Best beach in Florida - opinions please

[kikismom]

Hi all! I think I've talked my husband into a Florida trip over Christmas break. We'll be in the parks for 7 nights and then a beach town for 7 nights, 6 if the beach is far away and we need to stay in a hotel for a halfway point between the 2. We will be renting a car. I need help picking a beach so I can make reservations.

We would like a chill beach that has good sand and swimmable waters. I know it's December but we are coming from cold so for us 65 is fairly warm. We want to stay on the beach and have access to good restaurants, anything from food trucks to 5 star dining, we like a mixture.

We'll have our 11 yo daughter with us so nothing that the main focus is night life. Aquariums, zoos, museums are plusses if in the area.

Any ideas for us? The research is overwhelming so I figured I'd ask here. Thanks in advance!

 

[Disneychick13]

I’m going to recommend Clearwater beach because it’s a really nice beach and it’s only about 2.5 hrs from Orlando. If you weren’t coming from Orlando I would recommend Destin (Miramar Beach).

 

[nw6675]

Agree on Destin if it's not too far for you. Family friendly. Beautiful beaches. Tons of things to do for kids. Shopping. Good restaurants.

 

[dcassetta]

For distance from Orlando, access to other activities, and nice beaches, I would also recommend Clearwater or perhaps Siesta Key. The water will be a little warmer than in the panhandle.

 

[sheilafri]

I winter in Destin and really wouldn’t recommend it for a beach destination over Christmas. Clearwater is much closer. Beaches aren’t quite as nice imho but the weather will be warmer than in the Panhandle so better for hanging at the beach. You should be happy to stroll along the waters edge, at least.
You could also consider a visit to Kennedy Space Center. Very fascinating for all even if you haven’t birthed a future astronaut. I also like St. Augustine. Maybe not for the beaches at Christmas, but it is a fun tourist town and has good Christmas lights.

 

[fla4fun]

Anna Maria Island is nice. It’s the barrier island on the Gulf Coast west of Bradenton and north of Sarasota. Most of the beaches between Clearwater Beach and St. Petersburg Beach are nice. Some of them are mostly residential with just a handful of smaller hotels, so it’s more quiet than the more well known beaches at either end, but you are still close to all the amenities of the larger beach communities.

 

[Kevin O'Brien]

Hi all! I think I've talked my husband into a Florida trip over Christmas break. We'll be in the parks for 7 nights and then a beach town for 7 nights, 6 if the beach is far away and we need to stay in a hotel for a halfway point between the 2. We will be renting a car. I need help picking a beach so I can make reservations.

We would like a chill beach that has good sand and swimmable waters. I know it's December but we are coming from cold so for us 65 is fairly warm. We want to stay on the beach and have access to good restaurants, anything from food trucks to 5 star dining, we like a mixture.

We'll have our 11 yo daughter with us so nothing that the main focus is night life. Aquariums, zoos, museums are plusses if in the area.

Any ideas for us? The research is overwhelming so I figured I'd ask here. Thanks in advance!

Have a research about beaches in Florida and read the reviews because I've been to Cocoa Beach and it has big surfing waves which isn't suitable for paddling or swimming.

I haven't been to Daytona beach but from a news company Fox 35 Orlando I've heard there can be some rip currents.

I could be right or wrong but I'm going to recommend clearwater beach because I've heard a lot of people saying they enjoyed it.

 

[R&RsMom]

We’ve stayed on the beach in Clearwater Beach and St Pete Beach, and enjoyed both. I think St Pete Beach was a bit more touristy. We’ve also stayed in Naples and Bonita Springs but not on the beach. The beaches in Naples were very nice; I was not impressed with Bonita Springs beaches. the Bonita trip included a day on Sanibel; if they are recovered from the last hurricane, those would be a nice beach stay, but again further south. My recommendation would be Clearwater.

 

[dcassetta]

Bonita trip included a day on Sanibel; if they are recovered from the last hurricane, those would be a nice beach stay, but again further south.

Sanibel has not fully recovered, although things are improving.

 

[robinb]

I’m not sure that 7 days at the beach in late December will pan out for you. I went to WDW every Christmas for nearly 20 years and we also went to Tampa for half of them to see family. We almost never went to the beach. It was simply too cold and we are from Wisconsin and gladly swam at WDW in a heated pool. I would plan on going somewhere where, if it’s a warm week, you can go to the beach but there are other things to do if it’s chilly. I would also consider staying longer in Orlando and only a couple days at the beach. FWIW, I spent many WDW trips bundled up in layers. Temperatures can be as low as in the upper 40’s to the low 80’s and everything in between.

Sorry to be a Debbie Downer.

 

[LYSE]

Destin/30a cannot be beat but is far away and will be cooler than something further south.

 

[HopperFan]

Are you thinking 65 degree weather or 65 degree ocean water? There is a big difference. Most north of Orlando does have a "winter" of it's own, blue jeans, jackets some days. While we swim in pools, hopefully heated, it's a very rare moment you see anyone in the ocean. 65 degrees in water is cold for the body.

If that works St. Augustine is a very foodie town, lots of history, lots of small museums, great historic downtown full of shops and dining and lots of live music. To stay on beach I'd look at booking a condo for the week or check out Embassy Suites right on the beach. At least they will have the pools if the ocean is too cold. Beautiful at Christmas with Night of Lights - millions of lights all over town. Holiday, caroling trolleys and great atmosphere.

 

[robinb]

Are you thinking 65 degree weather or 65 degree ocean water? There is a big difference. Most north of Orlando does have a "winter" of it's own, blue jeans, jackets some days. While we swim in pools, hopefully heated, it's a very rare moment you see anyone in the ocean. 65 degrees in water is cold for the body.

If that works St. Augustine is a very foodie town, lots of history, lots of small museums, great historic downtown full of shops and dining and lost of live music. To stay on beach I'd look at booking a condo for the week or check out Embassy Suites right on the beach. At least they will have the pools if the ocean is too cold. Beautiful at Christmas with Night of Lights - millions of lights all over town. Holiday, caroling trolleys and great atmosphere.

Exactly. The average temperature of the water is 68 at Clearwater. That’s way too cold for swimming.

 

[kikismom]

Thanks all! I'm going to look into a few of those places. We are big road trippers so long drives won't bother us if there is a beach far south.

I get pretty overheated in weather above 70 and we live on the coast in Washington state. We've been in the water swimming in our super cold ocean since we were kids. Even if it's just to wade out there a few times we should be okay.

 

[dcassetta]

Thanks all! I'm going to look into a few of those places. We are big road trippers so long drives won't bother us if there is a beach far south.

I get pretty overheated in weather above 70 and we live on the coast in Washington state. We've been in the water swimming in our super cold ocean since we were kids. Even if it's just to wade out there a few times we should be okay.

If you don’t mind the drive, you might look at a trip to the Florida Keys. Staying at one of the middle keys like Marathon, would allow you to explore many different parts of the keys. There are not the large, white, sandy beaches that you find in other parts of Florida, but there are beaches plus lots of other things to do.

 

[0FF TO NEVERLAND]

Clearwater use to be really nice, until they overbuilt like crazy. 20 years ago it was amazing. Beach is still nice but still not too much to do in the area and congested

 

[Brian Noble]

We go to Palm Beach in February. That’s a drive, and it may be warmer than you are looking for, but I'd want to be well south of e.g. Daytona in December.

 

[kikismom]

If you don’t mind the drive, you might look at a trip to the Florida Keys. Staying at one of the middle keys like Marathon, would allow you to explore many different parts of the keys. There are not the large, white, sandy beaches that you find in other parts of Florida, but there are beaches plus lots of other things to do.

We definitely don't mind the drive we are regular road trippers and have driven all over the western US. Looking at a Google Map I'm showing the drive from Marathon to Orlando at about 6 hours. Since we'd want to make a lot of stops and explore if book a hotel about halfway and break it up.

We go to Palm Beach in February. That’s a drive, and it may be warmer than you are looking for, but I'd want to be well south of e.g. Daytona in December.

Palm Beach seems really close. I'll take one for the team if it means warm weather for my husband. He doesn't like Disney and is being gracious about me adding a whole lot of time there during.our Christmas break.

 

[Willow1213]

Keep in mind that Daytona up through St Augustine also saw pretty heavy damage from last year's storms. We were just at our family timeshare in New Smyrna Beach and there was still a lot of repairs to be done and the sand is just GONE. The tide comes right up to the sea wall now. We still enjoyed our stay but the beaches took heavy damage last year for sure.

 

[fla4fun]

If you don’t mind the drive, you might look at a trip to the Florida Keys. Staying at one of the middle keys like Marathon, would allow you to explore many different parts of the keys. There are not the large, white, sandy beaches that you find in other parts of Florida, but there are beaches plus lots of other things to do.

This is a good suggestion if you don’t mind the drive. It will be warmer than the central Florida beaches and there are things to do in the Keys. Key West is a bit crowded, but the rest of the Keys are pretty laid back.

We prefer to take the Florida Turnpike down from Orlando, instead of I-95, even though it is a toll road.