South Florida Hotel/Resort/House ON the beach....or pool in back
 

We're looking for a place to stay in south florida that's directly on the beach, as in I walk out the back door and my feet are in the sand :) We have a baby who takes naps and has a hard time sleeping on the beach, so we were thinking we could have him nap in the room and relax outside on the beach with a monitor if the place were close enough to a beach. OR if it's just near the beach at least have a pool right outside the doors where we could go while the baby is napping. We live in naples (Southwest FL) and only want to drive about 3.5 hrs at most. Any ideas would be helpful!

Budget?

The Westin Diplomat should meet your requirements. http://www.starwoodhotels.com/westin...ropertyID=1402

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Ritz on Key Biscayne is terrific for families. Loews in South Beach. Have you considered Sieta Key?

This is actually quite hard. I don't think a big hotel is going to be suitable. You can't, for example, leave the baby in a room at a giant Ritz-Carlton Resort and stroll 50 feet to the sand even in the best suites. And even if you could, I wouldn't feel comfortable leaving a baby there.

What would be most suitable is a private home, and those are few and far between in South Florida. So I think you'd be better off with a private home rental or a condo on the ground floor with a pool; either could be near the beach.

If you have these very strict requirements, I think this may be a very difficult search.

Sanibel or Captiva might be a good place to start looking, but I don't think Fort Lauderdale or Miami will give you any suitable choices since there are so few beachfront homes, and if there are they are usually set back ... way back.

You are 100 percent right Doug. A small inn in Sanibel, Captiva or Siesta key with beachfront rooms may work.

Since I got no response on budget, I will suggest one of the beachfront cottages at The Moorings in Islamorada. You can lounge on the sand 2 feet from the cottage. They have a salt-water pool just off the beach, but too far for you to sit if baby is inside the cottage.

This place has poolside rooms with screened balconies. Every one is different with their comfort levels, but I would never leave my child sleeping inside and head to the pool - I would leave someone in the room or on the balcony/patio.

OOPS! Here is that link:
http://www.theinnsofsanibel.com/songofthesea/

The Moorings is a great idea if budget allows. On my bucket list!!

The Four Seasons Palm Beach.

Here are a couple of places in Anna Maria island that fit the bill if you are interested in that area:

http://bungalowbeach.com/index.html

http://www.seasideresort.com/index.html

The beach is literally right outside the door.