Am looking for somewhere in the US that’s like Florida but not Florida…

[PickyTea]

Sorry for the confusing title, need to add context.

I am looking for location ideas for our 2023 main holiday, have booked a few little week long trips but due to expecting our first in Jan, she has put a bit of a spanner in the works (as our planned big trip next year was all inclusive adults only)

Context on the Florida but not Florida - Since the abortion law changes in the US, DH and I are no longer willing to travel to states that have restrictive abortion laws, Florida was our back up trip for next year (as we try to go every year) but it’s now out. So am looking for US based recommendations that fill the below ‘brief’

Has good weather, will be travelling either May, September or October

Won’t require long road trips to get to attractions (max 1.5 hour drives at a time due to DD, 3hr round trip essentially)

Villa type accommodations available (readily) with heated pools etc. Ideally wouldn’t be in a residential area, as we like the villa complexes in FL

We aren’t fussed about Disney type attractions and usually travel to FL as it’s just easier in terms of good sized accommodation, lots of stuff to do in a central area and the weather is always nice, but would like somewhere with things to do, not the middle of no where in the Forrest.

Does anyone have suggestions?

We’d be going for 10-14 days and budget is £7k

I agree with PP around Palm Springs, I’d also look at New England and the cute towns around there

Ogunquit in Maine is fabulous. Wide choice of accommodation styles - we had a family suite with small kitchenette in a small hotel complex with pool. Lots of restaurants and shops within walking distance and you can also walk to Perkins Cove.

Great place to base yourself for visiting Kennebunk etc. Stop off at Salem on the way back to Boston etc.

Room rates drop off significantly after Labour Day so September would be a great time to visit.

I love Palm Springs. We don’t do villas, but we had a lovely road trip from San Diego, to Burbank (LA; specifically for Universal Studios), out to PS and then back to Santa Monica.

You might want to look into somewhere like Manhattan Beach. It’s a nice, seafront town just south of LAX (so easy to get to after your flight). It’s approx 30 min drive (excl traffic) north to Universal, and the same the other way to Anaheim for Disney.

I’d then head out to a villa or villa resort hotel in PS for some r&r. There’s an excellent designer outlet just before you get into PD; we’ve always done our Christmas shopping there.

With you on FL; we deliberately went to CA on our last road trip during the Trump years.

The Carolinas won’t cut it for our virtue-signaling OP. They ban abortions after 21 weeks 6 days.

OP, come to Oregon where you can have an abortion up the moment of birth, no questions asked. But heroin is decriminalized…

It bothers me because if she feels she can’t go to Florida because of their new limits, then she better give up travelling altogether because there are few places on the globe that will be suitable for OP as a holiday destination.

Also, it just isn’t logical. She should just go to Florida because she knows she likes it, instead of pointlessly going elsewhere to protest very uncontroversial abortion limits that would fit nicely within Western Europe, actually FL is more liberal generally speaking.

Now if she mentioned Louisiana, which does in fact have an abortion ban, then she’d have a point.

Lake Tahoe, California?

NYC & drive to the Hamptons?

Not USA but what about Toronto?

Lots of places in California would probably fit the bill in terms of amount of attractions. Maybe start off flying into LA & head to San Diego & Palm Springs?