Winter Monthly Rentals, SE USA

[HadEnuff]

Looking for ideas, experiences, regarding monthly winter rentals in the Southeast USA...
Georgia, Fl, Alabama, Louisianna, South Carolina...

I would like golf to be accessible, but it doesn't have to be the central focus.
I am familiar with The Villages, and it's not out of the question, but IMO, may be a bit too big, and a bit too crowded.

Hiking, some golf...

Any ideas?

[garyt]

I'm interested too.

[Senator]

I am looking at cabins in RV parks for a few weeks at a time. I want to do some RVing, and this is an RV lite experience.

They are most everywhere, cheap and seem like it will work for me. It's not a house, but not a crowded hotel either.

[imoldernu]

A broad subject. Without having personal recommendations, it's pretty easy to get into a rental that won't be quite what you'd want. Surprisingly, we found that people not only rent in communities that don't fit their interests, but actually buy without knowing what they are getting into.

Here, am speaking of retirement communities, not hotels, timeshare or condo living.

Our community is super active, on a chain of lakes, and very inclusive for renters and permanent residents. Relatively small, with 350 units. Groups for every imaginable activity, from convertible trips, to golf, to every card game imaginable, a beautiful active pool, and parties, cookouts and senior "sports" of Bocce, Shuffleboard, Horseshoes... The only problem is that the winter rentals are limited, and currently have a two year waiting list.

It really depends on what one wants as a vacation. As a base for travel or activities in the area? For seclusion and quiet? For fishing or hiking? Or for socialization (which we preferred). One size doesn't fit all.

So, back to recommendations. I don't know of any shortcut to a personal discussion of what a rental has to offer. Going to websites for info, is not usually as good as the advertising monies make it sound.

In our case... some 27 years ago, we spent our first vacation going to Texas , then to Florida... visiting many, many different venues, to get a feeling for where we'd be comfortable. In retrospect, I think we'd do this again. After seeing twenty or thirty different kinds of vacation or snowbird homes/rentals, we ended up with a perfect fit.

No substitution for "being there".

[marko]

Winter rentals in Southern Florida (Palm Beach to Miami) can be tough to come by and not cheap. Usually for a long-ish term rental if you don't have something locked up by September, you're out of luck.

Most people renew in April for the next year, a lot of places have 3 month minimums and rents can run from $3K to $5K per month.

[Fermion]

If you want cheap, my parents stay in a 3bd apartment on the 5th hole of a nice golf course in south Georgia for $600 a month or thereabouts.

South Georgia is just insanely cheap compared to the rest of the country. Too hot for me even though I grew up there and remember mowing our yard in 105 degree heat with 105% humidity (and 105 GPSI (gnats per square inch).

[W2R]

Overall, I just can't think of any place in southeast Louisiana that would meet your needs and desires as described in your post, HadEnuff.

There isn't much hiking near New Orleans at all, since we are surrounded by water on all sides. Of course we have golf courses, and I suppose you could walk in the parks.

Short term rentals have always been strictly forbidden by law in New Orleans in order to protect our hotel industry. Lately AirBnB has been making some inroads here, but that could end precipitously.

[ABQ2015]

What about somewhere like Hilton Head? Not as warm as Florida but a quick google indicated winter highs in the 50s, 60s, and 70s and some of the resorts have monthly rentals starting about $2K a month. Lots of golf, you can walk to the beach, and there are several nature preserves. Okay restaurants although not as good as Savannah or Charleston. Supposedly it is not crowded in the winter and you can have the beach to yourself to walk or ride a bicycle (very hard sand) and you are close to Savannah. I've only been to Florida a couple of times in the winter (Tampa area) but found it very crowded. Also I note on your profile that you live in NY and many of the retirees and tourists at HH are from the Northeast for what it is worth.

[bhoferp]

Not all that warm in the winter (highs usually in 50s and 60s), but the Gulf Shores/Orange Beach area of Alabama seems to have lots of golf courses and there is hiking at Hugh Branyon backcountry trails in Orange Beach and other trails (and birding walks) at Bon Secour National Wildlife Refuge a few miles west of Gulf Shores, as well as other trails in the area. Of course, there are miles and miles of beach to walk. Snowbird rentals are cheap compared to warmer parts of Florida. You might try vrbo.com or some of the local rental agencies-like Meyer Realty. Negotiation is a must-rates may be 25% of what it would cost to rent for a month in high season.