Well, it sort of depends on what they mean by easy driving distance to Orlando. Longboat Key on the Gulf of Mexico is very nice and about 2 and 1/2 hours by car, accounting for traffic. That is located in the Sarasota area. If they were to drive a bit farther south to Sanibel Island, they would have a very nice stay on a beautiful part of Florida but certainly no one would call it an easy drive to Orlando. Also you need to be aware that many gulf front communities in Florida prohibit short term rental of condominiums and villas so the pickings would be much more restricted than in the Orlando area where short term rental villas are more accepted. He may have to opt for a hotel or resort on the coast and a villa in Orlando.

Actually many visitors plan the reverse of what your brother is contemplating. They will select a villa in the Orlando area and then commute over for a short stay on the gulf coast. Unfortunately, and especially with children, there just isn't that much on the gulf to keep them occupied other than Busch Gardens in Tampa.

Hi

We are going out to florida for 3 weeks from 26/6/2007 - 17/7/2007. We have been before but have always stayed near Disney/Universal theme parks. We would like spend a week on the gulf coast, near a nice beach and somewhere that it not too far to travel to get to busch gardens if we wanted to. The problem is that I don't know the areas and would like advice on best location. We are a family of 4 (2 adults and kids are aged 15 and 12). We would probably prefer to stay in a townhouse/villa, but if that is too expensive we would just stay at a hotel for the week.

Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

keanda

Orlando is in the middle of the state so driving to either coast is about 80+ miles.
Take a look at Holiday Inn Sunspree St Petersburg- all the Sunspree hotels are a resort in themselves and this one is not far from Tampa,you could get to Busch Gardens easily from there.
If you're flushed for cash take a look at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel Tampa.
Clearwater beach is popular.
Google 'best Florida beaches' you will find most of them are on the SW Gulf coast-

Thanks for the replies. I had a look at the Holiday Inn sunspree in st petersburg, but I was unable to get any prices for the time we are going. It seems to be quite a bit more expensive going near to the beaches. I am really starting to think that I would be as well just staying in the accommodation I have in kissimmi and travelling down a few times to the beaches for the day and also to busch gardens. Any advice would be appreciated.

thanks

keanda

http://www.sunspreeresorts.com shows a price of from $113 for two (double)bed rooms to $130 per night (not per person)for those overlooking the marina or the bay for that time of year.
If you are traveling on a tight budget have a look at the La Quinta Inns,Hampton Inns or Amerisuites- look up on TripAdvisor.com the particular one you may be interested in,for traveler reviews. These are usually good family style hotels but they won't be in prime beachside locations,you might drive a few mins to beach.

There are lots of nice villas/condos to rent short term in Sarasota , Siesta Key , Naples etc but you do have the drive along the I4 back to Orlando . Not sure if you can post websites here but a fav of mine is Holidayrentals.co.uk . Sometimes with a family a condo can work out cheaper than a hotel if you need more than one bedroom .
As well as the beautiful beaches at Siesta Key there are plenty of other places to check out at the Gulf such as The Mote Marine Aquarium , Sarasota Jungle Gardens and Myakka River State park . And of course as well as Busch Gardens there is Adventure Island next door .