Any suggestions on a nice beach vacation?
 

I may be jumping the gun a little here, but I would like to start planning a beach vacation sometime in maybe June or so of 2007. I will most likely be taking my two children and two grandchildren, but would also like to invite other family members and maybe have a small family reunion.

I personally would like a quiet clean place on a nice sandy beach that may be near activities for younger ones in the group. I have been looking at websites of the Florida Keys, and I have even considered Orlando because of the fact that there would be plenty to do there even though it would not be the "quiet" vacation I imagine.

I am not necessarily set on Florida...just don't know where else to search for. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

The Florida Keys are not known for their nice sandy beaches.

My favorite beaches are on 30A on the Florida panhandle beyond Destin. Destin is a little busy for us but there are a lot of activities in Destin for families. I love the beaches at Seaside, Grayton, Seagrove Beach---lots of condos and homes to rent.

SC beaches around Litchfield, Pawley's Island, Garden City. Great area, beautiful beaches. Myrtle Beach is not far if they must. Great seafood restaurants.

Orlando is not near a beach. It's in the center of the state. You don't talk about budget or where you're located, but San Diego has lots for kids (the zoo, wild animal park, legoland) plus beautiful beaches. They do have June gloom though and I've never experienced it so don't know whether that time of year would be great.

Miami has kid friendly activities but if the kids don't live near a beach, that should be enough.

For family friendly, I would look at Hilton Head Island SC, areas near Myrtle Beach, SC, the Outer Banks in NC, Long Beach Island, NJ are some of the places that we have been on family vacations. (reunions). Some of these areas, you can rent a large house or all get your own condo.

Topsail Island, NC. Have been going there for forty years. Now that I have five children, we go there for all three weeks of our vacation.

I agree that the best beaches are on Florida's panhandle, West of Destin. However, let me recommend a slightly less well known beach, but with more diversity of activities. I am referring to St. Augustine, specifically Crescent Beach, about 15 minutes south of St. Augustine on A1A. It is a beautiful, quiet and clean beach. Because of the proximity to St. Augustine (America's oldest city), you have history, good restaurants and great shopping (at the outlets on SR 16 & I-95).
Check it out: http://www.staugustine.com/visit/

I would go along with the Beaches of South Walton on Hwy. 30A

http://www.beachesofsouthwalton.com/

Sugar white sand, crystal clear turquoise water, lots of houses and condos for rent, no highrises, close to Destin for activities for the children. Or, if you want something busier, go to Destin.

If you're looking for a great beach, try Siesta Key, near Sarasota. I've been to many parts of Florida and found this to be the nicest beach. Many condos to choose from, most of them right on the water. I also agree with a previous poster, that St. Augustine would also be a good choice. Haven't been to Destin, but hear good about that area also. If you end up doing a small family reunion, the houses in the Outer Banks, specifically Duck and Corolla would be well suited for a large group.

Amen on 30A!!

30A 30A 30A!!!!!!!!!!

We stayed in a condo on Blue Mountain Beach, FL last year and it was the best beach vacation of my life. The beach was beautiful and uncrowded. Not only that but the people who were there were such lovely people - one night when our beach stuff started to wash out someone hauled it up for us so it wouldn't wash away.
It was quiet. Early in the morning, we'd be the only people on the beach. Ok maybe 2 other people.
It wasn't that expensive either, considering it was beach-front.
When we wanted entertainment, we drove into Destin. It got a little trafficky sometimes, but I preferred staying on BMB (and we couldn't afford to be beachfront in Destin).
Now I want to go back this summer.. :)

Thanks so much for all the replies...this gives me plenty of researching to do! Will post back once I decide. Thanks again!

St. Pete Beach is great for kids. So is Treasure Island. You would be 2 hrs. from Disney but Busch Gardens in Tampa is 30 minutes from the beaches.

I am picking up on the "quiet" part.. The Brunswick Islands in NC may be the ticket. The Keys, are not...quiet or sandy for the most part. Personnally, I prefer the Atlantic over the Gulf.

I second Siesta Key for its' beautiful beaches along with nice condos and close locaqtion to Sarasota and Long Boat Key etc.
Destin was hit in '04 with hurricanes; need to check if that is an issue after '05 hurricane season. L

Thanks for all the replies..I have been researching all above-mentioned areas.

I have one more question if its not too late: Will the temperatures and water temperatures vary from say the NC coast, FL Atlantic coast and the FL Gulf Coast?

Mclaurie-I did do San Diego about 3 years ago and really enjoyed it!

Thanks again!

Yes. The water temp in mid June on the NC coast will be mid 70s, on the FL Atlantic coast low 80s, and FL Gulf coast mid 80s.

Big difference even if it doesn't sound like it is.

GoT is correct, I don't care much for the 'bathwater' temps in the 80's so I typically avoid the beaches in the summer months. We were at Amelia Island in January & the water temp was in the low 60's but you could still stick your toes in & there were plenty of surfers. Try www.nodc.noaa.gov/dsdt/cwtg for average water temps as well as current water temps.

I am heading down to Blue Mountain Beach (30A) today for the long weekend. Will be glad to check out the condition of the beaches and report back. But I don't think it will be much help to the OP since she is not planning to go for over a year.

smo, you might want to do your research and have several places in mind but don't make your final decision until after hurricane season 2006.

Advice is not to do Blue Mountain Beach or
any of the South Walton beaches this summer. The heavy equipment creates traffic jams (on the beach) with all the installation of retaining walls. Constant pounding of pilings and dump trucks racing up and down the beach hauling sand. The roads are all torn up from the construction and the traffic is atrocious even in the off season. Be careful about leaving your
things on the beach overnight. The Fish and Wildlife Dept have gotten very strict about trying to get the county to enforce laws regarding leaving items overnight on the beach. It hampers the progress of the sea turtles, as do the huge holes that people dig
in the sand and do not fill them in.
A lot of recovery pains in South Walton after all the hurricane damage last year. Some places do not even have beach access, so be careful w/ rentals. The South Walton Tourist Dept. will not volunteer any of this info and try real hard to make everything seem normal. It is NOT!! I would give South Walton a break this season, but if no hurricanes this year, perhaps 2007 would be a good choice. Check back after hurricane season.

For a quiet place, I recommend the Outer Banks of NC. Mostly houses, very few hotels, no high-rises at all. There are numerous very large houses available for rent that make for a great reunion.

Here is why it is my top pick: my idea of the perfect beach vacation is to sit on the beach with a book, boogie boarding on the days when the surf is right, long walks on the beach, (this is starting to sound like a personal ad...) watching kids build sand castles, a bit of hiking on nature trails, and nice restaurants for when I don't feel like cooking. If the children would be happy playing on the beach, it's fine. If they want more structured activities that you have to pay for, it might not be the best place.

June is a great time to be there, and not you are not planning to early - places book quickly.

Thanks for the responses that keep coming in...I am very grateful for the input and I research every single suggestion!

We once had several families rent adjacent houses in Akumal when our children were young. It was the perfect beach for small kids.

I was just in Blue Mountain last weekend. There was heavy equipment on the beach building retaining walls but the work appears to be near completion. It began last fall. There were actually only a few pieces of equipment on the beach and it was easy enough to get away from them by walking a few yards. I didn't see any dump trucks racing up and down the beach. (Quite frankly, I can't imagine a dump truck racing any where!) But I assume they would have to drive on the beach to deliver sand. I just didn't happen to see any.

At least two condos and many houses that I saw, where the retaining walls were complete, did not yet have steps rebuilt for beach access. People staying in them would have to use the public access or perhaps the condos have an agreement with the "next door" condo to allow use of their steps. I can't imagine them not having steps built by summer, since that is a quick process, but it would not hurt to inquire about beach access if you rent there.

The beach itself was very nice and plenty wide.

Part of the parking area at the public beach access at Blue Mountain was cordoned off for the equipment although I never saw any there.

I saw no torn up roads and there were no traffic problems. I drove down 30A on Sunday afternoon and the only place the traffic slowed at all was going through Seaside, which it always does due to the pedestrian crosswalks.

I checked out Seaside, Watercolor, Grayton and Watersound beaches and they looked fine. I saw no heavy equipment on these beaches.

If you are thinking of going to the beaches of South Walton this summer, I didn't see anything to be concerned about. If you are planning to go Blue Mountain, just check to make sure the work is complete.

Thanks sunshinesue! From all the positive posts about 30A it is definitely in the running for where I choose to go next year, and I am glad to hear that the area seems to be coming together nicely. My prayers are with the people of these affected areas that they will not have to go through such a terrible hurricane season again anytime soon.