If not VB, any other suggestions in Florida for a beach vacation with teens?

[WDWorld2003]

We are going to try and book VB at the 7 month window for next Easter.... but if we can't get in do any of you have suggestions for a beach vacation in Florida? We will have my DD 16 and probably her friend and myself and DH.

We are looking for something with lots to do for teens in a safe area. We've gone to WDW four years in a row and would like something different. I know you have to book many of these places months in advance. Thanks for any help!

 

[FlyingfreeWDW]

I would suggest Fort Lauderdale. We love VB and we also love Fort Lauderdale. It is great there with plenty to do. It is very clean and upsclae especially Las Olas Blvd. Water Taxis tke you around and there is some great shopping and dining there. We stay at a resort there called Lago Mar Resort. It is located in a residential area and is secluded from downtown. It is a great place and has rooms similiar to a DVC room. 2 bedroom units have either a full kitchen or mini kitchen. They have 2 pools, one a lagoon pool, and both are heated. Food is great on property and they have a poolside bar. Beach is wide and very nice. You can watch the cruise ships leaving port from right there. Really a gem. Check it out early as it books well in advance. It is a private beach club as well as a resort, a very relaxed classy place.

 

[bobbiwoz]

We're out of VB points to use, so this June we're trying Marriott's Hutchinson Island Beach Resort and Marina. I'll know more about it after June. We intend to stop at VB for lunch on our way down, we really wish we were staying there, but we're happy to try this alternative.

Bobbi

 

[Maribel]

Have you thought about south florida? You have plenty of options there, since there are beaches all around the coast. There is south beach of course, and the keys. There are a lot of aquatic things to do (kayacking, renting a jet sky, parasailing, etc) In some places they even offer classes. Since I have small children, when I go to the beach I prefer the tranquility of the national parks at Key Biscayne. You have the Miami Seaquarium nearby, and other attractions such as south beach and coconut grove are very close (by car).

 

[miamimama]

I agree with Maribel - I grew up in the Miami area and visit often - our 14dd loves the area - we usually stay in Coconut Grove and visit Key Biscayne for the beach - we've been to the Seaquarium also, Parrot Jungle, and if you want to drive down towards the Homestead area, the Monkey Jungle is alot of fun too.

 

[Mom B]

A few years back, we decided to spend some time on the beach after our Disney vacation and stayed at the Royal Mansions (near Cocoa Beach/NASA). The accommodations were roomy (the decorating was a little worn and outdated but I think they have updated most of them since) and the location was lovely, right on the beach. We had a good time there and would recommend it. They have a website you can check out (royalmansions.com) if you're interested. The prices I thought were fairly reasonable, and there is a pool. Nice landscaping...lots of those itty bitty lizards to be seen on the grounds, but we think those are really cute anyway!

 

[DVC4Ever]

I have been going to Daytona Beach every year for the past 15+ years. Most of those years were as a teenager with my parents and older teenage sister. For years we stayed at the Treasure Island Inn which has the absolute best pool deck on the Beach but this year we are staying at the Sun Viking Lodge because the Treasure Island is doing a complete rehab since they got hit hard from Hurricane Season last year. It is an extremely SAFE place. My parents (dad is now a retired cop) let my sister and I rome around together all of the time when we were growing up. There is a water park, plenty of shopping, the Daytona International Speedway, a boardwalk, and so much more. It is such a friendly atmosphere at Daytona Beach and there is even the Daytona Beach Airport to fly into if you are planning on flying.

 

[OneMoreTry]

Ocean Gallery at St Augustine. Get oceanfront. keep sliding glass doors open while you sleep. Ahhh!

 

[jade1]

CLEARWATER BEACH. Just back last week-its our favorite (85 and sunny didn't hurt either).

Our view from the Hilton.

Dolphin tour-didn't go this year-parasailed though.

 

[D'Family]

Clearwater/Saint Petersburg Beaches are nice. Most of the beach hotels offer shuttles to Busch Gardens(@30minute ride) and Adventure Island too.

 

[WDWorld2003]

? for those that have responded - Do you think the teens would enjoy the beach/pool vacation more than WDW?

 

[miamimama]

I can only answer as a former teen from FLA and now the mother of a dd14 - DW has alot more to offer in terms of activities - if your with your friends, the beach can be fun, but you can get into alot more trouble if left alone on the beach than in DW - just my opinion.

 

[jade1]

We are big WDW fans but after a long winter the beach was about as good as WDW (plus we have a summer trip planned) this time and my 16 yo son for sure liked it better. Clearwater has a strip he likes the action and cars etc at night. There may have been some girls walking the beach also-I didn't notice. That said we always split our stay-WDW then Clearwater on the weekend.

 

[IWantMyDVC]

Last year we had a wonderful trip to Vero Beach, but wasn't sure how entertained my teenage boys would be after consistent WDW vacations, so we booked 5 nights at Vero and a Friday night at Old Key West in a studio. We told them they could pick anything they wanted to do for that one day. They chose to go to Disney Quest, so I took them over while Wifey enjoyed the pool. This proved to be one of my favoite trips.

 

[Cinderelli]

The West Coast FL beaches are beautiful. Sunsets, small surf, just tranquil & awesome. If you go to Clearwater there can be alot to do on the "strip".

If your kids will like to try to body surf & spend alot of time in the water at the beach, I would suggest the east coast. The surf is bigger and the Daytona/Cocoa area has alot to do. For my family, I think when our kids hit their teens, they will like the water action of Daytona. However, if I had my choice, I would do WDW. Like another poster said, I think they could get into less trouble there.

We vacation every year for 5 nights on the East Coast (near Clearwater) and it's been great, but as the kids age, I know they will like the bigger surf to try boogie boards, body surfing, etc.

Lissa

 

[WDWorld2003]

Thanks for the suggestions and pictures everyone! We may have to look into some of these places.

For those that took your teens to Vero Beach, did they think it was too Disney or too boring? Are there activities for them to do? I would really like to try this resort but would hate to hear "I'm bored!" They don't say that often as they're good about finding stuff to do but I want them to have a good time.

 

[Caskbill]

I second Clearwater as a good choice. The main thing is having the sunset in the West, which is over the water, as opposed to the Eastern seaboard of florida, where it's the sunrise that comes up over the water.

 

[Sherri]

We are going to try and book VB at the 7 month window for next Easter.... but if we can't get in do any of you have suggestions for a beach vacation in Florida? We will have my DD 16 and probably her friend and myself and DH.

We are looking for something with lots to do for teens in a safe area. We've gone to WDW four years in a row and would like something different. I know you have to book many of these places months in advance. Thanks for any help!

We were in New Smyrna Beach Florida last week. The kids loved it. Both teenagers. DH and I loved it. It was a quiet beach town community. From what I understand from a shop owner, they don't get many tourists there. I kind thought that was a plus. The waves were nice and the water was 68 degrees. I mention that only because you will be going the same time of year that we went. I must say I was quite impressed. We are beach people and have been to many beaches but this one would rank on the top three list.
If you need a resort suggestion, we loved the coconut palms resort. It was two nice size bedrooms with two really big bathrooms. So many free things going on at the pool. They had italian night (free food and wine). Chips and Sangaria night, pizza night. They had a DJ two nights. We would return again and again.