Best Florida Beach
 

What is your favorite Florida Beach?
Gulf side or Atlantic side?

Trying to decide which beach to go to during vacation in June/July. Mainly just to hang out at the beach with husband and son. Look for shells and walk on the beach. We are going to be flying into orlando and would like a nice beach within 2 hours of that city.

Thanks for any help!

I lived on the west coast, and am partial to the Gulf beaches, from Clearwater Beach down to Siesta Key. My favorite beach is Ft Desoto, which was voted Best Beach in the US in recent years by Dr. Beach. It's just outside St Pete Beach, but it's a county park and you can't stay there--which is part of its beauty. Aside from the old fort, there are no structures there, just dunes, sea oats, and beach (great shelling too). Still, it's only a short drive from St Pete, and all those accommodations, and those beaches are pretty nice too.

West coast beaches have the whitest sand outside the Panhandle, which has <u>really</u> gorgeous beaches, but would be too far for you, flying into and out of Orlando.

Be aware that June and July in Florida will be very hot, very very humid, and very crowded. Late spring, such as May or fall such as November, are better times to come.
If this isn't an option, I would stay away from extremely crowded beaches, such as Daytona or Miami Beach or Panama City.

Would definitely say Siesta Key

I would say the Gulf side is my favorite. You get sunsets on the Gulf side, nicer beaches, and less waves. It will be hot and humid and watch out for afternoon thunderstorms but that's the time to take a nap and then head out again in an hour or two to watch gorgeous sunsets. :)

The Gulf side, by far! I've been in Florida at the beaches from Clearwater to Sanibel in February, June and September. Even when it's very hot and humid, there's that breeze coming off the water that keeps you way more comfortable than expected. I haven't been on a Gulf beach yet that I didn't like.

We are staying at the Caprice on St Pete beach in May. Hoping for a nice beach and vacation. Anyone ever rent there? Two of my YaYa's and I are flying into TPA and we are renting a car. We are looking for beach, shopping, some nightlife, and of course amazing sunsets. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated.
I've been to YBor City and also to Ft DeSoto beach, two places I would like to get back to.
Thanks for any help.

Gulf side beaches are cleaner and less crowded, IMHO, than Atlantic side beaches. I grew up in south Florida - Miami Beach is a hellhole in the summer.

Venice beach is very nice and quiet. Sometimes you can find petrified sharks teeth there :)

Another vote for Gulf side. Siesta and Longboat Key are beautiful. My favorite (I hate to give it away) is Nokomis, near Siesta and Casey Key. It is quiet, family oriented and you can find fossil sharks teeth there as well. 8-)

Gulf side;;;;; Naples ( more than 2 hrs.)...... If you want waves, I would say Atlantic side. But for calm, warm waters, you can't go wrong w/ the gulf.
ps.......June and july are hot,muggy and RAINY; not to mention Hurricane season.

The Gulf side, definitely. Like everybody else has said.

The best beaches are the panhandle ones - Destin, Ft. Walton - but they are more than 2 hours from Orlando. But anywhere on the Gulf side is nice IME.

We love the panhandle beaches but remember that June/July is high season there. Further south is low season. We love Sanibel in June for that reason.

Gulf.
For shells, Sanibel or Captiva.

Wow Thanks for all of the great replies!!!

Definately sounds like the gulf side is the way to go. Now i will look up all of your suggestions!

Thanks Everyone!!!

Naples is a wonderful city. And it will not be crowded because it is out of the &quot;season&quot;. We were in Naples for the Fourth of July last year and it was HOT, but not crowded. For them, summer is sort of like winter and you stay inside in the air conditioning.

Oh, and can you fly into Ft. Myers (RSW) instead? Everything is so close to that airport.

Do you have to fly into Orlando for some reason? If not, then I wld suggest that you fly into West Palm Beach or Fort Lauderdale. I prefer the Atlantic Ocean/East Coast beaches to the beaches on the west coast. Nobody has mentioned Red Tide(a west coast phenomenon) but if it hits when you are on the west coast, you will not be able to go anywhere near the beach.

Thanks kelliebellie and wow!

Wow - what is a red tide?

The main reason we are flying into orlando is because we were going to the disney are for a few days too.

Will look into palm beach and ft lauderdale too.

Red Tide is an algae that floats on top of the water, leaves a red tint to the water. Causes breathing problems for nearly everyone at the beach. Can linger at the beaches for quite a while. My parents live on the Gulf coast and there has been a few serious outbreaks of it over the past few years. But there hasn't been a big outbreak in a long time now.

If you would like a natural undisturbed beach try the Canaveral National Seashore about an hour east of Orlando.

jhd, just Google Red Tide &amp; you will get lots of info.

Last time we went to WDW we were staying in teh delray beach area ( approx midway b/t FLL &amp; Palm Beach}. We drove up to Orlando mid-week, toured WDW the remainder of the day that we drove there(Wed), stayed over @ The Boardwalk that night(I wld strongly rec staying on the WDW property), did WDW the next day(Thursday), stayed over that night too &amp; then headed back to Delray Beach the next day around noon( Friday). For us, it was the perfect blend of WDW and beach.

A lot of Gulf Side fans I see. Being a condo owner in Cocoa Beach and visiting fequently. I love it. The one difference b/n the coast lines is the Atlantic side is more the surf side. The sunrise is beautiful. There is also Kennedy Space Center and from Orlando it is only at most one hour easy drive. I too enjoy the Gulf. Beaches are whiter and water a little bluer. However, the hometown feel of Cocoa Beach is great. Very friendly.

I live in St Pete and love our beaches but in July and Aug. the Gulf is hot and there are sting rays. I like Daytona but just avoid the 4th of July. When there is a race being run there is no place to stay.

I recently moved to Daytona Beach and I love it here. I visit the Gulf Coast from time to time, however, you can't beat the fun atmosphere in Daytona Beach. There are a lot of activities in Daytona for families. There is the Jackie Robinson Ball Park, several cool shopping areas and restaurants in the Downtown area, and plenty of fun things to do at the Daytona International Speedway. It is less than 2 hours from Orlando.

The Gulf side for us. If you are really serious about shells, then Sanibel and Captiva are shell central. They have some of the best shelling in the world, or at least the US. If your son is young, then the gulf side has a calmer ocean. At Sanibel you can wade way out in calm waters. If you like party boat fishing, you can do very well at the marina south of St. Pete.

If you like shelling, you may also like treasure hunting. On the Atlantic side, around Vero Beach, and north and south of Vero, it is called the Treasure Coast. Many old ships had been sunk off the shores and treasure (coins, gold, artifacts, etc) wind up on shore in the sand. You can rent metal detectors to find them. There are 2 treasure museums in the area that has loads of info. Vero Beach is a beautiful area of Florida, 90 minutes from the Orlando airport. There are beautifully landscaped gated communities that rent out condos throughout the year. Off-season, which includes June and July, can be value priced for rentals. Check out www.seaoakstv803.blogspot.com for one that is by the ocean, with tennis courts and pools. Good rates.

Can't really add anything except another vote for Siesta Key and Sanibel.

Wow is right, red tide takes all the fun out of the beach, but it's not just a west coast phenomenon, we've had serious outbreaks of it here on the east coast too.

If your beach daydreams have soft, white sand and calm, clear, blue water, I'd stick with the Gulf Coast.

We do have some nice beaches on the Atlantic side, Playlinda is my favorite. Natural setting, no high rises. The drive out takes you through a wildlife refuge, with plenty of gators and birds. And one of the Space Shuttle launch pads can be seen from the south end of the beach. But there are hardly any lifeguards, and this part of the coast is known for its undertow and riptides, so most people walk the shore and stay out of the water.