jlab89

Hello,

I am planning a week long trip to Florida in mid April. Myself and fiancé (30s) and my parents (60s).

We have previously stayed on Anna Maria Island (north side) however I can't seem to find any accommodation within our budget for the dates we're planning. Budget is £1000/$1400max for the week, ideally a 2 bed villa/condo with access to a pool and walking distance to a beach.

We loved the laid back feeling of Anna Maria, the beaches, and mainly the restaurants/bars/shops all within walking distance. We would like to stay around 2/3/4 hours drive from MIA/FLL as will be flying in/out of here.

Can anyone recommend any locations in Florida with a similar feel that I can look further into?
Any suggestions would be really appreciated.

Thanks, Jessica

Dukey1

Well, you had definitely better plan a drive of close to 4 hours each way; perhaps a bit less if you actually fly into FLL.

I'm sorry I cannot help you further (I live in Fort Lauderdale) but when we go over to the other side we usually stay on Sanibel/Captiva. It is not a place conducive to "walking" to nearby retail because there isn't THAT MUCH retail.

Dukey1

Have you considered Marco or is that too much of a "high rise canyon" for you?

brubenow

Sanibel Island, or Captiva Island.

Sanibel's beaches are known for the shells, so they are very "shelly" and the sand is not soft. But if you love seashells, this is the place. It is a family-friendly island. There is a great nature preserve on the island.

I have never been to Captiva, but I have friends who go there and like it. The beaches are more of what you're looking for, like Anna Maria.

Have fun!

Dukey1

Burbenow, my experience has been that the shells do not cover every inch of sand over there so there is some softness in places.

330east

South Seas Resort. Captiva Island FL. South Seas also has a number of sister resorts on Captiva and Sanibel Islands.

OO

You might look at areas on the east coast Indialantic, or Jensen Beach,. On the Gulf, consider the Pass-a-Grille area of St Pete Beach....same sort of small bungalows as Anna Maria, but you are looking at the height of high season and if you are looking for this year, it's the most expensive time to go, and you are probably a bit late for any deals

fmpden

You might consider Lauderdale-By-the-Sea. We were forced into that area this past January for one night but found it to be a nice area that we would consider returning.

I know this is a slight hijacking of the thread and partly addressed to Dukey1. Would be interested to know Dukey1's opinion of the area. We spend about six weeks each year in Florida split between various hotels, beaches, and cruise ships. (Cruise ships are cheaper than renting condos). We generally stay in the Ft Lauderdale beach area the night before boarding the ship. This year our usual hotels were not available when we came back to Ft Lauderdale so ended up at Lauderdale-by-the-sea. Since we only stayed one night, it was a little hard to judge but it appear to have a nice, friendly attitude, nice beach,etc. We are considering returning next year. Did we miss anything?

jlab89

Thanks for all of the comments.

We have decided we would actually like to spend 7 days driving around the south west of Florida.

Day 1- Fly into Orlando. Night in airport hotel.
Day 2-4- Anna Maria/Bradenton (pushing the search area further south of Anna Maria will hopefully make this more affordable)
Day 5- Cape Coral/Naples/Marco Island? (Mainly to split up drive between Anna Maria area and Key Largo
Day 6&7- Key Largo (with a drive to Key West on Day 7 to spend the day there)
Day 8- Fly out of Miami

Does anyone have any advice on whether we should spend Day 5 in Cape Coral/Naples/Marco Island- or anywhere else around here? Considering this is just for one night, and mainly to break up the drive? But it would be nice to stay somewhere picturesque/with somewhere nice for dinner.

Is Key Largo a decent place to stay? This will really be a base to explore the Keys.

Any further notes/suggestions would be amazing.

Thanks again!

Dukey1

Fmpden, I live immediately south of LBTS on Fort Lauderdale Beach. As you undoubtedly noticed the so-called "downtown" area of LBTS is conspicuous by the total lack of any high rise buildings (Sea Ranch to the north is the beginning of the high rises and the Galt Mile marks the beginning at the south end).

The main beach area is rather different than the commercial section of Fort Lauderdale Beach and in some ways is not nearly as "busy" but has enough retail and food venues to satisfy those who prefer more of throwback kind of vibe.

Personally, I love the area and we often shop at the Publix there (even though the Coral Ridge Publix is larger and geographically closer but is also much busier.

Parking can be a challenge at times near the beach and one of the larger parking lots is now being turned into a residential (low-rise) project.

The whole municipality isn't as glitzy as other areas and, of course, you are close enough to all the restaurants, the Galleria shopping, etc., in Fort Lauderdale itself.

fmpden

Dudley1, thanks for your response. (Would like to take this off line.) With just a one night stay, it was hard to get a complete impression. With all of the little one and two story hotels/motels it seemed like a throw back to Florida of the 50s, 60s. Just seemed a lot quieter than further south. We walked by a number of restaurants that looked interesting but didn't have time to sample anything. We are thinking of returning next January and wondered if we had missed something. Looked like we could get by without a car. Thanks again. Apology to jlab89 for hijacking your posting.

Dukey1

I would not do it without a car.