With miles of white sand beaches—and nary a stop light, billboard or fast food restaurant in sight—there's an old-time family fun feeling to Captiva Island in southwest Florida. At the northern end of the island sits the sprawling South Seas Island Resort,  which occupies 330 acres along Pine Island Sound. There's an on-site naturalist and a lengthy roster of programs designed to introduce guests to the local environment, including guided kayak tours and a learn-to-fish program.  Kids and parents can also hit the H2Whoa! Slide pool complex, which features a corkscrew slide and 16-foot plunge slide. 

• 4th night free (worth $189 for a Harbourside guest room on a July weekend)
• $20 gas credit applied at check-out (worth $20)
• 20% off activities, spa facials and products, water sports, merchandise at on-property stores (value varies)
  
• free meals for kids age 12 and under (worth about $30/child x 2 kids x 4 days = $240)
  

Deal or no deal?  When we toted up the components for a four-night long weekend stay in July, the total price came close to $1,000 for a family of four. Booking the package knocks off a healthy $209 ($189 for the free night + $20 gas credit) plus you'll save serious money on the kids' meals. That brings the total savings to $450, or a whopping 45% off the non-package spend.  The discounts require that you spend money to save money, but they also offer added value.

There's plenty of fine print with this offer, including blackout dates and a mandatory two-night deposit. Rates do not include a resort fee of $15 per day, per adult. Book online, or call 866/565-5089 and use promo code "Summer Escape."