Florida - East or West Coast?
 

My husband and I plus another couple (all 40-somethings) will be headed out of Augusta, GA the first week of April - our Masters Week evacuation. We are interested in a four or five night beach trip, driving down to Florida. We have been to Orlando with the kids, but have never been to any Florida beaches.

We are looking in to the Florida panhandle (Destin area - a 440 mile drive from Augusta) or something on the east coast of Florida - St. Augustine (320 miles) or further south (New Smyrna Beach - 380 miles). The husbands enjoy golf, the wives enjoy the beach and shopping, and we all enjoy wining and dining.

Do you have any suggestions or preferences for locations, or places to stay. We would probably prefer to rent a two-bedroom condo as opposed to two hotel rooms.

Will we be able to have any beach time this early in April - or will it most likely be too cool? (I know the weather is changeable at this time of the year, just looking for what is more likely...)

Thanks for any help!

At this time of year, you can get some chilly weather, particularly in the northern half of Florida. Panhandle & west coast water is still chilly. Suggest you drive a few hours further on the east coast at least to Stuart. The Gulf Stream passes closest to the coast in Palm Beach county. Great shopping, dining, etc. in the stretch between Palm Beach and Boca Raton. Water temps. should be mid-70s.

For that time of year, the water temp in Destin will be cool in the upper 60's, although the air temp will probably be in the 70's or 80's.

The water temperature in Tampa/Clearwater would be a little warmer than the Panhandle, maybe lower 70's and the temps would be in the 80's.

As has been discussed in a number of other posts, there is always a risk of Red Tide and Red Drift Algae on the W. Coast of FL.

The problem has gotten so within the last year or so in the Sanibel-Captiva area that many long-time devotees are going elsewhere.

St. Augustine <http://www.staugustine.com/visit/> could possibly meet your needs. There is a wonderful beach about 10-15 minutes south of town - Crescent Beach. See map <http://www.floridacountiesmap.com/st...unty.shtml>.

Golf is available, as is shopping (2 outlet malls), history and a lot of reasonably priced, very good restaurants.

As for condos, try here:

www.cyberrentals.com
www.greatrentals.com
www.a1vacations.com
www.vrbo.com
www.ivacation.com
www.findvacationrentals.com
www.valuevacationrentals.com
www.vacationrentalsonline.com
www.vacationrentals.com
http://www.springvacationrentals.com
http://www.anastasiacondos.com/
http://www.beacherslodge.com/ (1BR only)

I would stop in Appalachicola, FL and have lunch at Boss Oyster, walk around downtown then drive over to Santa Rosa Beach and stay at Water Color Inn. The restaurant there is very nice and Seaside is a close by place to visit along with Destin too.

The week you're talking about is the week before Easter, so you might find availability limited at this late date. Also, many condos will only rent for a full week during this season, usually Saturday to Saturday, so a 4 or 5 night stay may not be possible, unless you want to pay for the week and leave early or arrive late. I've never been to Destin or New Smyrna but St. Augustine has a very nice beach and plenty to do. My sisters have been to New Smyrna and describe it as a quiet beach town, more family oriented.