[Jumbo10]

I'm looking to make a trip to Florida with my young kids and some friends. We love going to the beach, going on a boat (on calm water like the intracoastal), stand up paddle boarding, jet skiing. We've been to Florida a lot and have loved trips to Long Boat Key and the Hawks Cay but didn't get out on the water much at the time. Would also love to check out St. Augustine and the Southwest part of the state.

Where would you recommend checking out?

[kyle19125]

For a great family-friendly beach, beautiful surroundings and nice paddle-boarding conditions check out Sanibel Island/Captiva Island. It's also great for shelling which kids love. You can fly in/out of Fort Myers which is only about 20 miles away.

https://sanibel-captiva.org/

[snowtired14]

If you want to consider SWFL, I'd second Kyle's recommendation for the Ft. Myers area however, IMHO Ft. Myers Beach might be more kid friendly than a stay on Captiva or Sanibel (?). Quite a few hotels on or near the beach and there is also a trolley system that will take you anywhere along it. Lots of restaurants, ice cream, t-shirt shops, beach stores, and kitschy businesses. The water is usually aqua and the sand is soft and white, and the ocean is shallow and calm quite a way from shore. You also don't want to miss the sunset, best sunsets of FL on west coast and there's usually some ceremony or entertainment at Times Square near the pier. Only time I wouldn't recommend is spring break, not like Miami or Panama City, but probably enough to be an annoyance and somewhat inappropriate for young children.

[bmw335xi]

My favorite beach in Florida is Siesta Key

[Arcenal813]

I also recommend Captiva Island. We stayed at the Tween Waters resort, and we really enjoyed it. The resort actually has a kayak and SUP center on its property. It's really neat: Adventure Sea Kayak & SUP | Tours and Rentals on Captiva Island, Florida

The beaches there are some of the nicest I've seen, and the intracoastal waterway (Pine Island Sound) is an aquatic preserve full of wildlife.

[kmarc]

What, no love for the Atlantic coast?

[bmw335xi]

Originally Posted by kmarc

What, no love for the Atlantic coast?

I like Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Miami

[Jumbo10]

Thanks for the replies. I've heard great things about Captiva so this may be the trip I finally check it out. One challenge is that we would want a place with 2 rooms, or at least a 1br suite for sleeping arrangements and finding something decent for reasonable could be tough. I'll also check vrbo.com. We don't need anything fancy, would just like something clean in a good location. We also can't fly direct to Fort Myers so would probably fly into Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale.

[kmarc]

Originally Posted by Jumbo10

Thanks for the replies. I've heard great things about Captiva so this may be the trip I finally check it out. One challenge is that we would want a place with 2 rooms, or at least a 1br suite for sleeping arrangements and finding something decent for reasonable could be tough. I'll also check vrbo.com. We don't need anything fancy, would just like something clean in a good location. We also can't fly direct to Fort Myers so would probably fly into Tampa or Ft. Lauderdale.

Have you checked if you can fly into Sarasota? They have an international airport.

[Jumbo10]

Originally Posted by kmarc

Have you checked if you can fly into Sarasota? They have an international airport.

I could but not direct. My local airport is international but not the biggest so only has direct flights to the largest airports (Orlando, Ft. Lauderdale, Miami, Jacksonville, Tampa,...). My kids fly and travel well, but I think I'd rather spend an extra two hours driving in a car, than dealing with a connection.