Florida area for Christmas.

Kit1

Hi

We are thinking of going to Florida for Christmas but have no idea where to start. The year before last went to Las Vegas and got so many wonderful tips l thought this would be a good place to start.

We don't really want the theme parks as that is not our thing but my OH would like to see the Everglades but not sure how far this is from Florida and how easy it is to get there.

Would we need to hire a car or is the public transport system reliable and would we be able to get to tourist places and perhaps a little shopping?

Last time l booked the flights and hotel separately but would look at package deals if it works out cheaper.

I would love to hear about hotels and things to see and do as we like to get out and about. Am l right in thinking that the weather is also pretty good at that time of year.

Many thanks.

Andypandyboy

I would look into staying in southern Florida on the Gulf coast. You can easily do the Everglades from places such as Naples, or the islands of Anna Maria, Captiva or Sanibel. You can rent some fantastic villas for good prices or there are some great hotels. You will need a car but the driving is easy.

John259

Kit1 wrote: »

OH would like to see the Everglades but not sure how far this is from Florida

Everglades National Park is in Florida, but I guess you meant how far is it from Orlando, which case the answer is about 280 miles. Here's a map:
https://goo.gl/maps/jwgHrziyuAB2

and how easy it is to get there.

By car, easy. Except in big cities, driving in the USA is very easy. Good roads, good signposting, not much traffic.

Would we need to hire a car

For anywhere outside of major urban areas, yes.

or is the public transport system reliable

It's generally good within major urban areas, but just about non-existent in small towns and between towns.

and would we be able to get to tourist places and perhaps a little shopping?

Yes, easy with a car except for the considerable distances.

I'd suggest looking into doing a road trip staying in motels in various parts of the state. Florida is too big to stay in one place if you want to see Orlando, the Everglades, maybe the Keys, etc.

This YouTuber has some very good videos about road trips within Florida (and other places too). Well worth a look IMHO:
https://www.youtube.com/user/TravelingRobert/videos

EssexExile

Renting houses in Florida is not so easy in the winter, the people who own them tend to be in them! I don't know about hotels or motels. As mentioned above the gulf coast is lovely but beware that in the winter they do strange things in some places, like move the sand on the beach from where it has drifted to back to where it came from. Lots of lorries & heavy machinery rather ruins the atmosphere.

A car is essential once you're out of Orlando. For distances & driving times see Google maps, for the weather see http://www.accuweather.com/en/us/homestead-fl/33030/february-weather/337544#

John259

You can also use Google Maps to search for motels, for example:
https://goo.gl/maps/cbi8zoZTQCE2
Then you can go into StreetView mode and have a look at a motel and its surroundings, for example:
https://goo.gl/maps/vU7vrnXDpqS2

Alan_Bowen

Travelling over Christmas means you can't do the typical road trip and turn up, as I have often done at 5pm and look for rooms. This needs to be planned ahead of time, the snowbirds from the north will be there in abundance and prices will be high. The Gulf Coast is a good suggestion as a base, flying into Miami or Tampa would be better than Orlando but again you will need to book those flights soon as last minute fares will be high. I only tried the Everglades once, driving across Alligator Alley from Miami to Naples, stopped at a Native American operated air boat base, opened the car door, got attacked by mosquitoes and got straight back into the car. That shouldn't be a problem in winter

jackieblack

Kit1 wrote: »

Am l right in thinking that the weather is also pretty good at that time of year.

We went to Florida for two weeks over Christmas/New Year, 3 christmases ago.
With the exception of the first 2 days it was as cold or colder than it was at home in the UK, just with more torrential rain.
Maybe we were unlucky, but be aware that warm weather is not a certainty

cubegame

I know people say that Florida isn't just theme parks but it's a pretty dull place if you don't go to any........


You should head somewhere else.

richardw

Maya Riviera in Mexico has better weather and more to do.

John259

If you're looking for fabulous scenery in the USA in winter then the Rockies, the Sierras, the Cascades and even the Appalachians have to be ruled out on account of the weather. The same goes for great places such as Zion and Bryce Canyon in Utah.

But Big Bend National Park in southwestern Texas would be ideal provided you're happy with a fair bit of very easy driving. Big Bend is vast, very remote, and beautiful. A video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D8X5w24VD1M

Other possibilities, easier of access, are Joshua Tree and Death Valley, both in California.

All these are a huge distance from Florida of course - and irrelevant if it's not scenery that you're after.

EssexExile

The Everglades is fantastic if you like nature. Alligator Alley is not in the park although there are some good tourist trips along it. You need to go in at the gate near Homestead & drive down to Flamingo. The wildlife is wonderful.