CAPTIVA, Fla, -- Jensen's Twin Palm Cottages Resort and Marina is up for sale. The small hideaway has been owned by the family and run by John Jensen and his siblings for 41 years. John Jensen mainly looks after the Marina and says being out by the water is his favorite part of the job.
"The sun comes up and the smell, the salt in the air, that smell in the air, the birds", he told Four in Your Corner. Jensen wakes up bright and early to prepare for the needs of his guests. That includes people checking in and checking out. It also means the occasional boat rental.
The waves and salt air are just a small part of the charm of the small hideaway nestled on the edge of Captiva Island. Jensen says that one of the other things he loves about running the place is meeting the people who come to stay and occasionally rent boats. Some of his visitors have some pretty big names.
"Like John F. Kennedy Jr., he came in to rent a boat"
Kennedy came to visit in February of 1990, looking to take a boat out, even though is was a little windy.
"So I said ok I need to see your driver's license. And it said 'John F. Kennedy New York City". I said are you the JFK? And he said 'yeah.'"
Jensen says after about four hours on the water, Kennedy even joined Jensen for a Knicks game.
Kevin Costner, Danny DeVito, Annie Leibovitz, and Rob Lowe have also passed through at one point or another. For any curious guests who wonder about all the other bug names Jensen's has played host to, there's a small museum next to the resort office filled to the brim with mementos. Most notably, Ted Williams tackle box that Jensen bought at an auction.
When Four in Your Corner asked Jensen why he thought so many big names passed through the resort, he says it's the sense of quiet and privacy the place provides.
"We like to say, 'Somebodies come here to be nobodies'."
