Florida Resort Advice

[shockwave7_7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close shockwave7_7]

I am planning a trip to Florida in August to use the remainder or our annual and saved points (8,000 total). I was surprised there were so many available for use with saved points, and I was wondering if anyone here could provide a recommendation. Our main vacation next year will be Disney, so we are just looking for something on the beach (preferably with a nice pool) where can relax. It will be me and my wife and our 3 year-old son. If anyone has any recommendations on where to stay or where to avoid, it would be much appreciated. I did a search and it looked like our points could get us a room at any of the following:

Ocean Towers 1BR (Panama City)
Resort 66 1BR (Holmes Beach)
Via Roma 1BR (Brandenton Beach)
Surfrider Beach Club 1B (Sanibel Island)
Gulfstream Manor 1BR (Delray Beach)
Fantasy Island Resort II 1BR (Daytona Beach)
Dolphin Beach Club 1BR (Daytona Beach)
Outrigger Beach Club 1BR (Ormond Beach)

[smithiekid Member Find all posts View Profile Close smithiekid]

Resort 66 is a very nice small resort it is very quite (it is an ex motel converstion) it does have a very nice pool and is right on the beach. The whole area is very chilled out and would be ideal with a 3 yr old after the hectic time in Orlando.
Which ever you choose dont hang about in making your reservation

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Similarly, Via Roma is a comfortable little beachfront resort in the Sarasota area. The beaches there are Anna Maria, Bradenton Beach, Holmes Beach, Longboat Key sorta on the north end, so Via Roma is in that area. We had a deposit to use, so DW and her GFs went to Via Roma last summer.

Longboat Key is upscale, with nicer non-BG resorts.

Being a longtime fan of (further) SW FL, we would go to Sanibel (any Sanibel resort), and not even think twice about it.

[lawren2 Malibu Beach Barbie & A Super Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close lawren2]

I have stayed at Surfrider and really enjoyed the property and the location on Sanibel Island.

The 1BR at Via Roma are across the street from the beach and are termed "gardenview" units.

[rapmarks Moderator Find all posts View Profile Close rapmarks]

I would go with Resort 66 or Surfrider. I think you would love either Sanibel or Anna Maria Island.

[motomem Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close motomem]

You just about can't go wrong with any of the beaches in FL.
I go to Bike Week in Daytona every year, plus additional trips. Daytona and Ormond have great beaches. You can drive on a lot of beach in Daytona - it's a "road", has a speed limit, 10mph, and is strictly enforced. The beach has a lot of depth so the "road" takes up a very small portion. Not many vehicles on the beach road unless there's a big event going on, super easy to get around on the beach.
I stayed in a 2BR at Fantasy Isle. Resort II and it was HUGE. The 1BR is probably fairly large also. BG has revamped it and it was nice. The pool is not super large but it was nice.
Many things to do and see in the Daytona area.

[shockwave7_7 Member Find all posts View Profile Close shockwave7_7]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sanibel looked really nice, but we decided to go with the Fantasy Island II at Daytona because we could book a 2BR.

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Sanibel looked really nice, but we decided to go with the Fantasy Island II at Daytona because we could book a 2BR.

Well, if you're looking for a stretch of sand in front of water, that will do.



Take a drive around the neighborhood:

http://maps.google.com/maps?q=3175+S...=12,20.35,,0,0

[crwisconsin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close crwisconsin]

Well, if you're looking for a stretch of sand in front of water, that will do.

That really makes me happy. Especially if the water goes back and forth and up and down (tides and waves).

Charles

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

That really makes me happy. Especially if the water goes back and forth and up and down (tides and waves).

Charles

Plus, IHOP right across the street.

What more could one want?

[crwisconsin Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close crwisconsin]

Plus, IHOP right across the street. What more could one want?

I look out the front window at the water and not the back window at ???. I want a timeshare so I can prepare nutritious meals rather than IHOP, etc. fare. In all honesty however, I must admit I ate at an IHOP once when I traveled to a funeral. I can't really complain about their fare for the greater population, but I have bad genetics when it comes to certain components of food.

Charles

[JLB Please excuse me, I'm a Dick. Not a moron just a Dick Find all posts View Profile Close JLB]

It's kinda neat when I googlemap a place and it still looks the same as when I was there.

Makes me wanna say, "I was there."

That is the stretch of road we drove soon after sun-up as we were arriving when we took our extended family there in 1990. I parked on the beach further north on A1A, facing east at sun-up, and a van-full of fam who had never seen the ocean before woke up to the sunrise. Good thing the sun came up in the east that day.

Yeah, I can be a softie.