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My wife has been to Sarasota for work, and says the beaches there are really nice -- very soft sand, and the water is pretty clear. But it's still going to probably barely hit 70 in february.
Puerto Rico would definitely be a fun choice if you're really looking for a "relax at a beach resort" thing.
What kind of beach are you looking for? Busy with lots of things to do or a bit more lowkey?
Gulf Coast Florida has some pretty beaches that don't tend to get nearly as crowded as southern Florida. The sand is awesome- very, very fine pure white sugary sand which makes it fun/easy to walk on and pretty to look at, but the beaches aren't riddled with reefs, shells, or a lot of other interesting things. Because of the population difference, however, there's also not a lot of things to do within easy reach and not a lot of public transport. I grew up right near Pensacola- the beaches have some food and bars and tourist shops but nothing major and are a slight dive from the city. The city itself also isn't a major place and nowhere near the scale of something like Orlando, Miami, or even Tallahassee.
Destin has nice beaches and more things to do, but is quite touristy. Lots of skiing, boat rentals, condos, water park, go karts, wind surfing, jet skis, and the like. There's also a Gulfarium which is nothing majorly impressive but something to do.
The other thing to consider is it's going to be colder than Southern Florida but it's all still going to warmer than the majority of the California coast.
We never got to go as far down as LA/San Diego while in CA but we were up in Monterey and ventured around that area and north and it tends to be cold/cool year round and the water is not a hospitable place to swim, especially if you're not a fan of cold water. I'm not talking cool water, I'm talking we moved there, touched it, and almost cried and never tried again kind of cold.
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as does basically all of coastal florida
you do realize that going for christmas = you're going to be at least partially crowded
Puerto Rico would definitely be a fun choice if you're really looking for a "relax at a beach resort" thing.
Gulf Coast Florida has some pretty beaches that don't tend to get nearly as crowded as southern Florida. The sand is awesome- very, very fine pure white sugary sand which makes it fun/easy to walk on and pretty to look at, but the beaches aren't riddled with reefs, shells, or a lot of other interesting things. Because of the population difference, however, there's also not a lot of things to do within easy reach and not a lot of public transport. I grew up right near Pensacola- the beaches have some food and bars and tourist shops but nothing major and are a slight dive from the city. The city itself also isn't a major place and nowhere near the scale of something like Orlando, Miami, or even Tallahassee.
Destin has nice beaches and more things to do, but is quite touristy. Lots of skiing, boat rentals, condos, water park, go karts, wind surfing, jet skis, and the like. There's also a Gulfarium which is nothing majorly impressive but something to do.
The other thing to consider is it's going to be colder than Southern Florida but it's all still going to warmer than the majority of the California coast.
We never got to go as far down as LA/San Diego while in CA but we were up in Monterey and ventured around that area and north and it tends to be cold/cool year round and the water is not a hospitable place to swim, especially if you're not a fan of cold water. I'm not talking cool water, I'm talking we moved there, touched it, and almost cried and never tried again kind of cold.