I am starting to plan a vacation in Florida (from the UK) for approximately two weeks towards the end of September. As part of a small group (all mid-twenties) there will be some inevitable compromise about where to go and for how long etc. Ideally I am trying to achieve a bit of everything(!)

Hopefully, we will fly into Orlando and out of Miami (or the other way round if that's better for any reason). I expect we will have a car for the entire trip. How does the following tentative itinerary appear:

Orlando: 4 nights
Everglades plus somewhere (?) on the way to Orlando: 2 nights
Florida Keys: 3 nights
Miami: 4 nights

Once I have got a basic travel itinerary planned I will start to fit in some more of the detail but at this stage I would appreciate some general advice on the best order to do things and possible ideas of places I may be missing that are worth considering.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Hi Dave,

I'm not sure where you would stay in the Everglades. It's a national park and as far as I know there aren't any hotels there. Besides, you can just drive over there for a day trip while staying in Miami. Also, I don't think that you will need to stay somewhere in between Orlando and Miami. It's only a 4 hour drive. If you'd like another destination, you should consider Ft. Lauderdale Beach. It is about 45 minutes north of Miami. In my opinion, it's just as nice and less flashy.

Let me know if you have any questions and I'll try to help (I live in Florida).

It is a 7-8 hour drive from Orlando to Key West depending on traffic in the keys. Make sure you take the turnpike from Orlando. I think your itinerary looks fine. For a group of twenty somethings, I would drive straight to Key West after Orlando.

Forgot to add, agree with srj, save the Everglades for a day trip from Miami.

My favorite spot in the Everglades is the Anhinga Trail, which is just inside the park entrance so would be an easy day trip from Miami. It has a high density of birds and alligators. However, there IS a hotel in the park -- Flamingo Lodge, all the way at the southwest tip. They also have cabins with kitchens (though no real grocery store!). All quite rustic. If you spend a night there you'll see more of the various ecosystems that make up the park. You can also rent canoes if you want to paddle around the backwaters a bit.

In the Keys, I agree with GoTravel that you don't want to miss Key West. But I'd also suggest snorkeling out at the coral reef unless you don't like the water or are very prone to seasickness. You don't need to be a strong swimmer. The reef is the most special thing about the Keys, in my opinion. The best parts of the reef are off Key Largo and Big Pine Key, so you might want to stop one night on the way to or from KW.

Since you are going to be in Orlando for several days would suggest you visit Kennedy Space Center, Canaveral National Seashore and the Merritt Island National Wildlife Refuge. The best time of year to visit Everglades is in winter to early spring when the birds are concentrated there. Take insect repellent.

I agree that Dave and his friends should go straight from Orlando to the Keys. I would suggest a stop at the Anhingua Trail on the way to the Upper Keys, spending one night in Key Largo or at Holiday Isle. (I suggest Holiday Isle due to the "mid 20's" nature of the group.) If Dave stays in Key Largo, then a snorkel trip with the Pennekamp snorkel boat would be a fun event. If the group makes it to Holiday Isle, then I would save the snorkelling for Looe Key as a day trip from Key West. A few days in Key West and then a few on South Beach in Miami sound like a great ending to the trip.

Stay in Sanibel for awhile. Rent kayaks and go out in Tarpon Bay (see Manatees and lots of great birds). Go to Corkscrew Swamp in the Everglades. Bring binoculars and fishing poles!

I agree with poster who recommends a stop over in Ft. Lauderdale. One of my fav's. Far less flasy than Miami.

Considering the age of the group, i agree with the suggestions on Key West, South Beach and the Everglades day trip (if the rustic cabins don't have air conditioning, it'll be too hot!!).

-In the keys - take a snorkeling tour or catamaran cruise in Key West. Pennekamp Park in Key Largo (upper Keys) is known for great snorkeling & diving too - pennekamppark.com
-Ft. Lauderdale's only 30-40 min. from Miami so you can make it a half-day as well, although I think you'll have enough to do on South Beach!
-Orlando- If you like fast rides, visit Islands of Adventure theme park. Have fun!

www.flausa.com
www.see-florida.com

Four nights in Orlando, four in Key West, and four in Miami. On the way from Orlando to Key West stay one night mid-way, if you need to. If not necessary, I'd add the extra night to Orlando. There is so much variety there, you can also find more to do, plus you'll have a bit more time to adjust to the time change.
In Orlando, I think your age group would most enjoy Universal. I'd also recommend the Kennedy Space Center, if any in the group have interests in that type of thing.

I would take a detour down I-75 to the Everglades/Miami and stop in the St.Pete/Tampa area. You can hit the beautiful Gulf beaches or go to Busch Gardens.

Thank you all very much for your ideas so far. I realise there's lots of research still for me to do but I wanted to say thanks and see if you thought I was still on the right lines.

All being well we will have 14 nights altogether so I am going to divide up 12 of these using 4 nights in each of Orlando, Key West (with maybe 1 of these in Key Largo or Islamorada) and Miami.

For the other two I am tempted to see how the rest of the itinerary comes together and see where the extra days will look best.

Islands of Adventure sounds perfect (I had a great time in Six Flags Magic Mountains near LA), and I am going to read up about Epcot and Busch Gardens (is this a possible day trip from Orlando?). The Kennedy Space Center and other things suggested nearby sound good too so that could be another day.

The concensus seems to be to travel straight from Orlando to Key West with a possible stop at one of the upper keys for a night. Then from Key West the remaining nights in Miami (South Beach seems to be mentioned as a good place to stay). From Miami, day trips to the Everglades (Anhinga trail) and Ft Lauderdale sound good. An old thread I have read about Miami vs Ft Lauderdale had most people preferring Ft Lauderdale so I haven't written off spending more time here but I would like to avoid too many transfers if possible. What are the main differences between Miami and Ft Lauderdale?

Miami is a much larger city than Fort Lauderdale and in my opinion, Ft. L is much more charming. They are only about 30 minutes apart but one evening in South Beach is enough for most people unless you're a real party goer. Not to say there aren't always parties going on in Fort Lauderdale, but the beach or Las Olas Ave. in Ft. L are a lot more laid back.

I don't know what your budget is like but my favorite hotel in Ft. L is Marriott Harbor Beach, which is right on the ocean and absolutely lovely. If that's too much, even the Days Inn is across the street from Ft. Lauderdale beach and very reasonable.

My recommendation: skip the day trip to Busch Gardens, instead stay around Orlando. you can do universal Studios and Islands of Adventure in 2 days easily and they have a 2-day 2-park pass. I think your group would enjoy the Downtown Disney area and Pleasure Island, which opens at night and has quite a few clubs and shows. Separate admission, but a lot of the local travel saver publications have discount coupons. The Adventurer's Club is my favorite with terrific shows, it has the flavor of a 1930's explorer's club with lots of fun shows and audience participation. Also check out wdwig.com, the unofficial WDW guide, for detailed info on Epcot and other Disney parks.

I just saw this thread today, and Dave, I hope you are still checking this site. I live in Fort Lauderdale and I think you would like it if you stay at the beach. Roads are not as confusing as they are in Miami (I'm a native Floridian). The Bahia Cabana is supposed to be pretty good. Overlooks a marina and is right across the street from the beach. Nearby also is the Yankee Clipper and the Marriott Harbour Beach (mentioned before). I've stayed at the Radisson Bahia Mar (get a view to the north... you'll see the intracoastal & marinas in one direction and the beach in the other (balconies are tiny, though).
I'd suggest you take the following route: Fly to Orlando and stay 3-4 days, stop in Ft. Lauderdale Beach for a couple days on your way south. You can drive to Key West in about 5-6 hours, depending on traffic (plus meal stops). You don't need a car in Key West, so park at the "Old Town Parking Garage" or ditch the rental car at the airport and take a cab to wherever you are staying (unless the parking is free where you are staying--this is rare). There are many ways to get around Key West (trolley, moped, bicycles). A bed & breakfast is the best place to stay in Key West. Many have adjoining rooms and/or balconies. Stay near "Old Town" which is the area around Duval Street (Truman Avenue is the main road and noisy from the traffic - but there are some nice places there). We are staying at the Eaton Lodge in mid-June. I did lots of research and found this was best for us. If you want to stay on a beach, stay closer to the Southernmost Point (South Beach). Some people have said it can be smelly if there is seaweed on the beach (usually after a storm). The opposite end of Duval Street from South Beach is where Mallory Square is located. Don't miss the sunsets, they are absolutely beautiful. After Key West, you'd do best to catch a flight out of Miami Int'l Airport. MIA is approx. 1 hour from Ft. Lauderdale, so allow 5 hours from KW to MIA.
If you want to ditch the car and take a plane, there are lots of flights from Orlando to Miami and you can take the Greyhound Bus from there to Key West (I'm taking it from Fort Lauderdale to Key West for $60 round trip and it might still be buy one, get one free, which is very cheap). The bus allows you to enjoy the view of the ride through the keys without having to worry about the traffic. If you want to e-mail me for more info on my Key West research, you can e-mail me at [email protected]

Here is my suggestion, and I've lived in South Florida most of my 36 years, both in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale. We'll assume you're flying into Miami.

4 - 5 nights Miami - Stay on South Beach if possible (the Lowes or one of the art deco hotels). Miami is a good base to explore both the Evergalades and Ft. Lauderdale. Since you're in your mid-twenties, South Beach is where you want to be. You'll also want explore Key Biscayne, Coconut Grove and Coral Gables - all near Miami. (try Bill Bags park at the end of the Key Biscayne. It's a great beach). Ft. Lauderdale is a great day trip and so is the Everglades (try Shark Valley in Everglades National Park just west of Miami.)

2- 3 Nights Key West but take a day driving down. Stop at John Pennikamp park in Key Largo and go out snokeling/scuba diving. In Key West there are many nice places to stay depending on your budget. I alway's stay at the Conch House which is a nice Bed and Breakfast.

2 nights on the west coast of Florida. Try Sanibel or Captiva Islands. Very quiet and very different from the Keys
and Miami.

The rest in Orlando. Universal Studios Islands of Adventure is great and you could spend a week alone exploring Disney. If you plan on spending more time in Disney, stay at one of their on-site hotels. The All Star resorts are the least expensive Disney Hotels and it's great to have free shuttle service to the parks.

Good Luck.