beachgirl86

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...?

janisj

just time for a quick comment right now - - -

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

kimamom

Check out Laguna Beach in Southern, CA. ***kim***

Jo1023

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.

mclaurie

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

beachgirl86

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.

maribethp

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.

beachgirl86

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.

321go

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.

NewbE

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!

beachgirl86

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...

chewy1

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....

beachgirl86

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

NewbE

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...

chewy1

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.

beachgirl86

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!

applejacks1

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.

beachgirl86

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

MomDDTravel

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 -

MomDDTravel

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