laceelite

I am looking for somewhere in FL to go that is luxurious but has very calm water. I will be taking my toddler with me and want him to be able to play a little in the water. I have no clue WHERE in Florida to go. I have heard good things about the Siesta Keys... I need somewhere with amazing food and a few things to do.
I will need a suite or will go through VRBO for a house.
Any ideas would be appreciated. Also, my toddler is only 2 so Disney is probably out of the question for now...
Thanks!

mclaurie

Any beach on the west coast of Florida which is the Gulf side will have calm waters. Naples & Sarasota are worth checking. Just a heads up that many restaurants with "amazing food" are not kid friendly.

AustinTraveler

Honestly, unless it's a high-end, not so kid friendly place, don't expect too much "amazing" food in Florida. Places tend to cater to tourists and seem to get away with sub-par food. And before people here start yelling at me about my comments, I'm not saying there isn't amazing food in Florida. It's just hard to find in the tourist areas, especially when you have a toddler along.

I would suggest you check out Anna Maria Island. Easy to get to from the Tampa airport, easy to get around the island, even without a car.

NewbE

Check out the Sand Pearl on Clearwater Beach, it's very nice. However, I agree that the Sarasota area (Siesta Key, Lido Key) and Naples will offer fancier dining options.

Ryan

I don't know anything about the hotel, but a poster on this board a few months back raved about the Don Cesar in St. Petersburg beach. Can probably find that thread by typing Don Cesar.

I've stayed at the Ritz Carlton in Naples. Very nice hotel. Plenty of posts on here about quality of the restaurants.