Sarasota, Venice and beyond...

[DanenRox]

Hi. I'm looking for any information about beaches on the west coast, south of St. Pete Beach. We like to tack on a 4 day beach stint following our Disney vacation, not too far from an airport to make our return flight fairly convenient. We've done the St. Pete/Daytona Beach area several times and want to push further south. I'm thinking we could always fly back from the Fort Myers or Tampa airport. We do really like the St Pete Beach area for it's casual, laid back and relatively inexpensive atmosphere so I'm not sure which area has similiar offerings. We are 2 adults who buy our own beer and make our own drinks but love to stumble upon a beachside hammock or outside entertainment. Please share if you can...

 

[kpadalik]

Not sure when your trip is, but I have a few suggestions.

Siesta Key - one word, beautiful!
Anna Maria Island - quiet, laid back
Venice Beach - appeals to the older (much older) crowds
Englewood Beach - too shelly for me
Ft Myers Beach - never been, but have heard good things
Sanibel - romantic, very pretty

I am in the Sarasota/Venice area and have been most of my life. So I know a lot about the beaches and surrounding areas. Any more questions, just ask. Also, as for airports - Sarasota has an airport, Tampa is an hour north, Ft Myers is 1 or 1-1/2 hours south. Also, Charlotte Regional Airport in Pt Charlotte has some smaller airlines that fly to some places, not sure if RI is included, but worth checking out!

 

[DanenRox]

kpadalik-great information, thank you. We will be traveling in September. I'm going to investigate Sarasota Beach as well. I'm sure I'll have more questions so don't be surprised when you hear from me again. Thanks very much.

 

[EpcotFan1]

I live in the ft. myers area and im not a big fan of ft. myers beach. the water aint that pretty but they have alot of resturants/ seafood markets. They also have a pier and shops. There is also limted amount of parking for the beaches. Sanibel is awesome. Bad thing is that you cant really swim in the water because its really shelly. Has alot of shops and restuarants.

 

[kpadalik]

DanenRox,
September will be a good time to travel. Hot during the day, but the nights should be starting to get a bit more tolerable. Plus, when autumn starts, the sunsets get to be absolutely beautiful with so many different colors.

 

[Head_in_the_clouds]

Have to second Siesta Key Beach - it is GORGEOUS!!!!!!

Sarasota and its islands are very peaceful and quiet. I'm only 24 and found that there wasn't much to do except chill but if thats what you are looking for thats great. I mean there are theater and arts events going on all around and you can visit the Ringling museum and other places like that, but we were there for 3 nights and although you cannot beat the beauty of the beaches etc my mum and I were a little bored, but my Dad who is from a tiny island in the Indian Ocean, LOVED it! What I would say is make sure you take some good books or card or bored games just in case you have an active mind like me. We are also very fussy about accommodation and found that there were some pretty awful places that were still very expensive for what they were. We ended up staying in a Hilton Homewood suites which wasn't what we were looking for but we felt at least we were guaranteed a certain standard which wasn't offered with privately owned places.

All that being said, you absolutely cannot beat Sarasota and the surrounding areas like Venice (I'm not old - I liked it!!!!!) and Anna Maria Island for their beaches and Siesta Key is the cherry on top (visit St Olaf's Creamery if you like ice-cream lol!). Definitely worth a visit and we will be going back on day trips or for one night in the future!

 

[AdventurerKat]

I'll third Siesta Key. It's beautiful.

And because this is a big arts community, there are alot of things to do if you're interested in that. If you're looking for some live music and/or a place to have a drink, try one of the places in Siesta Village. There are also a few places in downtown Sarasota. The Gator Club is a neat one.

 

[DanenRox]

My research is confusing me a bit so if anyone can steer me in the right direction...when I look for Siesta Key Beach, I get information about Lido Beach, Crescent Beach and Siesta Key Beach. But unlike St Pete Beach (which I'm somewhat familiar with) many of the lodging options aren't hotels as much as they are cottages. Additionally, the cottage/hotels aren't necessarily on the beach, but very close the the beach. Is this correct? Given the choice, I like to be on the beach. Yes, I enjoy sitting on my balcony and looking at the Gulf. My husband needs high speed internet in the room so some of the cottage choices won't work. I like a nice pool as well as a nearby ocean. When restaurants/attractions are close by that's a +++. I thought I'd throw some specifics out there in case someone is very familiar with the area....