Planning on 2 wks next Feb or March in Florida. Would prefer the Gulf Side. Would be amenable to a nice trailer park. Actually there to check out area for long term rental the following year. Any suggestions where to start looking (would prefer not to pay the extra going thru a real estate broker). How far in advance should we be booking?

anyone??

Check out the local newspapers classified sections on line..i.e. Ft. Myers News-Press @ www.news-press.com or where ever you care to rent. Or there is a Vacations by owner website, hopefully someone else knows the website address. And I would try booking NOW for a larger selection of homes, condos or mobile parks.

Where on the gulf side? Destin, Clearwater, Ft. Myers, Naples?? Are you driving or flying? You may want to be near a airport unless you are renting a car. Would you prefer a condo to rent? There are lots of nice condos you can find to rent out for 2 weeks. What are your ages, things you like to do?

We are looking at retiring in two years so next year want to rent somewhere for a couple of weeks to look around for a long term rental (3 mos) the following year. We want to look at areas around St. Pete's or more southern for warmer weather I assume. A condo would be fine-I think for the two weeks next year, we'd like to have a view of the water. We like to walk, shop, read, bike, visit wineries (??) and explore.

Check into Treasure Island and try to book through VRBO.com or vacationrentals.com. See if you can find a one-bedroom at the Sunset Chateau on Sunset Beach.

I don't know of a single trailer park on the Gulf barrier islands. The property is too valuable for that sort of housing -- not to mention that you wouldn't be able to get any insurance for it since Hurricane Andrew.

Also, be prepared for rising prices. Beach property even in Treasure Island is going through the roof. Rising prices mean taxes are doubling as well. We bought a cottage two years ago in TI and the cottage next door (exact same) just sold for almost double. That means our taxes will double so rents will also rise steeply. Taxes in flood plains are quite steep.

You might want to check out Palm Harbor, Holiday, Gulf Harbor, areas north of St. Pete. Good luck.

There is a trailer park on Anna Maria Island, and isn't there one on Longboat Key? I can't think of the name of the one on Anna Maria, but if you want I could find out...

Have you thought about Cedar Key? Here is a site that might give you some info.
http://www.flausa.com/destinations/l...location=ca-st

Cedar Key is very nice but it does not have sandy beaches, only mangrove and salt marsh. But it has some really great seafood!!! And some nice festivals. Arts & crafts. Funky. You might even find a trailer park.

We rented a trailer in Naples rv resort and loved it. It was clean. Nice people and just a really nice place.. Naples is very clean and pretty..
We did the same thing in st.cloud this past march, we picked a bad place to stay it was dirty and not well kept and we will not go there again.. We do the rv places because we have friends we meet at these places that have a rv.. We are thinking of doing this every year till we decide which place we like best then will go for 2 or 3 months when my husband retires.. Good luck hope this helps alittle..

jaybee..can you tell me the name of the trailer park in Naples you stayed at? and adeewebster-I would also be interested in the name of that park-thank you.

Just a suggestion. Why not rent a mobile home and stay on the beautiful Siesta Key beach? in Sarasota. We have a nice campground, actually mostly mobile homes, right on the beach.

http://www.gulfbeachcampground.com/

That way, you could use the camper for day trips to do your research and still have a nice place to stay at the end of the day, or on the days you don't feel like doing anything.

I realize this is not for everybody. If it's just 2 of you a 25ft. camper should be sufficient. The park also has laundry, full electric and cable hookup.

Sorry it's taken me so long to get back to you: the trailer park wasn't listed in the yellow pages and I didn't get out to the beach until today. But....the Anna Maria trailer park is called teh Sandpiper Mobile Resort. Hope that helps!

many thanks...I'll check web to see if I can get more info on these parks.

bashful, there is / was a trailer park on Sanibel !!!! I don't recall its exact name. It is right on the Gulf beach. It has been there for years, and was still there a few years ago. Check out the Ch. of Commerce website, it might have the name listed there:
www.sanibel-captiva.org
I'm sure one has to reserve a long time in advance to get a spot on Sanibel !
Good Luck.