Which Gulf Coast Area??

[Monique]

My family and I want to Christmas in Florida on the gulf coast this year, we have stayed in Port Charlotte and liked it, we have also stayed in Engelwood and altho it was nice.....we prefered Port Charlotte, Engelwood was a bit out of the way and not so much going on....I have been looking at Naples and Fort Myers and Bonita Springs.... we have 2 boys 14 and 16 so we want to do some water sports, mini golf etc, has anyone got any feed back on these areas...thanks in advance!!

p.s. I want a villa with min 2 bedrooms, a heated pool/hottub and internet access....I have put my info into the 3 websites as advised on other threads....hopefully someone will contact me

[Clare R]

I think you are leaving it very late to book somewhere for Christmas 2008.

Hopefully a Gulf Coast owner in the areas you mention will have accommodation for you but the majority of the villas are in the Rotonda area of Englewood but there are some listed on the sites further south.

[Katys Grandad]

Owners on here will know the detail better than I do, but a lot of the Gulf Coast areas require a minimum month rental so if you're going for a shorter time, your options will be limited. Might be worth checking that out before you choose.

[Pookie]

Rotonda West is a zoned for short term rentals so hopefully someone will still be open for Christmas.

Have a great trip Christmas is bliss in Florida.

Lynne

[Clare R]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Katys Grandad
Owners on here will know the detail better than I do, but a lot of the Gulf Coast areas require a minimum month rental so if you're going for a shorter time, your options will be limited. Might be worth checking that out before you choose.
[/quote]

As far as I know only Sarasota County require a month rental, as Lynne has said Rotonda is zoned for Short Term Rentals.

[Monique]

All areas offer short term rentals, even 2 months before Crimbo I have managed to get a villa in Port Charlotte with Port Charlotte Vilas, granted I know I will probably have trouble getting wot I want at this short notice, but I know I will be able to get a villa, but thanks for the feedback on this....altho its not really the feed back I wanted.....wot I was hopeing for was feed back from peeps on which area, Port Charlotte, Bonita Springs, Naples or Fort Myers etc would be the best area for my boys for activity's etc....

[Pookie]

Does depend on what sort of acttivities your sons want, if you want to be near nightlfe you can walk too, one of the larger cities might be better for you. Beaches all are beautiful along the stretch of coastline as you know having been before.
Fort Myers is large & lively, Naples is more sophisticated.
Sarasota has lots to do & a good nightlife. Bonita Springs I think is quiet from what I have heard.
The other option is to base yourself somewhere where you can access these larger towns by car.
That way tou get the best of both worlds peace & quiet but close to the hub bub as well.

Hope this helps

Lynne

[Monique]

Thanks Lynn......its not night life really they need (altho my walking hormone of a son at 14 will disagree) they are 14 and 16, its family activity's we are looking for, jet ski-ing, Canoeing, Windsurfing, maybe sailing, Mini Golf etc.....lots of the villas offer this in the write up, but often its not close by....

[Tonish]

I'm becoming a bit of a bore about this, but you can get all those things (except, maybe the minigolf) on Sanibel and Captiva.

For example, we're currently renting a villa in Captiva and if I head 50 yards to the right, I've got the beach and a jet ski hire place. They do all the watersports you care to name. A couple of hundred yards to the left, you can hire speedboats, or charter fishing boats. Windsurfing and sailing all available.

There's a gym up the road and lots of great places to eat out. In the last week, we've gone paragliding, jet ski-ing, taken a speedboat up through the sound, and hired scooters to whiz around on.

Couldn't recommend it enough.

[Katys Grandad]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Tonish
I'm becoming a bit of a bore about this, but you can get all those things (except, maybe the minigolf) on Sanibel and Captiva.

[/quote]

I am very happy to confirm that there is definitely no mini golf on either Sanibel or Captiva.