traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

Hi

Looking to book a beach vacation for march with DH and 3 kids. All under the age of 5.

I was looking into Club Med sandpiper and Key west (but have no ideas on where to stay).

Does anyone have any recommendations or other places I should look into.

THANKS!

traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

I don't have children yet but FH and I were in Key West this past October for a wedding. It's not really a great place for children plus they don't have any nice beaches! I would look into the Clearwater/ St. Petersburg area.

traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

The Sandpearl in Clearwater Beach is nice. The beach is VERY nice there, despite the fact that some people say it's a "party" beach. When we went, we didn't see any partying. Many families. Crystal clear waters, nice soft sand. It was great!

You could visit the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (Home of Winter the Dolphin from Dolphin Tale), visit the MOSI museum in Tampa, there is mini golf down the road in Clearwater, and lots of other little family friendly things to do.

Message edited 1/21/2014 2:44:12 PM.

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

Great information!!
Thanks so much!

I will definitely look into them more.

traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

I love key west but def not a kid friendly place. Lots of hotels and b & Bs are clothing optional. Drinking is allowed in the streets.

traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

We like Pink Shell in Fort Myers Beach. You fly into fort myers, and rent a car from the airport. The resort is all 1 and 2 bedroom units. Pool and beach is great with kid activities on the deck in the afternoon. There is a sprinkler pool as well as a zero entry pool. Depending on time of year they show movies in the pool at night. The spa is also really nice. It comes with a beautiful buffet breakfast every morning. Restaurants in town are kid friendly, it's a quick drive to Sanibel. We go every year and it is a favorite for my kids.

There is also a pirate kids cruise at night that my kids loved. We went in September and traveled with 3 kids under 5 as well.

Message edited 1/21/2014 6:47:36 PM.

traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

We're going to St. Pete beach in April with a toddler. We found a resort right on the beach and there seems to be a lot to do in the area like the aquarium, zoo, Busch Gardens, beach, etc...

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

We are going to club med sandpiper for February break... Heard great things looking forward to it,

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

I really like Naples with kids. Beautiful, calm beaches, cute zoo, botanical garden. Cute downtown for restaurants. We've been a few times and have stayed at both the Naples grande(I think it's now Waldorf Astoria) and the ritz and it was great. Pool at Naples grande was great for kids-zero entry with a slide. Also lots of kids activities going on around spring break.

Message edited 1/22/2014 8:13:07 AM.

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

I am pretty sure club med sandpiper is not on a beach. I looked into the resort a few months ago.

One of my friends raved about Hawks Cay in the Keys area.

We are also looking into a beach getaway (doesn't have to be Fl) and am interested in the suggestions on this thread.

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

Re: traveling to florida with kids (not disney)

One of the biggest negatives for me about club med was that it is not on the beach. Its near the bay and has sand and the water. Seems perfect for kids and gets decent reviews. Its still on my list.

Thanks for all the suggestions. Going to start researching now!