Hi,
My husband & I are thinking of extending our Disney World vacation 2-3 days and spending that time at either Daytona, Cocoa, or Melbourne beach. I would really appreciate some feedback about what those beach areas are like - I have never been. Can you recommend a good hotel there?
Thank you very much!

I have been to Daytona Beach and to Cocoa Beach. Here are my opinions:

Daytona is a different experience than Cocoa. Daytona is a redneck, raunchy party town (not that that's all bad). My wife and I went down last spring just to see what the legendary spring break hangout was really like. Well, the beach is HUGE and great for swimming, as long as you can get used to all the cars parked and driving up and down the beach. But as I said, the beach is HUGE and there's plenty of room for everyone.

There are no shortage of bars to party in and the clientel definitely prefers Pabst to Amstel Lite (good for them) and there's even a small "biker's alley" full of real biker bars.

Cocoa has smaller, but very nice beaches, and while there's no lack of bars and restaurants, it's not the party scene the Daytona is.

Chris--I was just in Florida for a shuttle launch and NASA put us up in Cocoa Beach. I don't mean to offend anyone but it is not a particularly nice part of Florida. The beach itself is fine but the surrounding landscape is one giant strip mall mixed in with rundown buildings and vacant stores. If it is of interest to you, Kennedy Space Center itself is quite interesting but it is also a very easy 45-minute trip from Orlando so could be a day trip from there.

Hi Chris

We spent Easter week in Melbourne Beach. I have to agree with the two previous posts. It was "okay" The beach isn't particularly nice. We didn't know that there is a coral shelf (reef?) which runs from MB almost to Cocoa Beach. My husband cut his feet the first day we were there, then we bought water shoes...

I'd think about going to the Gulf side if I were you.

Yes, the Gulf beaches are great, Clearwater Beach, in particular, since it's practically in my back yard.

Check out www.flausa.com. There's a ton of info.

Hope this helps.

Now that Anne has chimed in and I know it's not just me, I can tell my story. The launch I went to see was delayed (as often happens) and while we were all trying to figure out if we should stay for the rescheduled launch or go home and try another time, we all came to the same conclusion: if we were in Sanibel, we would definitely stay, but we couldn't really see spending 48 more hours in Cocoa Beach. I would go to the Gulf, too.

Hey Chris!

Sorry everyone seems to be giving you bad news about the Cocoa area. I live in Orlando and Cocoa is easy to get to from here. Contrary to popular belief--there is one great place to stay. It is called the Royal Mansions. I believe they used to be condos. It is extremely clean and the beach is decent. It is a smaller place and therefore a little more quiet. For dinner-try Dixie Landings in the Titusville area. I love the gulf coast too-but I think you will really enjoy the Royal Mansions in Cocoa. It is near Port Canaveral very close to where the Bee Line (528) ends. Enjoy!

Believe it or not, I think that I stayed at the Royal Mansions when I was down there. The were very nice - we had a big 3 bedroom split between 3 couples, and I know they have smaller units because they accidently put us in a one-bedroom the first night (my back still hurts).

But the grounds are great and the beach, while not the widest in the state, was nice and sandy (don't remember any sharpies in the feet). If I remember right, the property is actually in the town of Cape Canaveral, but a very short ride into Cocoa. The beach was very uncrowded.

I have vacationed 6 times in Daytona Beach - 2 as a child, 2 as a teen and 2 as an adult. I'm from Maryland. I and my entire family love Daytona Beach. The beach is so beautiful - VERY wide and white, soft sand. My dream is to someday move to Daytona and buy a vendor truck and park it on the beach and rent beach chairs. What a way to go to work everyday! There's lots to do in Daytona - the boardwalk is great, the dog races are a blast and there are plenty of mini golf courses. We have a kid so we always vacation at a beach with go kart tracks, mini golf courses and a boardwalk. We're going back to Daytona next summer. We take 2 days and go to 2 of the Orlando parks - Daytona is only an hour away.

ahhhh. the west coast vs the east coast debate. well, i'm an east coaster so you know what i think. the west coast is on the GULF so in my book its not a real beach. ok, there not that bad but i hate wading through mounds of seaweed and there are no waves in the gulf. each coast has its share of tacky, tourist joints....but heres my list from worst to best.
daytona bch-national headquarters for runaways and cars on the beach!!! very unnatural
cocoa bch-moderate tourist hell. try jetty park or anywhere north of the cocoa bch pier.
melbourne-yeah, i was born there....and i still go back every chance i get. very mellow (compared to the other two) and NO nightlife to speak of. I stay at quality suites Melb Bch....79-$99
www.floridainformation.com.

I live in Daytona and my advice is to try New Smyrna Beach which is about 10 miles south of Daytona. Best kept secret on the east coast.

New Smyrna beach is a very popular "secret" among people who live in Orlando, because of reasons described above, and also it is very accessible from I-4.

Another suggestion (if you feel like driving a little bit more) is to check out the beaches to the North of Daytona, such as Flagler beach and Crescent beach. You can drive on these, but they are less crowded, less built up, and less honky-tonk than Daytona.

My wife and I have visited Florida about 8 times and we always stay at Cocoa Beach, Spanish Main Condos, right on the ocean. Couldn't imagine staying anywhere else. Clean, well equipped accomm., safe, laid-back area, easy access to attractions, and, there is a lovely outback out there which we discovered whilst horseback riding. We think the beach is good, especially since they changed something to do with the Trident basin up near Cape Canaveral so now the beach does not get tons of shells washed up every tide. I know the other beaches, but CCB is the place to be for me. Dining? The Cafe Margaux - superb, and, Fisherman's Wharf and the Lobster Shanty. Oh those lobsters and steaks!!
Only another 7 weeks and that's where we'll be again.