West Coast of Florida Experts

[katallo]

Most of our trips involve the east coast of Florida. Any suggestions for a great place to visit on the west coast? We are thinking about something in the central or lower gulf coast region. Points of interest would be the beach (which I'm sure is the easy part) and driving that is not too complicated.

 

[DisneygirlTeacher]

We have LOTS of tourists right now in St. Pete Beach! It's about an hour and a half away from Orlando, right down I-4....the beach is so pretty and it's a quieter town than most beach towns. There's lots of hotels...you could go on Travelocity and check them out. One that's nice is The Tradewinds on the beach. The Vinoy isn't on the beach, but is gorgeous in downtown St. Pete..still near the water though (the bay.) The Don CeSar is on St. Pete Beach and like The Vinoy, is elegant and expensive, but beautiful. You might also want to check out The Florida Aquarium in Tampa to visit for a fun day...there's also Lowry Park Zoo and Busch Gardens. If you go to St. Pete Beach to stay, you have to eat at The Hurricane on Pass-a-Grille Beach for the best grouper sandwich in the world! Have fun whatever you decide to do!

 

[katallo]

Thanks so much. I'll definitely check it out!

 

[Mrs Dazzle]

We are spending the first four nights of our trip this August on Marco Island (our fave area of Florida), then 9 nights in Orlando, then back down to the beach for another week on Fort Myers Beach.

As you may have guessed we LOVE the gulf coast, particularly the southern half.

If you are looking for a more 'mid' area, have a look at the Sarasota/Anna Maria Island/Siesta Key area.

If you need any more info, please holler

 

[MattM]

I tend to agree more with Mrs.Dazzle.

St Pete/Clearwater area is very commercial. There are lots of high-rise style condos, etc. However, the beach and water itself is still very beautiful.

If you want to see more undeveloped beaches, you have to go south of Sarasota. I would recommend Englewood or Boca Grande, Sanibel Island, or Marco Island. Great white sandy beaches and crystal clear water there, without all the commercialization (but probably not much longer).

Let me know if I can be of any more help!

 

[deej696]

If you are looking for convenience to WDW, then the Clearwater/St. Pete area would be the way to go. If you dont mind driving a little further, Sanibel and Marco are the better beach areas, simply because they are not in a metro area....

 

[suzannews]

We stayed at the Sheraton on Sand Key last summer and loved it.

 

[jadejazzkayla]

at the end of may i stayed at the Tropical Breeze resort on Siesta Key. walk to beach, grocery/package store, bars and restaurants. $103 per night with aaa discount. i was just hubby and me. we had a screened in lani that was awesome. room #119.

 

[katallo]

These are great suggestions...thank you. We are still trying to lock into a decent airfare! Was hoping for something at SWA on Wednesday (birthday sale) but no luck.