We have a week to 10 days in December to drive down south. Last year we spent the week on Sanibel Island and loved it. The drive was tough, but we are up for it again. I am looking for a quaint beach community much the same and hoping for decent weather in Dec so realize we prob need to be pretty far south (otherwise I was wondering about the Georgia Islands). Anyone have any recs besides Sanibel? Amelia (or too far north?) Marco? The Keys? We have 3 children (9, 7, 3) and love beach, pool, a little shopping, wildlife, yummy food...the typical Any suggestions would be most appreciated!

We also love Sanibel. Another location we enjoyed was Marathon Key. The Keys are not known for its beaches but you can actually access several pretty good ones from Marathon Key, including Bahia and Long Key. We also like enjoyed Sombrero Beach right on Marathon Key. We rented a house with a pool so that was nice. We saw wildlife in the state parks and also went to the Dolphin Research Center, which was fun. There were dolphins (of course) plus iguanas. Key West is an hour away so you can visit it as well, although personally I am not a fan, but many people love it.

Thanks Alisa23 for the response...will definitely look into it!

I am not a Florida expert, but we enjoyed Hollywood Beach, which has a "broadwalk" for walking and biking, with a few beach shops and restaurants and an old-school laid back feel. There is plenty of lodging right near the beach, which is what I require when visiting a beach town. There's also a nearby stop on the Intercoastal Waterway, which we enjoyed taking as a boat tour for a day.

http://www.visithollywoodfl.org/holl...broadwalk.aspx

Bookmarking for tentative trip to Florida in December....

I'm a Sanibel person myself, but my brother & his family like Gasparilla Island a lot. It's still far enough south to work.

We spent last Christmas week on Amelia Island and my spouse liked it so much that we're going back again this year. The weather on the east coast is a crap shoot at that time of year, however. It was very hot the first half of the week then changed to rainy in the latter half. We're from Atlanta and used to the changes.

Also, I believe the water on the east (Atlantic) coast that time of year is generally too cold for swimming.