What are your favorite beaches?
 

Hi everyone! We are relatively new to The Villages (since January of this year) and we're anxious (VERY anxious) to go to some of the Gulf and Atlantic beaches. Which ones have you been to and would go back to time and time again? Could you please share the names of some of your favorite restaurants to eat at while you are at your favorite beaches? Thank you so much for your recommendations! :smiley:

We just spent a few days at Madeira Beach, just a bit south of Clearwater. All of those beaches from Clearwater all the way dow to St Petersburg beach are very nice.

My favorite beach in Florida however, is South Miami Beach. Unfortunately, it's about a four hour drive so it's an overnighter.

Daytona Beach is very nice, but different. It's really cool that you can drive your car onto the beach. But, the sand is very hard packed and the water is not great.

We also visited Fort Howard Beach near Tarpon Springs. I didn't like it very much. The water and the sand down near the water looked dirty to me.

We like to run over to Cocoa Beach and spend a couple or few nights at a hotel there right next to the Pier. It's a La Quinta, and has lovely direct oceanfront rooms, and you can bring two pets free of charge. Only problem is we have yet to find a really good restaurant for fresh seafood. But we keep trying.

Many people prefer the Gulf beaches, and I suppose they are prettier, but we grew up with Maryland and NJ ocean waves, and prefer that to the calmer Gulf.

Have you tried Jack Baker's Lobster Shanty on the south side of Cocoa Beach?

Mom and I used to own a condo on St. Augustine Beach. It's the best of the three worlds: the beach, the old city and the outlet malls. What more can you ask for?

There are several good restaurants on the beach. Some of my favorites are: South Beach Grill (down the road a bit), Oasis and Saltwater Cowboys that is a few blocks from the beach but wonderful.

There is a lot to see in the Old City: the fort, St George Street, Lightner Museum, Fountain of Youth, Ripley's Believe It Or Not, the trolley ride and many more. There are some very good restaurants in the Old City. There are two I really liked but I can't think of their names! One is on St. George Street and the other is on the second floor near the Bridge. It is not easy to park in the Old City.

If you're going to stay for a couple days, I would recommend renting a condo on the beach. You have a lot more room, your own kitchen facilities and most have direct beach access. Our condo could be rented for a minimum of three days.

We haven't, but thanks. I'll put it on the list for next time.

Have you tried "Grill's Seafood Deck & Tiki Bar" on Glen Cheek Dr.?

If you go to the port, I would recommend Fish Lips over Grills.

BELLOWS BEACH

your welcome... :D

Siesta Key in Sarasota - hands down.

Aloha! Very nice to see you posting!

i love playalinda beach on merrit island a 13 th mile is all nude, is very secluded

Beaches straight west are terrible. You have to go south and west to get to decent beaches. You can go straight east on 44 to New Smyrna Beach. Drive your car onto the beach, park and unload your stuff, and enjoy. Neat little beach town if you go in the north entrance. Hint: pay attention to the tide schedule. At high tide not much beach. Plan to be there about two hours before low tide and you will have a great time. About a 75 minute drive. A lot closer than good Gulf beachs south.

I was born and raised on the Gulf of Mexico... Panama City Beach, Fl... So, my favorite beaches are always on the Gulf side...
We love St. Pete Beach, Clearwater Beach, to be able to drive in a little over an hour... Further south would be Sarasota, Amelia Island, Sanibel and Captiva are also nice...
Can't beach St. Pete and the Treasure Island area for price and location...

We love the Cocoa Beach area, but we don't do the beaches any more. Since we are now retired, I find I dislike sweating and being too hot. Also, now have had first skin cancer, so it is no fun. However, we like doing the nature trails and things like that.

Going to the east coast we have found some great places to eat and recommend. The seafood is fresh and straight from the boats. It is expensive, but so worth it. Here are two places we like.

Florida's Seafood Bar & Grill | Cocoa Beach, Florida - Brevard County Restaurant, Space Coast
Florida Seafood Bar and Grill
We like the combo platters there. Watch where you park as the two restaurants are feuding (they are side by side) We park in back and watch the signs.

Dixie Crossroads Restaurant | Titusville Fl | Rockshrimp | Steak | Lobster | Full Bar
In Titusville we visit Dixie's Crossroads (bus tours stop here)
When the Royal Red Shrimp season is here (March, April and until they run out) we are sure to stop. These shrimp are the sweetest tasting ever and just melt in your mouth. The shrimp boats caught them by accident as they threw their nets lower down than usual and found these. In fact, I have found these shrimp in Publix (Buffalo Ridge). You only steam/broil them for 1 1/2 minutes (search for recipes on the web). Yes they are expensive, but, oh my mouth is watering now.

We like going to Merritt Island and the Black Point Drive, but it can be a hit or miss of bird watching. Winter time is best. We see a Kingfisher there and the White Pelicans etc.

We like to try some of the Mom and Pop restaurants, but having the two best we have little incentive to look for more.

For beaches we like St. George Island or around that area as the ocean is a pretty green against the white sands.