Visiting West Palm Beach (Miami, Fort Lauderdale: rental car, where to stay, rental) - West Palm Beach - Boca Raton - Boynton Beach - Florida (FL) -Palm Beach County - City-Data Forum

lifesprecious09 · 12-30-2009, 07:58 AM

because it looks soooo beautiful from the pics that I've seen..so
when is the best time to visit? Where to stay?

Can I get some feedback please?

TriMT7 · 12-30-2009, 08:03 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lifesprecious09

because it looks soooo beautiful from the pics that I've seen..so
when is the best time to visit? Where to stay?

Can I get some feedback please?

January. Don't know what your budget is, but the resorts near or on the water are the best for visitors. The proximity to water is one of the best reasons to visit and live here, so no reason to stay too far inland!

Of course, if you want to swim, do watersports, etc., then come a little later in the year.... around March or April, when it's warmer but not too humid. Humidity is not liked by many, and it lasts usually mid-May through mid-October.

lifesprecious09 · 12-30-2009, 08:10 AM

^^thanks for your response. Funny you mentioned January, I was thinking about visiting in February for my bday, I will def look into hotel rates and such..

Thanks!

craig10x · 12-30-2009, 10:37 AM

Funny part about humidity is people often complain about it, but it is very good for the skin...ever see people who live in the desert climates look after a few years...how dry their skin gets?

Also, if people think that it is more comfortable to be in say, Las Vegas in the summer when it is 110 degrees with 20% humidity....compared to say 90 in florida with humidity, is kidding themselves....I've been in LV in the summer and with that desert sun beating down it feels like a "blast furnace"...after that...you would WELCOME 90 and humid in florida

TriMT7 · 12-30-2009, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig10x;

Also, if people think that it is more comfortable to be in say, Las Vegas in the summer when it is 110 degrees with 20% humidity....compared to say 90 in florida with humidity, is kidding themselves....I've been in LV in the summer and with that desert sun beating down it feels like a "blast furnace"...after that...you would WELCOME 90 and humid in florida

Yea, I always laugh when people say, "Move to Arizona! Sure it's 115, but it's a dry heat!" No thank you. I went to Vegas this past September, and I felt 10x more uncomfortable and hot there than in South Florida. That, and the whole no clouds/bright sun all the time was a bit unnerving.

At least in the summer in Florida we get magnificent rainstorms. I absolutely love to look out my office window on a clear blue sky day in the summer, with dark foreboding clouds rolling in across the horizon for the daily 15 minute shower.

Of course, I wouldn't be stupid enough to move to Vegas and complain about how hot it was to live there as if I didn't know it was going to be hot! Some people around here seem to think tropical weather means something different than hot and humid?

craig10x · 12-30-2009, 11:08 AM

Exactly so TriMT7....and it helps that there ARE clouds...in the desert it is worse with no or few clouds and all the sun all the time...combined with the super high temps...

By the way, i am trying to decide between moving to Fort Lauderdale or West Palm beach area....I've seen both and my dad lives in Broward...but Downtown West Palm Beach looked very appealing the last time i went down and checked it out...

Do you like your downtown better then Ft Lauderdale? Do you feel there is enough interesting stuff to do in the downtown and surrounding area where you are in West Palm Beach, as opposed to living close to Fort Lauderdale area?

Reedsmit · 12-31-2009, 12:58 PM

I think it depends on your interests. If you like to golf, fish, lay on the beach, - Jupiter & Juno have gorgious beaches. There are several hotels at Federal Hwy & Donald Ross Rd., that are walking distance to the beach; but they should be more reasonably priced than lets say Palm Beach. From here you can catch a Spring Training baseball game as well at Abacoa, Gardens Mall is 15 min. drive.
You can climb the Jupiter Light House - canoe down the Loxahatchee River.

Downtown West Palm Beach is a 30 minute drive; so easy to go down to Clematis on a Thursday night. Take a day trip over to Palm Beach; visit the Flagler Museum. If you are able take in a meal at the Breakers. Stroll Worth Avenue.

If you really want beaches and night life, further south might be more fun. Ft. Lauderdale. You can also get to South Beach in a little over an hour from there.

So there are lots and lots of choices, all depends on what you like to do.

We get a few cool days in Jan. - Feb. - but it is all relative; if you are coming from MT - 60 degrees is a heat wave. But for us it is a little cool and those 40 degree nights is down right cold. But it only last a day or two and than we are back to normal.

DaniellaG · 01-02-2010, 08:01 AM

How long do you plan on visiting for? If I were you and could not decide between 2 areas I would split my time in a hotel in both so you can explore. The winter is obviously cooler which is nice but will be more expensive because it is in season and hotel rates go up by a lot along with rental cars. What do you plan to do for work or are you retired? This should be considered in location choice I would think as well.

craig10x · 01-02-2010, 11:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by DaniellaG

How long do you plan on visiting for? If I were you and could not decide between 2 areas I would split my time in a hotel in both so you can explore. The winter is obviously cooler which is nice but will be more expensive because it is in season and hotel rates go up by a lot along with rental cars. What do you plan to do for work or are you retired? This should be considered in location choice I would think as well.

I'm retired...so work is not an issue....I was just trying to figure out which downtown would be best to be centered near...i wouldn't live downtown but would live within easy driving distance....so, it's more a matter of which downtown has the best prospects of continuing to become more "dynamic" with more entertainment, interesting things to do and see, etc....

Which one has more "potential" in the long run....

TriMT7 · 01-03-2010, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by craig10x

I'm retired...so work is not an issue....I was just trying to figure out which downtown would be best to be centered near...i wouldn't live downtown but would live within easy driving distance....so, it's more a matter of which downtown has the best prospects of continuing to become more "dynamic" with more entertainment, interesting things to do and see, etc....

Which one has more "potential" in the long run....

Honestly, just because Ft. Lauderdale is so much larger, I'd say Ft. Lauderdale is more dynamic.

Personally, I prefer the accessibility and "small big town" feel of downtown WPB over Lauderdale for living, but there's more going on in Lauderdale. I have everything I need and more in dt WPB and Palm Beach, but Ft. Lauderdale is for more serious partying, etc., lol.

By contrast, Miami and Miami Beach has a lot more going on than Lauderdale. As you move down the coast it gets busier.