Beach Question

[Hallfamily]

We are returning on the 3rd April and were thinking of going to Daytona Beach for one of the days. This will be our 4th Trip and we thought it would be an experience...................has anyone been? Any advice welcome

 

[zara]

At that time of year Daytona Beach is full of bikers wheeling on the sand!!
I would give this beach a miss and go to Cocoa Beach.

 

[wayneg]

We went to Daytona Beach last August. We expected a bustling resort in August school hols, it was like a ghost town, got there about 10am, parked car park next to pier, only one other car in there. Shops all closed, one or 2 started to open before we left, Pic here of pier, not another person in sight. Not somewhere we will return to.

 

[JulieSharp]

If you are going to a beach I would go across to the other coast.
It is a longer drive but the beaches such as Clearwater, St Pete's and Anna Maria Island are in a different league to Daytona/Cocoa.

Call me fussy but a beach where you can drive your car on is not for me.

 

[wifey]

You fly over the top of Daytona on the way down the east coast to Orlando and for me.. it doesn't impress me at all, but then I'm not into fast vehicles I'm outnumbered by motor nuts at home DH and DS both love cars and motorbikes.
Daytona has one very long thin strip of beach with lots of hotels along it and not much else in the way of entertainment other than the race track as fat as I could see from the plane. There probably is plenty of shops and tattoo places and stuff like that. If it were an option for us to have a day at the beach I would rather go to the west coast of Florida any time the weather is better and the towns are small and friendly with lots of things like fishing trips and snorkelling available as well as the lovely clean almost white sandy beaches along most of the coast (if I wanted a chilly Atlantic wind on a sandy beach I could stay at home). That's one of the perks of the Florida west coast beaches they all enjoy warmer winds and the water is warmer too it will take longer to get there but I guess that's why some families split their stay ... one week near the theme parks and one week at the beach.
It's your choice really you have to decide whether the distance you are prepared to travel will be worth your day out.

 

[london75]

Ok, sorry to hijack but where would everyone go with a 3 year old and an 11 monther?

We went to Clearwater and it was too far and too deserted, beach was pretty but quiet and although I won't rule out us having gone to the wrong bit, we struggled to find nice places to eat. We thought Daytona this year but this thread has put me off.

 

[wayneg]

We went to Clearwater and it was too far and too deserted, beach was pretty but quiet and although I won't rule out us having gone to the wrong bit, we struggled to find nice places to eat.

Clearwater has a lot of fans but we stayed there a few years ago for 7 nights and we struggled with food, after the choice of Orlando it was a bit of a shock. I would go back for a day trip but would not stay there again.

 

[JulieSharp]

Ok, sorry to hijack but where would everyone go with a 3 year old and an 11 monther?

We went to Clearwater and it was too far and too deserted, beach was pretty but quiet and although I won't rule out us having gone to the wrong bit, we struggled to find nice places to eat. We thought Daytona this year but this thread has put me off.

Depends on how long you are going for and are prepared to travel.

Personally I would stay well clear of Daytona if I had children, the beaches on the west coast are much nicer, however they are further away. Anna Maria Island is brilliant, but is nearly twice as far as Daytona so it depends on your circumstances. To be honest I would prefer a quieter beach.

For longer stays most beach 'resorts' or location whilst providing a good contrast to Orlando can be just 3 or 4 days at the most.

To be blunt if you struggled at Clearwater you definitely will at either Cocoa or Daytona.

 

[london75]

Depends on how long you are going for and are prepared to travel.

Personally I would stay well clear of Daytona if I had children, the beaches on the west coast are much nicer, however they are further away. Anna Maria Island is brilliant, but is nearly twice as far as Daytona so it depends on your circumstances. To be honest I would prefer a quieter beach.

For longer stays most beach 'resorts' or location whilst providing a good contrast to Orlando can be just 3 or 4 days at the most.

To be blunt if you struggled at Clearwater you definitely will at either Cocoa or Daytona.

Thanks for the reply, we're there for 3 weeks in May. I think what we want is a beach with some air conditioned shops nearby to wander in and out of and some simple restaurants nearby.

We'd only be there for 5 hours in total probably so the 2 hours to Clearwater was too much. Particularly as I do all the driving and as we always try to pack in as much as possible on holiday, found it very sleep inducing on the way home which wasn't a nice feeling.

 

[alisonbestford]

We stayed at New Smyrna Beach a couple of years ago and took a day trip to Daytona with our, then, 7 year old

Personally I'd give it a miss - DH was a big bike fan but we found it to be pretty awful
Lots of air brushed t-shirt shops are the only things that spring to mind and a few 'tacky' souvenier shops.

New Smyrna, on the other hand is lovely and only about 25 mins down the road.
There's the beach and also the town which, if I remember rightly, has an 'Old Town' section

 

[fearfall]

hi we always drive down to a little place called englewood beach the kids spend hours walking along the shore line looking for sharks teeth and have a great time have found all sorts even a great white ! there are infomation leaflets at the car park showing the different types of shark teeth you can find on the beach , just makes a nice change to get out of orlando for a while hope this helps it takes about 2 hrs see below if you type in englewood florida on your search brower it will show web sites of the town etc it is a fantastic place .
Englewood is 80 miles South of Tampa.

Heading South on I-75, Exit 35 is Jacaranda Boulevard.
West (Right) on Jacaranda for 5 miles will take you to State road 776.
Englewood is South (Left) on 776 for 5 1/2 miles.
You will now be in the middle of Englewood
hope this helps, steve

 

[alisonbestford]

Englewood sounds interesting - think Eve and I might give it a whirl for the day

Thanks Steve

 

[fairytale]

Hello All.

Is Englewood the beach famous for the Shark Teeth , I'm sure I read somewhere on the boards about a beach that was a tourist haven for Shark lovers !!!

We are thinking of making the trip over to St Petes and going on one of the Dolphin excursions that was recommended by Simon in the Brits Guide. Any one any visted this area ?

Ps Sorry to hijack

 

[fearfall]

just found this


TripAdvisor Releases Top 10 Emerging Hotspots for 2009

Englewood, Fla. (December 16, 2008) – Five natural beaches, world-class fishing, unusual boutiques, and ample golfing are some of the reasons luring visitors to Englewood so it is no surprise the town has been listed as the number two destination to visit in 2009 by TripAdvisor, the world’s largest travel community. The Southwest Florida Gulf coast destination outranked two Hawaii destinations in the Top Ten U.S. Destinations for 2009 in the TripAdvisor TravelCast list released last month. The list predicts emerging travel hotspots by using an algorithm which includes monitoring search activity and member postings.

Charming independently-owned restaurants, motels, condominiums, and shops are the backbone of this Old Florida town and an emerging arts community feeds its creativity. Situated on Lemon Bay, Englewood has a natural appeal for those interested in fishing, boating, and bird watching. Fossilized shark’s teeth are tiny treasures found at Stump Pass State Park on the south end of Manasota Key and Don Pedro Island State Park is ideal for picnicking or launching a kayak. The Lemon Bay/Myakka Trail Scenic Highway follows State Road 776 and highlight’s Englewood’s historical and natural points of interest, such as pioneer architecture in Historic Olde Englewood Village and wildlife watching at Tippecanoe Environmental Park.

Englewood’s Dearborn Street comes alive the first and second Saturday nights each month with Cruizin on Dearborn Street and Saturday Night Live!, respectively. Galleries and boutiques stay open until 9 p.m., live entertainment fills the streets and visitors can mix and mingle with the Englewood locals.

Jon Bednerik, the Executive Director of the Englewood – Cape Haze Area Chamber of Commerce, knows exactly why his community received such a high rating, “Englewood has a charm unlike any other coastal Florida destination, one you really have to experience first hand to understand. The pristine beaches, the allure of the water, the variety of dining, and the laid back welcoming people make it the kind of place you just don’t want to leave.”

 

[MorningGlory]

We are thinking of making the trip over to St Petes and going on one of the Dolphin excursions that was recommended by Simon in the Brits Guide. Any one any visted this area ?

Ps Sorry to hijack

Me and my kid done a day trip to St Petes in 2007. Spent the day at the beach (stunning white sand and warm water...perfect imo!) then took the kid to see the baseball at night.

This year, we are staying in St Petes for 8 nights (the kid is hooked on baseball now, so we are going to watch 6 Tampa Bay Rays games ) and i've done a bit of investigating on things to do over that way

Have a go on the worlds largest speedboat

Go for a pleasure cruise on a Pirate ship!

Indian Rocks beach (between St Petes and Clearwater beaches) was highly recommended to me. Also Fort De Soto beach, which was voted the No. 1 beach in the US. That is just to the South of St Petes beach (all of these beaches mentioned are connected by one, long, road called Gulf Boulevard).

St Petes houses the largest collection of Salvador Dali works in the world

You could also try Ybor City in Tampa, which is one of the oldest settlements in the area, and they have regular festivals. I've only seen pics of it, but it looks like it has a great atmosphere around it.

Oh, and the pier in St Petes (and the surrounding downtown area) is where most of the stuff happens in the city itself (St Petersburg is about a 10 mile drive from St Petes beach, to the East).

Hope that helps, if I can think of any more stuff i'll post it up

 

[JessTia]

Went to Daytona a couple of years ago and found the place pretty dirty and not what I was expecting. When we were there we went swimming and got to a certain distance and starting feeling a bit nervous, so we swam back. About ten mins later a storm came in and the life guards started to get everybody out of the water, at first I thought it was to do with the storm but speaking to a life guard he said when a storm comes in so do the sharks. Now I don't know if he was pulling my leg, but all I could think of was that I was in that water 15mins earlier...Scared me anyway.

 

[kevin harrison]

Have a go on the worlds largest speedboat

Seascreamer is at Clearwater beach and is fantastic, you get Dolphins following the boat. Make sure you put plenty of block on though, as the sea breezes leave you feeling very cool.