Clearwater Beach or Siesta Key Beach?

[mickeymousefan]

I also vote for Siesta Key. It is so pretty. Very different from the beaches up here in Jersey. Just make sure you take the highway there from WDW. Last year we decided to take the "back way" through the state (rt 27 to some other road etc) and it took us nearly 4 hours

 

[markey]

We have been to both Cocoa and Daytona which I think would be your closest Atlantic Beaches. Since we went to the Gulf side we have not been back. The Gulf side is much better, espically with small children. The current is very bad on the Atlantic side, almost imposible for small children, heck I had trouble. The Gulf water is very calm and beautiful. Just my thoughts, but the Gulf side is well worth the trip. We now have reservations at SK in August after our cruise. Have been to Marco Island, Santibel Island, Clearwater Beach and St. Pete Beach and have loved them all.

 

[TravelinGal]

I love that these threads are kept for over a year. (I know lots of boards clear out old posts to reduce bandwidth or something... )

We didn't make it to the beach last May. We ended up being sick (all at different times so it really killed the trip) for almost the entire time.

We're going in Sept/Oct for 16 days, so we'll for sure want to hit a beach this year.

Off to research Siesta Key more.

Is the gulf water still nice in late September/early October? (I assume so, but you know what they say about assuming! )

 

[lillygator]

yes the water is still nice although it starts cooling off a bit in Oct/Nov.

 

[TravelinGal]

Thanks! Good to know. We're a bit nervous about cold water so we're even shelling out the money to have pool heat at the rental home in late Sept/early Oct. It's not so much us, but our 2 year old. KWIM? Little kids don't adjust to the water very well if it's not warm enough and DS LOVES to play in the water.

 

[jcriket]

Clearwater beach has the best beach sand, super soft, and light. I've been to lots of beaches on both sides, never saw sand like clearwater, even just an island over, the sand is different, however I wouldn't plan a trip for the next few years. Lots of condo and road construction. It will be nice when it's done. My favorite beach to visit is Fort Desoto, in St. Pete, just south of here. Siesta Key is also very nice, but it's a bit further than us, from Orlando, About a 1/2 hour - 1 hour.

 

[lillygator]

actually Siesta's sand is better and has won awards for it. As much as I liked partying at CW, no way no how is the sand better. It won an international award for being whitest/finest.

“Best Overall” in the "1987 International Sand Contest" to being named the “Best Sand Beach in America 2004” by the Travel Channel, Siesta Key's Crescent Beach has accumulated numerous awards in recognition of its soft, clean, pure-white sand. Consistently, it is rated among the top ten beaches of Florida, the U.S., and the world. Harvard University's geology department found the sand of Crescent Beach was 99% pure quartz. Unlike most beaches that are composed of crushed shells, rocks or lava, this sand is pure white and finer in texture than most refined sugar. The sand has been described as "dazzling" and it is stated that it never feels hot. Siesta Key's remarkable sand and the azure, warm water of its beaches are a great attraction for tourists and local beachgoers alike who come to experience the sand and the water.

 

[leanne11]

we stayed here last year, and all i can say is the sunset is worth a million dollars, it has a pool near a playground and oceanfront, big balcony, nice, here's the website...
http://www.southbeachcondohotel.com/surfbeach/index.html
we have to go back to daytona for my dh this year but believe me i'm kicking and screaming not to go gulf...