Broken record time: Sanibel/Captiva!

I think if you search you can probably find some recent discussions about Florida vacation spots and I know I contributed. To avoid redundancy...what I said :).

Glad you are getting to come down, the weather has been glorious this fall.

Panama City Beach -- even has an airport now! :)

thank you so much!

running in place....i do recall a brief stint at sanibel island...we almost missed our flight back because of it! i loved it though...there is a place called 'anna marie' island that looks similar...maybe less crowded??

teacats...panama beach is DEFINITELY on the list...especially if we choose to drive (STL)...i keep hearing wonderful things about it...

we're going to have to do this pretty much last minute, and i would prefer a condo or home rental...but thus far december seems to be booked everywhere i look...january is an option for us though

PS..forgot to mention...my DH LOVES fishing, so that is a big deal for us...i tend to want a gulf situated location for that reason...i'm sure we will rent a fishing boat, but fishing off shore would be a major plus...

Fishing? Anywhere near Stumps Pass. Manasota Key is less expensive then Boca Grande.

ML

stumps pass? that's a new one to me..heads off to google...thank you maddielee!

Anna Maria Island would be perfect for you! I love it there. There is fishing, great beaches, it's low key and very relaxing. The island is comprised of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach. My least favorite is Bradenton Beach. Both Anna Maria and Holmes Beach are great.

thank you vickij! i found a few rentals that looked very nice, but not knowing anything about annamarie i was very hesitant in booking...very happy to hear first hand experience....thank you again..

bad new is the number of rentals are limited and appear to be fully booked into january! (boohoo!)

My brother is 65 and has been a deep sea fisherman since he was a kid. He retired to the Gulf Coast a few years ago and fishing was the # 1 criteria. He lives near Venice. If you are interested, I can ask him more about the fishing in that area.

oh joaniepoanie,that would be just AWESOME

DH is an experienced fisherman, but his time is spent mostly on lakes and rivers....

he would be beyond THRILLED to hear from another local fisherman....once i decide on a locale, if it is near Venice, i will definitely give you another 'holla'

thank you again!

Last year we stayed on Manasota Key just down from Stump Pass thanks to suggestions here, I think. We rented a very nice condo for a week for about $900. I can dig up the info if you decide you're interested. Unfortunately, we had some pretty lousy weather, but even so, we enjoyed it.

Desert, you should keep in mind that January starts the absolute peak of tourist season in Florida, including the Gulf coast. It's not a time for counting on getting good last minute reservations, and definitely you aren't going to see any bargain rates from January through Easter.

So if you see something you like, and it's in your budget range-my advice is grab it. Don't keep browsing and expect to come back later and have it still available, because odds are it will be gone.

Have fun, it's a beautiful part of the state and the weather really is delightful. During my winter break (the two weeks of Xmas/New Years) I always think with enormous gratitude of how lucky I am and how much money people pay to come down to vacation in the place where I live.

Of course, I also think of it as the locals' reward for hurricane season, our governor, alligators and various other misundry Florida annoyances :).

Ann

Desert---I sent you an email with my brother's email...he said it would probably be easier if you email him directly with any questions re fishing, etc....have a great vacation!

thanks running....our biggest problem right now is figuring out what week we can actually take off....we have several new clients we are putting into our schedule for service, we are already scheduling well into late january, so due to the nature of our business, almost any reservation will be relatively last minute (the good news, we have tons of travel points to purchase tickets, so this will offset the high season charge to an extent)

in fact most of the places i looked at on anna marie island were booked going well into february...i think that one is pretty much off the table (at least as far as staying there is concerned...i think i would still like to see it)

just part and parcel with being a small business operator

got it!

thank you so much, joanie!

I second Anna Maria Island. I lived in Bradenton as a teenager. You can't beat the beaches and although it has grown alot since I lived there, all the west coast of Florida has as well. If you can find a place to stay then you also have options to drive south to Lido Beach, Longboat Key, and Siesta Key. Plus there are other things to do like Ringling Art Museum and St. Armonds Key for shopping.

Good luck.

Mary