View Full Version : Itinerary for a week fly drive
Hi
We have decided to drive around the Florida coast for a week after we have stayed in Orlando and thus I wonder if anyone has any views or recommendations for places to visit or stay in:
Cocoa Beach
Ft Lauderdale
Naples
Tampa Bay.
In particula I ma looking for ways to get the bbest prices for hotels/motels in each area.
Thanks
Katys Grandad
02-09-2008, 15:41
Are you planning to visit all these places in the week or are you looking to narrow your options? My initial reaction is that you'll be spending most of the time in your car if you want to see every place on your list.
HI KG and thanks
The plan is
One night in Cocoa Beach and two nights in the other places. I would have though the time to driv between them would be no more than a couple of hours.
mfairhurst
02-09-2008, 16:25
Daytona you can go for the day and drive on the beach ,We have a beach at St Cloud so that is nearer .
It would be best to stay in a villa then you can stay in some of the time and enjoy your own pool .
MAUREEN
www.onlinefloridavillas.com/villas/1683.aspx
Hi Nigel. Bet you are looking forward to your Florida trip.
From what you have posted it would seem that you are looking at two different sides of Florida, and to drive to both would be virtually impossible if you are going to see anything. I think you need to decide which side you want to explore or you will just exhaust yourselves.
First, if you choose to explore the western Gulf coast, which is very beautiful, you could probably book a villa to stay in and do day trips from there, so that would be a good option. You would have a lovely home as a base with all the benefits of being in a home rather than a hotel, whilst being in a convenient place to explore. Take a look at the villa links above for villas in this area.
However, if you decide to visit the eastern Atlantic seaboard then you must not underestimate the distances involved. For instance, Miami is about 230 miles from Orlando, and although the road is good (Florida Turnpike) it would take several hours to get there, as there are speed limits which are enforced.
If you based yourself in the Fort Lauderdale area, which is approx 20 miles from Miami you could then explore the coast from here. From Cocoa Beach you could drive down to West Palm Beach, a very up-market area with great shops etc and of course the beach, or further on to Fort Lauderdale. Boca Raton is also a good place to use as a base - again, about 40 miles north of Miami. There are plenty of things to see and do around Fort Lauderdale and Miami - beaches, shops, museums, river boat tours, the Everglades, zoos, Butterfly Farm, trips around the intercoastal waterways where the rich and famous live (Madonna once had a house in Miami) so I am sure you would not be bored.
We love to drive up the A1A which runs parallel to the coast and this road gives you a great view of the sea, and the areas around the intercoastal waterways. Once you get to Fort Lauderdale or Boca Raton this road is easy to find on the map.
The main thing is to decide which part of Florida you want to explore and then plan accordingly.
Thanks
It seems that I amy be underestimating the drivin times and distance.
the skeleton plan was to:
Drive to Cocoa beach from Kissimmee check in at a hotel/motel and stay one night.
From there drive down the coast to Hollywood Baec Ft L and stay for two nights.
From there drive across FLA to Naples and stay two nights there.
Finally
Drive up the gulf coast to Sarasota and stay ther our final two nuights before drivin to McCoy and flying home.
Is this unreasonable? Cna someone help with drivin times?
Cocoa Beach is about 70 miles, so not too far and you could visit Kennedy etc whilst there.
Cocoa Beach to Hollywood Beach is about 202 miles.
It is approx. 109miles from Holywood Beach to Naples but the road is considerably slower than the Turnpike.
It is approx. 115 miles from Naples to Sarasota
From Sarasota to Orlando International Airport is approx 130 miles
These are approximate distances as it would depend where exactly in Orlando you started from, and how fast you drive (!) whilst keeping to the speed limit.
Timings would vary according to which route you took, but the I-95 is a good road but parts of it are very busy. Remember there are speed limits, and the roads will be busier around the major cities like Fort Lauderdale.
It really depends whether you want a whistle stop tour to drive as far as possible in the time but to have only a short while at each place, or whether you want to get more of a feel for an area and have more time at each place to explore and relax or maybe shop etc. It would be a shame to miss some of the glorious beaches on both sides of Florida, so maybe you should think about cutting your itinerary a little, unless you want to spend much of your time driving.
Katys Grandad
02-09-2008, 19:23
It's a personal thing so what I might like isn't necessarily what will suit your tastes. My advice would be to pick 1 location on each coast and cut out a few of the long driving days. I'm not as familiar with the Atlantic coast but, much as I love the Gulf Coast, for me there isn't a huge difference between, say, Naples and Sarasota. They are both pretty sophisticated cities with spectacular white sand beaches and plenty of good restaurants, bars and hotels.
Many years ago I did a driving tour of California and tried to see everywhere there was to see and managed it. I plan to go back again soon, this time to ENJOY them!
It looks like I may be biting off more than I can chew here!
We may consider an option to rent a villa on the Gulf Coast.
Any recommendations for a particular area. I see that Rotonda is nice.
Nigel I think you are very wise and would find this option more restful. There are some wonderful villas on offer on this site so do take a look. Rotunda looks amazing, and the villas are out of this world with fantastic views.
At least that way you would not be living out of a suitcase and you can explore during the day and then relax in the evening and take a walk along the seashore.
I am sure some of the Gulf Coast owners could tell you more about what is available in the area.