Two women in their 50s are flying into Ft. Lauderdale Nov 5 to the 9th. Where could we go for a nice beach vacation, safe, semi quiet. With in a 2 hour drive? Is Marco too far? Thanks.

It's just pushing it a bit to make it to Marco in 2 hours, but possible. Going to Sanibel would add at least another hour. Naples/North Naples would be about the same as Marco.

I fly into FLL and drive to Naples frequently. Easy if boring drive. Not a big deal, and easy to get to. I prefer the Gulf coast to the Atlantic due to calmer waters.

Lauderdale-by-the-Sea is a lovely little community very close to FLL. As a matter of fact, some of the hotels offer a shuttle to and from the airport and since the town itself is so small and compact, you might not even need to rent a car.

LBTS is a possibility and because there is a break in the high rise condos directly to the south on the Galt Mile and the ones directly to the north you'll have a nice very "low rise" space to enjoy the beach. You can easily walk to some shopping and restaurants, too, or get a cab to further locations. The place is, in some ways, rather "retro" and quieter than Fort Lauderdale Beach itself.