My husband and I are planning a trip from the UK in October. We plan to tour New England for a week and maybe try and go somewhere a bit warmer for a few days afterwards...we would love to travel down to Florida but we are a bit worried that we are heading into hurricane season and Florida may be a bit too lively weatherwise??? Any advice would be most appreciated..

Where are you going to try visiting in FL? I would not worry overly much about hurricanes. My family lives in FL & I live in Louisiana so we have had many hurricane experiences. The chances are good that you will have a great visit. Hurricanes also travel up the east coast at times so don't plan your trip solely on those worries. Keep checking the weather sites as your time gets closer to be aware of any developments.

October is a great time to be in Florida - especially if you want to visit the parks (Disney, etc.) There are NO lines and the weather is sunny and pleasant. Have a great time!

We've vacationed in Florida many times in October in the last twenty years, and perhaps we've been extraordinarily lucky, but we've yet to encounter a hurricane! What we have encountered is water still warm enough to swim in, pleasant sunny days, less crowds, and an all around good time, every time.

Where in Florida are you considering?

Thanks for the helpful advice, I think we probably hear too many stories of freak weather here!! We have not finalised where we plan to visit in Florida yet but we will probably only be staying for 4 or 5 days and are looking to relax and wind down and get some sunshine before we have to face the british winter. We were thinking about the Keys but we are not familiar with the area so all help would really be appreciated.

Tish - October is the tail end of the hot, humid season. The temperature will still be warm with days around 30 C and nights around 23 C. Rain can be hit or miss; a few years ago we had a minor hurricane with 450 mm of rain and some Octobers are dry as a bone.

I wouldn't be overly concerned about a hurricane. Our weather service & local media will notify the public many days in advance of any storms that might even remotely affect the area. Furthermore, hurricanes can strike anywhere from Texas to Maine.

October is also a good time to come because you're in between seasons. The summer people are gone and the snowbirds are only beginning to arrive from Canada.

Tell us a little more about what type of activities, accomodation, etc. etc. you are interested in and I'm sure you'll get some specific suggestions.

Cheers,
John in Miami

Thanks for your help John. I am a real beach lover and we will be driving around New England first so we really would like to relax with good views in Florida and perhaps get out on a boat and do some swimming but nothing too active as we were just looking to veg out for a few days!! We would be looking for comfortable accomodation with some good places to eat nearby and if there are spa or fitness facilities that would be a bonus. It is just the two of us so we are planning to wind down and don't have to worry about family facilities. Your tips on the weather should put my husband's mind at rest..thanks!

Hi, Tish! For great beaches head to Ft. Lauderdale. Marriott Harbour Beach is very nice. If you wld like more than just a room, try Lago Mar( www.lagomar.com) for a 1 BR unit or go a little farther north ( West Palm/Singer Island/Palm Beach Shores) to a Marriott timeshare ppty called Marriott Ocean Pointe. We found a great rental there through www.tug2.net ( or org). There are some wonderful restaurants w/in a 10 minute cab ride of both places.
We have gone to Fla. many, many times around mid-Oct & fortunately, have never encountered hurricanes.=D> 8-)

From what you have described, I would vote for a careful look at Lago Mar Resort in Ft. Lauderdale. It is absolutely beautiful and you could spend most of your time content to just be at the resort moving from the lovely, tropical grounds by one of the swimming pools to the sandy stretch of private beach, back to the pool, to any of the restaurants, the spa, the little putting green, or the hammocks in the palm trees...

Check out their website. We stayed there for the first time for only two days at the end of our vacation in the Keys--it was very relaxing. The Keys would be my vote for a more active trip (diving or snorkeling, boating), but to sit in the sun by the beach...Lago Mar. Good internet specials too.

The others are right, Miami hasn't had a major hurricane come through since Andrew back in 1995 which about 9 yrs ago. N & S Carolina usually get hit severely more than FL or TX. It will be very hot in FL, bring lots of hats and sunscreen.

I agree with the advice you've gotten. Oct. should be fine. I think the reason people aren't picking up on your mention of the keys is that the beaches in some of the keys can be disappointing (ironically) and it takes longer to get there and usually costs more. If you're touring New England first, flying out of maybe Boston or Providence would be inexpensive to Ft. Lauderdale I think. Look at discount airlines like Spirit, Jet Blue and maybe some of the majors like Delta (they have a discount airline Song on flysong.co). You'll see that flying to say, Key West can double airfare and the drive from Miami while beautiful can also be long. I'm suggesting east coast Fla. locations but there are also beautiful beaches on the gulf side. Just depends on what you like.

Thanks for the tips, we are now planning to have 4 or 5 nights in Fort Lauderdale in the second week of October after touring Boston and New England. The Lago Mar resort has been suggested...any reports on this resort would be welcome as would any other suggestions, we are looking to wind down by the coast with good food and maybe spa and sports facilities?

Tish,

Good choice! We were in Ft.Lauderdale the first week of November and had gorgeous weather & fun. We stayed at the Marriott Harbor Beach Resort and loved it. Got a good price off of priceline. This is the only "resort" hotel under priceline. When we got to the hotel, we requested an upgrade to an oceanview room. Had beautiful views. We had to pay a little extra for the oceanview room but it was worth it since we got the hotel for cheap thanks to priceline. Only paid $105 a night. Lots to do and see in Ft.Lauderdale. I think you'll Ft.Lauderdale. The Marriott Harbor is also on a private stretch of beach. You can see the cruise ships passing by. Largo Mar is down the street from the Marriott. So location wise is great. Only warning about Marriott Harbor is the fee for self-parking. $16.00 a day. Other than that the hotel is beautiful. If you go to www.tripadvisor.com, you'll see reviews for both hotels under Ft.Lauderdale.

Have fun & let us know what ya decide!

Thanks Janny, I have looked at the Marriott which looks gorgeous but I was a little concerned as the Marriott website says that they are painting the exterior through to December. It appears this is only between 9am and 5pm though and hopefully it may help to pick up a better price. The price that you managed to get is far better than I could pick up on the internet, I will give priceline a go! We will not have a car with us so no problem on parking fees. Will we need a car? We were looking to relax rather than sightsee and I read that the Marriott provides water transport to nearby restaurants.

Tish, in case you don't know, Priceline is a website where you bid for hotels (and other things) "blind." You must read biddingfortravel.com and/or betterbidding.com for more info before bidding. They should both give a list of hotels PL uses in each geographic area and in each category. Sometimes, there's only one hotel in a particular area so you know ahead of time, if you bid that, what you will get. Janny was saying that under Ft. Lauderdale/ resort the Marriott is evidently the only hotel.

Here are 2 older threads on hotels with spas in Fla. You haven't mentioned budget or your age but you might also consider South Beach in Miami or even Bal Harbour. And you can still fly into Ft. Lauderdale if you stay in Miami. They're not that far apart.

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34499422

http://www.fodors.com/forums/threads...1&tid=34487978

Good choice Tish. We did rent a car. You don't have too. There is a water taxi that can take you around to different stops. I think you'll enjoy the Marriott. Not far from the airport either.

Mclaurie is correct. Please check out biddingfortravel.com They give good information on previous bids for the Ft.Lauderdale area. Just a note, The Marriott Harbor Beach resort is the only "resort" hotel located on Ft.Lauderdale Beach that you will get if you bid for this area. Which is a good thing. This way your guaranteed to win this hotel on priceline. I definitely recommend this hotel and would stay here again.

Good Luck!!