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Florida gulf villa/area recommendations please

12 replies

JustNotFunAnymore · 06/01/2021 18:22

Dh and I want to visit Florida to celebrate our ten year wedding anniversary so I've been spending some time googling Florida villas for 2022.
There's some lovely places but none close enough to walk to a restaurant so that dh isn't always having to drive.
I want 3-4 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, air con, WiFi, private pool, bbq and preferably a hot tub attached to the pool. Not overlooked (the canal side ones are lovely)
Can anyone recommend me an area or a villa?
Thank you

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Zodlebud · 06/01/2021 19:52

The great majority of Florida villas aren’t walking distance to restaurants, particularly the ones in the Disney area. Everything is so spread out and they are usually in big gated villa communities.

You can find places in Sarasota, Naples, St Pete Beach and The Keys with restaurants walkable.

Also be aware that Americans make restaurant reservations weeks in advance. Literally, there were times we struggled to find anywhere with space unless we wanted an hour long wait in the bar with a beeper to tell us when a table was ready. Definitely plan in advance!

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CoronaIsWatching · 06/01/2021 19:54

Sanibel

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Peruviandog · 06/01/2021 19:59

We stayed here at Indian rocks beach. Beautiful area, we walked to JDs restaurant and bar every day where there was live music every afternoon. There were many other restaurants in the area along with supermarkets etc.
The gulf coast trolley ran up and down the whole coast so you could use that to visit other resorts and not have to drive.

This apartment only has 2 bedrooms though but if you contact the owners they may be able to advise if they know if any of the other owners rent out too.

www.tripadvisor.co.uk/VacationRentalReview-g34316-d6562051-Pristine_Beach_Front_Development_WELCOME_BACK_LOWEST_RATES-Indian_Rocks_Beach_Florida.html

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JustNotFunAnymore · 06/01/2021 20:08

@Zodlebud

The great majority of Florida villas aren’t walking distance to restaurants, particularly the ones in the Disney area. Everything is so spread out and they are usually in big gated villa communities.

You can find places in Sarasota, Naples, St Pete Beach and The Keys with restaurants walkable.

Also be aware that Americans make restaurant reservations weeks in advance. Literally, there were times we struggled to find anywhere with space unless we wanted an hour long wait in the bar with a beeper to tell us when a table was ready. Definitely plan in advance!

Thank you. We stayed on a gated complex when we went for our wedding and had to drive everywhere which was fine but I'd like something more relaxed for dh this time!
I'll look at the place you recommended 😊
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Funf · 07/01/2021 09:36

In our experience it was better if you can drive, I quite enjoyed the driving

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Funf · 07/01/2021 09:38

We stayed on Mission Park, Its 20 mins from some Disney stuff but 50 from others its a massive area. We also drove to Miami, Davey, Fort Lauderdale, Hollywood Beach, it was like going on holiday whilst on holiday
www.debbiesvillas.co.uk/orlando-properties/mission-park

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LockedDownLife · 07/01/2021 09:45

We stayed in a villa in Indian Rocks Beach. It didn't look like much from the outside (especially given the price) but at the back it went onto a deck over the water, with a hot tub etc. Dolphins swam up and down as we sat there. Was amazing! You could walk to the beach and a few cafes/restaurants.

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Whitney168 · 07/01/2021 09:49

No specific villa recommendations, as we stay with family, but Celebration would be a great area to stay. Very easy and safe walking, various restaurants, lovely feel to the place.

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ChristopherTracy · 07/01/2021 09:50

Anywhere walkable to St Johns Pass would do the job.

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JustNotFunAnymore · 07/01/2021 10:58

Thank you everyone, plenty for me to look at there. We are planning a three week stay with the first week at or close to Disney. The following two weeks are planned to be pretty chilled out!

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Stillgoings · 15/01/2021 07:52

Have a look on Anna Maria Island. We had a glorious.week there in 2019. We stayed at the North end with a private pool and walked easily to three restaurants..I won't recommend the. Illa as it only had two bedrooms, but there is a lot of holiday accommodation on the island

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Dontbetardy · 15/01/2021 09:33

When we go we don’t hire a car. We use Uber and Lyft. Both extremely easy to use and work. Never waited longer than 3-4 minutes and the apps are both very easy to use. Would that be an option?

Also, by downloading the apps before we left, we were given free credit on both. I am sure it was $30 on Uber and $15 on Lyft. Both went a long way and overall spent a considerable amount less than a car hire.

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