Need Florida advice! (for newlywed couple)
 

Hello all. My wife and I never been to Florida and we want to plan a trip there, but we don't know where to go, what to see, where to stay.

We are a newlywed couple (no kids) and want to spend 5 day sin Florida. What the hot places to be....romantic, hip, relaxing...etc.

I heard Key West is a nice place to go. I also heard Naples.

Can any Florida veterans suggest some nice places to go? Remember...we are staying in FL for a total of 5 days.

How about places to stay? We like to stay in nice 4 or 5-star hotels.

Any suggestions are appreciated!

Split time between South Beach (Miami) and Key West.

This should meet your romantic, hip & relaxing needs very well.

Ritz Carlton Naples. Totally luxe and fabulous. Great restaurants on Fifth Avenue too. Wonderful spa. great golf and all around romantic jaunt!

Is it Hip? Not really. but it is up and coming for young people to vacation. we're 32 and 34, and have had a great time there.

For a more rousing time - Key West. Been 4 times - its fabulous - but no good beaches. pier house is very nice - at the end of duval street - next to mallory square and all the fun that happens when the sun sets.

For hot beach and hot nightlife - south beach. for a great hotel, try the hotel of south beach. or the tides.

Don't know about what kind of budget you're working with, but Fisher Island is nice. Is a small island off of Miami and has its own ferry to run you back and forth. You have the privacy of the island but are still really close to the Miami hot spots. Was wondering what month you were getting married? This would have some bearing on my decision where to stay, at least during the winter months.

Sanibel Island has a great beach, fine restaurants, and is very romantic off of the Gulf Coast.Key West is great for drinking & partying.

Sanibel and Captiva Islands are very romantic. South Seas Plantation would suit your stars preference, too.

Key West is fun, but only when the cruise ship people are gone. Plus, the beaches are not good. I would choose Caribbean resorts anytime over FL, but having said that, I would recommend Sanibel or St Petersburg for a lot of fun and variety.

I'd suggest going to Ft. Lauderdale area and south onto Miami. You can have plenty of fun with the Keys without going all the way to Key West. The beaches are better on mainland Florida not the Keys. I'm not a big Gulf fan, to me, it's just a bunch of retirees without much youth mixed in.

The Gulf coast is a bunch of retirees??? That's cute. I must disagree, at least in the St. Pete area, there are more young people here than you can shake a stick at, including the tourists!

Yea, people are always saying there's nothing but OLD people in Naples too, but then I can't figure out why Naples now has 7 schools under construction. Nor can I figure out why the New York Times just did an article on how "trendy" Naples is.

The Gulf coast-a bunch of retirees??? The Spring Breakers in Panama City Beach would be surprised to hear that!

Isn't Panama City on the Atlantic Coast?

No. It is on the gulf.

Maybe you are thinking of Daytona-another spring break hot spot.

If you are going in March or April, I'd suggest Marco Island, Naples and Key West.

If you are going later like May and June, I would suggest St. Augustine or the Panhandle.

It gets warm in May and June and doesn't cool off at night.

I think you would be checking out too many of the cuties on the beach in Miami Beach. You know most of the beaches are topless.

"I think you would be checking out too many of the cuties on the beach in Miami Beach. You know most of the beaches are topless."

What? You mean once in a while a girl will take off her top until the police come by and make her put it back on?

Here's my take on Florida areas:

West Coast...(Naples, Ft. Myers, Tampa, St. Petee, Clearwater, etc) Resort like. Newer, growing communities with more of a vacation feel. Great sunsets, nice beaches calm waters.

East Coast...More urban. One giant megalopolis from West Palm Beach down to Miami. 3 Major airports (PBI, FLL, MIA)...Nice beaches with heavier surf, nice sunrises, faster pace than the west coast. More year round activity.

Central/Orlando...Tourists year round Disney, Epcot, Universal etc....also farm land/ horses.

Panhandle...More like the South (Alabama/Mississippi etc) Nice beaches, but gets cold in the winter.

Keys...laid back almost caribbean feel...great water activities, but very few "nice beaches"

I never get into an arguement with people about which part of Florida is "best"....there's something for everyone, and different strokes for different folks.

See my recent trip report on the Ritz in Naples. It is very nice and will meet your luxe requirements. Not sure if Naples is "trendy," although there is a cute downtown area with shops/restaurants that I didn't explore much.

I don't care what people say, there are a LOT of old people in Naples!

I agree with the suggestion of Key West and South Beach. It depends on your age and interests, I think. Key West can be very relaxing (when are you going? holiday weekends can be very hectic). There are great restaurants, beautiful sunsets, lots of water activities, etc. You can take a romantic sunset cruise, rent bicycles, stroll around the shops on Duval, lie by a pool and drink, enjoy the sunset "carnival" in Mallory Square... or be more active and snorkel, rent a boat or waverunners, party at many fun bars, etc. I think KW is a very versatile place, with something for every taste. I personally prefer to stay in really nice Bed & Breakfasts, for a more intimate, relaxed feel; there are tons of fantastic places with beautiful pools to choose from.

Can't say a lot about South Beach, since I'm a South Florida native and have avoided this area since 1990! A little too "overrun" for my taste, but people who want to dine in trendier restaurants and see the "beautiful people" tend to enjoy it. The beaches are very wide and lots is going on there, so if beaching it and trendy nightlife is your thing, drive up to South Beach from Key West. It's about 4 hours (give or take, depending on traffic) from KW to South Beach.

Milemarker, you've really accurately described them all!

I have to say No on South Seas at this point. It is just opening this month after being shut down since hurricane Charley in August 2004. Much of the resort is still under construction/renovation and it has just been sold. Way too many ifs at this point.

I recommend LaPlaya in Naples. Very romantic setting, sunset dinners or at least cocktails, lovely spa,etc. etc.

LMF

Personally, I wouldn't honeymoon in South Beach. Sure, it has some great hotels and some great restaurants. But it's more a singles/pickup scene than a romantic, intimate setting. I guess it depends on what you want, but watching people strutting around in all stages of dress and undress trying to impress and/or meet each other just doesn't say "honeymoon" to me. <shrug>

Naples!

Yes it has a reputation of "just old people" but visit there once and you will see how much that has changed! I moved there when I was 11 and 19 years later I hardly recognize it!

There are several nice resorts from the Ritz to the Registry (not on the Gulf but a beautiful tram ride through the mangroves away)and also a nearby brand new Hyatt.

Things to do?

Go to South Naples for art galleries, boutiques, neat resurants like Tommy Bahamas.

Stroll around the shops of 5th Ave& 3rd street

walk the pier at sunset& watch the pelicans dive for fish,

rent your own boat & take it out into the back waters, anchor it on a bank and have a picnic all the while searching for manatees and dolphins.... they ARE there

WOW! I think I have convinced myself to move back!

Good luck and let us know, please email me if I can answer any ?

:)Ruby


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Thanks for the suggestions....keep them coming!

To clarify, we're already married and we just want to "get away" and take trip. We're from the midwest and we've never gone to FL before.

We want to avoid Orlando/Disney World area: we'll go there some time later (maybe with the kiddies). So we just want to take a nice little trip to relax and get away.

We want to go next month in April.

We don't like "clubbing" or the college-singles scene. I guess I shouldn't have used the word "trendy." But at the same time, we don't want to go anywhere "boring." I guess a nice mix is what we want.

It sounds like Naples is nice. What airport is that close to? Are major cities within driving distance? How far is Naples from Key West?

Thanks and keep the suggestions coming!

Naples is just 90 miles from Key West, unfortunately that is due south across the water and expensive to fly. The drive would be a good 5 to 6 hours.

Naples has a small airport, but very limited Delta service; RSW at Ft. Myers is the closest major airport -- about an hour drive at most into downtown Naples from there. Or you can fly to FT. Lauderdale and drive 1 1/2 to 2 hours to Naples. If you can get a nonstop from your city to Ft. Lauderdale rather than to Ft. Myers and, I think it's better, especially if it's also cheaper.

You need to book hotels if you are picky. Most are fully booked for early April through Easter. If you come the last of April, that could be good.

By the way, I read a report just last week that says in 2000 the median age in Naples was 61. It is now 44. That's a big change in a short time.

If you go to the Ft. Myers/Sanibel area, there's a high speed catamaran out of Ft. Myers that will run you down to Key West for the day for around $80 r/t. That way, you could sample both areas.

I def. suggest Fort Lauderdale area or South Beach. South Beach is really nice but it gets too crowded for my taste. I am so big on Fort Lauderdale that it is more chill and laid back than Miami. Riverwalk /Las Olas area of Fort Lauderdale offer more than enough club and bar options. Never been to Naples but heard it was really nice there. My sister went to Naples with her husband two years ago and really enjoyed it.

No one has mentioned Amelia Island? It is on the North East coast of Florida. It is a quaint, beautiful area with a historic downtown, good restaurants etc.The beach is nice and it is also on the intra-coastal waterway if you are interested in fishing etc.
About 1.5 hours south is St. Augustine if you wanted to rent a car and do a day trip,or spend 2 nights there.
You can fly into Jacksonville. Amelia island is about 40 minutes from the airport. The city on the island is also Fernandina Beach and people use the names interchangeably.
There is a Ritz on the beach, as well as many B&Bs in the town itself (2 miles from the beach, but near the restaurants).