Beach holiday advice, please.

We are a family from Spain: father, mother and two children ages 5 and 6. We want to go to Florida to a beach place for 20 days in august, but I got REALLY confused.

We had decided to go to Sanibel Island in the west coast, but I found out about red tides around that time and that has really put us off. I know no one can predict if we will have a tide or not and I know we could drive to another beach. But I don%26#39;t want to be driving around to go to the beach, and it looks that Sanibel has got various red tides in the last years (as many other places around).

We can go anywhere in Florida and we don%26#39;t mind driving to get anywhere. We can also fly to whichever airport is more convenient.

So I would like someone to advice us to choose a place where we can rent a beach condo (We don%26#39;t want to drive to the beach).

We want to have a very relaxed beach vacation, so being in a good beach is a must.

From Spain, it is not easy to get accurate information. At this point we don%26#39;t know if we should try someplace in the west coast, but farther north (Madeira, Clearwater, St-Pete...) or go to the east coast, but there I am really lost.

Do you think Fort-Lauderdale could be a good option?

If anyone could help, we would deeply appreciate it. Thanks everyone in advance.

Beach holiday advice, please.

Hello,

I was about to reply that you may want to look at the West Coast (Naples to St. Pete) but then I re-read your post and I see you%26#39;re taking a 3-week vacation. The West Coast of Florida is more beautiful than the east coast, but I think you will quickly run out of things to do with the kids. Lauderdale may be a very good option for you in that it%26#39;s coastal, it%26#39;s got a lot more activities and it%26#39;s within a 45-minute drive of both Miami and West Palm Beach, two other semi-large cities with plenty of options for you and the kids.

In August, it%26#39;s certainly beach weather throughout all of Florida, but you should be prepared for it. It will be very hot (around 90F or 32C) every day, extremely humid and it will rain just about everyday in the mid-afternoon (though usually for just about an hour). This site is probably as good as any for finding reviews about appropriate accommodations. I don%26#39;t know anything on the beach that rents for extended periods of time that is a nice place for families, but I%26#39;m sure one of the other fine folks who posts here will be able to help with that. If I were you, I may consider doing a tour S. Florida, with one week in Naples and two weeks in the Miami/Fort Lauderdale area because both the Ocean and the Gulf sides of the state are worth seeing and less than 2 hours apart.

Beach holiday advice, please.

Hi:

If you are going to be here for 20 days, fly into Fort Lauderdale or Miami, you can stay part of the time in Miami Beach, and part in Fort Lauderdale.

The west coast is only 2 hours from Fort Lauderdale, Naples is beautiful. You could make it a one night stayover or a day trip!

There is lots to do in Broward County, which is where Fort Lauderdale is. Other than this fantastic website, there is also www.broward.org. Just click on the %26#39;visitor%26#39; link.

there is so much to do here, it would be hard to list it all....but the www.broward.org site is very comprehenisive. We have lots to do for the kids, too...

Museums, beaches, butterfly world, water parks (small ones) at the county parks, horse riding...just to name a few things.

Have fun!

Lisa

Once you know where you%26#39;re going to be, please repost. I%26#39;m up north, in Philadelphia, but I travel to Florida every year, to the EAST COAST for our spring break, with our 2 kids, so I have done it all with the kids! We%26#39;ve been traveling here for 1-2 weeks every year, for 12 years or so. Our kids are now 8 and 11, but we started with them as infants...so if you end up on the East Coast, let me know! :) We go to Boca Raton, and have seen and done ';everything'; there and much within a mile north (West Palm Beach, Del Rey, Boynton, etc.) and south (Miami, Fort Lauderdale). Good luck with your decisions! (We%26#39;ve also done Disney as well.)

A great resource for rentals is this site -%26gt; http://www.vrbo.com/. They are vacation rentals that are available by owners. I have used it (with great success) for my stay several years ago in Paris. I just looked through that site for Fort Lauderdale and there are plenty of listings.

Depending on what type of beach area you want would depend if you would go with the more active Ft. Lauderdale or South Beach, or something much quieter like Ocean Ridge or Deerfield Beach.

If you see something there on the east coast, repost the address (or general block that the place is on) and I am sure that people will respond with their experience of what the building or area is like. Perhaps that will help.

No matter where you stay, enjoy the beaches here in Florida!

Another option as far as beaches go is the area from Pensacola to Panama City. I think those are the most beautiful beaches in the state. Something to consider.

gloss