Which coast?

We've had good luck using VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals by Owner) to find vacation spots.

If you're interested in a house on the beach, "The Plantation" on St. George Island (no oil, yet) is a gated community that is very safe.

Here is a link that might be useful: Vacation Rentals by Owner

I have some friends that have rental condos on the beach. They're in the Indian Rocks beach area. The beaches in this vicinity are nice and are close to restaurants and shopping.

What dates are you considering? How many people?

Maddielee and monablair,
Thanks for the info. We will be my husband and I and then my daughter and her husband would join us. I was thinking the east coast either central or south. I am findng the prices quite high though so maybe we will even consider Myrtle Beach for a month in March. I know the weather can be iffy but there is quite a difference in prices. We were thinking about 3,500. for the month with 2 bedrooms 2 baths on the water. Florida just seems way higher than that so maybe we can save some money and go to MB. Any ideas? I am checking VRBO but when you are not familiar with areas it is hard to know.

You might find cheaper rates in the panhandle. Here's a link to the Rosemary Beach area.

Rosemary Beach

The Flats at Rosemary Beach

Rosemary Beach Vacation Rentals By Owner

Lyban
I have a 3 br/3 bath condo in MB on the intercoastal waterway, not the beach. I can rent it for much less than $3500. Email me from my member page if you're interested in more info.
Jean

The thing is - that is high season for Florida, lots of northerners winter in Florida. It would depend on what you want to do during that month. Myrtle Beach is going to be much cooler in March than most parts of Florida.

tina

Several years ago we stayed at a wonderful place - Windemere Condos in Perdido Key, which is in between Gulf Shores, AL and Pensacola, FL. We rented a 4br, 4ba, and it was like a home it was so large. One of the amenities which we didn't use was our own poolside cabana, which was by the pool. We didn't use it because we were there for Thanksgiving. The rates are definitely reasonable for what you get, especially in the off months (winter.)

Meyer Realty has quite a few listings. Their website is meyerre.com (I think.) Or just google and you will see what they have to offer. Our unit was so tastefully decorated, I went home with ideas for my house!

As far as the oil spill goes, God only knows and time will tell, but - we have friends who are in Destin now for the week and they have not seen any oil or had any problems.

Winter rates (typically Nov 15-Feb 28) are the cheapest in the Panhandle.

hhireni,
We have now decided that MB would be too cool and are back at looking at Florida.
I am now considering New Smyrna Beach.
Wodka, Thanks for that tip. I will look them up just in case we do not find anything in New Smyrna.
You guys are the best.

Monablair.
I am looking for Feb. or March. Do your friends have a web site? 2 of us and then daughter and husband will visit.
Thanks,

lyban, I've sent emails to several friends asking about availability and price. I'll give you more info when they respond. They don't have websites; they're private owners who rent through word of mouth.

M.

We rented condos in New Smyrna Beach in the 80's, 2 years in a row. Our son was doing baseball training camp in Cocoa Beach. it was quiet and very nice.
There are trucks on the beach, just so you know.

There was a real small town vibe in the strip malls, quite a few mom and pop restaurants we really enjoyed.

Mitch, I lived in Orlando in the early 70s and New Smyrna was our favorite beach. Back then there were no vehicle restrictions, although I think they now exist.

Thanks monablair.
Natal and mitchdesj, from what I read it seems that there are cars on the beach in certain areas and then a long stretch with no traffic allowed.

Google is great for stuff like this. City-data forums and Google maps are great for researching areas. I have often Googled an address of a place I am interested in and find out lots of information that was left out of the real estate ad.

My parents spend a good part of the winter in Amelia Island/Fernandina Beach, which is right near the GA/FL border. It really doesn't get Florida warm (upper 70's) until April but it is still a great improvement over upstate NY winters. Because it is a little cooler, the winter rates are lower than most of Florida.

We stayed at the Moontide Condos in New Smyrna Beach last year and they were great. New Smyrna Beach is a great place to stay, especially if your condo is on the nondriving part of the beach.

sboxx,
Thank you for that info.
I will look into that condo bldg.

deee,
Yes, I also love google for that. sometimes you find out too much info and then you never get any decisions made LOL.
I sometimes wonder how I managed all these years of plannig family vacations here and in Europe without the web.
As much as I love the web, I just find there is so so much info that you get bewildered.

Lyban, please email me so I can give you some information about my niece's condo.