Hellobee Boards

We took our DD to Sanibel Island on the FL gulf coast last April and it was great. She was 1.5 at the time. Sanibel/Captiva are both family friendly places-- lots of resorts/rental options and very low key. We stayed in a one-bedroom suite so we had a living room area and a kitchen and ate breakfast and at least one other meal there every day which was nice. We are definitely thinking about going back-- it was great.

@winniebee: Not at all! We stayed at the South Seas Island Resort. It is a huge property (with its own trolley taking you from one part of it to another) with lots of family friendly amenities (zero entry pools were great for DD so she could splash around in the shallow end without us having to hold her the whole time). Let me know if you have questions!

I agree with @Smurfette--HHI is a good choice too (just might not be as warm in March/April depending on when you go.

@abmamma: we went to Sanibel last March as well and loved it! We plan to go back next year with DS (31 months) and DD (5 months).

We went to Pensacola, FL in late May and it was amazing. We did a condo rental and would absolutely love to go back. The beach we stayed at was not commercialized (yet), but Gulf Shores and Orange Beach, AL were both just down the road for all the touristy things you could possibly want. C was just shy of 3 and had a great time. The water was a little rough for her so she didn't spend much time in the water.

@winniebee: Are you willing to drive to Boston? Jetblue has some direct flights to various places. Or if they don't have direct they do a stop in NYC which was pretty easy (we did that on our honeymoon to Barbados).

We rent houses in the outer banks and it is always a lot of fun! May be too chilly that early though.

@BananaPancakes: my in laws go to venice for the winter every year and they love it!!

If you're willing to go international I've heard great things about beaches turks & caicos and am currently planning our next vacation there!

Following this thread. We are planning a beach vacation for next August to Florida.

@winniebee: It would be an easy trip, for sure. It's so accessible and there's a ton to do. Lots of good restaurants and you don't have to leave the resort at all if you don't want to. I haven't been in years, but my husband and I went regularly with his dad (who I'm pretty sure lives there half the year) through high school and college. There's also some awesome Chihuly pieces around the resort and the casino is decent

@winniebee: @Modern Daisy: would highly recommend beaches! We loved it there. It isn't exactly cheap though, that's the one drawback.

Delray beach, fl

I would caution against Atlantis if you want to spend time in the ocean. There have been many drownings there, and I even felt unsafe in the water there as a (formerly) certified lifeguard. There are lots of ripcurrents and lots of drop off points.

I personally love the beach at Freeport in Grand Bahama. It's a lot more relaxing and peaceful. Cheaper too! It is shallow and very gentle.

@wheres_c: me too!