My question has three parts: 1) We are taking our adult son, daughter and daughter-in-law as well as our 11 year old granddaughter to Disney World in early June. Afterwards we would like to go over to the coast for a couple nights. Which beach might be a good choice and also a hotel or resort at a "fair" price? 2.) Would it be feasable to stay at our accomodations right near Disney (we have great rates at a condo) and drive over for the day to a beach, and if so, where is a public beach? 3.) Any other ideas or thoughts???

Thanks a lot!

Cocoa Beach is only about an hour away and is very nice. Your granddaughter would probably love to wander around Ron Jon's Surf Shop - I can't help you on a hotel, but here is a website that might help.

http://www.visitcocoabeach.com/

Another plus is the Space Center being close in case you would want to take a tour of it.

I have no personal knowledge to answer your question, but just doing a simple websearch for closest beach to WDW, I get Cocoa Beach which is supposedly an hour's drive.

This is a public beach there
Lori Wilson Park at Cocoa Beach - Located at 1500 N. Atlantic Ave.
This 32 acre oceanfront park is operated by Brevard County and has seasonal lifeguards. Facilities include restrooms, three pavilions along a 1,000' boardwalk, six dune crossovers, maritime hammock, volleyball court, a playground, barbecue grills, and a 274-space parking lot located on both the north and south sides of the park. Parking is $1 for cars, $10 for buses. Please call (321) 455-1380

The Resort at Cocoa Beach seems to get good reviews.
http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Rev...h_Florida.html

Your question is a bit confusing, there is the Gulf Coast and the Atlantic Coast. My personal choice is when you are done with Disney to leave the Orlando area and go to Captiva and stay at the Tween Waters Inn. It is a 3 hour drive and a world away. Captiva is beautiful, Laid back and casual and perfect for families. The Tween had a beautiful pool and beach. Threre are also lots of restaurants at very reasonable prices, many have outdoor seating with live entertainment.
If you wish to stay in your condo then I believe Cocoa Beach is public and will take you 1.5 to 2 hours each way.

Just my 2 cents worth. We love Florida and do many split trips between Orlando and Captiva each year.

I mean the Tween HAS a beautiful beach and pool....typo.

Yep, Cocoa Beach is a safe bet. Also, check out Indialantic Beach and Melbourne Beach. All are adjacent to each other.

And Lori Wilson park is a nice park if you're going for the day. If you decide to go there and need restaurant recommendations, please ask.

Might check water temps for early June; a tad cold at Cocoa?

Anything under 80 degrees is cold for Floridians. Ocean temps will not be that warm in early June.

I highly recommend Clearwater Beach. It has been rated the "Best City Beach on the Gulf of Mexico" by Dr. Beach (Stephen Leatherman) and Conde Nast traveller magazine. It is also a "Blue Wave Beach" which is a ranking that indicates a good safety, water quality, and cleanliness. It also has the Clean Water, Clean Sand designation from the Healthy Beaches Campaign. It also gets high marks as a family beach. It also has year-around lifeguards, a playground area, and restrooms. The surf is not strong and the beach is nice.

A good website to look at is http://www.visitclearwaterflorida.co...nformation.php

They have a free nightly Sunset festival with street performers and vendors. It is a family friendly event - you'll want to bring several $1 bills for tipping the performers. http://www.sunsetsatpier60.com

This can be done as a day trip.

Thanks for the great information so far!

You can do Cocoa Beach from your Disney area condo in about an hour and 15. Clearwater is a bit longer.

If you decide to change hotels, the Hampton Inn at Cocoa has fair rates and ocean view from all the upper floors.