Florida's west coast beaches help!!!

[radmom]

We are going to WDW in May and we always include a day at the beach. We usually go to Cocoa Beach area. This year we have a little more time so we were thinking about going to west coast. Can anyone give me ideas on good beach area? We are coming from the north so don't want to go to far out of the way. Looking for reasonable hotel in the area. If anyone could give me ideas of what area (city/beach) would be good, I could search for hotel prices.

Thanks in advance!!!!

 

[MN_Gal]

Anywhere from St Pete to Clearwater is good. We prefer Treasure Island or St Pete Beach.

 

[caribear]

Whenever this question comes up I always have the same reply, Siesta Key. Nothing is going to come close to this beach. The sand is like baby powder and cool to the touch. The water is the clearest in Florida....and the area is quaint and very relaxed. If you are looking for nightlife then this might not be the place for you, but if you are looking for a relaxing vacation on a gorgeous beach then this is the place to go. No major hotels...only condo rentals. If you would like more info feel free to send me a PM!

 

[off2dizney]

We enjoy the Clearwater area, St. Pete's Beach, & Pass-a-Grill Beach. Wish we were going....

 

[disneymamaof2]

Another vote here for Siesta Key Beach, that was the best beach trip we ever had and plan on doing it again next June!

 

[carola2]

Captiva and Sanibel Island are very nice.

 

[luvavacation]

Clearwater Beach has soft, white sand, as do many of the other popular beaches in that area. However, if you want a fun beach for shelling, just south of Clearwater Beach is Sand Key (or is it Cay?).

We found some fantastic shells there, and while it is not the smoothest beach for just playing in the ocean, exploring it was a blast! We liked it even better than Sanibel, due to the variety of shells there. While Sanibel shells were beautiful and colorful, the Sand Key shells were so, I don't know, different.

You can park at the public park that is on the ocean side when you enter Sand Key from Clearwater. I can't remember how much it was to park there, but we found it to be well worth it, and can't wait to go back!

 

[kpadalik]

Another vote for Siesta Key! I grew up about 5 minutes from there and now live just the next town over. I've been to that beach more times than I can count...it's beautiful!

 

[ranthony]

We were there just last week after 10 days in Disney and we absolutley loved it there.

The beach and water are gorgeous and at the main public beach access there was a great playground and very clean restrooms. There were also plenty of shaded picnic tables and grills for cooking out. The sand was great for playing in and building with and we saw dolphins just a few feet off the shore...literally!

Another great thing was that the lifeguard stations were very close. (As a former lifeguard on the east coast of FL that is something I always pay attention to.)

Here a few photos of my 3 little guys enjoying their day.

 

[LMC]

Hands down, Siesta Key. Try looking into the Tropical Shores resort. We stayed there before and it's nice enough but I don't know if they will do a one night rental. It was just a very short walk to the beach (and they allowed our small dog in the hotel). The walk to the beach was about a football field length. The one thing you need to know about Siesta Key if you don't stay on the island is to arrive at the public beach early or you won't find a place to park! But it is beautiful and they have a cafe or grill place there where you can get food.

 

[jc040404]

We live in St Pete and always do Treasure Island. Nice clean beach and nowhere near as packed as Clearwater. (Doesn't hurt that it's free parking, too..) You all have me interested in Siesta Key. How far from here is that? Sarasota?

 

[ranthony]

We drove from our in-laws in Largo to Siesta Key in less than an hour. It was faster to stay on 75 as opposed to taking the main north-south route through Sarasota (I can't remember the route #).

 

[janiejake]

We are going to WDW in May and we always include a day at the beach. We usually go to Cocoa Beach area. This year we have a little more time so we were thinking about going to west coast. Can anyone give me ideas on good beach area? We are coming from the north so don't want to go to far out of the way. Looking for reasonable hotel in the area. If anyone could give me ideas of what area (city/beach) would be good, I could search for hotel prices.

Thanks in advance!!!!

Seeing a lot of votes for Siest Key, so will have to tuck that one in my memory banks for the future, and check it out. We like Venice Beach, and Englewood Beach, which is a few miles further south. We take the highway there,stay for a few days, and then when we are heading back up to Disney, we go cross country, taking the scenic route. Does not seem to take any longer, and is more enjoyable. You also get to see more of the 'real' Florida.

 

[ColoradoMom!!]

You guys are killing me! I am ready for Siesta Key, and I have only known of its existence for about 45 seconds! Where do you fly in? How is it in May - heat and humidity wise? But then - who cares? It looks amazing!

 

[mbanks21]

Another vote for Siesta Key!

 

[glitterkittyy]

Yet ANOTHER vote for Siesta Key!

 

[SydneyBristow]

Siesta Key is very pretty. We're thinking of trying out St Pete this weekend, we've been to Clearwater and thought it was Ok but nothing special.

 

[daughtersrus]

Another vote for Siesta Key but if you'd like to get some shark teeth, head a bit further south down to Venice Beach. When they were younger, my girls loved sitting at the edge of the water and grabbing handfuls of sand looking for the teeth. To this day, we have a big jar full of them!

 

[mamamary]

Looks like Siesta Key is the place to go!

We stayed at North Redington Beach last year. It is in between St. Pete and Clearwater. We stayed at the Doubletree Beach Resort which is right on the beach and a very nice hotel - and not expensive. Our day trip to Clearwater looked like it was pretty crowded (at one point we couldn't even find a parking spot). There did seem to be alot of restaurants and night life. St. Pete seemed more laid back.

 

[Pembo]

Anna Maria Island gets my vote. Beautiful beaches and quiet.