Sarasota or Sanibel Island beach?

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

I'm hoping for some good suggestions. I'm making my annual trip down to Florida to visit my mother who's in the Ft. Lauderdale area (Tamarac) in early April. My brother will be joining me. This year rather than flying directly into Ft. Lauderdale we're flying into Tampa.

I have a relative that I'm going to see our first night we arrive in Tampa and we'll have dinner with her & her husband. She's in an eastern suburb of Tampa and we plan on finding a hotel to spend the night in the area. Then we plan on driving down to St. Pete's and visitng a few museums. Then it's on to Sarastoa where we plan on spending either a night or two.

My brother really wants to spend some time on a nice beach. I can't decide if we should spend two nights in either Sarasota or Sanibel Island. As for me I need to have a beach chair to sit on....I simply can't lie on a towel in the sand so I'm thinking we would have to either buy them or stay at a beachfront restort. I also want to mention that though I go to Florida often I rarely go to the west coast.

Doesn anyone have any good suggestions?

TIA!

ETA: Once we leave Sanibel, we'll drive down to Naples then from there over to visit my mother in Tmarac.

World Traveler · ‎02-02-2015

@haddon9 If you don't get the answers you need, you might try posting on the Travel Forum, as I have seen many people post there who are from Florida or travel to that state frequently.

I am still oxox · ‎03-09-2010

I have been to both Sarasota/Siesta Key and Sanibel and I would overwhelmingly say Siesta Key, we found Sanibel very expensive, and it seem they pulled the sidewalks in at 8 pm.

Also I would recommend the Beach House on Anna Maria Island for dinner, food is great and some of the tables are actually on the beach,which was wonderful for us NY'er in mid Winter

Stop being afraid of what could go wrong and start being positive what could go right.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@World Traveler Thanks i hadn't thought of that...I might give it a try a bit later.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

wrote:
I have been to both Sarasota/Siesta Key and Sanibel and I would overwhelmingly say Siesta Key, we found Sanibel very expensive, and it seem they pulled the sidewalks in at 8 pm.
Also I would recommend the Beach House on Anna Maria Island for dinner, food is great and some of the tables are actually on the beach,which was wonderful for us NY'er in mid Winter

@I am still oxox Thanks! You've given me something to look into. I was afraid that Sanibel Island might be somewhat pricey. I'm going to look up Siesta Key!

deb5555 · ‎03-21-2010

Siesta Key/ Sarasota has the occasional red tide, I would check the red tide bloom update before going! You can look up the red tide state wide status online.

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@deb5555 Thanks! I had no idea!

FrostyBabe1 · ‎05-09-2016

Most definitely Sarasota/Siesta Key. The beach at Siesta Key is absolutely beautiful! Depending on where you stay, you could check in to renting a beach chair. I spend part of the year on Anna Maria Island, and there are a couple of places there that rent them. They bring them to where ever you're staying and pick them up. They're nice chairs, but it's not cheap. You might be able to buy one and leave it for much less.

~The more someone needs to brag about how wonderful, special, successful, wealthy or important they are, the greater the likelihood that it isn't true. ~

haddon9 · ‎03-09-2010

@FrostyBabe1 . I plan on looking into Siesta Key....as far as a beach chair we could probably pick up some inexpensive ones and just leave them behind or see into renting one.

Thanks for your suggestions!