beach

[sln88]

Hi
We will be down in Florida 10/24-11/3. We have the weekend of 11/1 to 11/3 open and DH wants to do something non Disney.

I am thinking of the beach. Anybody have any experiences to share? I am thinking about Treasure Island. Has anyone gone on any of the snorkeling or dolphin trips that they have on the gulf side? Are they worth it? I am not much for sunbathing, but love a good snorkel. I have kids 15, 9 and 6, so it would have to be something they like.

Anybody stay at any budget price places that they would recommend? I need a place with a separate bedroom cause me and hubby don't sleep well together. Many of the places that I have looked at charge extra for any person(even kids) over 2. So even when they start out reasonable(like $65), I would have to add on another $30(10 x 3) for the kids. Seems silly since these are rooms that can sleep 6, and they are just little mom and pop type hotels. It does not have to be right on the beach, but close.

Any opinions on Treasure Island, vs Clearwater beach, vs St Pete's beach, vs Maderia?


Would I be better off just staying in Orlando and driving to the beach as a day trip? Or is it much nicer to just stay there? I am a little worried about staying on 11/2 because our flight is in the morning(noon), so we will have to be back in Orlando around 10 am. Will traffic driving back be a problem on Monday morning? We are already switching hotels 3 times, and I hate to add another switch, but I don't want to miss the flight either!

There is also the Cocoa beach side- is there any snorkeling on that side? We could also do the Space center there.

Would love to hear of your experiences and opinions!

 

[jeffreyml]

Our family has been heading down to Maderia beach and Disney for the past 3 years for our vacations and we enjoy both. We've stayed at WDW and drove to beach for a day and we've also stayed at the beach for most the trip and drove to WDW for a day or 2.

In our opinion, if you plan on going to thr beach I would suggest renting a room for the night. I'ts much easier for the whole family.

We usually rent a condo on the Gulf in Maderia beach. There are numerous resturants and shopping area like John's Pass to head to. They also have the Pirate cruises and fishing charters.

Here is a link to a previous post of mine with resturant info and condo listings Previous Post

 

[sln88]

have you ever stopped at Treasure Island? One of the places I was thinking about staying is on there. Are all these places very close to each other?

Ever done any snorkeling?

 

[jeffreyml]

Yes, Treasure Island is directly South of Maderia Beach across the John's Pass bridge. St. Pete's beach is about 1-2 miles south of TI. We like to frequent a few resturants in TI mainly Crabby Bills.

We were in Maderia Beach the first 2 weeks this August and our friends were trying to snorkel near the beach. The waves were kinda high that week and the water was a little murky from the storms. I'm sure they have some snorkeling tours around the area that would be more to your liking but I haven't tried any.