German family builds mini Fort Myers Beach since they can’t visit in person

Reporter: Sydney Persing Writer: Jack Lowenstein
Published: Updated:
Credit: WINK News.

If you can’t go and enjoy Fort Myers Beach in person, a family in Germany proves you can bring the beach to yourself.

Rolf Weib is a German man of simple pleasures. It’s why he and his family come all the way to Fort Myers Beach for a little tender loving care.

“Go to the water, relax, drinking the beer, sitting on the bar,” Weib said.

But, due to the coronavirus pandemic, Weib’s flight into Southwest Florida is not allowed.

“This year, we can’t go to Fort Myers, and we love it, so I get the idea,” Weib said; the idea to turn his German garden into a faux Fort Myers Beach.

There is no detail too small to spare, from his favorite beach beer, “The Budweiser, yes,” Weib said, to the soft Southwest Florida sand.

“I go to the hardware store, and I buy it,” Weib said with a laugh.

A little innovation brings Weib a little bit closer to his paradise.

“It’s my small ocean,” he said.

Outrigger Beach Resort is one of Weib’s favorite spots on Fort Myers Beach. A resort representative expressed her enthusiasm to see how Weib and his family are still enjoying themselves away from the Southwest Florida town.

“It’s everything. It’s funny, but then it’s also so endearing,” said Hannah Oliver, with Outrigger Beach Resort. “It’s perfect, down to the color, the sailboat, everything. It’s perfect.”

The mock beach setup will have to work for now, but Weib and his family look forward to the day they can make a return for the real thing.

“For us and our family, it’s the best place in the world,” Weib said.

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