First time trip to VB - in need of suggestions!

[Love That Stitch]

We are planning a trip to Vero Beach for October. We have never stayed there and don't know alot about it. I have read a couple of really good threads that give me the ins and outs of the resort but I have some questions. So, if there are some VB veterans out there that could help I would appreciate it!

There are only 2 of us. What is the difference between Inn room and Villa studio rooms? Which is better?

We don't have children, what type of activities would you suggest for us?

Top restaurants in the area? we love seafood!

We were thinking of going to WDW for the day, how far of a drive is it? what is the fastest route?

The average temp seems to be around 85 high, does that sound about right for October?

What about nightlife? (clubs or bars)

Any pictures of the rooms or resort would be great as well! Any other tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!!!

 

[k-wa]

I highly recommend the Undertow restaurant in downtown Vero Beach. It is hip, romantic and delicious. The Web site does not do it justice!

http://undertowcafe.com

 

[northwenald]

DH and I will be going next May for the first time. I can't wait to read what everyone says about VB for 2 adults. We are looking forward to trying something different.
Thanks for posting this !!!!!

 

[MEK]

We are planning a trip to Vero Beach for October. We have never stayed there and don't know alot about it. I have read a couple of really good threads that give me the ins and outs of the resort but I have some questions. So, if there are some VB veterans out there that could help I would appreciate it! Not a veteran, but stayed there once!

There are only 2 of us. What is the difference between Inn room and Villa studio rooms? Which is better?I do know the answer to this - OVIR Ocean view inn room is the way to go. Not all studios have an ocean view. They have the same amenities, but different configurations

We don't have children, what type of activities would you suggest for us?They will give you a list of nearby attractions when you check in. I really wanted to visit the botanical gardens which aren't too far away, but it was closed the day we went. (Monday) There are other nature type attractions. You can also rent bikes there and there is a nice bike path not far from the resort. There are tennis courts, too. I would recommend treating yourself and renting the lounges/umbrella. Rather expensive, but so comfortable. They will also give you a list of the daily activities. I am sure they had some adult activities, like wine tastings!

Top restaurants in the area? we love seafood!Unfortunately, we only ate a Ruby Tuesdays (but we have kids). There is a very good pizza/take out place within walking distance of the resort

We were thinking of going to WDW for the day, how far of a drive is it? what is the fastest route?Can't remember the exact route. Do know that there is a rest stop on I95 near Melbourne if you need a bio break.

The average temp seems to be around 85 high, does that sound about right for October? Not sure

What about nightlife? (clubs or bars)The town of VB looked like there might be some bars in there. Not a far drive - 10 miles or so.

Any pictures of the rooms or resort would be great as well! Any other tips and suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much!!!!

Click on the link to my June 2008 TR. I posted a lot of pictures there. Hopefully they will excite you to visit because we had the nicest ocean view. Really, really nice view! Look on page 3!

 

[iloveokw]

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[DisneyDreamers2007]

We stayed at VB in May for the first time and we don't have children so it was just the 2 of us for 3 nights.

VB ROOMS:
Stayed in the Ocean View Inn room and I would recommend that, as it is lovely to listen to and look out over the ocean, this way you are also in the building with the restaurants, lounge and main lobby area.

VB ACTIVITIES:
We enjoyed going out to Country Citrus to see the beautiful orange orchards and buy fresh oranges from the stand. We also did mini-golf (free for DVC members on Thurs), rented bikes and rode out to Pelican Island, played tennis (free equipment for DVC members), had drinks while watching the sunset with live music at the Green Cabin Room (they have a musician there each night), relaxed on the beach, swam a little in the pool, had breakfast at Shutters, shopped at the local Outlet and boutique stores, rented body boards, and I got a table massage as well. Everything was great, I probably wouldn't do the massage again though as it wasn't deep enough for me. We were really impressed with VB, it totally beat our expectations.

VB DINING/NIGHTLIFE:
We enjoyed our outside lunch at Mulligans, the food was good and you have a view of the beach. The decor is nice there as well, and there was a guitarist right outside the patio playing great island/beach music. We also liked the restaurant at Capt Hirams, the food was good and the atmosphere was awesome, they also had a live musician play Jimmy Buffet songs. Both nights they had live bands next door at the Sand Bar, no cover and it was a lively party/bar spot right on the beach.

VB TO ORLANDO:
We went to WDW after our VB trip and flew in and out of Orlando, I think the drive was a about 1 hour 45 min, we used the Garmin so I don't remember the exact route.

Hope you have a great time! Let me know if you have any questions.

http://allears.net/acc/g_vero.htm
http://www.hirams.com/Home.cfm
http://mulligansrestaurant.net/

 

[dgaston]

We enjoyed the wine tasting with Mary Anne, and really liked our Squid Lips lunch with dolphins swimming outside the restaurant. We toured the McKee Botanical Gardens, and visited the Mel Fisher treasure museum. We were in a terrific OVIR on the 4th floor. These rooms have 2 Q beds rather than one Q and a pullout in the studios. As mentioned earlier, the studios don't have ocean views. We also spent time on the beach, and time at the pool each day. We did the campfire, which of course is more geared to families, and were impressed at how many of the songs are also sung/chanted at Calumet, the Lutheran camp for New England.

WDW is too far away for a day trip in my opinion. That would be better before or after time at Vero.

 

[Love That Stitch]

Thank you for the great suggestions! I love to hear other ppls opinion on the place. Sounds like exactly what we are looking for in a beach vacation.

 

[berly1657]

We LOVE Squid Lips and Capt. Hiriams. There is also a GREAT restaraunt on the water that is S of the Resort and town, unfortunately I can't remember the name of it. It is on the "inlet" and there is a community "park" next door. There are other restaurants on the road too. It had awesome fritters - never had them before - but we loved them. They had a GREAT salad bar that came with you meal too.

The road runs East/West if that helps and is in kind of a residential area - near a bridge...I know - not much help, but those are the directions my in-laws gave to me to find the place. They winter in the area nearby and suggested this restaurant. It took us 2 years to find it... The name is Tom's or Bob's or Joe's or something like that. Maybe a Crab Shack place????

VB is a great place! We love the option of a quick walk to the beach or just sitting by the pool!

Have a great vacation!

 

[jim martin]

Ask for room 2415 the view is great and it is larger than normal inn room.
IMG]http://i27.tinypic.com/jl1089.jpg[/IMG]

 

[skylynx]

I've been to Vero with my family many times before we owned DVC, and once since we became members. When my DH and I go alone, we're completely happy with an oceanview inn room...some of the views are more direct than others (our last room overlooked the pool, and the ocean was "in view" but at a pretty extreme angle) so you might request one of the rooms that are actually ocean front rather than ocean view. They are all nice, though, so can't complain. We went to the campfire and enjoyed it, though it was kind of funny since the cast members were trying with typical Disney enthusiasm to insist everyone play along with their songs and gestures but NASA had just shot off a ROCKET (one of the first night launches in a long time) and everyone just wanted to look at that. The S'mores were good, how could they not be?

I LOVE to walk on Vero's beach and pick up shells; they're not quite as exotic as gulf coast sea shells but still fun to find. Found petrified black shark's teeth there just by straining the sand near the water's edge with our fingers. We didn't look for off-property night life because we wanted to spend our time along the shore or the balcony at night watching the moon and listening to the wind and water rushing in and out. As a child I spent a week every summer (pre-WDW) at a beachfront hotel in Daytona or Ormond Beach and being at Vero at night brought back a lot of wonderful memories of going out with my Dad and a flashlight when it got really dark and looking for fiddler crabs in the sand.

We did go to the Green Cabin Room bar right inside Vero for a quiet glass of wine before dinner. While predictably expensive, this cozy and elegant bar had some neat artifacts from real shipwrecks right off Vero Beach. Because we were not in a rush, and there wasn't a long wait, we ate at Shutters. Don't go there if you are in a hurry, or the slow service might cloud your enjoyment of your meal. This was one time we wanted to absolutely stop driving and stay put, so no venturing out in the car for meals. The pizza place next door was great for a late night bacchanal (pizza and ice cold beer on the bed, oh my!)

We also love that the main parking lot is underground...not only do you not have to look at an ocean of cars, but your vehicle stays cool! Oh, and once you get a closer look at those 3 bedroom beach cottages, you'll be itching to stay in one.

Very close by (like 10 minutes) is a state(?) park on the intracoastal waterway that we have seen manatees in several times. You'd have to work pretty hard to have a bad time at Vero Beach! Enjoy your trip!

 

[Kara]

I will second Squid Lips, Mr. Manatees, and Capt. Hirams. We go there every trip! Been to VB disney twice but VB itself many times to inlaws home there. There are outlets and a mall for shopping. Disney was about 1 hr 45 min, and is an easy drive.

Was the place with the Fritters called Jack Bakers??