12/22 Update:
In observance of the holiday season, our offices will be closed from 12/23-12/26/22. We will reopen at 9 am EST on 12/27/22. In the meantime, if you have any questions or concerns please email our reservation staff at viprent@viprealty.com. We will respond to all emails the morning of 12/27/22. Happy holidays to all our friends near and far!
11/17 Update:
Good Thursday morning! Another busy day for our teams. Our Res Agents are on the phones and email (239.472.1613 or viprent@viprealty.com) and our Properties Team is on-island doing routine inspections of our properties so that we can document status updates.
It's great seeing all the positive news of businesses making progress on reopening. One of the newest openings is Cielo Restaurant. They are open from 11am to 6pm and the island residents and people working to restore the island couldn't be happier!
Our most asked question has been when will the island be open to non-residents/passholders. The short answer is we don't know. It's important to stress that even though things are reopening slowly, we are in no way sharing this information to imply that we are ready for vacationers. It's simply to share the bright spots in this current season we are in. It gives us hope and allows us to show our loyal followers the progress that is being made.
We can't wait till the time we can share that we are once again ready to hosts guests!
11/14 Update:
Good Monday morning! Just a quick reminder that our office lines are open Monday-Friday, 9-2 EST. We can be reached at 239.472.1613 or 1.800.237.7526. We are also available by email at viprent@viprealty.com.
If you are an upcoming guest for JAN, FEB or MARCH and haven't yet officially cancelled or rolled over your reservation for 2024 please check your email for a message from us.
Have a great day!
11/2 Update:
Good Morning! We have lost track of how many days post Hurricane Ian we are....all the days seem to run together now! Slowly but surely we are making progress. Our units have been inspected, the associations and owners are working on site clean-up and determining next steps and every day we see bright spots and signs of hope.
We plan on getting more active on specific island updates...we appreciate everyone's patience as we worked through tech issues, setting up our new satellite office and working through our refunds. (AS A REMINDER, WE ARE OPEN ON THE PHONES AND EMAIL, MON-FRI, 9-2)
Our current priority is getting all the refunds done for arrivals through the end of the year (we are almost done!) and then we will start reaching out to our 2023 guests we haven't talked to and see how they would like to proceed. Many guests, especially those who come in the winter, have expressed interest in moving their dates to 2024 in order to keep their hard earned "first right of refusal". We want to honor that as best we can!
Again, thanks for everyone's support, well wishes and patience!
10/19 Update:
BREAKING NEWS! The Sanibel Causeway opens to residents at 11 am today....just 3 weeks since Hurricane Ian. We want to thank Govenor DeSantis, The City of Sanibel, FDOT and the men and women who did the heavy lifting.
In crisis situations, it's important to take one day at a time and be thankful for every step forward. Positive notes and phone calls from our guests and owners bring joy in between. #SanibelStrong #thankful #sanibelcauseway
10/17 Update:
Our phones will be open again today from 9-2. (Our plan is to be open Monday - Friday, 9-2 EST).
We now have our satellite office in Fort Myers set-up but unfortunately the internet is still out. We have ordered satellite internet and hope to be fully operational next week. We have staff working from home so please be patience if you get our VM when calling. Feel free to email if that is easier for you as we responding daily. PLEASE USE OUR GENERAL EMAIL, VIPRENT@VIPREALTY.COM, not your reservation agents email. Some staff do not have access to their email.
If you sent a check for final payment that we didn't receive prior to the storm please know we will NOT cash the check and will reach out to you on if you would like it destroyed or mailed back.
We plan on being on-island starting on 10/21 to continue assessing our properties. We will begin providing specific property information as soon as we can.
Thank you to everyone for your patience and kind words of support as we move toward the rebuilding process.
10/9 Update:
500 lineman setting up on Sanibel. More glimmers of hope!
The City of Sanibel also posted an update from Govenor Desantis. The full article can be read here.
We have also created a private Facebook group for our owners. If you are a VIP Vacation Rental Owner, please submit your request to join here. You must answer 2 questions and once an admin reviews you will be added.
Our phones will continue to be open from 9-2 Monday thru Friday.
10/8 Update:
New beacons of hope come everyday....temporary repairs to the Sanibel Causeway are under way and it's miraculous the speed at which they are working. We have learned that workers are already able to drive over the A span.
Our phone lines will be open again on Monday from 9-2.
We are still awaiting equipment to more effectively work. It appears most equipment should be in early next week. This will allow us to deploy more staff to work quicker.
We have a lot of things happening behind the scenes that will help further our goal of gathering information about our properties so that we can share with our owners and guests. Stay tuned...
We want to express our sincere gratitude for the outpouring of support and kind words we are receiving. We are blessed.
10/7 Update:
Management is out on the island today to formulate a game plan for getting around the island safely and effectively to start assessing properties.
The phone lines will be open today from 9:00 - 2:00. In between calls, we will continue to work through our emails as well as get reservations cancelled. We expect to start refunds early next week now that services have stabilized. We are still waiting on some replacement equipment/supplies but we expect them shortly.
We thank our guests and owners for the kindness, words of encouragement and patience as we work on next steps.
We are getting lots of requests for vetted places to donate: Collaboratory & FISH of Sanibel-Captiva, Inc. are great organizations...links below.
Collaboratory
FISH of Sanibel Captiva
PS: FDOT is making amazing progress on the causeway. It's amazing and mind boggling the speed in which things are happening. Our optimism grows by leaps and bounds daily.
10/5/22
Some great news shared by the City of Sanibel last night. FDOT (Florida Department of Transportation) hopes to have the Causeway accessible by the end of October. This will dramatically help the recovery process and more easily allow VIP Vacations and our team to get "boots on the ground". We can't wait to get our hands dirty to help our island community.
An excerpt from the email:
"It is anticipated to have the Sanibel Causeway accessible by the end of October. Once immediate recovery efforts have subsided, permanent long-term repairs will be made to the causeway. The emergency repairs being done now will offer a safe passage for immediate access and will also be incorporated into long-term repair plans. This means that repairs being done now will tie into work that will be needed for permanent repairs."
Read the full article here
10/3/22
Sanibel Island took a devastating blow from Hurricane Ian. First and foremost, all of our staff and their families are safe. For that we are extremely grateful and fortunate.
With the amount of damage to the bridge and the island's infrastructure, we are cancelling all upcoming reservations through November. This is a large task that will take time to complete, especially since many are still without power and proper internet connection. Our office sustained 5 feet of water so even when we are allowed to access the island we will need to work from a different location.
The refund process will start within the coming weeks as resources become more readily available. We will work in chronological date order based on your arrival. All refunds will be processed in the same manner in which they were paid. If by check, the check will be mailed to the mailing address on file. Once your refund has been processed you will receive an email so that you know your refund is forthcoming.
We ask that you be patient with us during these unprecedented times. A few items to note/request....
1. Please do not email cancelling your reservation. This will be done automatically.
2. We will communicate with all guests as to where we are in the refund process so that everyone knows what to expect.
3. Please do not email or call to check on the status of your refund. We have limited resources to respond and this will ultimately slow down the process.
Lastly, please follow us on Facebook. Our goal is to stay in communication with our long-time guests and provide as many updates on Sanibel/Captiva, VIP Vacations and our rebuilding process as the months go on.