buzzibee

Good morning,

I am looking for some help with our upcoming trip to the US. Myself and my husband are travelling to US for 2 weeks at Easter time from Ireland = we fly into New York and spend 2 nights with friends there, then we are travelling to Washington dc by train to spend 3 nights in Washington over the easter weekend. On the tuesday after easter we would like to spend c. 5 days at the beach where it is warm and sunny -- we are considering hiring a car and driving to south carolina or georgia or alternatively maybe looking a booking a flight from DC to florida.

Basically what we are looking for - is a very relaxing time, by the pool and the beach and some nice restuarants with a bit of American culture mixed in. We are in our late 30's and the budget per night is US $250.
I have read lots of posts here but I am finding it difficult to zone in on a location - i checked out kiawah island - but the hotel was extremely expensive so that will not work.
sorry for long post - but I would welcome any suggestions or thoughts you may have. thanks for your help.

Gretchen

Well, once again I would suggest Pawley's Island/Litchfield area below Myrtle Beach. The Litchfield Beach and Golf Resort has numerous "rentals" of all kinds, from condos to the hotel. There are pools, the ocean, the best seafood on the SC coast. Brookgreen Gardens is a beautiful site for the gardens and the sculptures of Anna Huntington. Georgetown is a few miles south and is a REvolutionary War era town. and just south of that are some small plantations (not like Charleston). You can also be close enough to sniff Myrtle Beach for a different slice of American culture. The peak of the flowering trees and bushes may be just past, but it is a beautiful time of year. I think if you go south of MB you will also miss some of the Easter crowd that may be in that area. There is golf, tennis. It should be well within your budget.

Digbydog

For Kiawah, you can check vrbo.com to rent a condo--much less expensive than the hotel. You can find something very nice for much less than your price range. You just need to find one that rents for less than a week. From Kiawah, you can explore Charleston, which is a beautiful city.

You could also check Jekyll Island off the coast of Georgia. It was the playground of a group of wealthy families in the late 1800's and early 1900's. Their club is now a hotel, the Jekyll Island Club. The hotel is not on the beach, but provides a shuttle to their private beach. Much of the island has been preserved, and so it is not very developed.

swalter518

You may want to watch the weather in SC or Georgia that time of year. It should be, but isn't guaranteed to be, hot pool weather. To be guaranteed weather in the 80s, you may want to look at Florida.

That being said, the beaches outside Charleston, a little closer than Kiawah Island, like Isle of Palms, Folly Beach (two totally different feels to them), or Sullivan's Islan are good options if you go the condo route through VRBO. We stayed at a great condo on Folly Beach last Spring across the street from the beach. I'd be happy to pass on the info if you are interested.

buzzibee

thank you all very much for the relies - there are lots of welcome suggestions there so I will check out all the places and come back if I need any more help.

I am a little worried about the comments on the weather as we do want to spend time in swimsuits lying by the pool or on the beach i have wrongly assumed that it would be hot pool weather in SC by late april - maybe i need to travel further south

PeaceOut

I think your best bet for pool/beach weather will be to head south to Florida. A nice, low-key place we like is Cocoa Beach, even though it is not southernmost Florida. From there you can stroll the beach up and down, even visit Kennedy Space Center or Disney World if you want to take a day-trip. We stayed at the Hilton Cocoa Beach, which I think has been renovated in recent years. It had a very large deck overlooking the ocean, and easy access to the beach. Very good prices, too, but that was a few years ago.

PeaceOut

PS Only thing we did not like about the Hilton Cocoa Beach is that the rooms do not have balconies. Very odd, given the amazing ocean views from the rooms.

We were ok with that, since we got such a good price and they have a gorgeous deck and ocean access. Just thought I'd mention that.

swalter518

Depending on your flight options, you may want to also check the Tampa/St. Pete area as there are some nice Gulf beaches there as well.

swalter518

Depending on your flight options, you may want to also check the Tampa/St. Pete area as there are some nice Gulf beaches there as well.

swalter518

Depending on your flight options, you may want to also check the Tampa/St. Pete area as there are some nice Gulf beaches there as well.

swalter518

Wow, sorry. I don't know why that posted 3 times!

emalloy

Check out the area served by RSW on the Gulf Coast of Florida. Sanibel/Captiva, Fort Myers, Naples, Bonita Beach, Marco Island.

suewoo

You can swim in a pool and sit on the beach @Charleston in late April. There are people doing that today-it's 85 degrees. The ocean will still be chilly, so if you want to swim in the ocean Florida is your best bet.

buzzibee

My goodness - thank you to everyone who posted - so many options, will check them all out and see where we get to.

Brian_in_Charlotte

I would also choose Florida over GA or SC in late April if I wanted guaranteed beach/pool time. It's certainly possible that you'll hit the 80s in GA/SC, but it's by no means guaranteed. The highs in Charleston last year for the last week in April ranged from 73 to 80. Check weatherunderground.com for other cities.

paulhelmick

I was in Charlestonlast year at the end of April. Very pleasant weather and a great city but I think Floria would be what you are seeking weatherwise.

cd

We love the gulf side of Florida. The sand is white and soft and the water clear. You could fly into Tampa and rent a car and drive to a number of great places. One we like is St Pete Beach,
http://www.tradewindsresort.com/
Another favorite would be Ft Myers Beach. We were just there recently and liked this resort: http://book.bestwestern.com/bestwest...ertyCode=10116 You can also drive to Sanibel and Captiva from there, do both islands in one day, if you like...

Digbydog

If I were visiting Florida, I would choose Sanibel. Much of Florida has been over-developed with high rises lining the beaches. Sanibel still has beautiful white sand beaches, because much of the island has been preserved. If you are interested in wildlife, you can visit Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge. You can drive, bike, or take the narrated shuttle to see alligators and gorgeous birds.

SAnParis2

Fly into JAX & go to Amelia Island. Probably the finest selection of fine dining in that area for a small location. You have the Old Town & the BEach. - www.ameliaisland.com

buzzibee

SanParis2 - just checked out Amelia Island and this looks very interesting - also checked out the flights from DC to Jax and they look ok at the moment - is there an airline that is best to use when travelling this route.

also - what about the weather - is the area prone to getting rain (we have enough of that here in ireland) just checked the weather there and it is due to rain for the next 5 days - is this normal ?
thanks to everyone for the great suggestions.