Best Florida Beach spots this time of year?

From the Pass-A-Grille Beach's website, I saw Shell Key preserve. I think my kids will like it.

Just wonder it's a good place for collecting shells ? I know Venice beach has lots of shark teeth but it's too far from Disney.

And also Treasure Island ? The name definitely attracts my kids' attention !
 
LuvSouth said:
From the Pass-A-Grille Beach's website, I saw Shell Key preserve. I think my kids will like it.
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John's Pass north of St Petes (Madeira) is nice. Casino Boat tour, seadoos, snorkeling, shops and restaurants.

So is downtown Orlando. Just remember that you are skirting some of the busiest tourist areas in the US in the winter. Looking for some peace after Orlando?
 
Thank you all !

I don't know if I will have peace or not as I will have to entertain my family ...

I probably won't do any water sport as the water will be cool from my experience Xmas 2009.

Where is downtown Orlando ? I didn't seem to notice it in the last 3 visits except Downtown Disney ...
 
Water sports are a great way to entertain a family. For Canadians, the gulf water temp is fine.

For Orlando, head up Orange to Washington. It is a shame that so many visitors miss it.
 
I will check the water temperature when I get there.

Any particular section on Washington ? Any particular trade name that I can google ?

Thanks
 
I can't wait to head down to Florida Xmas 2010.

The long term plan is to stay in central or South Fl for longer time. I just checked out top up travel insurance from Kinetix and got instant quotes from different insurance companies. I did the top up quotes which will kick in at 12:00am from our existing travel insurance, I noticed it is affordable until the age progresses then the rates go up ...
 
Yes pre-existing conditions will eventually kick-in. Water pills usually means branch to exit on the application. They only insure low risks.

Orlando has some old Spanish influences that are worth seeing at least once. It has an old established population that is totally invisible to many tourists.
 
Hi Keith,

So where's that old Spanish influences in Orlando ? I suppose Disney, Universal ... attract all the attention of tourists ...

I used to talk to an old gentleman in Southern Ontario, he said he had been going to Florida for over 20 years but now stopped going since last year as the insurance is too expensive ($3000 for 1 month), he's 83 I believe.
 
LuvSouth said:
I used to talk to an old gentleman in Southern Ontario, he said he had been going to Florida for over 20 years but now stopped going since last year as the insurance is too expensive ($3000 for 1 month), he's 83 I believe.
Click to expand...
Thats one of many reason why, after going to Florida for three years and seeing it from top to bottom, we decided to buy in Mexico. The cost of emergency medical care is affordable and many older Canadians are still snowbirds.

There are people from Toronto, Montreal and the eastern US who come here regularly. Many drive down in spite of the fear hyping by the media. So far so good.

There is a catch with medical evacuation insurance. You have to remain under care until you have a confirmed entry to a hospital back home and that can sometimes take time. Queue jumping is not allowed.
 
I haven't checked out top up quotes for Mexico but will check it sometime to see what the rate is.

There's no doubt Mexico has guarantee nicer weather than Florida. I wonder what activities are available in Mexico as I only did research for snowbirding in Florida.

We at the moment prefer Florida as our kids and other family members like Disney, Universal ... all those theme parks and cruises to the Carribean, central America and the Bahamas. That's why we bought Florida, plus it is within "driving distance" from Toronto. I can't imagine myself driving all the way from Toronto to Mexico, it is probably too far for us.

Perhaps we will visit Mexico from Florida ...
 
REWahoo said:
In case you're curious, Mexico has even fewer street lights than the US...
Click to expand...

So I suppose you meant it is not a good idea to drive or go out at night or at least be alert ?

As a foreigner or tourist, I wouldn't wander to dark area regardless some people (don't have a stats on this) might think it's ... ok, fun, adventurous ...

I don't even wander to "trouble areas" in Toronto, let alone in Mexico as a tourist/foreigner.
 
LuvSouth said:
I haven't checked out top up quotes for Mexico but will check it sometime to see what the rate is...
Click to expand...
It will be the same because all top-up quotes include the US. I was talking about self-insurance. A stay in a Mexican hospital is easier to finance than a stay in a US hospital.

And yes most drivers do not travel at night so the trip takes quite a bit longer. We head for the Sea of Cortez and then stay at nice places from San Carlos on down the coast. Plus we know that all the US propaganda is just that.
 
kcowan said:
There is a catch with medical evacuation insurance. You have to remain under care until you have a confirmed entry to a hospital back home and that can sometimes take time. Queue jumping is not allowed.
Click to expand...
If accident happened, I preferred to be flown back to Canada instead of staying in some "medical facility" or "hospital" in Mexico.

Hmmm, something for me to think about before heading to Mexico.

But I think touring Mexico for short time, say a week or 2 might be ok.
 
Juarez is one of the most dangerous cities in the world. From JUAREZ MURDER RATE ON THE RISE « M3 Report

"Death stalks Ciudad Juarez: a murder every three hours
Eighteen persons were murdered in Ciudad Juarez on Tuesday, and there have been 336 homicides in that city during the month of August, a new record. Juarez has now had 2,027 such deaths so far this year. In contrast, the first monthly record kept, which dates to 1995, shows that 34 persons died in August of that year, and that the entire year’s record of homicides then reached 294. Currently, a homicide takes place every three hours." This was in August, and it has not gotten any better from what I hear on the news. However, if you think this is just 'US propaganda, have a nice stay.

Another report, which I can not point to the source, said that 13 mayors have been murdered on the Mexican side of the Texas/Mexico border. Folks in our neighborhood would not even think of visiting a Texas border town. The interior may be, and most likely is a different story.
 
Frankly I don't know much about Mexico !

All I know is Cancun as it is more advertised in Canada as a sun destination.

13 mayers have been murdered is pretty scary ... 2027 homocides so far this year tells me how unsafe that area is ...
 
Rustic23 said:
If you believe it is 'US propaganda' then I invite you to spend your next vacation in Cuidad Juarez.
Click to expand...
I have driven through Nogales during a drug takedown. The main impact was a delay of an hour. When did you have a bad experience in Juarez?

Or are you just drinking the Koolaid?
 
LuvSouth said:
If accident happened, I preferred to be flown back to Canada instead of staying in some "medical facility" or "hospital" in Mexico...
Click to expand...
You can get medical evacuation insurance in Mexico. It will cover your stay in a local hospital until you get precleared to enter a Canadian hospital. That process can take a few weeks.

What I was saying is that such evacuation insurance usually includes coverage for the US (ergo your example of the 83 yo paying $3000 for 30 days).
 
kcowan said:
Or are you just drinking the Koolaid?
Click to expand...

Keith,

I haven't been to any of the border cities in Mexico in years. However, our neighbors have family in Mexico and tell horror stories of life along the border. I doubt they are part of any propaganda machine, but I suppose anything is possible.
 
There's no doubt in my mind that I would love to see Mexico once I spend more time in Florida (lots of arrangement to make before I can part time snowbird in Florida).

Once in Florida, other than cruises to the Carribean, the Bahamas and Aruba that are already on my plan, I am also tempting to see Mexico.

But I keep on hearing news about Mexico ... hmmm that's discouraging ...

I was thinking re: Mexico:
- Cancun as a start after exploring the Carribean and the Bahamas, I love Turks and the Caicos Islands ...wow !
- Stay away from those "newly built" resorts (the area that exploded in Oct) that need to be tested over time.
- Do more research from resorts to find out geologically if those newly built resorts are on swamp ...
 
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