Clearwater area or Coco Beach day trip

[New England]

We want to do a day trip to a beach and I am having trouble choosing between Clearwater and Coco. The water at Clearwater looks so clear (DUH hence the name) and the water at Coco does not look as clear but I thought I heard Coco was closer.....we will be down there during spring break 4/16 to 4/24. We are not terribly conservative but we will have our 8 and 6 yr old boys so I am also somewhat concerned about the spring break crowd.

We can handle a little rowdy behavior but I really don't my sons first experience with girls gone wild to be when they are 6 and 8!!!

 

[annie1995]

I am in the same boat as you, I can't decide between which beach!! We've been to clearwater beach before, its beautiful!!! The water is so calm and warm!!! I have no info on Cocoa beach though. I'd love to see other imput also!!

 

[mirlow]

Our on Dec. trip we went to St. Pete Beach and my parent's took the kids to Clearwater. The trip before that we went to Daytona before Orlando. I much prefer the Gulf side. The sand is sooooooooo soft and the sunsets can be beat! My kids said they had a great time in Clearwater.

I can't help with the Spring Break park at either Coco Beach or Clearwater. We were in Daytona during Spring Break and it was fine at the hotel we stayed at (The Shores).

We're going back down for Spring Break and we will go back to the Gulf Side.

 

[CR Resort Fan 4 Life]

During the summer before my family and I arrive at WDW we spend a week in Clearwater Beach and in December after WDW we spend time in Clearwater Beach until New Years Day, so obviously I am going to recommend going there because the beaches there are very nice and it's a great place to spend the day.

 

[swilshire]

My family MUCH prefers the Gulf side of Florida. Calmer waves, nicer sand, and you can walk out a long way in shallow water. It might be 30 minutes or so longer to get there, but well worth the difference.

We drove by St Augustine beach for a few minutes on our way home 1/5/09 and there were warnings to stay out of the water because of riptides.

Sheila

 

[Timon-n-Pumbaa Fan]

We went to Cocoa Beach a couple of years ago. The surf was way up due to a storm. It made surfing almost impossible, but the sunrise was beautiful to see. We found a nifty little coffee shop called Wahoo Coffee. http://www.wahoocoffee.com/ They had some great bagel sandwiches and awesome non-corporate coffee. We stayed at the DoubleTree, which was right there on the beach. They had some pretty good food in the restaurant there too.

Just be sure to make sure the motorcycle crowd isn't out in full force. The crowds were amazingly bad, as was the traffic.

 

[summermac]

I've been to Cocoa Beach and it's pretty cool. Ron Jon's is a neat place to go.

We spent 5 days at St. Augustine Beach this past May and I loved it. Very quiet there.

I'll be in the Clearwater area for work this year (April) but that will probably be too late for your trip planning. LOL!

 

[standleyent1]

I have been to both beaches with DD and hands down St. Pete/Clearwater have the upper hand. We have been 3 times and each time was a wind down from a week or two at Disney. We always stay at the same little mom and pop motel across from St. Johns Pass, Madeira Beach. The beaches are super clean and the sand is great, the water is soooooooo smooth and you can see a lot of sea life in the surf. It is also a great place to Para sail and they have a rigging for 3 or if there are 4 of you, you can double up on a 2 person rigging.
I vote for Gulf side!!
Have Fun!!

 

[fla4fun]

It depends on what you want out of your beach experience. It will take nearly twice as long to get to the Gulf coast than the Atlantic coast (about two hours to the Gulf and about an hour to the Atlantic).

The Gulf water is calmer, usually warmer, and there are tons of shells. The beaches are whiter and very soft. There are areas you can go to that have lots of activity (St. Pete Beach or Clearwater Beach) or you can go to a quiet stretch of sand at one of the smaller beach communities. One of the best quiet beaches is Fort Desoto Beach, a park at the southern end past St. Pete Beach. There are lots of opportunities for biking and kayaking there, as well as lots of great sand. You will find county parks scattered along the coast, and these are always nice areas with bathroom facilities. When we stay on this coast, we usually stay at the Marriott Sand Key resort, which is just south of Clearwater Beach.

The Atlantic coast has rougher surf and fewer shells. You'll see more windsurfers and just plain surfers in general. If you go a little ways south of the Cocoa Beach Pier, you will find a couple parks, which are nice if you're looking to get away to a quieter stretch of beach. If you're into a more active beach, stay around the pier area - there's plenty to do. When we stay here, we usually stay at the Doubletree Oceanfront, which is about a half mile or so south of the pier - sort of on the border between the active and quiet sections of the beach.

Either way, have a great day at the beach!

 

[Bella the Ball 360]

I am in the same boat as you, I can't decide between which beach!! We've been to clearwater beach before, its beautiful!!! The water is so calm and warm!!! I have no info on Cocoa beach though. I'd love to see other imput also!!

LOL last year we went to Clearwater it was horrible....but it was right after a hurricane and the water was not clear and not calm and there was literally tons of seaweed. It was warm and we got tons of fantastic shells brought in by the hurricane. I would certainly go again because I know it is supposed to be a great beach .

 

[neonurse]

Generally the water on the gulf side is warmer and the water is calmer too. Cocoa beach has lots of waves and can sometimes be a bit rough for little ones.

 

[WhateverLolaWants]

I've been to both and enjoyed Clearwater a lot more. More quiet than Cocoa, and worth the little extra distance. The water is calmer on the Gulf, and I liked being able to see through the water. Sea life can be anywhere, but when I was in Cocoa my friend had stingray brush against her, and at Clearwater I witnessed a manatee swim right along the water's edge.

 

[MarthaJr.]

St. Pete Beach! Only an hour and a half from Orlando--but longer if you get stuck in rush hour traffic in Tampa.

Very laid back. Beautiful white sand beaches, warm water and gorgeous sunsets! We've been taking our 2 children DD20, DS14 there for twelve years now. We always go at Easter and have never had any spring break-girls gone wild-type of atmosphere. We find it to be very laid back and kid friendly. When my kids were your kid's age they liked the beach better than Disney! They loved sitting in the sand making sand creations, playing in the gentle waves and swimming in the pool. (Our summers are way too short here in Wisconsin!)

Been to Clearwater twice and the beach was wonderful--I just didn't care for the traffic congestion on Gulf drive. Lots of hotels right on top of eachother on the street side and lots of people everywhere. I would say a little more typical spring breaky-witnessed quite a bit of college age rowdiness.

Have been to Cocoa Beach twice-it was okay. We were there for a shuttle launch when John Glenn went back up--that was cool!

Have a great time wherever you decide to dig your toes in the sand!