Florida Key Recommendations?

[thrillhammer 684]

On 8/28/2022 at 9:17 AM, Not that Bob said:

Please help me narrow all this down...dizzying array of choices above. Keys may not be what I want. Don't want to fish, golf or bar hop. Just want sandy beach where kids can swim and I can sit on my butt and watch. Something similar to condo in Port A or in Hawaii. Perhaps Keys is not my spot. 

Panama City

[Reagan1k 3024]

4 hours ago, thrillhammer said:

Panama City

Yep - @Not that Bob is looking for (throw a dart) anywhere from Orange Beach to Panama City ..........and Sept. - Oct. is a lower season for pricing, but the weather and surf/beach are usually great.

[thrillhammer 684]

6 minutes ago, Reagan1k said:

Yep - @Not that Bob is looking for (throw a dart) anywhere from Orange Beach to Panama City ..........and Sept. - Oct. is a lower season for pricing, but the weather and surf/beach are usually great.

agreed.  the keys are fantastic but you have to remain active to see and explore all the islands.  if you want to plant your butt on some sugar sand and clear water head to the gulf.  destin would also be nice but for kids panama city might be better.  

[Brew 3049]

On 8/28/2022 at 11:37 AM, Viking said:

I'll second the recommendation for the west coast or panhandle if you just want a beach. To help you narrow it down my favorite vacation spot on the west coast is Sanibel Island. Everywhere else that I've been is way more built up with miles of 10+ story condos. If you don't mind over built spots I'm also a fan of Madeira Beach and try to be close to John's Pass so you can walk there in the evenings for food. Driving can be annoying and it's nice to just walk across the road and pick up dinner easily. I think we ate at the pizza joint there every other night.

Have had a place on Sanibel for years, it depends on the ages and interests of the kids. We have found that a lot of couples with kids that come visit us don’t like the beaches. They only know the panhandle white sands and clear water, so crushed shell and sometimes murky/sometimes clear water aren’t their thing. Saying that, it’s been the only beach we want to go to. That is mainly because of the island itself and the lack of corporate restaurants, hotels, etc. and we know the owners,servers, and others at all the places we go. We sold recently and are trying to decide whether to buy there again or try something else. The island has changed a lot post Covid and it is overrun with people instead of being that laid back, community feel it has always been.

[CoTex 1160]

Go here.  Take a credit card.

https://m.fourseasons.com/surfside/

[Mitch Cumsteen 18550]

We rented a place on Anna Maria island a few years back. Lots of Airbnbs walking distance or right on the beach, lots of restaurants on the beach, super laid back. Good for kids. Highly recommend.

[Gil Bang 25984]

On 8/28/2022 at 7:17 AM, Not that Bob said:

Please help me narrow all this down...dizzying array of choices above. Keys may not be what I want. Don't want to fish, golf or bar hop. Just want sandy beach where kids can swim and I can sit on my butt and watch. Something similar to condo in Port A or in Hawaii. Perhaps Keys is not my spot. 

 

On 8/28/2022 at 10:51 AM, immamac said:

This is not the place for that. Go to Cancun. 

Go to Belize.  Stay at the Blue Tang. 

[Brew 3049]

3 hours ago, Mitch Cumsteen said:

We rented a place on Anna Maria island a few years back. Lots of Airbnbs walking distance or right on the beach, lots of restaurants on the beach, super laid back. Good for kids. Highly recommend.

Books around Pine Avenue and you have decent restaurants and no public parking. Makes for a much better trip to AMI.

[Buzzrock 14936]

Went down to Key West for four nights on a last minute family trip. Stayed in an old house for an Airbnb a block from Greene and Duval. It was super windy due to a storm front so we couldn’t get out on the water, but it was warm enough and we pedaled bikes all over town, saw the sights, and ate and drank ourselves into a stupor. A few highlights:

The Hemingway House is worth dropping by. You can do a tour or self-guide, we did the latter. He is an all time badass American for sure and the house is cool.

The Hemingway-Pilar rum distillery is really just a marketing venture with his name but the tour is cool and the rum is good.

General Horseplay was our favorite bar. Goofy name but has a throwback vibe and legit cocktails. During happy hour you roll a die and I got a pour of Fortaleza Blanco Still Strength for $2.

Shots and Giggles, another one with a dumb name, is a good little hole in the wall type bar that’s not so touristy.

We stopped at Sanguich in Miami before the drive down and they make a killer Cuban.

Koffie House, Two Friends, and Breakfast Club Too were all good coffee/breakfast choices.

Give yourself a lot of time to get back to Miami if that’s where you’re flying out of. They had one lane closed south of Key Largo coming back and we cut it pretty close for our flight. We did stop at Square Grouper in Islamorada and got a good fresh fish sandwich.