dw732

Hi guys: Planning on going to Ft Myers area for Spring Break weekend of March 13-16. Where are the best places/beaches to go within driving distance of the airport where we would avoid the college spring break crowd? Would it be Naples? Sanibel/Captiva?Willing to pay a little more to avoid them. Will be my family with two middle schoolers. Thanks.

NeoPatrick

Are you looking for a hotel or resort on the beach? Or just looking for public beaches you can go to for the day.

The heaviest influx of spring breakers will be on Ft. Myers Beach -- I'd avoid that most of all.

dw732

Doesnt have to be a right on the beach. Could stay inland but will certainly go to the beach. I just want to make sure that wherever we stay and go, we won't be hounded by hundreds of spring breakers.

takemethere

we stayed on the very south end of fort myers beach in a condo and it wasn't crowded with spring breakers... we were also able to leave the island from the south to avoid the big traffic hassles from the north

kelliebellie

Naples is a real place without a spring break feel.

NeoPatrick pointed my family to the Bella Sera right by downtown Naples and they liked it very much. They are more like condos. I'm not sure where the closest public beach would be, but it can't be far. What is nice about it is that it is walking distance to all the shopping and restaurants of downtown, so people can kind of go their own way a bit.

www.bellaseranaples.com

The Ritz Carlton is great and right on the beach. There is also a Ritz golf resort that is off the beach and a bit less expensive, but they have shuttles that run between the resorts. The Ritz is only about 20 minutes from the airport. Downtown Naples is maybe only 35 minutes. With no traffic of course.

NeoPatrick

One of the best things about Naples is that the entire beach is public! Within the city at the end of nearly every street that dead ends at the beach, there is public access and some parking (mostly metered -- take lots of quarters). And because the bulk of the beach within the city is lined with homes rather than condos and hotels, the beaches are often surprisingly quiet -- particularly south of the pier.

I know that Wiggins Pass Park north of Naples is wildly popular. I've only been there a couple of times and I never understood the attraction because it is SO busy and crowded most of the time. There are public restrooms at the pier in Naples and also at Lowdermilk park which is further north, but still within the city. So with the kids you might want to settle for a day or afternoon at the beach near one of those places -- just for the restroom facilities.