fort LauderdaleMarriottHarbor BeachResort& Spa, $1of the proceeds goes directly to benefit The National Save The SeaTurtle Foundation. Info: marriott.com.
Jupiter: The Jupiter BeachResort& Spa in north Palm Beach implements a “Lights Out” policy at night to encourage endangered leatherback, loggerhead and green sea turtles to come ashore to lay their eggs. Guests can witness turtle nesting firsthand during nighttime turtlewalks that are hosted by the LoggerheadMarinelife Center nearby. “Loggy the Turtle” plush toys are available in every room for guests to take home as a souvenir, with a portion of the proceeds benefiting the LoggerheadMarinelife Center. Info: jupiterbeachresort.
Sarasota: Minutes away fromTheResort at LongboatKey Club and Lido BeachResort, Sarasota’sMoteMarineAquarium has treated and released more than100 sea turtles at their rehabilitation center and monitors more than 35 miles of LongboatKey’s nesting beaches. Back at the resorts, kids can take scheduled turtlewalks where they’ll learn more about the species’ natural habitats and can even bring home a little piece of the experience in the form of a plush turtle. Info: longboatkeyclub. lidobeachresort.com.
Vero Beach: TheTreasure Coast is one of the most important turtle nesting habitats in theWesternHemisphere, frequented by loggerheads, green turtles and leatherbacks. Guests at Disney’sVero BeachResort can join nighttime outings led by a biologist from Disney’s Animal Kingdom Park. Disney has contributed about $1.26 million to sea turtle conservation through the DisneyWorldwide Conservation Fund. Children ages 7 to15 can learn about sea turtles as part of “Turtle Troop,” a complimentary programof naturalist-ledwalks on the beach to identify tracks and discuss nesting behaviors. Afterward, kids can “adopt” a sea turtle, whose development can be tracked on the Internet. Children under12 must be accompanied by an adult to participate. Other activities include turtle releases. Info: disneybeachresorts.com.
Barbados: The Colony ClubHotel offers a stand-up paddle tour and turtle swim. Groups paddleboard out to Lone StarRestaurant, followed by a plunge into thewarm Caribbeanwaters where they can splash around with turtles and other marine life. The excursion is complimentary. Info: colonyclubhotel.com.
Cancun: Two side-by-side resorts, CasaMagnaMarriott CancunResort andJW Marriott CancunResort& Spa, feature a sea turtle protection programthat saves an average of 3,000 endangered baby turtles each year. FromJune through September, marine biologists guide the staff in preparing and caring for nesting areas on the beach. Resort guests can participate in releases of the baby turtles by calling the concierge to find out if turtles will be released on a given night. Info: For CasaMagnaMarriott CancunResort, marriott.com; forJWMarriott CancunResort& Spa, jwmarriottcancun.com.