SANIBEL ISLAND -- When school lets out, my husband, Rich, and I like to pack up the kids for a ''state-cation,'' a three- or four-day jaunt to somewhere in Florida where we can take advantage of summer deals.

One of our favorite spots? Sanibel Island on Florida's west coast with its mellow vibe, great shelling (for me) and miles of powdery white sand and gentle surf (for them).

So when I saw a circular in the paper for summer deals through the Luxury Resorts & Hotels chain of properties, including five hotels on Sanibel, I pounced on a three-night stay at the Sunset Beach Resort.

The hotel, formerly a Best Western, has been updated with little luxuries like granite sink counters, fluffy down pillows and comforters, and 32-inch flat-screen TVs. Our room came with two queen beds, a small refrigerator, microwave and coffee maker.

Special summer rates, starting at $149 per night, include a daily continental breakfast of pastries, cereal, coffee and juice in the hotel lobby; stays of two to three nights also include a $50 resort credit, while stays of four nights or more include a $75 resort credit. The deal is good on stays booked by Sept. 1 and completed by Oct. 9.

Sunset Beach is a basic resort -- no kids' clubs or game room or on-site restaurant -- but it had the two most important requirements for our family: direct beach access and a big pool.

We settled into a little routine: Each morning around 7:30, we'd grab a picnic blanket, stock up on goodies from the breakfast bar and head for the beach, just steps from our room. We'd enjoy cool morning breezes and watch fishermen try their luck as pelicans swooped overhead.

By the time we finished eating, it was starting to get hot -- time to change into bathing suits, lather on the sunscreen and go back to the beach. We liked that Sunset Beach had a big stack of lounge chairs and umbrellas to borrow free of charge -- it saved us a lot of space in the car we needed for boogie boards and snorkel gear.

Snorkeling's not great on Sanibel (the gulf water is silty), but Colin, 10, and Evan, 5, enjoyed feeling their way in the shallows to see what sort of shells and things they could bring up. When they weren't in the gulf, they were in the pool or busy building sand castles.

A cooler full of drinks kept us all hydrated until lunch, when I'd mosey back to the room, throw together a bag of sandwiches and chips, and deliver them to my hungry swimmers. The room's refrigerator was plenty big enough for our drinks plus deli meat, mayo and lettuce.

Between the hotel's breakfast and our do-it-yourself lunches, we saved enough to have dinner out each night. Besides, it was more fun to just stay at the beach all day.

We enjoyed the best meal of the trip at Doc Ford's. The restaurant, named for the main character in a series of novels by Randy Wayne White that are set on the island, calls itself a sports bar that happens to serve gourmet eats. We concur; my sea scallops with black linguine and Rich's fish tacos were both fabulous and went great with Doc Ford's signature mojitos.

After dinner each night, we'd head back to the beach to watch the sun set. Blind Pass, where Sanibel and Captiva islands meet, has public parking and a great vantage point for sunsets.

On our last morning, we used our $50 resort credit to treat ourselves to a hot breakfast at the Sundial Resort, a sister hotel to Sunset Beach. Its restaurant, Beaches, offers a panoramic view of the gulf.

Afterwards, the kids ventured into Sundial's kids' club room, where they played with the resident guinea pigs Sweet Pea and Belle, and picked up sea urchins and whelks in the touch tank. Rich and I made a mental note to try Sundial sometime so the boys could join in on the kids' club fun.

We left Sanibel having never made it to some of our favorite attractions, like J.N. ''Ding'' Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum or the historic lighthouse, but sightseeing hadn't been our main goal. (We did go on one excursion, a great dolphin-watching boat tour.)

All we really wanted was a quiet place where the hectic schedule of the school year could slip away like the tide. And it did.

GOING TO SANIBEL ISLAND

• Sanibel Sunset Beach Resort, 3287 W. Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island; 866-565-5091; www.sanibelcollection.com.

Accommodations: The hotel offers 46 guest rooms, studios and suites; most rooms have refrigerators, microwaves and coffee makers; suites offer fully equipped kitchens. Resort amenities include a heated pool with cabanas, tennis and shuffleboard courts and volleyball. Gas grills are available, and canoes and kayaks may be rented.

Rates: Summer rates, starting at $149 per night, include a daily continental breakfast; stays of 2-3 nights also include a $50 resort credit, while stays of four nights or more get a $75 resort credit. The deal is good on stays booked by Sept. 1 and completed by Oct. 9.

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