Best beaches for a week besides Daytona?

[flav]

We usually like to stay a week on the Atlantic coast around a Disney trip. Daytona Beach is our usual choice but… The last days of our March break fall on Daytona Bike Week.

Should we avoid that area completely? What other beaches have similar sand, waves and a bit of action (boardwalks, restaurants)? We do not want to drive too far from MCO. Fort Lauderdale is nice but a bit far for the amount of time we have.

 

[ChanaC]

It might not be exactly what you are thinking about, but I love Ana Maria Island. It’s on the gulf coast, between St Pete and Sarasota, about two hours from Orlando. Admittedly it has smaller waves but the sand is fantastic. It’s slower paced than Daytona but there are plenty of shops and restaurants, although no boardwalk. It definitely has more of a small town feel, and not a lot of chains, but in return you get a really relaxing beach vacation with small businesses and really nice people. We never did them but I saw lots of activities. Horseback riding in the beach is big, and I saw lots of sightseeing and dolphin tour boats. I remember renting stand up paddle boards on the beach as well.

 

[schumigirl]

New Smyrna Beach, Flagler Beach and Ormond Beach are all beautiful.

You can surf for sure, although we have gone and the sea has been flat calm on occasions, and there are plenty of restaurant choices around.

Can`t go wrong with any of those places.

 

[HeatherC]

I agree with above. Also Cocoa Beach if you want to stay near Orlando. I also love St. Augustine beach. If you have never been to St. Augustine, I highly recommend it.

 

[fla4fun]

I usually go to Cocoa Beach and stay for a little over a week, twice a year. There is the Cocoa Beach Pier, the huge Ron Jon Surf Shop, and lots of restaurants. You can watch the cruise ships go out up close and personal, either from Jetty Park (fee) or from restaurants along the port. You are also close to KSC, if that would interest you, and if there are any launches while you are there, you can view them right from your hotel. It can be busy during spring break season, so I recommend booking early if you can (although most beaches are busy during spring break season, so that advice would apply wherever you end up going).

 

[Brett Wyman]

Any reason you've never tried the gulf coast? We enjoy the Atlantic when we are near but the gulf coast almost always beats the Atlantic if given a choice.

 

[HeatherC]

Any reason you've never tried the gulf coast? We enjoy the Atlantic when we are near but the gulf coast almost always beats the Atlantic if given a choice.

I disagree. While both are beautiful, there is far more of a chance for red tide happening on the Gulf side. It has, in fact been an issue this summer. Walking on a beach with hundreds of dead fish and the smell that burns your throat and eyes is awful. The last three times we were in Florida there was red tide on the Gulf coast. While the white sand beaches are gorgeous, red tide is a legitimate concern.

 

[flav]

Any reason you've never tried the gulf coast? We enjoy the Atlantic when we are near but the gulf coast almost always beats the Atlantic if given a choice.

I have tried gulf coast, there is no real waves there and the water was way too warm.

 

[flav]

New Smyrna Beach, Flagler Beach and Ormond Beach are all beautiful.

You can surf for sure, although we have gone and the sea has been flat calm on occasions, and there are plenty of restaurant choices around.

Can`t go wrong with any of those places.

Would you happen to know if they are impacted by bike week, being neighbors to Daytona?

 

[flav]

I agree with above. Also Cocoa Beach if you want to stay near Orlando. I also love St. Augustine beach. If you have never been to St. Augustine, I highly recommend it.

We visited the town of St-Augustine once and liked it. I will go read on their beaches, that could be fun.

 

[flav]

I usually go to Cocoa Beach and stay for a little over a week, twice a year. There is the Cocoa Beach Pier, the huge Ron Jon Surf Shop, and lots of restaurants. You can watch the cruise ships go out up close and personal, either from Jetty Park (fee) or from restaurants along the port. You are also close to KSC, if that would interest you, and if there are any launches while you are there, you can view them right from your hotel. It can be busy during spring break season, so I recommend booking early if you can (although most beaches are busy during spring break season, so that advice would apply wherever you end up going).

I admit, I am curious about Cocoa Beach. Definitely a possibility for that trip.

 

[maverik85]

I agree with above. Also Cocoa Beach if you want to stay near Orlando. I also love St. Augustine beach. If you have never been to St. Augustine, I highly recommend it.

I was going to recommend the same. Have gone to both and really enjoyed them. When we do week long trips to Orlando we usually spend a day or two at Cocoa Beach and it is a lot of fun. St. Augustine is a nice city with lots of historical stuff there as well. Feel it might be easier to fill a week there than Cocoa if you're interested in more than just swimming.

 

[schumigirl]

Would you happen to know if they are impacted by bike week, being neighbors to Daytona?

Sorry, no idea, we visited when it was much quieter.

Have to agree also with others about St Augustine and Cocoa Beach, also consider Cocoa Village which is beautiful and a little quieter and has a wonderful little theatre that put on some amazing shows.

St Augustine is somewhere you can pass many days there, you`ve been there and know how beautiful and so interesting it is with the history. We spend at least one day most trips in the last few years, takes us just under 2 hours from Universal area and less to the other ones.

 

[OneinThree]

Cocoa.

 

[blabadie]

Unless you really have to do the Atlantic coast, I would go to 30A----Rosemary Beach being my personal favorite. The sand and water is just so much prettier and clearer than the Atlantic side.

March would be a little chilly for swimming for my tastes----but I'm not used to swimming in cold water so I would say that for virtually all continental U.S. locations in March.

 

[Disneyfan754321]

Melborne beach is nice, we always going in Early March and bike week. Smynra water freaks me out because it's the shark beach of Florida but
Its beautiful.

 

[ExpeditionEmily]

I've spent some time in Jacksonville Beach and it was really nice! They did chair/umbrella rentals, not too crowded, and some awesome local restaurants.

 

[Jennasis]

We did 5 days at Cocoa Beach earlier this year and it was lovely!

 

[nancipants]

Would you happen to know if they are impacted by bike week, being neighbors to Daytona?

New Smyrna Beach will get bike week crowds. Ormond Beach less. Not sure about Flagler as it's pretty far away.