POV: Spending the Holidays at South Seas in 2025
November 18, 2025
The moment your car crosses the causeway from Fort Myers, the world begins to feel lighter. The mainland slips behind you, the palms sway a little more playfully, and South Seas Island Resort stretches out ahead like a place built for slowing down, reconnecting, and creating the holiday memories families dream about.
Festive Season 2025 will welcome guests back with island traditions, daily recreation, waterfront celebrations, and the kind of meaningful moments that turn holidays into lifelong stories.
Here is what your family can experience during Festive 2025:
Accessing Festive Season Experiences
Festive Season experiences are exclusive to guests who reserve directly with South Seas and owners with Club Captiva access. To enjoy the full lineup of holiday events and island traditions, reserve your stay through SouthSeas.com or any official South Seas booking channel.
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With our Gift of South Seas offer, you can save 25% on your holiday stay and be one of the first to experience the grand opening of Captiva Landing.
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Holiday Experiences
Boats & Lights
DECEMBER 12, 13, 19
Twinkling lights, live music, and festive treats with a nautical flair.
Boats & Lights creates a beautiful prelude to Festive. Guests gather at Yacht Harbour Marina for a spirited evening featuring live music, s’mores by the firepit, hot cocoa, festive bites, holiday cocktails, and glow-in-the-dark cornhole while boats shimmer under strands of lights. It sets a warm, joyful tone for even more holiday celebrations to come.
Festive Officially Begins
DECEMBER 20
Golf cart parade, tree lighting, and our annual Marina Stroll featuring Santa Claus.
Festive begins with one of the most spirited days of the year at South Seas. Families decorate golf carts in lights, garland, and creative island touches for the annual parade that winds through the resort. As twilight approaches, everyone gathers for the tree lighting ceremony, where the island’s holiday centerpiece glows against the sky. The evening continues along Yacht Harbour Marina during our annual Holiday Marina Stroll, a beloved holiday tradition featuring a visit from Santa Claus.
Daily Seasonal Resort Activities
DECEMBER 21 – 30
Family games, crafts, culinary experiences, and more.
Throughout Festive, each day at South Seas offers a lively rhythm of family-friendly fun, beginning with hands-on creative activities like shell frames, ceramics, sand art, stocking tie-dye, and build-a-buddy workshops, along with playful poolside events such as sponge races, candy cane limbo, duck races, and holiday-themed relay games. Evenings shift into a different kind of holiday magic. As the sun sets, guests can look forward to charcuterie and wine tastings, s’mores gatherings, gingerbread house making, family game nights, glow golf, silent disco events, outdoor movies, magic shows, and more—creating a festive blend of daytime play and nighttime holiday enchantment that keeps every generation smiling from morning through evening.
Grand Opening of Captiva Landing
DECEMBER 22
Be one of the first to experience our highly anticipated family oasis.
Families will celebrate as South Seas unveils its brand-new water play area, complete with waterslides for all ages and heights, a lazy river, pool, restaurant, shaded cabanas, and Camp-tiva kids’ club. The opening marks a new chapter of island fun and is one of the most anticipated moments of the entire season.
Learn More About Captiva Landing
Christmas Eve Dinner at Harborside
DECEMBER 24
Gather with family and friends for a seasonal family-style feast.
Harborside will host a beautifully curated, family-style Christmas Eve dinner. Guests will enjoy antipasti, bruschetta, verde salad, Chianti braised lamb shank, chicken piccata, snapper livornese, balsamic roasted Brussels sprouts, truffle potatoes, risotto, panettone, tiramisu, and a selection of wine specials featuring labels from Caymus, Daou, Veuve Clicquot, and more. The evening blends festive elegance with South Seas’ relaxed island atmosphere.
New Year’s Eve Celebration
DECEMBER 31
Ring in the New Year island style with a beach party and fireworks.
South Seas will welcome 2026 with an island-style New Year’s Eve celebration on the beach. From early evening to 10 PM, families will enjoy DJ entertainment, dancing, inflatables, glow seating, face painting, a fire dancer performance, and a fireworks finale over the Gulf.
New Year’s Resort Activities
JANUARY 1 – 3
Family activities and crafts to celebrate the New Year.
The celebrations continue after New Year’s Day with activities such as resolution box making, scavenger hunts, live music at the Bayview Pool, build-a-buddy workshops, duck races, tie-dye, balloon animals, magic shows, and a Sip and Stroke paint class.
Holiday Accommodations
Where to Stay at South Seas
South Seas offers a variety of accommodations to suit every preference, from one-, two-, or three-bedroom residences with full kitchens and private living spaces to luxury Homes of Distinction with private access to the beach. Each vacation residence is shaped by its own style, scenery, and connection to the island.
Captiva Resort Villas: Closest to Captiva Landing, ideal for families who want to enjoy waterpark views and easy access.
Beach Villas: Spacious, breezy residences just steps from the Gulf, featuring stunning sunset views. Located a short walk across the street from Captiva Landing.
Bayside Villas: Overlooking Pine Island Sound with serene sunrise views and proximity to Captiva Landing Marina, these residences are also within walking distance of Captiva Landing.
Marina Villas: Views of Yacht Harbour Marina and the waters beyond provide a serene atmosphere, with walking-distance access to Sunset Beach, Harborside restaurant, Yacht Harbour Marina, and Bayview Pools amenities and restaurants.
Land’s End Villas: Elevated comfort at the northernmost point of Captiva Island, with sweeping views of Redfish Pass, the Gulf, and access to some of the resort’s most peaceful walking paths.
Homes of Distinction: For guests seeking a more private retreat, the Homes of Distinction offer the space and comfort of a luxurious home with full access to resort amenities.
A Holiday Season to Remember
Festive Season 2025 at South Seas brings together everything families love: sunshine, creativity, togetherness, holiday sparkle, and the natural beauty of Captiva. It is a season designed for connection and joy — one that invites families to slow down, share new traditions, and savor the wonder of the holidays, island-style.
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