# Florida questions



## Fletcher921 (Feb 15, 2008)

Help please??  I have a warped impression of Florida and would really like to visit sometime and change my perspective...  My only experience with Florida has been sticky, humid, kind of moldy and very commercial.  We have flown into Fort Lauderdale twice and stayed overnight prior to a cruise - both times in June.  One time we shuttled to Miami for the cruise departure.  After the other cruise we stayed at LagoMar Beach club in FLL - was ok but weather was just so sticky it was hard to be enjoyable.

I know parts of Florida are very nice with pretty beaches, etc.  Where are they??  What region (maybe in the Keys?) would give us the nicest impression of the state?  Do any timeshare properties come to mind that are just exquisite?  

I would love to come away with a real opinion-change of the area.

Thank you!


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## JLB (Feb 15, 2008)

I have been a fan of SW FL for more than 30 years (and I'm hardly much older than that )  To me, that means Sanibel/Captiva, Ft. Myers Beach, Bonita Beach, Vanderbilt Beach, Naples, and Marco Island.

It is much more developed and commerical than the sleepy little fishing villages along US 41 in the old days, but once you get to a resort on the beach, it's as if all of that does not exist.

Areas like Estero Bay, Lover's Key, and other areas like those, is what we like about Florida.

For whatever reason, the Keys, Panhandle, NE, SE, and the Tampa area beaches, just doesn't for us.  Anna Maria Island to Siesta Key, in the Sarasota area, comes close.  We will be going to Englewood, a little above the Ft. Myers area next year, so I'll get to check that out.

The SE is very busy, very commercial, so if that is your only experience, there are areas that are not like that.  But as more folks, mostly baby boomers, are attracted to FL, more of it is getting like that.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 15, 2008)

*From Exotic To Semi-Familiar.*

Even though we managed to vacation at Disney World once before our 2 sons completely outgrew the chance to enjoy it, Florida remained faraway & exotic in our imagination. 

Later, but still before our timeshare days, we developed a family connection to part of inland Florida when my late mother-in-law's widow-lady snowbird friends got her to buy a Florida winter home sight-unseen.  "Oh, come on, Sally," they said.  "There's a beautiful little place right in between Emily's place & mine that you can get for $66*,*000 -- a steal.  We love it there.  But if you buy it & don't like it, you can always sell it.  What have you got to lose?" 

So she sprang for it, went there -- once, for just a week or 2 -- with The Chief Of Staff's sister, had a terrible time, hated it, & never went back.  Her 2 daughters inherited the place after a few years.  

With the Florida place just sitting empty, we decided we'd head on down there ourselves for 2-3 weeks of winter vacation, not really knowing what to expect in the "real" Florida away from the theme parks & beaches & vacation hotspots.  We imagined we'd encounter heat, humidity, palmetto bugs the size of gerbils, & I don't know what-all. 

It didn't help that at the time there were distressing TV news reports about bad guys murdering tourists whom they identified by the distinctive digits on rental car tags, plus a spate of horrible fatal crashes caused by whacked-out perps dropping manhole covers & concrete blocks off I-95 & I-295 overpasses down onto cars traveling in & around Jacksonville FL. 

On our 1st drive to my mother-in-law's unloved Florida winter home in Zephyrhills FL, we turned off the Interstate before we got anywhere close to Jacksonville, heading west on A1A till we connected with Rt. 301, staying on that through Lawtey & Starke & all those picturesque places till just north of Ocala.  Then we edged over to I-75 & stayed with that till the exit at Rt. 98, which took us back over to Rt. 301, which goes down through Dade City & on to Zephyrhills. 

We had a fantastic time, thoroughly enjoying the exotic strangeness of being where every day was warm & sunny, with little lizards running around everywhere & trees loaded with oranges & grapefruit, while back home there was snow up to the windowsills & ice up to the hubcaps.  Bugs?  Sure, there were some -- mostly deadsters in the kitchen sink & the bathtubs.  I swept'm up & cleaned'm out & that was that.  The house got regular treatments by the Orkin man even when nobody was there, & we had no terrible bug problem.  Fire ants out in the yard weren't much trouble if we were careful to keep clear of the anthills while picking oranges. 

We made a couple of return trips & once or twice we let some friends use the place, but as infrequently as the place was used it made no sense to keep it.    Eventually The Chief Of Staff & her sister sold the the half of the property that has the house & garage & greenhouse on it, but kept the half that has nothing on it but orange trees & a big grapefruit tree.  Part of our January Florida vacation time even now is devoted to the half-acre citrus harvest over in Pasco County, which means we have to drive rather than fly & that we have to take the big car & not the compact doodlebug, because those few trees produce lots of fruit. 

With no Florida vacation home in the family any longer, we still keep on vacationing in The Sunshine State, mainly via timeshares but sometimes via PriceLine-Dot-Com -- e.g., for the big fancypants car show that we've been going to in recent years, more for the opportunity to reunite with old friends from school days than for the chance to gawk at million-dollar classic cars. 

Florida as an exotic locale has been transformed in our (limited) experience of it as a comfortable & semi-familiar place, the parts of it where we've gone more than once anyway -- Jacksonville, St. Augustine, Rockledge, Melbourne, Orlando, Lakeland, Mulberry, Thonotosassa, Plant City, Clearwater, Pinellas Park, Tampa, Ruskin, Zephyrhills, Dade City.  

Can't wait to go back. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## RDB (Feb 15, 2008)

Fletcher921 said:


> Help please??  I have a warped impression of Florida and would really like to visit sometime and change my perspective...  My only experience with Florida has been sticky, humid, kind of moldy and very commercial.  We have flown into Fort Lauderdale twice and stayed overnight prior to a cruise - both times in June.  One time we shuttled to Miami for the cruise departure.  After the other cruise we stayed at LagoMar Beach club in FLL - was ok but weather was just so sticky it was hard to be enjoyable.
> 
> I know parts of Florida are very nice with pretty beaches, etc.  Where are they??  What region (maybe in the Keys?) would give us the nicest impression of the state?  Do any timeshare properties come to mind that are just exquisite?
> 
> ...



Babs,

Yes, the lesser Keys are nice, especially if you sail. Being on the water is great.

My parents wintered in Okeechobee for many years. They headed to Michigan in April and returned to Florida in October. They journeyed around much of the state. I recall Dad saying, “There’s nothing worth a darn in Florida that isn’t man made.”

Caroll and I visited them several times and usually toured various routes. We resided in Pensacola for three years. We’ve frequented a few timeshares in the last 12 years. I have to agree with Dad.

The only way we would want to hold up is on (or within a half mile of) the Gulf or Ocean. We like Pompano Beach. Even then, late June to October is not enjoyable for us. 

We have found that being in shade with occasional dips in the pool makes it pleasant at other times.

We enjoy Lighthouse Cove and Santa Barbara. Neither are 5 star but do have shade. Royal Vista is pretty nice but  not enough shade.


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## silvib (Feb 16, 2008)

Babs - I second what JLB write, although I can't express an opinion on the Keys or the Panhandle as I haven't been.
Before we came to live here full time, we used to visit during November/December & April and found the temperature great and the humidity not too high.  Once you get into June, the temps are climbing along with the humidity. Staying on Sanibel/Captiva is not at all commercial, you need to go to Ft Myers for that and about 10 years' ago we stayed at Engelwood Beach, which also was very quiet and nice, so hope it hasn't changed much.


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## jfitz (Feb 16, 2008)

Fletcher921 said:


> Help please??  I have a warped impression of Florida and would really like to visit sometime and change my perspective...  My only experience with Florida has been sticky, humid, kind of moldy and very commercial.



Late June, July, August and early September tend to be very humid but no worse than what you experience, although for a shorter time, in parts of July and August in the NJ, MD, DE, VA area.  Air conditioning, a swimming pool and a nice beach and ocean go a long way towards making those months tolerable.



> I know parts of Florida are very nice with pretty beaches, etc.  Where are they??  What region (maybe in the Keys?) would give us the nicest impression of the state?



I like southwest Florida.  The beaches are beautiful, it is far less commercial than the east coast, the sunsets are a joy to behold, and, since the summer prevailing wind is from the Gulf, it tends to be more comfortable in the summer than the east coast.  The Keys are not noted for their beaches, most of which are small and man made.


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## Fletcher921 (Feb 16, 2008)

Thank you all!

Do any particular resorts come to mind??


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## JLB (Feb 16, 2008)

I have pretty much made the study of timeshares in SW FL a pet project.  I don't know everything about all of them, like whether housekeeping puts the TP on the holder top or bottom ways, but I have a good feel for them.  

I have searched them, almost daily, for January since 1997 and have recorded the results since March 27, 2002.  I have a thread discussing that, which is now in its 5th generation, I believe.  There are some very valid assumptions that can be made based on if a resort is commonly available during peak times, or not.

We are booked for '09 and I started my search for '0-10 last month while we were there.

What comes to my mind is probably more than you need to know.  What are you looking for?  Narrow it down.



Fletcher921 said:


> Thank you all!
> 
> Do any particular resorts come to mind??


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## Carta (Feb 16, 2008)

Fletcher921 said:


> Help please??  I have a warped impression of Florida and would really like to visit sometime and change my perspective...  My only experience with Florida has been sticky, humid, kind of moldy and very commercial.  We have flown into Fort Lauderdale twice and stayed overnight prior to a cruise - both times in June.  One time we shuttled to Miami for the cruise departure.  After the other cruise we stayed at LagoMar Beach club in FLL - was ok but weather was just so sticky it was hard to be enjoyable.
> 
> I know parts of Florida are very nice with pretty beaches, etc.  Where are they??  What region (maybe in the Keys?) would give us the nicest impression of the state?  Do any timeshare properties come to mind that are just exquisite?
> 
> ...


===================

If you're looking for great beaches, stay away from the keys..........
  I live in PA, so hot and humid sounds great to me.
My favorite place in FL is: Naples. But I'll take any town in south FL. on the coast....Ft Laud, W Palm Beach, Pompano Beach, Miami Beach.  On the gulf side: Naples, Ft Myers,Estero,Bonita Springs

 Exquisite Timeshare properties: Marriott's Ocean Pointe in W Palm. ... 
ps. If you don't like hot weather, you'll never enjoy FL.


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## JLB (Feb 16, 2008)

Naples is a nice place, but does not have a plethora of TS resorts.  Through RCI just 5.  Only 2 of them are on the beach, and one of those is actually on Vanderbilt Beach, to the north of Naples, near Bonita Beach.

The concentration of SW FL beach resorts are Marco Island, Ft. Myers Beach, and Sanibel/Captiva.

A little more info, there are sorta two levels of resorts in SW FL.  The original onslaught were developed in the late 70's and early '80's, by a gentleman named Keith Trowbridge.  He was doing millions a year in timeshares before Mr. Seagull and Mr. Wilson even got started in Orlando. There are some discussions about him, RDI, Bluegreen, and SW FL resorts going on right now.

Some of those were hotel/motel conversions and some of them were developed as timeshares.

More recently, although not really recent, HGVC has some very nice beachfront resorts.  They are on Marco, FMB, Sanibel and Captiva.

*Ft. Myers Beach*
Seawatch on the Beach

*Captiva Island*
The Cottages at South Seas Resort
Planatation Bay Villas at South Seas Resort
Plantation Beach Club at South Seas Resort
Plantation House at South Seas Resort
South Seas Club at South Seas Resort

*Marco Island*
The Charter Club of Marco Beach
Club Regency of Marco Island
Eagle’s Nest Beach Resort
The Surf Club Resort

*Sanibel Island*
Casa Ybel Resort
Hurricane House Resort
Sanibel Cottage Resort
Shell Island Beach Club
Tortuga Beach Club Resort


Hyatt has a new(er) one on Estero Bay in Bonita Springs, accessible from US 41, called the Cocoanut Hyatt.  Also a midrise Hyatt hotel there, and a couple of gated Golf and Beach communities.  It has water taxis over to their Beach Club between Bonita Beach and Ft. Myers Beach, in the Lover's Key area.  That is a neat area, full of dolphins, and there is a dog beach across the pass from the beach club.  Conch Man is very familiar with all of that.

Other than where we live, we would most want to live there, somewhere around Estero Bay, probably in a canal or river home, with access to the Bay and Gulf.  And people in ---- want ice water.  



Carta said:


> ===================
> 
> 
> My favorite place in FL is: Naples.


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## JLB (Feb 16, 2008)

The bad news is that SW FL is too nice, and Man is too greedy, and eventually the fragile ecosystem of the area will be irreversably plundered.

Man already cannot keep up with Man in the area, and the signs are already there.


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## Fletcher921 (Feb 16, 2008)

JLB - Trying to narrow it down a bit...

Would like a beachfront location.
Nice clean sand.
Good seafood restaurants nearby.
Shopping and nightlife not so important.
Golf courses for the husband would be a plus.
Spa onsite or very close for me would be even better!
We love snazzy-do hotels - heavenly beds - dishwasher - helpful concierge - pretty views

Hot weather isn't too much the issue - living in San Diego most all my life I can handle weather up to the low 100's - it's the hot and humid at the same time that I find offensive! 

When is the weather nicest??  I am thinking 75-90 during the day; maybe 60-70's at night?  Less humid?

Thank you -


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## Nancy (Feb 16, 2008)

*8 Months*

We spend at least half time up to 8 months of the year in the Tampa area.  October is one of my favorite months althought sometimes it can get cool toward the end of the month (and sometimes not).  Summer is hotter and humid, but being from Virginia, not any worse than there.  April and May are nice also.  

Nancy


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## JLB (Feb 16, 2008)

You do know this is a timeshare forum, don't you!?  You do know that most timeshares are just an apartment to stay in when you are not home, don't you?   

Sounds like you need South Seas Plantation on Captiva Island.  Even the nice HGVC resorts on Marco--like Eagles Nest, may not be good enough for you.

South Seas changed ownership after Hurricane Charley, during the rebuild, and came out as an even more upscale, very exclusive vacation destination.  Although they would probably prefer there aren't, there are still timeshare sections.

To get to South Seas you go to Sanibel Island, head north on it, cross over to Captiva Island, and go to the north end of it.  There is a gate near the end of the road.  That is South Seas and you have to be an owner or guest to go any further.

Got your checkbook handy?  Got a friendly banker?   

http://www.southseas.com/

Weatherwise, you would like Spring or Fall, like maybe May and October.




Fletcher921 said:


> JLB - Trying to narrow it down a bit...
> Would like a beachfront location.
> Nice clean sand.
> Good seafood restaurants nearby.
> ...


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## Fletcher921 (Feb 17, 2008)

You sure that's in Florida??  Looks like it may be in Heaven...

Great looking property - that gives me somewhere to start aiming!

Banns


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## JLB (Feb 17, 2008)

In post 10 I listed the South Seas resorts, which are in the HGVC family.  I guess there is another one, Harbourview Villas.

The next step down are the other HGVC resorts, on Sanibel, FMB and Marco Island.  They are nice, with less attitude than South Seas.

In that same catogory would be Hyatt Coconut Plantation:

http://hyattcoconutplantation.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

Next, heading downward, are a plethora of lesser resorts, some hotel/motel conversions and some baked-from-scratch timeshare resorts, mostly circa 1980.  Most are comfortable, and decent, some more than others.


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## swift (Feb 17, 2008)

We went to Fort Lauderdale and then on to WDW this past December. Being from California I am a humidity cry baby so I know what you mean. In December the weather was perfect. While my friends back home were going through cold sleet rain we were sitting pool side. Humidity wasn't a problem at all.


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## Neesie (Feb 18, 2008)

I personally love the Ft. Lauderdale & Miami beaches.  I have noticed that when people who cruise in and out of those ports get a bad impression of the area.  I believe it is because their major focus is the cruise and they book inexpensive in-land hotels with free transportation to the cruise docks.  You will not see the beautiful Ft. Lauderdale or South Beach that I have come to know!

I go in December and or January and humidity has not been a problem during that time of year.  Stay anywhere oceanfront!  That's the key!:whoopie:


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## KenK (Feb 18, 2008)

It's hard to separate the temps with the humidity during the summer months in Fl.

The furthur S you go, the warmer.....right now..today the temp outside is 85 F with the humidity at approx 60%.  THis is 2 blocks from the beach in Hollywood.  It would be drier, but we just had showers, but now thw sun is out.

During the summer, along the coasts, it rarely gets above 91 F.  ( ONLY ALONG the coasts)....but the humidity is high....so it still is uncomfortable.

The temperatures seem to get higher when we are in NJ during summer days (also with high humidity near that coast...but...in the PM...it really cools down.)

It doesn't cool down so much in the PM in Fl. 

The ocean water temps are still 74 F on both coasts... ( I just checked Bonita for my cousins who were heading back there today).  The waves are very small, and in some places the sand slope is super mild - ie...you can walk quite aways into the ocean and still not get your waist wet (but not in N Palm Beach area or Stuart)....

For some reason the sand seems to be disappearing faster than usual.  Most of the time, it needs to be replenished after severe fall storms...but I think they are setting up the equipment on the S Palm Beach N Broward lines.

Ocean may be shallow slope, but that doesn't mean the lifeguards don't post the flags for rips if present.  When the wind blows strong off the water...( and it does when the temps keep being so warm here ( they usually aren't in the high 80s in winter), they flags fly warning of rip currents. 

Most of the beaches in S Fl are completely life guarded..in Broward mostly with EMTs and policing authority, so they fly all kinds of warning flags on their (AC) stands....

They also warn of marine life....sometimes rays, mostly clear jellyfish, rarely red tide ( the red or other color tide will indicate no one will go in the water).

If they see purple colored jelly fish, they may also clear the water of swimmers.  

You are allowed to snorkle and swim out off the beaches, but you may get fined if you don't have a float flag or other warning device if you go past a certain distance, which I forgot.

All winter, the waters in S Fl should be warm enouth to swim....( up to Vero Beach on the East Coast..I forgot the West Coast side)...as the temps rarely go below 70F.  BUT USUALLY the air temps may keep swimmers out of the Gulf or Ocean.

As for East Coast/West Coast S Fl....family has properties on both sides...Estero (Bonita), Alva, the key just below Longboat Key, Royal Palm Beach, Pompano, Miami Beach, Hallandale/Hollywood.

To say the S West Coast is less congested now is a joke....something happened in the last 10 or 20 years....both sides are pretty busy.  

They are making I 75 wider down to Golden Glades ( just before the toll expressway across to Ft LAuderdale), and they are expanding & adding lanes to both the Fl Turnpike and I 95 in Palm Beach County....

to give an idea of density...I 75 to 3 or more lanes in one direction, and I 95 to up to 5 lanes in one direction.

Those already familiar with I 95 farthur S will note that there are up to 7 lanes in one direction at times.... 

Along both coasts, Fl was getting very built up.  I think the Sun Sentinal reported this was the first or second year, however, that more people have moved out of Florida than into it.....think insurance rates, and local taxes...

I keep seeing ads in the papers for 5 acres in Tennessee (or GA)  with a giant log home for $89,000.   The small print, however, says the log home needs assembly    And it looks like a 2 story with a attic space....so I guess that leaves out the retirees.....


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## Bwolf (Feb 18, 2008)

There are other timeshares on Sanibel Island than those listed above.  We own at Sanibel Beach Club I (http://sanibelbeachclub.com/).  It is Saturday to Saturday.  IIRC, the HGVC are all Friday to Friday.  Sanibel Beach Club II and Lighthouse Resort and Club (http://www.tkenoyer.com/Sanibel.html) are also nice.  I believe they are Saturday to Saturday.  There are more, just go search for them.

There is also some rather negative discussion on the Sanibel message board about the new direction of South Seas resort and the gentleman most responsible for it.  You may find the resort pleasant but the fees unwelcome.

HTH.


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## JLB (Feb 18, 2008)

We have had similar discussions here also.

The Sanibel resorts I listed were just the HGVC ones.  Other, non-HGVC Sanibel resorts are also nice, as you point out.



Bwolf said:


> There is also some rather negative discussion on the Sanibel message board about the new direction of South Seas resort and the gentleman most responsible for it.  You may find the resort pleasant but the fees unwelcome.
> 
> HTH.


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## Don (Feb 19, 2008)

I live on the Cape Haze Peninsula approx. 25 mi. due north of Captiva.  During the summer the temps are usually 90 - 95 deg.  About the same as the Va. Beach area in the hottest part of their summer.  But the humidity is usually 15 to 25 % greater.  The norm here runs 75 to 85%.  However, over the past several years, we have been having drought conditions and the humidity has been less for the most part.


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## Jim Bryan (Feb 19, 2008)

Current water Temps
http://www.weather.com/maps/activity/boatbeach/floridacoastalwatertemperatures_large.html


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## JLB (Feb 19, 2008)

Sounds absolutely comfortable compared with our 105°/200% humidity August/Septembers.   

Of course, that 90° lake water is nice.  :whoopie:

You know it's hot when 90° feels cool.  Last summer, after working outside in those temps, I found AC uncomfortable, and would just roll the windows down on the way home.


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## AwayWeGo (Feb 19, 2008)

*Four Fifty-Five Air Conditioning.*




JLB said:


> I found AC uncomfortable, and would just roll the windows down on the way home.


Just wind down 4 windows & drive 55 mph. 

-- Alan Cole, McLean (Fairfax County), Virginia, USA.​


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## MULTIZ321 (Feb 19, 2008)

Jim,

Thanks so much for posting the weather.com link for coastal water temperatures. I didn't know that type of information was available from the weather.com site.

While trying to figure out how to get to the coastal water temperature information from the weather.com home page - I discovered another series of maps that would be of assistance to some folks - fall foilage maps for the entire US.  I posted a specific link on another Tug thread that had to do with fall foilage.

And I finally did figure out how to get to the coastal water temperatures from the home page too.

The internet is truly amazing.  Thanks again for posting.


Richard


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## wcfr1 (Mar 7, 2008)

Babs,

The beaches on the Gulf Coast are much better than the East Coast. Once again Fort Desoto has won as the best beach in the country. Everyone has their own likes and dislikes but I much prefer anything from Naples north to Clearwater. 

Summer heat and humidity is repressive as well as serious thunderstorms with plenty of lightning sometimes scares first time visitors. The best time to visit for the weather is April and October.

Not a good time for the kids but this means crowds are way down.

By the way it is in the 80's here yesterday and supposed to be in the 40's tommorrow but that's only supposed to last two days, then back to 70-80.


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## Fletcher921 (Mar 7, 2008)

Thank you Lou - April or October seem like safe bets - never again at the end of June...


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## wcfr1 (Mar 8, 2008)

Babs- Your welcome. I am thinking about Park City around the third week of Feb. next year. Maybe I will bump into you again.


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## Fletcher921 (Oct 8, 2009)

*Something near West Palm Beach?*

We have booked a boat charter in the Abacos  for next June and need somewhere nice to stay in Florida for a few nights prior to the trip (flying from West coast).  We can fly into either Miami, Fort Lauderdale or West Palm Beach.  We will be flying out from West Palm Beach to Marsh Harbor.

Suggestions?  Could be either timeshare or hotel or B&B - no matter.  Want really nice.

 (I know I said never again at the end of June a few posts back, but here goes!)


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## pedro47 (Oct 8, 2009)

After our cruises we head to the Marriott's Ocean Pointe resort in West Palm,FL.  We never cruise in the month of June because it is hot in the Islands and in the state of FL.


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