LOTS of questions about Vero Beach....

[pixiedust519]

We're staying at VB for 5 nights during the first week of June in a 2 bedroom. Does anyone have any tips for us? Where should we go shopping? What activities should we sign up for? How can we avoid no-see-ums? Where is the best place to go for food? What kind of fast food places are nearby? What should we *definitely* bring with us? ANY information to these questions or others would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Alyssa

 

[Maistre Gracey]

I will try to help with a few...
Fast food I am not familiar with, but we usually eat at Shutters, Sonya's, and The Ocean Grill. All of these are very good, but tend to get pricey.
There are two books just to the left of check-in with menus from several places to eat.

We carry plenty of bug spray for the no see-ums. Make sure it has deet in it.

The smores thing we did not like, but we went with all adults. It will likely be better for the kids than adults. Warning- the stick things they gave us to do the smores were too short, and everyone was burning their hands!
There is a 9-hole mini-golf next to the pool that is only $1 to play. There is also recreation stuff across the street.
One night they had a telescope set up to look at Jupiter and Saturn. We were dying to do that, but wouldn't you know it clouded up.

We absolutely love VB. In my opinion, the best part is just relaxing by the pool or on the beach.
I said it before, and I'll say it again-
No lines, no schedules, and no 'TOOT' of the angry horn...

Have fun at VB...

 

[scott.campbell]

I agree fully with the previous post. In addition there is a mall with food court, cinema etc, within a short drive.

 

[CaptainMidnight]

The closest fast food is just north of the resort at the public beach, there is a pizza and sub shop which are pretty good. There is also a small convenience store/gourmet store that has home made hot food items (haven't tried them yet) and ice cream (several flavors) so you can take a walk on the beach and end up getting some ice cream. The shortest drive is to highway 1 heading north, Burger King is the closest. At the Publix shopping center 5 miles from the resort is a subway and a great chinese take out. So, you can pick up a few subs, keep them in the fridge, and have them available for a healthy lunch at pool.

Enjoy.

 

[ncligs]

To add to the above posts........if you are a baseball fan, the Vero Beach Dodgers (L.A. Dodgers minor league team) play in VB.The mall(Indian River Mall) is about 15 minutes away and has a food court and a TGIF"s. There is also a Bob Evans restraunt in front of the mall.

 

[mbhoxsie]

If you are going to do any grocery shopping, we usually use Publix (4 miles away) or Super Wal-Mart (9 miles away). My family tends to drive a bit further to go to the Wal-Mart just because they have a HUGE selection...

When you check in, the CM's will provide you with an itinerary of activities for the next three days.. There is also a channel on the TV's that show slideshows of the day's activities.. (Very similar to a cruise ship..)

Some of the things my family has enjoyed are:

• 
  The Bike tour of VB...
  The Harbor Branch Oceanagraphic Institute Tour...
  Bingo for Kids...
  Bubbles on the Boardwalk for kids...
  The Unbirthday Party...
  Character Cell Painting
  Mini-golf for $1
  Character Breakfast w/Goofy and Max at Shutters.. (This is great for kids of any ages)
  Getting massages by the pool...

Also, eat at least one lunch on the balcony of the Green Cabin Room.. The hamburgers are awesome, and you can't beat the view of the ocean.

One thing you might do, just to get an idea of what an itinerary is layed out like is call the resort and have them fax you one...

I really tend to agree with the above posters... VB is an awesome resort for relaxation and decompression... While the CM's do an awesome job of making sure there are tons of things to do around the resort, trying to plan and schedule activities like you would a WDW trip might defeat the natural intent of the resort.

Hope this helps....

Go, have an awesome time, and enjoy!! You'll love it!

 

[goofy4dvc]

The Vero Beach Resort is actually about 10-12 miles from the town of Very Beach. Just south of the resort is a collection of little specialty stores that are fun to go in. There's a really nice outlet mall just on the other side of the interstate in Vero. There are fast food places in Vero. It seems like most of them were on a north-south road through town.

We drove down south on the Interstate to Jupiter Island to look at the lighthouse. The view from the top of the lighthouse was great The lighthouse guide told us about a park or preservation area a little ways north of there. If you go at high tide, you can see the "blow holes" on the shore. There is a sign when you arrive that tells you what time the tide comes in. The waves have carved out cave-like places along the beach, and some have holes in the top. When the waves roll in during high tide, the water blows out of the holes in the top of the rocky formation. Kids were having fun running around them getting splashed. It was a pretty awesome sight.

Vero Beach is somewhat of a retirement community, so it's kind of quiet and laid back. That's what makes it a great place to relax and unwind.

 

[Ralph&Pam]

goofy4dvc,

How far south is Jupiter Island? My DW likes lighthouses.

Ralph

 

[goofy4dvc]

Ralph,

It seems like it was about an hour, maybe hour and a half, drive. There's another one near Daytona, the Ponce de Leon lighthouse. But I'm sure that's a longer drive. There are quite a few in Florida. Check out www.floridalighthouses.org. But be careful--it's addictive!!

 

[Ralph&Pam]

Thanks, Mona.

I see by the web site that they are open Sunday through Wednesday. Since we'll be at VB Sunday through Wednesday after our stay at BWV, maybe we'll take a morning drive, do the lighthouse visit and tour, stop for lunch, drive back.

Ralph

 

[vernon]

Mel Fisher's Treasure museum is close by to Vero ( sorry if anyone's already mentioned it) , there are a couple of nature reserves, if you're lucky there may be turtle hatching while you're there ( DVC organise "watches" for this activity but they get pretty busy)
As well as the pizza place ( already mentioned) that is walking distance from the resort there are also a couple on the US1 north of the junction with the bridge that leads you away from the resort. There is a very good mexican a little further north on US1 as well ( 10 minute drive from the resort) called Hirmana's , doesn't look much from the outside but very good food and MEAN margaritas

 

[dvc guy]

Did the bike tour with my DD10 & DS 6. It was great, tour is recommended for kids 12 and up, Land is all flat, kids started to run out of steam but a great ride.

We ate at Charley's South Beach. Hugh salad bar and big menu. Food was very good , nice selection for kids , parents and grandparents.

We had Pizza/Italian take out from
South Beach Pizza. Everything was excellent.
Refillable mugs at the pool are nice for those lazy days on the lounge chairs. DW tells me that she misses her "MUG" all the time.

Can't think of a better place for a real relaxing vacation , with a touch of DISNEY.

Staff was great

 

[pixiedust519]

Thanks to everyone who has posted tips about Vero Beach. I'm so excited!! It sounds like a great place.

Does anyone know the prices of some of the activities? I know that some were mentioned, but the ones I am curious about are the bike tour, sea turtles, and character breakfast. If you have any prices for the other activities, that would be great too!

I think we've decided to go to Jupiter Island to see the lighthouse and the beach with the blow holes. It sounds amazing!! Any tips on visiting there?

Alyssa

 

[pixiedust519]

Also wondering about prices for massages by the pool and the character cel paintings.

Alyssa

 

[kel3420]

As for the resort activities, make sure you get there right when they open to sign up. These activities get filled to capacity EARLY.

If I remember correctly, I had a full body massage, and it around $100. Maybe someone can correcct me on the price, but really, whatever it is, definately do it!!

The Green Cabin room is our favorite!! We love to go there right from the pool for a drink and then after dinner to listen to the music. The bartenders are so nice and personable.

YOu cannot NOT have fun at this resort.