florida south gulf coast and the everglades

[ihatethecold]

im going back to florida next yr (easter), i have been to clearwater and loved it, i was thinking of going further south, maybe naples area.
any recommendations?
i would love to go to the everglades with the kids, has anyone done this?
just for a day trip maybe. it looks like it s not too far from naples and surrounding areas.

Bump! Anyone?

everglades are a bit boring. Florida keys are fab, especially Key West. Sarasota and Captiva also very nice.

Florida keys are on my wish list. We have 7 days in Orlando first so I didn't want to drive all the way to the keys, but thought Naples would be a nice idea or surrounding area then fly back from Miami.

We drove down to the Keys a few years ago from Orlando stopping a few places on they way. Spent a week driving down and back up then across alligator alley (Everglades) and a few days in Naples. Was lovely. Key West really is worth a visit if possible.

Key west looks so far from Orlando . How many hours did it take you?

You are looking at a 7 hour trip from Orlando to key west. Why don't you fly to Miami and drive to Orlando then head for 4 days in Naples then 3 in the keys?

IF you stayed in key largo you could do the everglades one day and drive down to key west another day.

ihatethecold we drove down to the keys over a few days, stopping at various places on the way, Key Largo and a few other places. As cookcleaneretc has said, you could fly to Miami and then do a bit of exploring from there. I regularly go to Orlando but once flew into Miami and had the most amazing drive along alligator alley just as the sun was rising. Key West is a long drive, but is well worth a visit.

We deffo want a week in Orlando first. So, realistically I think the keys are too far.
My plan is to go to Naples for a week , then fly home from miami!

Where are you staying in Orlando?

Hilton at bonnet creek.
The most amazing hotel!
We stayed there last yr for £60 per night for 4 of us.
We still talk about it now!

We go to Naples every year and love it. You can do day boat trips to Keys from Naples/Marco area. Loads of Everglade boat trips run from Naples too.

We fly into Miami - it's only about 1.5 hours form there.

Captiva and Sanibel islands are gorgeous, and great for kids. The beaches are wide and there are hotels/motels right on them. The beaches are white sand, lots of shells. Amazing sunsets. It's about a four-hour drive from Orlando, so about the same time driving as Orlando - Naples. They are just by Fort Myers, a bit further north than Naples, but further off the I-75 so the drive to Miami would be longer than from Naples. They can be dear, but I think there are reasonable options as well. This site has lots of info. It's very beautiful there and not high-risey or too trafficky. There's a nature reserve you can bike around and stuff like that. Worth looking into maybe anyway.

If you do go to Naples, you are within easy reach of Alligator Alley and the airboat rides etc on the Everglades. I've been on a couple of those - they are fun for a day out.

Ah! This is making me wistful! Agree Captiva and Sanibel are gorgeous and it feels like the caribbean there. We often go there for a day from Naples.

Just had a chat with a travel agent friend of mine. She said Naples is quite expensive and that sanibel or captiva would be a better option !
I'm going to do some more research !

I think the opposite is true. You can rent a dirty great house with a pool in Naples for a reasonable sum. We found the houses in Sanibel or Captiva to be much more expensive, when we compared. But they do tend to be right on the beach whereas in Naples we rent a 10-15 minute drive from beaches.

Im just confused now! How about st pete beach? Any good.
I imagine its like clearwater!

Naples can be cheaper as it is possible to rent inland, whereas spaniel and captiva have limited space. All are nice. I would say spaniel and captiva are equally as expensive - the closer you are to the beach the costlier it will be. are you looking for a hotel or villa?

I would not go back to St. Petes or Clearwater as they aren't anywhere near as nice as Naples or sanibel.

Spaniel???
Where is that?

Sorry, sanibel! Stupid autocorrect!

We're off to Florida next month and we're planning to spend four days at Anna Maria Island - had lots of recommendations on The Dibb and it's only a 2-3hr drive from Orlando.

Just got back from Anna Maria Island newbeliever - had a great time - a narrow strip with a small road up the middle and a beach on one side and the inland waterway on the other so never far from either wherever you stay. Nothing over 3 storeys high from what I saw. Free trolley bus runs up and down the road so no need to drive.

Saw loads of dolphins and manatees and birds and glorious sunsets on the beach drinking cocktails. Chartered a small boat one afternoon around the inland waterway and that was great too - the captain knew just where to take us for wildlife etc. Absolutely loved it! Went to St Pete's for a day and came back very quickly - its much more developed and high-rise with a very busy multi-lane road next to the beach. Fort de Soto was lovely though especially for children.

Flying into Tampa is a great alternative to Orlando or Miami - immigration at Miami is a nightmare and MCO can be if 3 international flights land at once! Tampa is far better as not many international flights land ther infact BA may be the only one AFAIK .

Yes agreed, Tampa very easy and fairly small, car hire straight outside the terminal now - although we flew into it on Air Canada via Toronto and went through US immigration in Canada. Could also fly into Fort Lauderdale if staying in Naples - have done that before. Have often booked flights with one stopover in US/Canada when going to Florida - doesn't add more than 2/3 hours to the journey time but the money saved pays for the villa hire with our large family!

That's great to hear Myth, especially re all the wildlife you saw! Getting v excited now, just over 4 weeks to go!