On a gray, dark and rainy day like today I’m usually dreaming of our trips to the beaches in Florida. Bright blue skies, the warm sun on the skin, white sand between my toes, and the sound of splashing waves and seagulls in my ears. Sounds good? Maybe you will find your perfect destination after reading my round-up of the best beaches in Florida. Spring (and spring break) is around the corner and I’m sure it’s not too late to plan your first beach trip of the year!
1 – Sanibel Island
Sanibel Island will always be at the top of my best beaches in Florida list. Located across a toll bridge ($6) from Fort Myers Beach, the island has a very laid-back lifestyle and is the perfect getaway for families with small kids. You can bike almost everywhere, the beaches are long and wide, the water is shallow and warm, and there are always dolphins and pelicans to be spotted.
The driving time from Chattanooga is 10.5 hours.
2 – Rosemary Beach
could should stop in Birmingham, AL to grab a bite to eat or shop at Trader Joe’s. Don’t try too hard to find a decent restaurant between Birmingham and the coast; McDonald’s is as good as it gets.
3 – St. Augustine Beach
Driving time from Chattanooga is approx. 7.5 hours, depending on the traffic in Atlanta.
4 – Naples / Bonita Springs
Since ocean-front or beach access houses are expensive, especially if you don’t plan your trip months in advance, we stayed in Bonita Springs in this 3-bedroom house (owned by a German family and managed by a German realtor). It is only about a 15 minute car ride from the beach and it was perfect for us with a pool, a screened-in patio and conveniently located to restaurants and grocery stores.
5 – Florida Keys
We usually rent a house via VRBO or Airbnb. Always make sure to read the reviews and contact the owner directly to ask for availability (the online calendars are not always up-to-date) and the exact rate (including cleaning fees, deposit, tax and discounts).
Right now we are planning our LAST Florida vacation for spring break in March. Depending on the temperatures we might either be going to the Rosemary Beach / Destin area or further South to Tampa / Clearwater. Do you have any recommendations for the Tampa area? And please feel free to share your favorite Florida beach escapes in the comments below!
Wow, so nice memories… On our Florida roadtrip in autumn 2014 our favourite beach was Anna Maria Island. Anyway, you are right, sooo many fabulous beaches in FL. By the way, we had our best burgers in Fort Myers Beach, at Lehne Burger. Owner is a German couple that really serves fantastic burgers. Enjoy your trip, would love to go as well!
Thank you for your recommendations, Dagmar! I will put Anna Maria Island on our list for March :-)
Thank you, Tina, for this beautiful outlook on such a grey winter day.
We love all the places you mentioned!
Our favorite beaches are the South Walton beaches. And a favorite place for us to stroll and eat is Seaside.
Looking forward to spring break! I wonder what you are going to choose:-)
Greetings Rachel
Rachel, you are right. Seaside is also such a beautiful place! Maybe we’ll go there for spring break, but I don’t know if it will be warm enough there in March. I’ll keep you updated :-)
See you soon!
Tina
If you can stop by at Siesta Key Beach close to Sarasota, FL. It’s a crazy white beach. St. Armands and even Sarasota downtown had charme. But what do I know…not the Florida expert per se. Did you know you can visit Orange orchards? That was pretty cool.
I’ll put all of these on our list. Thank you, Rina!