Help with vacation/beach house location in FL or CA for 40th birthday (with baby and dog!)
 

Hi everyone!

My husband's 40th birthday is in April, and it happens to fall during school vacation (I'm a teacher) so I'd like to do something fun and special for him that week. Travelers would be me, him, our baby (who would be 9 months old at the time), and hopefully our small dog. Because of the dog, I would need a pet friendly rental.

I was thinking of a beach house in either Florida or California. Someplace we could just relax on the beach and explore a little town with our baby and our dog, eat out, go swimming, etc....We usually travel to Hawaii or the Caribbean, but I'm looking for something easier now that we have the babe and the pup to consider for this particular vacation! A giant plus would be a dog-friendly beach, or dog parks in the area. And of course, we'd want sunbathing temperatures!

I was looking intto Amelia Island and a couple other places in Florida, but haven't gotten to look a California yet. I'm starting with VRBO. I'm not confining myself to FL or CA, I just figured they would have the biggest options/variety for what I'm looking for.

Does anyone have any suggestions for places to look at in terms of towns/cities/areas/etc...?

just time for a quick comment right now - - -

Just how important is swimming? You definitely won't be swimming in the Pacific in April.

Check out Laguna Beach in Southern, CA. ***kim*** ((f))

Check out house rentals in Key West. It's a very dog-friendly laid-back town. There are a number of good real estate agents available on the web. I've used several and never had a problem.

Where do you live? Flying with baby and small dog doesn't sound so easy to me.

Thanks for the suggestions so far...Laguna Beach looks great! We are flying from Boston. I'm sure it won't be easy, but both our guys (baby and dog) are extremely easy and laidback, so we are lucky in that sense.

Is dog a lap one? I am quite anxious about flying my dog boys because of danger to them and poor care by airlines. Give it some thought.

Yep, my dog is a small breed, so he is able to come with us as "carry on luggage". Otherwise, I would never consider it.

beachgirl86, unfortunately, many beaches in Florida are not dog-friendly (in fact on many beaches dogs are not allowed at all). There's a decent list here of the Florida beach communities that ARE dog-friendly: http://www.dogfriendly.com/server/tr...hstateFL.shtml

Amelia Island in April would be lovely for what you're looking for.

I think Amelia Island would be pretty perfect, too: dog-friendly beach, Fernandina Beach is a great little town with loads of good, laid-back restaurants, there are several easily accessible state parks nearby, and there are lots of nice rental properties. (In fact, I'd be happy to recommend the one we stayed in last May.) The only downside is that, for me, AI will be a bit chilly in April for sunbathing. However, if I were coming from Boston, I might see it differently!

321: Thanks for that website, it's great!

NewbE: I would love a recommendation on your rental if you don't mind giving it.

Looks like I'm narrowing it down to Amelia Island or Laguna Beach...

Captiva Island-great beach, laid back, Florida, but feels like the Bahamas.

Charleston, SC-Kiawah Island....lots of rentals on VRBO, short 35 minute ride into Charleston, which is an all time favorite city to explore, and weather is usually nice in April there. Historic tours by carriage, great dining, old forts, beaches...nature.

Amelia is nice, along with Fernandina Beach town area.

Also the Panhandle is nice, we loved staying at Seaside with our small kids (they filmed the Truman Show there)....really neat area, town square with activities and shops, and a white sand beach with emerald green waters....

chewy: Thanks for those excellent recs...I wouldn't have thought of any of those, so I will definitely be checking them out!

Hi, beachgirl! This is the "villa" we rented on Amelia Island:
http://www.vrbo.com/166577
We loved the location, right on the beach, a bit closer to AI Plantation than to Fernandina Beach. It has an unusual layout: the main part of the villa is one bedroom, 1.5 baths and a huge kitchen/DR/LR area facing the beach; and there are two more bedrooms, each with their own full bath, across a private courtyard from the main unit.
Let me know if you have any questions...

We travel quite a bit, but go back to Kiawah several times a year. It's just a very unique setting. Very strict development code has left miles of bike paths, ponds, wooded areas, its totally family friendly, great kids club that I would trust at any age. We'll typically rent a condo in Windswept or the East Beach area, its close to the Sanctuary, a 5 star resort and great place to go pull up a rocking chair, glass of wine, and just watch the surf roll in. Grab your bike and ride up the wide beach..(even at peak times it still does not feel crowded).

There's a nice little village there now at the entrance to shop and dine, superb gourmet grocery if you like to dine in, and as I said, Charleston is just knock your socks off great. April weather there should be 80'ish. It doesn't have the pure tropical feel that a Captiva or Seaside has, but its got a very back to nature type feel. They are all great spots, don't think you can go wrong, just depends on your personal taste.

NewbE: Thanks for the link, it looks beautiful!

Chewy: I appreciate the description of Kiawah, I've never known much about it, so this was very helpful and definitely sounds wonderful. We travel quite a bit, too, but neither of us has been to SC.

Looks like I have some great places to choose from!

If you do venture to California, we use Russian River Vacation rentals for the grandbaby and pup friendly vacations. It is a river of course Gurneville, Monte Rio, Jenner,Cazadero Creek not river though, but it meets your specifications and is a great area for relaxing and kayaking etc. April might be a little cool though for anywhere in Northern CA.

Applejacks: Thanks for the suggestion! I will check it out.

beachgirl - I live in Southern California. You are better off going to Florida in April (It is generally a lovely time in Florida - I lived there as well and still have family there).

Laguna beach can be downright cold in April -

I have a question - (not the OP) what airport do you fly into to go to Amelia Island?

Thanks, MomDDTRavel...I have been looking into temps as part of my deciding factors! Perhaps Laguna Beach is better off next summer?

Anyways, from everything I've read, it seems the best place to fly into for Amelia Island is Jacksonville (JAX).

Beach - Laguna is lovely, Newport Beach is great... there are nice homes for rent and a few that are dog friendly - having said that - you cannot, I repeat cannot count on the weather for April. It could be lovely...or freezing.

You mention that your baby is "laid back" and you aren't worried about the travel. If I'm calculating correctly, if he's going to be 9 months old in April he is now an infant of less than 2 months. You'll be surprised how babies change in just a few months. By then he'll be much more mobile. I'd go for the shorter trip.

My family has loved Siesta Key Florida. (near Sarasota) You won't find many house rentals there but there are plenty of condos for rent. The beach is one of the nicest in Florida.

Mom: What is "freezing" in Laguna Beach? Just wondering as we're from the Boston area ;)

Kathy: You make a good point about the age my baby will be then, but we are all about teaching him to travel early. We have a trip to the Caribbean planned for Dec. Thank you for the FL suggestion, I will look into it!

LOL - okay..well not really "freezing" LOL but not lay on the beach weather... the pacific will be VERY cold at that time of year (it is hardly warm here in the ocean -if it hits 70 degrees it is warm - the water temp).

It can be rainy, and over cast as well.. I would come here in August or September or even October is lovely usually...

Beachgirl re: teaching kids to travel...

We started with our guys within weeks of being born, and 12 years later wouldn't have changed a thing. Your comment about going to the Carribbean, reminded me that we got to St. Lucia with our oldest at 9 mos, and naively did not have his birth certificate...it took a friend back home at the courthouse, and a FedEx truck popping out of the jungle 4 days later just like a commmercial to get us back home intact. Our guys have been all over the planet. They have a tremendous appreciation for history, are confidant and open minded to other cultures and people, curious to learn more, and I had one of their social studies teachers corner me and say "how do I get adopted....?"
Sure, we've had our missed planes, sat on runways, etc. But we've also zipped down trails in The Alps, through the trees in Honduras, marvelled at The Pantheon, The Tetons, etc.

You will not reget it one bit.

I would definitely do Florida mostly because of no time change. At nine months, your baby's routine will be pretty settled which means in California, someone is going to be getting up with the child every morning around 4 amish.

chewy: Thanks for that, I really enjoyed reading your post about travel with your kids. People have been saying to us ever since he was born (well, really since I was pregnant) that our traveling days are over, but I won't believe it :)

kellie: Excellent point about the time change...

I love the californians idea of freezing - come to the eastcoast if yo really want to know what that means! I was in Huntington Beach this summer and they were talking about the "humidity" - ha. I was in L.A. in April and it was sunny and 70's just beautiful. I suggest Laguna - it is magnificant.

glm - I know :-) We are big babies...having said that many people come to Southern California expecting it to be "tropical" and it simply is not :-)

I'd try the Florida Keys. I often go there with my wife, two young children (James 4 and Thomas 2) and our dog Harry. We used to have trouble finding holiday homes that were children friendly and that would let you take a dog with you. We then found this web site http://www.Directholidaybookings.co.uk
If you check it out you can do advanced searches and look for places that are children friendly and allow dogs.

The Keys in April are beautiful and it will not be too hot or too busy. We once made the mistake of going there in August when James was a baby and it was a disaster!

Good luck.

Holidayboy: Thanks for the tips and the website, I will definitely check out the Keys!

Sanibel Island would be a nice location in April.

I would LOVE to go to Sanibel Island...someday :-)

You may enjoy Cape San Blas, FL. It is regularly on the "Best Beaches" list and was also ranked the #1 pet friendly beach in the USA last year!

It's in the FL Panhandle about 50 miles SE of Panama City and couldn't be more different from Panama City. It's Old Florida...no commercialism, white sand beaches, no traffic lights and a great family friendly beach (no wild parties etc., even during spring break).

Our kids (and dogs) have loved it since we discovered it 6 years ago! Great place to relax and spend great family time!

Whereever you select I hope you have a great trip!

I agree with Sanibel/Captiva... very family friendly!!!

I will check out Sanibel and Captiva, and Wendy, thanks for your suggestion! It sounds great, and I've never heard of it, so I will check it out!

Destin is absolutely gorgeous (in the Panhandle not far from Seaside) you will not find a prettier beach in Florida in my opinion. Pet friendly - not sure of that. Would have to say no, most Fla. beaches are not pet friendly.
Cape San Blas is very nice (about 2 hrs. E. of Destin) however, there is very, very little to do there. It is dog friendly, but it is a "finger" off of Florida (not an island) 26 miles long and I know of one small gas staion/tourist shop.Closest grocery store is about 40 minutes ago - it is extremely remote. Can take nice long walks, but if you have bad weather (which you shouldn't in April) you will be going out of your mind for something to do! Hope that helps in some way, enjoy FLA.!

If you are looking for a place where you can relax on the beach and to be able to explore a small town, the should look into St.Augustine Lodging (http://augustine.com/vacation/accomm...ndex.php?id=55). St. Augustine has some great beaches that have plenty of condos, hotels and motels all along it, and http://www.augustine.com has all the information you could want on the nations oldest city.
If you would rather be withing walking distance to historic downtown, you should look into the St.Augustine Bed and Breakfasts (http://augustine.com/vacation/accomm...ndex.php?id=52) that are all in the downtown area. It's still just a 5 minute drive to get to the beaches as well. No matter where you stay in St.Augustine, beach or downtown

Thanks for the additional places in FL to look at...I will check them out!