Hello, my husband and I would like to go to Florida this November with our baby (will be 7 mos old) and our good friends and their two year old.

We've spent lots of time in the Orlando area in the past, as well as the central Atlantic coast, like Daytona/Ormond Beach area. This time we'd like to go someplace different. Ideally, we'd like to rent a house or condo close to the beach.

For a short part of the trip we will be visiting my father in Georgetown, Florida, which is inland on the St. John river, northeast of Daytona and northwest of Ocala. Our plan is to fly in and out of different cities so we only have to do the drive to visit them once. We will most likely be flying Jet Blue, which means we'll go either in or out of Orlando since that's the closest airport to my dad.

Here are the other cities Jet Blue flies into:

EAST COAST
W. Palm Beach - about 5 hours from Georgetown
Ft. Lauderdale - about 6 hours from Georgetown

WEST COAST
Tampa - 3.5 hrs. from Georgetown
Ft. Myers - about 6 hrs. from Georgetown

So, given those areas, where would you go? We don't mind a short drive from any of these cities to our week-long destination (not more than an hour away). We are coming from dreary, cold, gray November in VT so we want SUN and BEACH!

Thanks for your help!

We fly into Tampa and stay in St. Pete Beach. The beach is great, good restaurants,downtown st pete has some interesting things to do.

Sanibel Island is also a nice area to visit. Not sure how long of a drive from the Tamapa airport.

Many will not agree with me but upon my recent visit to Florida I found Ft. Lauderdale to be without a doubt the most fascinating place in all of my travels. I went to Ft. Myers, the Keys, if I returned I would have not a problem staying my entire trip in Ft. Lauderdale. I liked the ocean more so than the gulf which most rave about. Sanibel and Captiva would be nice if you fly into Ft. Myers.

I too would pick the tampa/st. pete beaches. Don't miss the Dali meuseum.

I've been to all of them. I prefer the ocean side best, and far enough south for the water to be on the "blue" side. I'd pick Ft. Lauderdale or West Palm Beach.

T.

Just got back from Sanibel a couple of weeks ago and loved. Beautiful place, nice beaches, great restaurants and VERY family friendly!

clearwater beach

or indian rocks beach

Can anyone tell me more about Indian Rocks beach area? I did a search and found some properties, but honestly the area didn't look that nice.

Just got back from Florida a few months ago. It was wonderful. Sanibel Island, Marco Island and Naples are all beautiful with wonderful beaches. Beautiful condos line the beaches in Naples. Sanible Island is more quaint with great flat beaches for the children as well. On Sanibel no structure can be taller than 3 stories. Many of the beach condos have wonderful screened porches.
These places are more for beach fun and relaxation.

We also spent time at Ft. Myers beach. Also a wonderful place with a wide beautiful beach. A bit more touristy, but still very nice.

Have a great trip!

I live in Florida, so I guess I have a slightly different perspective. I have found that the very best florida vacations have very heavy price tags. The nicest beaches and areas in Florida are in affluent communities. My absolute favorite FL vacation is Bal Harbour. It is the perfect vacation spot. It is also a well kept sceret from most tourists. It is a very nice resort area (but with few resorts). (Though they are very nice resorts with high rates to match). The beaches are absolutely magnificent and the shopping is INCREDIBLE. And if you get bored, Miami is right there. I guess this would involve flying into Ft. Lauderdale.
Another great place to go is Longboat Key. It has similar characteristics to Bal Harbour. Great beaches at the resorts (consider The Colony), shopping at St. Armand's, etc. It's nice and quiet too. It's in the Sarasota/Bradenton area- reasonable distance to Tampa.
If you are interested in just those cities you listed (no driving) I reccommend Tampa. Why? Beaches on the Gulf are just much nicer than those on the east coast. Best bet for a hotel (if they have any open)- The Don Cesar.

Since you'll be visiting Daytona, you might want to drive 40 minutes north and visit St. Augustine, the Nation's Oldest City. It's one of Florida's best-kept secrets and boasts a "European feel" - cobblestone streets, horses and carriages, bayfront, white beaches, and a downtown historic area that is like NO other in Florida. There's condos and many hotels around and oodles of really great restaurants too. Alligator Farm a mile away for the kids, putt-putt golf places, and though it's touristy, it's definitely not tacky. Once you've visited St. Augustine, you'll want to visit again. And again! Have fun!

We have vacationed on Sanibel for over 25 yrs .It is a quiet and serene place. Very low-key, great for families and children. So I 'vote' for Sanibel . You can fly to Ft.Myers and rent a car. It's about 20-30 min. drive fr. airport. When you cross over the causeway to Sanibel, you'll enter a special world !

Thank you all for your replies. Just goes to show you, if you ask 20 people you'll get nearly as many responses. But, glad to have the info.

I'd have to go for St Augustine. We visited there last fall and whole family wants to go again. Quaint town and lots to do but it isn't fast paced.We liked the downtown historic area because it is right on the bay and we stayed in a great B&B and took the carriage ride.