Florida beaches!!!
 

Hello from MN&gt;<BR>We can't wait to come to Florida May 1 for 10 days. Myself, a senior &amp; 7&amp;9 yr.olds. First four days will be at at Epcot, Animal Kingdom, MGM. Then for a few nites I want to desperatly take kids to a great beach on gulf.(my dream!!)Which beach.....HELP!<BR>Clearwater, St Pete's????I will have a car. I saw clearwater has a pirate cruise! Then we will head back to Orando to finish sites at Disney World, Universal Studios. And whetever else. Would Ocean side be better? Any guess of time we should allow? The gulf is so beautiful.<BR>Any suggestions would be helpful!!!<BR>THANKS:)

My vote goes to the Gulf side. The water is calmer and usually a bit warmer, which you'll appreciate in early May! Sand is whiter too.<BR><BR>My favorite beach in this area is Clearwater Beach, north of Pier 60. It is the broadest section of the beach, and beautiful sand. (Even from Clearwater Beach to St. Pete Beach, a short distance, the sand quality changes from area to area).<BR><BR>I've never done the pirates' cruise, but if we are at the beach, we'll see it several times during the day...and hear it as it fires off it's cannon. It's certainly popular<BR><BR>The only negative for Clearwater Beach is the amount of congestion away from the beach. It's not exactly serene. If you stay around Sand Key, just over the bridge from Clearwater Beach at the Sheraton or Radisson Sand Key, you are away from that, but the beach, though still pretty, is not quite as pretty as the portion north of the pier.<BR><BR>Everyone has their favorites...others here will swear by Treasure Island, or Pass-a-Grille. Truth is they are all pretty, and you'll have a great time.<BR><BR>Minor point, it is St. Pete Beach, not Pete's. It's acutally separate from St. Petersburg as Clearwater Beach is from Clearwater. They've officially changed their name to St Pete Beach, as opposed to St Petersburg Beach.<BR><BR>Travel time to and from Orlando varies on the amount of traffic on I-4. If it's light, you can have your feet in the Gulf water in about 1 hr 40 minutes. Atlantic is closer, but it's still a drive and the beaches in that area of the Atlantic coast can't hold a candle to the Gulf, IMHO.

Olive Oyl....Thanks a whole lot for the feedback. All that information you gave me really helps me stay on track of my gut feelings. Too many choices make it hard to decide.<BR>THANKS AGAIN OLIVE!!!

I would have to second everything OO has suggested ... a very complete summary. Cha, L

Try Longboat key near Sarasota.

Go to Sanibel Island, absolutely gorgeous beaches, very much like the Caribbean. You won't be disappointed!

We are leaving this Thursday for the Orlando/Gulf vacation. Loved it. 4 days Orlando, 3 days Gulf. Good way to unwind. Last year we were in N. Redington Beach. Sand was very 'shelly'. This year we are going to Treasure Island. We were in Maderia beach 10 years ago and the sand was awesome - ankle thick and powdery. Hope its like that in TI.<BR><BR>Have Fun, you won't be disappointed. I here Clearwater can be a bit congested with the 'springbreakers', but just a thought, haven't experienced it though.

If you are going to Orlando I recommend checking out Universal's Islands of Adventure. I was there in January and it was the best amusement park I have ever been to. It is clean with great rides and the food isn't overpriced. The Spiderman ride is like nothing I've ever seen before and all of the roller coasters are great!<BR>