From $485 per vehicle: a private, one-way ride from Port of Miami to West Wind Inn in a chauffeured SUV or van.
The fare is locked per vehicle for the one-way trip, and it already covers the tolls, the fuel and the driver’s time.
The driver is outside the PortMiami terminal when you come through, plans around the ship’s real arrival time, and loads the bags. The terminal greeting is covered by the fare and a name sign is offered for $20. Then it is one private vehicle straight to the destination.
West Wind Inn sits on Sanibel Island, part of the Sanibel and Captiva stretch along Florida’s Gulf Coast. Sanibel is a place that chose to stay low and quiet — no high-rises interrupt the skyline here, only the lighthouse, the mangroves, and a shoreline the island is known for. After several days aboard a ship, pulling up to a spot this calm can feel like the real start of the vacation, the point where the schedule finally becomes yours again.
The location puts a run of Sanibel’s best-known places within easy reach. The J.N. ‘Ding’ Darling National Wildlife Refuge lies close by, its mangroves and quiet water home to birds and other coastal wildlife. The Sanibel Lighthouse stands out near the island’s tip, an easy outing from the inn. Blind Pass and Captiva Village are nearby as well, so you can move between Sanibel and Captiva on short, unhurried drives rather than long hauls across the region.
What most visitors notice first is the shoreline. Sanibel’s sand gives up more shells than anywhere else in Florida, and the mornings tend to draw people down to the tideline, heads bent, filling a pocket or a bag. With the refuge, the lighthouse, and the two villages all close, West Wind Inn works well as a base — a place to settle in, unpack once, and let the island set the pace for the rest of your stay. It is a fitting reward at the end of a long crossing.
The ride begins right at your ship’s terminal on Dodge Island. Your chauffeur is staged and waiting before you clear customs and the luggage hall, so once you walk out, the vehicle is there and the bags go straight in. From the port, the route runs west on I-595 and stays a single, direct leg all the way to Sanibel — roughly 166.5 miles door to door.
Plan on about 180 to 187 minutes from the terminal curb to the door of West Wind Inn, depending on the hour and how traffic moves. It is one continuous drive, your group alone in the vehicle, luggage stowed the whole way. There are no shared pickups and no detours added to the trip — just the road, the coast opening up as you near the island, and a driver who handles the route and the bags at both ends.
Rideshare lines and shared shuttles add waiting and extra stops; a private vehicle leaves when you are ready and goes only where you are going. The fare covers the whole car, the tolls and the fuel.
Half of the fare is paid at booking as a deposit and the rest is settled with the driver on the day, cash or card. The price is per vehicle for the one-way trip.
The regular window is 7 AM to 9 PM; night pickups in the SUV add $20 in Miami-Dade and Broward and $50 elsewhere. A child seat is $15 on request, and any added stop is $45 per 30 minutes.
The SUV seats up to 5 with their luggage; the 6-9 and 10-14 passenger vans keep bigger groups together. Send the head count and bag count and the vehicle is matched to them.
Send any change to the party or extras at least 12 hours before the pickup. The booked date is final.
Reach us on WhatsApp at wa.me/17866828748 or by phone at 786-682-8748; send the date, passengers and luggage and the reservation is confirmed the same day.
Reserving a few days ahead is ideal, and in peak season (holidays, spring break, big cruise weekends) a week or more keeps your first-choice vehicle available. Requests inside 24 hours are welcome but depend on availability, and those bookings are non-refundable once confirmed.
We run on reservations rather than on-demand pickups. A same-day request may still work if a driver is free: message us on WhatsApp with the pickup time and we will confirm quickly. Keep in mind that a ride booked within 24 hours of pickup cannot be refunded.
No. A 50% deposit holds the vehicle when you book online, and the other half goes to your driver on the day of the ride, in cash or by card. If you prefer to settle everything at once, choose Pay in full at checkout.
Yes. After the deposit, the remaining half is paid directly to your driver when the ride is done, cash or card, whichever you prefer. There is nothing else to pay unless you added an extra service.
Cancellations are free up to 24 hours before the pickup. Inside that 24-hour window the ride is non-refundable, and no-shows are treated the same way. Booking details such as an extra passenger or a child seat can still be updated until 12 hours before pickup.
The pickup time and other details can be adjusted until 12 hours before the ride, subject to driver availability; write to us as soon as your plans change. The travel date itself is fixed once booked, so double-check it before you confirm.
Payments run through Stripe over an encrypted checkout; we never see your card number. Card payments carry a 3% processing fee that is shown before you pay. Zelle is also accepted for the deposit with no fee: ask us on WhatsApp.
Not at all. Travelers reserve from all over the world, international cards are accepted at checkout, and we answer on WhatsApp and email in English, Spanish and Portuguese.
Yes. Give us the flight number when you book and your driver tracks it in real time, so the pickup follows the actual landing rather than the scheduled one, at no extra cost.
Message us the moment you know. We reschedule around the new arrival whenever a driver is available; because that counts as a change to the booking, the cancellation terms above still apply if the ride cannot be rebooked.
Your driver meets you at the MIA arrivals level at the curb, and that meet-and-greet is included in the fare. If you would rather be greeted inside the terminal with a name sign, add the name-sign welcome for $20 when you book.
You receive the meeting instructions in advance, and the driver contacts you the day before the ride to confirm every detail. On landing, head to the agreed curb; connect to the airport Wi-Fi and message us on WhatsApp if anything is unclear.
The day before the ride we send the driver’s name and phone number, and the vehicle details you need to spot the car. Vehicle photos on the site show the category booked; the exact model can vary.
Call or WhatsApp us at +1 (786) 682-8748 and we connect you right away. The pickup is always coordinated at the confirmed spot, and the courtesy waiting time keeps running from your landing or your scheduled pickup.
At the airport we wait up to 60 minutes after landing on domestic flights and up to 2 hours on international arrivals; at hotels, homes and the cruise port the courtesy wait is 15 minutes. Beyond that, waiting is billed like an extra stop, $45 per 30 minutes.
The distance and the usual driving time for this exact route are listed on this page. Real timing depends on traffic and the hour, which is why the driver plans the pickup around your actual landing or ship arrival rather than a fixed clock time.
Yes. Your driver loads and unloads every bag at the curb. Drivers do not go inside the hotel or terminal to collect luggage, so have it with you at the meeting point.
Each passenger can bring one large suitcase plus one carry-on. The black SUV carries up to 5 passengers as long as passengers plus large suitcases total 10 or fewer; larger groups or extra bags move to a van. Surfboards, bikes or many extra cases need a custom setup, so tell us before booking.
Yes. Add them when you book: a child seat for babies and toddlers up to about 3 years, or a booster for ages 3 to 5. Each seat is $20 and is fitted before the driver leaves for the pickup.
Planned stops are fine when you add them at booking, priced at $45 per 30 minutes with a 30-minute minimum, then $1.50 per extra minute. Unplanned detours on the day are not part of the fare.
Never. Every transfer is private: the vehicle carries only your group, door to door, with no other pickups and no waiting for strangers.
A black SUV for up to 5 passengers, a van for 6 to 9 and a larger van for 10 to 14. The fare table on this page shows the price for each. For groups above 14 we arrange several vehicles or a minibus on a custom quote.
No. We pick up and drop off at Miami International Airport, PortMiami and the other cruise terminals, hotels, private homes, offices and event venues across South Florida and beyond.
Yes. Wedding parties, corporate groups and private events get a tailored quote with the right mix of vehicles; message us with the date, head count and schedule.
Between 9 PM and 7 AM the black SUV adds a night fee of $20 inside Miami-Dade and Broward and $50 farther out. The fee is shown in the quote before you book, and daytime rides carry no surcharge.
The fare shown is for the exact route named on this page. For a different pickup or drop-off address, use the ride search on this site: it prices the real road distance instantly and lets you book on the spot.
The fare includes the driver, fuel and tolls, with no hidden fees. Only optional items add to it: the 3% card fee, a name-sign welcome, child seats, extra stops or the night fee, each shown in the quote before you pay. Tipping is at your discretion.
Stepping off the ship, having a private car ready to West Wind Inn was such a relief.
The two of us set up a private transfer for after the cruise so we wouldn’t worry about the timing getting over to West Wind Inn. Getting to West Wind Inn with no detours meant we could drop the bags and start the day.
Our group of friends rode together straight from the port to West Wind Inn, and nobody had to think about a thing. The van was fresh and comfortable, and the AC was perfect after the ship.
Cruising with the family, we wanted the port end handled, so a private van straight over to West Wind Inn was worth every bit. The fare was set up front, the same number we were quoted.
My partner and I had a great sailing and followed it with a private car waiting right at the terminal to take us to West Wind Inn — not one worry at the terminal. No app to fight with — we just stepped out and the car was ready.