One Day at a Florida Beach, any advice?

[cjb71870]

Wow... lyonking3. Coming from someone from Colorado, who I would think likes nature.......... You're advice to "stay away from oily beaches" means what?

 

[cjb71870]

And, that was my 1,000th post? Well, I'm supporting Siesta Key Beach....

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

We live on the barrier island off of Melbourne, so I'd recommend any of our beaches. There is no charge for parking in our area (Satellite Beach/IHB/Indialantic/Melbourne Beach), there are restrooms and BBQ facilities, lots of locally owned restaurants, etc. Our favorite beach other than our own neighborhood beach is "Juan Ponce De Leon" beach in Melbourne Beach. It's a beautiful beach and has an access plenty of parking, restrooms, etc. It's never crowded, either. I'd highly recommend it. Also, the restaurant called "Sand on the Beach" on A1A just north of that beach is great and not expensive at all. My daughter and I go there for breakfast all the time and we love it! You sit right on the beach under a tiki-hut style roof...soooo cute!

 

[jennyf2]

We are planning on spending a day at Cocoa Beach. We check into Disney on the 22nd but we are arriving in FL on the 20th. I did some searching & it seems that Cocoa Beach is the closest..Now off to search for a hotel

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

We are planning on spending a day at Cocoa Beach. We check into Disney on the 22nd but we are arriving in FL on the 20th. I did some searching & it seems that Cocoa Beach is the closest..Now off to search for a hotel

The hotel that is near the Cocoa Beach Surf Co. and Ron Jons area (might be a Sheraton? Not sure?) is advertising some deal on Jr. Suites on their billboard right now. I think it said "walk-in deal" but you could probably also get it by calling...I'm guessing that tourism must be slow there right now. I just drove by the sign on Thurs. while I was taking my kids to swim lessons so it's probably still up.

 

[LoveKermit]

We live on the barrier island off of Melbourne, so I'd recommend any of our beaches. There is no charge for parking in our area (Satellite Beach/IHB/Indialantic/Melbourne Beach), there are restrooms and BBQ facilities, lots of locally owned restaurants, etc. Our favorite beach other than our own neighborhood beach is "Juan Ponce De Leon" beach in Melbourne Beach. It's a beautiful beach and has an access plenty of parking, restrooms, etc. It's never crowded, either. I'd highly recommend it. Also, the restaurant called "Sand on the Beach" on A1A just north of that beach is great and not expensive at all. My daughter and I go there for breakfast all the time and we love it! You sit right on the beach under a tiki-hut style roof...soooo cute!

What is your surf like?

Our DD is 3.5 so we're hoping for calm waters. I don't think DH has ever been in the Gulf either, that's why we've chosen Clearwater. But you finally gave me some useful info (what I was hoping to get from someone about Clearwater)....so we'll see.

 

[LoveBWVVBR]

What is your surf like?

Our DD is 3.5 so we're hoping for calm waters. I don't think DH has ever been in the Gulf either, that's why we've chosen Clearwater. But you finally gave me some useful info (what I was hoping to get from someone about Clearwater)....so we'll see.

It's not as calm as the gulf side unless you end up here on a random day with very little surf. People come to this side to surf so you do get decent waves here most days. My kids are 4 and 1 and we live at the beach (for real...it's a couple of blocks away), so I personally don't think it's bad surf for really young kids.

 

[katallo]

Can anyone offer an opinion on Ana Marie or Holmes Beach on the West Coast? Is the area as nice as Sarasota?

 

[LoveKermit]

Now DH is thinking Siesta Key.....Oy.

So, thoughts on that? Can anyone keep up? Me neither.

 

[spima3]

Now DH is thinking Siesta Key.....Oy.
So, thoughts on that? Can anyone keep up? Me neither.

Well, I'm the OP and we have decided on Siesta Key, and it looks spectacular.

From what I read, Siesta Key Public Beach is where we need to go?? It looks like it has everything we need: changing stations, restrooms, etc. Is that correct? Where exactly do you rent the beach umbrellas? Is there a shop we need to stop at or is it right there on the beach?

Would it be worth it to walk through the Village? I'm thinking the kids would probably like a beachy t-shirt, so anyone have a suggestion on where to go, reasonably priced of course.

Any suggestions on where to have a late lunch before leaving?

I've read some websites, and I've got a general idea of where and what, but if someone familiar with the area can supply some specifics, that would be fabulous.

 

[LoveKermit]

I haven't found anything on rentals, like we did with Clearwater.

Could also use restaurant ideas. We like local and seafood.

OP--what time are you aiming to get there? I've read, like Clearwater, you have to get there early?

When are you going again? We're going next Sunday.

 

[spima3]

I haven't found anything on rentals, like we did with Clearwater.
Could also use restaurant ideas. We like local and seafood.
OP--what time are you aiming to get there? I've read, like clearwater, you have to get there early?
When are you going again? We're going next Sunday.

Yes, from what I've read you have to be there early, as the parking lot fills quickly. I found this article about it, so maybe you would be interested.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/04/travel/escapes/04Siesta.html?_r=1

It is still nice to hear directly from others, so I am hoping someone will stop by and post. I am travelling w/o DH this trip, just me and the 3 kids, so I'm a little paranoid about specifics.

We aren't going until Sept, so IF you decide to go, perhaps you can stop by and post about it? :

 

[two*little*birds]

I think we may do Clearwater, perhaps even stay over one night and make a full day of it.

 

[LoveKermit]

Glad this got restarted as I forgot to seek it out.....

We went to Siesta Key. Awesome! We got there a little after 10, we pulled out of the Waffle House on 535 at 8:20. So we did well timewise. We went in off the south entrance and drove north to the parking lot. Plenty of parking when we arrived (August 15--A Sunday). We did the beach thing until DH couldn't handle the heat anymore, plus we were hungry. I think I managed to keep him out there until after noon.

We cleaned up/changed clothes. By then (12:30/12:45) the parking lot was full. Diehards--it was hot! We drove north on Beach Road and ate at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar. DH had oysters and said they were amazing. But our fish sandwiches were okay. Better than anything in Chicago, but not as good as we'd expect 2 blocks off the Gulf.

Left for WDW about 2:00, leaving the island from the north entrance. We were back to WDW before 4:00.

All in all, a great day.

I did find the rentals about 30 minutes before we were ready to leave. They are on the beach to the left of the public facility.

 

[two*little*birds]

LoveKermit, thanks to your post I did a search on Siesta Key and I found the perfect spot for us to spend 2 nights.

Do you recommend any other things to do while there, places to see or restaurants?

Thanks

 

[LoveKermit]

Not really. We just did a day trip. We did not drive on the bay side/east side of the island on Midnight Pass Rd. There might be stuff there. Otherwise, Beach Road was pretty typical beach-town look. We were able to search restaurants online pretty easily. You could also go back into Sarasota if you are looking for something, maybe more familiar.

Hope you have a great time!

 

[mickeyluv'r]

My kids want to take one day to go to "a" FL We did an overnight stay at Daytona Shores recently. If you are going to the beach, one thign that's nice is to be able to get clean right away. Another thing that's really nice is to combine beach and oceanview pool. Another thing that's nice is dining near the water. And finally, one thing that's really nice to do with beaches is to go to bed hearing the roar of the ocean waves.

We combined all recently with a stay at the Hampton Inn at Daytona Shores. WE paid for an ocean view rooms and had a fabulous seafood dinner at a place called, "Boondock's." A great beach activity is walking. I especially like walking along the edge of the water, so that my toes get wet. Kids will enjoy playing in the sand.

If you don't want to stay overnight, a kind of cool oddity at the Daytona area is that you can drive ON the beach. Best if you have four wheel drive - like a big SUV. I think it was like $10 to park on the beach all day. Though the cars on the beach/driving on the beach do make Daytona somewhat slightly less picturesque that other beaches (and slightly more dangerous).

Our resort was nothing super fancy, but we had a nice beach view balcony, and we were able to leave the door on our balcony open overnight. IT was super clean. The beach generally get a nice breeze, so even in summer it was not too hot to do that. (at night) The Hampton Inn give apretty good breakfast. They also give cookies at night, and coffee/tea 24hours. Teh view in the breakfast area is really pretty. The pool is not as fantastic as the ones at WDW, it's just a plain pool, but it's really nice to swim after bein onthe beach.

Teh part of Daytone where we were does not have a big Boardwalk, which cna be fun. If you want the boradwalk experience consider visiting the heart of Hollywood beach (it also has very inexpensive playes to stay). Miami has the nightlife scene, and excellent dining.

Last, there's Bonndocks. It's VERY casual, and you will ikely have a good wait for a table. But the area out back is cute; the kids can feed the catfish and look at the marina. The seafood is very tasty and fresh. The place has a real, "Florida" cuisine feel - not 'chain' restaurant food - like almost the entire Orlando area offerings. They also have more than seafood.

 

[spima3]

Glad this got restarted as I forgot to seek it out.....
We went to Siesta Key. Awesome! We got there a little after 10, we pulled out of the Waffle House on 535 at 8:20. So we did well timewise. We went in off the south entrance and drove north to the parking lot. Plenty of parking when we arrived (August 15--A Sunday). We did the beach thing until DH couldn't handle the heat anymore, plus we were hungry. I think I managed to keep him out there until after noon.
We cleaned up/changed clothes. By then (12:30/12:45) the parking lot was full. Diehards--it was hot! We drove north on Beach Road and ate at the Siesta Key Oyster Bar. DH had oysters and said they were amazing. But our fish sandwiches were okay. Better than anything in Chicago, but not as good as we'd expect 2 blocks off the Gulf.
Left for WDW about 2:00, leaving the island from the north entrance. We were back to WDW before 4:00.
All in all, a great day.
I did find the rentals about 30 minutes before we were ready to leave. They are on the beach to the left of the public facility.

So glad you came back and posted about your experiences. I forgot about this thread as well, and just checked in.

YOur day sounds pretty much what I plan on doing. Good to know about the rentals, as I hate sitting in the sun.

Did you go through the Villiage? Look like it was worth taking a walk through?

 

[LoveKermit]

We did not walk through the village, but it was maybe 4 blocks up and back. Definitely doable. We parked in a tiny municipal lot just north of the SKOB at a strange intersection. But the SKOB had some parking. It was next to a 7-11. Wish I remembered all the street names and landmarks.

It was a great day. We're left with one day on our tickets, but we felt relaxed when we got back to Orlando.

 

[MidwayLady]

We are planning on spending a day at Cocoa Beach. We check into Disney on the 22nd but we are arriving in FL on the 20th. I did some searching & it seems that Cocoa Beach is the closest..Now off to search for a hotel

Have you found anything fun to do in Cocoa Beach? I will be there in April and can't find anything!!!