Florida weather at Christmas?
 

Wanting to spend Christmas in Florida but the South - i.e. Keys, Sanibel etc - seems beyond our budget ($150/night maximum). <BR> <BR>My question is - what are the average temperatures in either the Panhandle, Naples or St Augustine?

Go to www.weather.com. Enter a city ("naples, fl") in the search box. Then click on "averages and records." You'll get a month-by-month histoory of the weather for that city.

The Panhandle (and St. Augustine) is VERY iffy. The weather could be in the 70's or the 40's, even 30's. (I live in the Panhandle) More Important, the water is WAY too cold for swimming after late October. <BR> <BR>Naples is nice and warm and the beaches are pretty nice though the city has a VERY large retirement population. There's nothing much there other than the beaches and shopping. <BR> <BR>Look into the keys again. Key West is very expensive but some of the smaller keys are nice and quaint and full of bargains, especially condos. Again, nothing there other than beaching and relaxation. The beaches are not very sandy in the keys, mostly rocky.

I hate to disappoint you, but I don't think there's anyplace in Florida where you'll be able to count on good weather at Christmas. We were in Key West a few years ago New Year's Eve and it was cold and rainy.

We've been in Cocoa Beach the week before Christmas for the past 3 years, and while I wouldn't want to swim in the ocean, shorts and T-shirts were VERY acceptable in terms of weather. Maybe we were just lucky, but it was good enough for us to consider strongly coming back this year, also.

While South Florida can't "guarantee" warm weather in the dead of winter, your chances of unpleasantly cool temps are slim. From the experience of 8 winters spent in south Florida, seems like we have a total of 5-10 days of chilly weather every winter. Therefore, I think in south Florida you stand an excellent chance of getting "shorts and t-shirt" weather, and swimming IS possible, depending where you are coming down from ( I see vacationing french-canadians swimming all the time in Jan/Feb). The Keys might be affordable if you came over Christmas and leave BEFORE New Years Eve (which is when everyone seems to want to come down).

As a lifelong S. Florida resident, I can tell you that out of 10 Christmases, one has had 4anywhere from 40 to 50 degree weather. Up in Orlando or St. Augustine in the 30's. Chances are greater of an earthquake down here. In general, it's beach weather and beautiful. Come on over, it's gorgeous here.

I live in Naples, have since 1978. Sometimes we have cooler weather for Christmas but most of the time during the holidays it is pleasant. The Gulf may be too chilly to swim in but you could enjoy the beach and most hotels will have heated swimming pools for you to enjoy. However, Naples for Christmas will be pricey, like Sanibel is. Naples offers every kind of place to stay from Ramada Inn to The Ritz. If you start shopping now and don't try to stay on the beach you should be able to find something reasonable. No hotel in Naples will be much further than a 15 minute drive to the beach and the closer to the beach the higher the price. I disagree with the poster that says there is noting to do in Naples. Yes, it is populated by many seniors, however, my husband and I (mid 40's) find plenty of things to enjoy. We have so many wonderful restaurants, shops and galleries. We have local theater, 2 dinner theaters, all types of water activities, trolley tours, Swamp Buggie rides, lots to see and do. I would be happy to try to answer questions if you have any. <BR>Tannya