Will be in Tampa/Clearwater last week of Feb for beginning of ST. Looking forward to some heat.
OT: Deerfield Beach FL?
- Thread starter newell138
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Other than Tampa/St Pete, find most of the West Coast boring AF. St Armands Key/Sarasota is a little interesting, but as someone else noted, the Gulf beaches are not too interesting.
I have no idea why anyone would go to Naples except to visit their Parents or retire there. However, I did enjoy the Zoo. It's nothing but old white people, that constantly remind you of your coming mortality.
the last few years we have been spending a week in Key West followed by a week in Siesta Key which worked out well because a week in KW is exhausting, so the Siesta Key week was good for relaxing and drying out. Some of you have me worried that Marco will be boring but from what i can see there is no shortage of fun spots to eat/drink.
We are in our early 40s and love bringing our school aged daughter to Naples
Terrific and quiet beaches
Fifth Avenue
Mercato
Great scenery, restaurants, and people
To us, it doesn’t get any better than that
Have posted before, the Revs Institute Museum in Naples is a must go if you like automotive stuff. I hate museums and am not a huge car person, but that place was really cool.
Sarasota area has had a ton of new development, near the beach and inland east of I75 Interstate since 2020 and Covid. Downtown Sarasota is being planned as a similar experience as Palm Beach with plenty of high end restaurants, clubs and cafes in a vibrant downtown area. The airport is growing fast and is expanding the area to expanded Midwest and other cities across the US.
Compared to other FL metro areas Sarasota is a popular choice for many people and beaches are top notch for tourists. Quality food choices have improved greatly in recent years. There is even good pizza, Italian bread and bagels nearby, something I thought I’d never see in my lifetime. 😀
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We did quite a bit down there, but after our 4th trip on checking on mom we were out of things to do. Now don't get me wrong, we loved the beaches, but waveless saltwater gets to be a drag. We've been on 5th, however, we're not big on shopping, was fun to peruse. But how much perusing can you do. Mercato we have not done but thanks for telling me next trip we'll hit up. Mom is not a very helpful guide.
Restaurants your beef is awesome as you have a helluva lot of cattle, but the seafood is meh. It's tasteless, mush, I learned quickly, get the beef dishes. Your crustaceans and fish are swimming in a nutrient deprived desert.
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Yeah the non waves in the gulf are definitely kind of weird
Mercato is great, underrated but has the vibe of 5th without all the pretentiousness
Not a huge fan of the seafood down there I agree
Italian is good and def. agree the beef is top notch - which is funny bc I was always wondering why, and it makes sense b/c of the amt. of cattle down that way
Deerfield/Pompano are great for snorkeling right off the beach.
Once you get passed the shallow, 7-8 ft depths where waves stir things up, the water gets real clear and there are reefs that go perpendicular to the beach. Lots colorful triggerfish, eels, rays, barracudas and such. Break an urchin with knife and all the fish come to feed around you.
At 13 I would go further out than the wharf and it was maybe 30-40 ft but a snorkel was all that was needed. Vid shows wharf clean-up below the surface. I wouldn't dive near a wharf but the scenes are the same all along that part of FL.
Once you get passed the shallow, 7-8 ft depths where waves stir things up, the water gets real clear and there are reefs that go perpendicular to the beach. Lots colorful triggerfish, eels, rays, barracudas and such. Break an urchin with knife and all the fish come to feed around you.
At 13 I would go further out than the wharf and it was maybe 30-40 ft but a snorkel was all that was needed. Vid shows wharf clean-up below the surface. I wouldn't dive near a wharf but the scenes are the same all along that part of FL.
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Always wanted to take that 3-4 hour ferry from Naples to Key West. As I mentioned cheap flight down to southwest regional and then a beautiful Boat ride. One day.
This place is some of the best pizza I have ever had
RomanSQ | artisan pizza · 5.0★(286) · Pizza restaurant
6670 Superior Ave, Sarasota, FL 34231
So I've never really spend time in prime season. But here are my thoughts. Very nice beach with very nice higher end homes on entire island . Staying at friends 1 block off beach 3 stories - 5 bed rooms 5 baths and is average home. Not a ton of restaurants and things to do out on it but there are a handful and all in the central causeway entrance. very peaceful and quiet . There is a fishing pier and another for gaming.
Inland off the causeway are two supermarkets (Publix and Lowes and an ABC store of of course The Dollar General). Plenty of other food places and also 3-4 Big Beach Stores and the usual commercial stores like Subway, JMikes, Dominoes Pizza ) .
There are 20+ Golf Course within 15 miles. There are also 7-8 Thrift Stores nearby for anyone into that (we like to poke around).
Could get a little boring for some as it is NOT LBI or Jersey shore-like but we enjoy the space and pace. 50 mins north you got Wilmington or South Merrell's Inlet and yeah..Dirty Myrtle.
Building left and right so seems like a place folks are discovering. Hope that helps. Glad to answer anything specific.
good stuff, i appreciate it. are the homes almost all occupied with renters or is there a mix? I actually like that about Cherry Grove, there was decent amount of homeowners in our neighborhood, not just renters. And they were real friendly, with lots of good info on where to go. seems like OIB is a little quieter than Cherry Grove.
I believe it is a good mix. everyone around is super friendly. one of the main reasons we come back every year. Ask friend how to describe it (he and his wife just came down for a few days and they have a house on LBI) and he said houses look like a development on the beach.
What month does it get warm enough for SA? Wife wants to go and i want to combine it with Amelia Island 3 days in each spot. Any good places to stay?
May is likely a time when you can count on warm weather in North Florida. It’s also the beginning of the offseason, so hotel rates will be lower.
Depends what temp you want. March/April are beautiful in NE Fla. it’s like an elongated spring. May 1 is hot. I’ve had friends from up north come in May and not be able to handle the heat.
Much more to do in SA than Amelia.
Thats fine 3 days of doing stuff and 3 days or relaxation works for us. Any good places to stay
In Amelia the ritz is the premier location and there are a number of inns in downtown fernindina as well as condo rentals on the beach in some of the golf communities. Amelia island is basically a bunch of residential golf communities with a fishing village up the street. If you’re going to play golf, then one answer. If you’re going to go shopping then another. The Elizabeth point lodge used to be exquisite but some of the reviews are mixed.
Same is SA, do you want to stay in historic downtown which has a number of inns and small hotels or out at the beach? I’d recommend the collector inn. Heard it’s nice- just a few blocks south of historic downtown
We went for Christmas in the first year of Covid and I highly recommend. They really light the place up so nice and classy. We stayed in a VRBO in St Augustine Beach and it was warm enough to use their heated pool. Depends on what you define as warm.
