Good morning! It’s looking like another a crisp, cold, sunny winter day here in the Philly area. I don’t mind the cold too much this time of year; it’s January, after all. I’m just happy to see the sun. It’s amazing what sunshine can do for one’s mood and outlook on life.
I fell down a rabbit hole again this morning… looking at vacation rentals in Florida, so I don’t have much time to chat.
We haven’t made much headway since last week, when I mentioned we might plan a warm weather getaway to break up the monotony of winter. I mean, we’ve looked at TONS of places in different locations, both on airBnB and through the Marriott website (I have a lot of Bonvoy rewards points we could use if we go that route) but it’s proving to be quite overwhelming. The more I look, the more confused I get.
Since we will most likely drive, I’d prefer to stay further north. I was looking at places in Hilton Head and St. Augustine, but some of our family members are concerned it won’t be warm enough for them (we we’re thinking late March/early April) so then we started looking down towards Cape Coral and Naples. That’s like an additional 4 or 5 hours in the car, but I guess if we stop somewhere to break it up, it wouldn’t be too bad.
Then there’s the whole house rental vs. resort debate. We were envisioning a house rental, but honestly, it’s a lot of work to set up house for a week. I’m almost ready to book a room at a resort and be done with it. I’m just not sure how well the kids will be able to do their schoolwork in that situation. They really like the idea of having space to spread out, and I get that.
It doesn’t help that I have no point of reference for any of these areas, as our Florida vacations have almost always involved a Disney resort. I really don’t know what I’m looking at, what there is to do, how crowded it might be, etc.
It kind of makes me want to hang it up and stay home, but the girls have their hopes up, so I feel like I need to get this figured out and book something before they all fill up. All that to say, I’m open to suggestions.
Other than that, there isn’t much to report from this past week. We’re just plugging along over here!
I was hoping to get a peek at my new blog design, but that didn’t happen, which was kind of a bummer, but these things always seem to drag on longer than anticipated. I’m just trying to focus on pounding out posts and all the other tasks that go into this job, and I’ll get to see it when I get to see it.
I hope you’re hanging in there, and keeping your chin up, as my mother would say. The days and weeks can seem really long this time of year, even without Covid restrictions. Take care of yourself, and enjoy the rest of your weekend!
Wow a lot of votes for FLORIDA….I say fly on my airline Lol
Safe easy..toooooo far to drive!
My vote fly into Jacksonville go to Saint Simons island…
everyone will be in Florida.
Have a great Sunday!
Haha! I would love to fly, but then we have to deal with getting covid tests before each trip. I have so many airline points banked up, it wouldn’t cost us anything. We would also need to rent a car to get around… and in case someone came down with covid, to drive home, lol. It’s still on the table, especially if we go further south.
I live close to the panhandle of Florida on the Alabama side. If you come in March it will be crowded. March is a very big spring break week. Go for April into May. It won’t be crowded and yet warm. As for where to go. I highly recommend Destin, Florida or Orange Beach Alabama. If you want a condo, these have plenty. They also have a lot of houses. Many, many times I have set up housekeeping in a condo and or house. It is a lot of work. Yes!! But…your children are old enough to take turns cooking the evening meal each night. You can even have them plan it, giving you the food list before you go to grocery. I will say the experience of a condo/house is far better than a resort especially for a family.
Yeah, they help, but ultimately it’s all on me to make sure we have everything, you know the drill. But yeah, I think a house is definitely the way to go this time b/c of Covid. It just seems safer.
Thanks for the wonderful break in all the craziness – each day I drink my coffee and look forward to your post!
I grew up in Tampa, FL and my family all is there still. My suggestion is if you are planning to go to Florida for warmth you go to locations south of Tampa in March or April, especially do not consider the panhandle, it can be sweatshirt weather there until May. I agree with your other readers, a house makes much more sense and makes it much more comfortable – you will find lots of condos with pools/tiki bars/restaurants on site! Good luck!
Yeah, the weather is a real conundrum. We like the St. Augustine area, and the 70s will feel hot to us, coming from Philly, but if it’s highs in the 60s, I’m not so sure.
This place is the best of both worlds— a villa on a resort property! And it’s on the east coast of FL which is closer for you.
https://be.synxis.com/?_ga=2.205786195.1363532151.1611578574-1712924012.1585099618&adult=1&arrive=2021-01-25&chain=10237&child=0¤cy=USD&depart=2021-01-26&hotel=28470&level=hotel&locale=en-US&rooms=1
Not sure if my last link worked. Here’s another try:
https://www.hammockbeach.com/stay/villas/
That looks perfect. unfortunately no villas avail for our dates. 🙁 I think that’s our biggest issue – we waited too long and most of the really good places are gone. Thanks for sending! I will tuck that one away for future reference.
Darn! Living in GA, we have been to the beach multiple times a year for the last 25 years and tried many FL beaches along with several in SC and GA. In the spring, the air temps are pretty warm (it was 80 yesterday in Tampa already!), but the ocean will be cold. You can prep your kids ahead of time!
So we found a place that looked cool in Amelia Island… but then we realized that’s even further north and cooler than St. Augustine. Worried about weather being too chilly. We don’t need to swim but would want to be able to enjoy the beach. This house has beach access, which has been SUPER hard to find ANYWHERE in our searches. So it’s tempting… but worried about weather. We’re looking at Easter weekend/first week of April, which I think is why so little availabilty.
Amelia is one of our favorites! In fact, I just booked a place there for a summer stay. April is a crap shoot as far as weather— could be 80’s, could be 60’s and windy. If you like non-beach activities like golf, tennis, biking, etc then it’s great!
I have a friend who has a good-sized house in Cape San Blas Florida that they keep in a rental pool. I’ve not been there, but the pics are very nice. If interested, I’ll get the info for you if you decide to go the house route.
Thank you! Wow, that is out there. I just mapped it. It looks amazing, but we aren’t sure we want to go that far. Still looking at the St. Augustine area. I will keep this in mind, though, thank you!
Hilton Head is great choice. March is a little cool but April would be good. We go every year the first part of May and we love it. No crowds, perfect beach. We have stayed at the Omni Resort in Palmetto Dunes for the last 5 years and really enjoy all their amenities. They also have a wonderful heated pool which is great for early Spring. I did a blog post about our trip a couple of years ago if you would like to see. I live in Southwest Virginia and I am getting tired of the snow and cold too and looking forward to sunny days ahead
https://busylifestylegal.com/2019/03/22/hilton-head-island-vacation-omni-resort/
Thanks, I will take a look! I do love a nice resort, but we were worried about crowds and Covid right now.
Where in SW VA do you live? Did you know I grew up in Salem?
Mid-70’s in March and near 80’s in April so for anyone who lives in the northeast, those should be wonderful temps! Cool enough in the evenings for all those wraps/cardigans we have. haha!