Best beach resort / coastal town nearest to Disneyworld

[Lucys dad]

Hopefully this is the correct forum. Considering hitting the beach for a few days after Disney next year. Any Florida residents or visitors have advice on where would be best to stay ? Looking for somewhere with as short a drive to the coast as possible from Orlando, ideally a nice wee town where there would be plenty on the doorstep to avoid driving. Just chilling on a nice beach, with some nice shops and bars in walking distance.

Thanks in advance.

 

[bearzabout]

Lido Beach in Sarasota is about 2 hours away from Orlando. Check out St Armand’s Circle which has awesome shopping and dining options a couple of blocks from the beach.

 

[Beer Me]

Clearwater is an obvious choice but not really a “wee town”. The smaller, less busy beaches just south of Clearwater might work better. My favorite areas are Indian rocks and Indian Shores which are very chill.

 

[Woodview]

The Distance to the coast is about 75 miles East or West

 

[Capt_BJ]

60 miles due east of the TTC puts you at Kelly Park of the greater Canaveral / Cocoa Beach area which advertising touts as the 'closest beaches'. This is where DCL sails from so it gets discussed a LOT in the DCL section where folks want to fly in a day or two early and find a place to stay. The most negative thing said routinely is it is a hick beach town (as compared to Orlando) From Kelly Park which is the south side of the port entrance, the beach is unbroken for nearly 40 miles ... Sebastion Inlet ... in case you like long walks on the beach.

If you leave the TTC and head due west 69 miles you find the Gulf coast but an area that is not 'beachy' ... near the town of Hudson. Folks from Orlando when heading to the Gulf to generally head to St Pete Clearwater and a drive of around 90 miles. St Pete Clearwater had beautiful beaches and is generally more built up than the Cocoa Beach areas

there is a different between the ocean and the gulf ...... the surfer crowd comes to the ocean.

Both areas have hotels large and small and plenty of 'local joints' for food and drink. As I said there's a lot of discussion of the Cocoa Beach area in the DCL threads ....

I've lived on both coasts by the way. Lived in St Pete for several years and folks were retired there for quite a while. I've retired to the ocean side. St Pete Tampa is as big and sprawling as Orlando. Canaveral/Cocoa/Melbourne is sleepy in comparison but I can be at MCO in about 45 minutes . .

If you want to get farther way, Sarasota on the west side ... Vero Disney on the east . . .

 

[Brett Wyman]

Clearwater Beach is consistently ranked as one of the top beaches in the US. Check it out.

 

[DISNEY1975]

St Pete Beach...1.5 hours, but soooooooo worth it!

https://www.doncesar.com/?gclid=Cj0...pmlRQ8wiWBdyAPLluJl91rbzIM2ZEkjkaAnxfEALw_wcB

https://www.tradewindsresort.com/bo...vxHSPN-32VIyB1qU8QoQaMyYzIuOb65QaAtZWEALw_wcB

 

[Macprincess]

I would suggest Holmes Beach on Anna Maria Island or Siesta Key both are on the gulf coast. They're about a hour and half drive from WDW. Holmes beach has more of a small town, laid back feel. Lots of rental homes and condos are offered here and the area is very easy to walk around.

 

[Lucys dad]

Thanks for all the responses. Certainly helps narrow down my research.

Cheers

 

[SCDizFan]

Fellow Floridian. By far Siesta Key Beach. Gorgeous walkable village with wonderful shops and dining.

Think Key West with some of the best beaches on the planet.

 

[Woodview]

hink Key West with some of the best beaches on the planet.

Maybe in Florida ..... but not best beaches on the planet

 

[halfpintpeggy]

We’re heading to Siesta Key in February. If you’re looking for beautiful, gorgeous beaches & a terrific town to explore - it’s worth the drive!

 

[JimMIA]

Another Florida native here.

For a beach experience, you really need to decide what kind of water you want first. The East Coast is the Atlantic Ocean -- real ocean, real waves...sometimes pounding and dangerous if the wind is blowing strongly from due East. I personally like the water better on the East Coast, but it's not for everybody.

The West Coast is the Gulf of Mexico. Very placid unless there's a storm, and very nice for families with small kids. If you're looking for calm waters, I would go to the West Coast. You can (and should) research the "wee towns" thoroughly. There are a lot of great places mentioned above, so just check them all out and see what best meets your needs.

 

[marynpaul]

Madeira beach is nice on the Gulf coast. It has a nice boardwalk area with quaint shoppes and restaurants almost across the street from the beach

 

[SCDizFan]

Maybe in Florida ..... but not best beaches on the planet

Actually, yes, Siesta Key is regularly regarded as one of the best beaches in the world.

I've been to most of the Caribbean and Bahamian beaches, and beaches in the Indian Ocean and Asia. It's up there.

https://www.sarasotamagazine.com/ar...beach-ranked-no-5-in-the-world-by-tripadvisor

 

[DaisyDuck001]

Visitor perspective. I visited Clearwater Beach, but since the gulf side doesn't get surf or big waves, I missed the ocean experience. Next time I plan to visit Daytona Beach. (For me these are just day trips, so I'm less concerned about finding other things in the area.)

 

[mikehn]

St Pete beach, awesome!

 

[wilbret]

Any beach. ;-) We are biased, the wife's family has a place on the gulf. Can't beat the panhandle beaches, but that's not Orlando area.

We tend to goto Cocoa Beach, because we also like to catch rocket launches. I'm personally not a fan of Atlantic beaches, but the kids don't mind.
Clearwater is a-maze-ing, but man, parking stinks there. Added bonus is the Clearwater Marine Aquarium, if you are a fan of Dolphin Tail movies. Just look out for Tom Cruise roaming the streets...

 

[leebee]

I'm a New England girl, partial to the Atlantic Ocean. We've stayed several nights in Cocoa Beach. There's the pier, some shopping, a nice, long, sandy beach for walking and swimming. We spent most of our time just vegging out, so I can't recommend places to go, but we found Cocoa Beach very relaxing.. and there's that ocean...

 

[kirstenb1]

I like Cocoa Beach too. Very chilled out vibe! Lots of fun clothes at Ron Jon Surf Shop. The town of Cocoa, across the river is very charming. Lots of little shops and restaurants. My husband loves Cocoa because he occasionally gets to see a rocket launch.