Where is warmth and beach for Spring Break 2001
 

We are a family of 5 and I've got 2 AA U.S. only companion tickets and xx dollars in AA certificates. <BR> <BR>I was thinking of using them this coming Spring Break 2001. I had an idea of spending 3 nights in Orlando Florida for the kids. <BR> <BR>Does anyone have any GREAT ideas for the remaining 4 days? I was thinking of someplace with a BEACH and WARM!!!!. <BR> <BR>Thanks in advance.

Just about anywhere near Orlando that has a beach will be packed full of college students during Spring Break, and the resulting atmosphere would not be very "family friendly" for your children. (ex- Daytona and Cocoa Beaches) You might be able to find a nice atmosphere in Key West or Destin. <BR> <BR>Why don't you spend more time in Orlando? You could easily stay at Disney for a whole week and not see everything! Plus, they have the Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon water parks that will be more fun for your kids than a beach.

Actually, Key West is as bad as Daytona et al. during spring break. If you want to stay in Florida I would head for one of the smaller beach towns, away from any large city. The beach spring break scene in Ft Lauderdale, Daytona, Key West, etc. tends to be very roudy, drunken, etc. and not family friendly. I lived in Hollywood, Florida - which is between Ft Lauderdale and Miami - which is a smaller town (sort of) and it was never overrun with spring breakers. I think you could probably find similar communities closer to Orlando that would fit the bill. The west coast of Florida might be a little quiter during spring break - as those communities have avoided promoting themselves as good places for spring breaks.

I thought Ft. Lauderdale chased the college kids out because they were sick of having the beach area trashed. I also heard they tore down some of the old bars like the Button where the kids used to hang out.

don't bother with key west if you're looking for beaches. no natural beaches all man made, and many of them closed because of contamination (sewage). Bahia Honda State Park is nice, decent beaches good snorkeling, located up a few key from key west (marathon key?). I would agree though with a family stay away from daytona and cocoa beach, drunkenness galore. Probably staying in Orlando and doing all the Disney stuff may be your best bet.

I'd check out your dates before ruling anything out -- college spring break is not always the same week as public school spring breaks.

Having spent many Spring Breaks with Grannie and Pops AND our other Grandma in Florida, I highly recommend Siesta Key or Long Boat Key on the gulf side. Much more family-oriented and the Gulf waters are (IMHO) much better for swimming & floating around. We've also done the trek to and from Disney from there! You might enjoy stopping at a pick-your-own citrus place along the way. My kids enjoyed that almost as much as the beach.

Don't rule out the Keys. My parents have stayed in Key Largo several times in late March/early April and there is not much of a college crowd (it's more Key West, and to a lesser extent Islamorada). There will be so much more for your entire family to do in the Keys than just a "beach". And about that- true the keys don't have anything resembling real beaches. But decide what your family wants out of a beach experience. Want to lay in the sun? Want to swim? Want to snorkel? Want to rent a kayak? Jet Ski? Fish? You can do it all, usually right out the back of your hotel, in the keys! Here's what you don't get: no surf, no good sand for sand castles, no miles of beach for long walks/jogs. You decide what is most important.

We went to Orlando this summer and then drove to Longboat Key. It's about 1 1/2 hours and an easy drive. The beaches are beautiful-white sand and blue water, with huge palm trees. While we were there we drove over to Siesta Key to check it out. The beaches are beautiful there, too, but Longboat Key is more upscale and we just liked it better. We stayed at the Longboat Key Club. It is older but seems to be the nicest place to stay unless you rent an individual condo. St. Armands Circle is really fun, with great shopping and restaurants. Longboat Key is a great place for a beach vacation. There is so much to do there besides go to the beach, etc. Sarasota is a very nice city that has so much to offer. Our teenage daughter and her friend had a great time and are already talking about going back next summer. Also, if you are interested in staying at Universal Studios we stayed at the Portofino Bay Hotel and it was great. This trip to Orlando and Longboat Key was one of the best trips we have ever taken. We can't wait to do it again. <BR>