Where do you go for beach vacations?

jkl2000

jkl2000

Well-Known Member
Original Poster
I would love come February to take a sort of bare bones (i.e., relatively inexpensive) vacation somewhere with a nice beach and a nice pool (and warm weather!) - open to suggestions. We live in NY. This would probably be during Presidents week (week of Feb 17th).

We've been to Cancun a couple of times, and liked it a lot (we stayed at a low-key, family-friendly resort) and had a great time. But I'd like to try something in the US this time, and cheap. So, probably Florida, I guess?

The reason I want it to be cheap isn't that I'm cheap ;), it's that we tend not to go on a lot of vacations, and I'd like to get us into the habit of taking more regular vacations at this time of year. DS14 needs the break from school and ordinary life (so do the rest of us) and I feel I owe it to him to make it a more regular thing.
 
SAV

SAV

Well-Known Member
We always follow up our Disney portion of vacation with a trip to the Gulf side Beaches. We started in by staying Clearwater Beach and then went to St. Pete Beach and now stay in between them in Madiera Beach.

Clearwater Beach is more your beach town with all of the touristy shops lining the main drag. Think T-shirt shops, Candy stores, etc. St. Pete and Madiera are less touristy beach towns. They still have those shops, but it isn't all in walking distance from the hotels and isn't all along a main strip to walk down. Clearwater Beach has Pier 60 and the nightly festivities around it. St. Pete and Madiera are more quiet.

We always take the 1/2 hour drive up to CB to go to the Palm Pavilion for dinner at least one day of the trip. It's also kinda cool to walk along the main drag and check out the shops. We just find the hotels are a bit nicer outside of CB. They are a little less expensive as well. If you do end up staying at St. Pete or Madiera, make sure to stop at Shake Shack in Madiera. They have the best ice cream ever in that place...soooooo good.
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
If I were going to do that, I'd go to the west/gulf coast. I'm just going on what I hear and haven't really done a bunch of beach vacations.

My beach days are spent at Typhoon Lagoon and Blizzard Beach, lol.
 
acishere

acishere

Well-Known Member
I walk out my door, take a right, walk a block, make another right, walk 10 minutes, and I'm there. :p

Its about 30 degrees here in February though so I wouldn't recommend it.

For American locations I found some interesting possible locations in the Keys for a future vacation. I was looking at staying in small hotel/motels and making my way from Miami down to the end though.
 
MOXOMUMD

MOXOMUMD

Well-Known Member
Blizzard Beach. (Not a beach person.) But we did have a nice resort on the beach in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic.
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
acishere said:
I walk out my door, take a right, walk a block, make another right, walk 10 minutes, and I'm there. :p

Its about 30 degrees here in February though so I wouldn't recommend it.

For American locations I found some interesting possible locations in the Keys for a future vacation. I was looking at staying in small hotel/motels and making my way from Miami down to the end though.
Click to expand...

I have my eye on Hawks Cay in Duck Key.

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http://www.hawkscay.com/
 
NYwdwfan

NYwdwfan

Well-Known Member
acishere said:
I was just looking at that before closing that tab and coming on here...

I really like the look of this little place though:
drop-anchor-resort.jpg

Drop_Anchor_Inn_Islamorada2.jpg

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

I was looking at small places over the huge resorts. Hawks Cay looks like it would be great for a short getaway in the winter though. Probably just what the OP is looking for.
Click to expand...

I love the pastel colored buildings! Let me know if you go - we are looking to go for our 15th anniversary in 2016.
 
Bparso87

Bparso87

Well-Known Member
My aunt lived in at croix for years. She just moved this year. I have been down there plenty of times. Barbados is fantastic two been there twice and plan on going back next year.
 
prberk

prberk

Well-Known Member
Scoutn757 said:
Nags Head NC. True beach feel without the feeling of Boardwalk tourist crap.
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I second this. Pay attention to the North Carolina Outer Banks (of which Nags Head is just the main part, closest to the mainland). Nags Head itself has all the restaurants and shops, but for the most part all of the Outer Banks is much more beach and simple, beautiful beach -- and a clear contrast to Orlando. There are some hotels, but most places to stay are rental beach houses. Great for families. Most are full houses on stilts (for flood protection), where you park under the house; and the beach is within walking distance.

Virginia Beach is also nice, but much more touristy -- which in itself is also a unique experience.

If Virginia and North Carolina are not warm enough for your taste at that time of year, consider Myrtle Beach, SC. Lots of family-style restaurants and family-size beach condos. And there are also some very nice shows (revues, mostly country or pop), like the Carolina Opry and the Alabama Theatre, and plenty of golf.

And further south, you can go to the East Coast's most famous and classic touristy beach, Daytona Beach, FL, where you can enjoy the beach and all of the touristy things, as well as tour the Daytona International Speedway, itself a fun attraction to tour.

But for straight out beach, with natural beauty and wonderful beach houses for the family, nothing else on the East Coast competes with the NC Outer Banks.

One final note: The Mississippi and Alabama beaches are also nice, and very family friendly, and many with golf. You could vacation at the beach in Mississippi, and drive a couple of hours one day for some time in New Orleans.
 
luv

luv

Well-Known Member
You know what else I thought of? That Jimmy Buffett hotel. Can't recommend it because I haven't been there, but I'd like to try it.

The PP is correct. Even in Florida, it can get much too cold to enjoy a beach in February.

Have you decided yet?
 

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