Which key or island and which beachfront villa/condo?

Hello,looking to spend 1 or 2 weeks in the Sarasota area in September because from the reviews it seems just the place for us with a young child.

Looking for quality beachfront accomodation for days on the beach and then a good relaxing meal in a local restaurant in the evening - our 5 year old will be in bed by 9.30pm so somewhere relaxing at night to enjoy drinks on our terrace overlooking the ocean with my wife - will have done 7 days in Orlando by this time!

Would prefer not to drive during the evening but don%26#39;t mind exploring by day.

Cheers

Paul - Preston, England (between Manchester and Lake District)

Which key or island and which beachfront villa/condo?

If you would like a full service resort, I would recommend the Lido Beach Resort on Lido Key.

www.lidobeachresort.com.

You can read reviews if you click on the ';Hotel'; heading at the top of this page. It is a wonderful place to stay.

You would be able to go to dinner on St. Armands Circle.

The hotel has a shuttle service.

If you are looking for a condo, I would suggest looking on Siesta Key.

www.vrbo.com

www.siesta4rent.com

There are many choices and price ranges. It is very family friendly.

The nicest beach is Crescent Beach and there is a plaza nearby with a few restaurants.

If you prefer to stay by Siesta Village, there are more shops and dining choices.

Here is the webiste for the Siesta Key Chamber of Commerce:

www.siestakeychamber.com/wheretostay.php…

You can read more on the Siesta Key TA page and see reviews on places. If you need more info, let me know.

~SRQgirl

Which key or island and which beachfront villa/condo?

The Sarasota area would indeed be a good place for your visit with a young child, with nice beaches that are gently sloping and with no major waves (except in a big storm!). There are also some fun attractions that could appeal for those non-beach moments -- a wonderful aquarium, a hands-on science museum, a circus museum, etc.

Lido Key is closest to those attractions as well as closest to downtown and to St. Armands Circle; the latter has a lot of shops and restaurants. On Lido Key, Lido Beach Resort is a full-service hotel/resort and is located 0.8 miles from St. Armands Circle (not sure if you consider that walking distance or not). Next door are two very nice condos. Their websites are www.coquinaonthebeach.com and wwwsuntideislandbeachclub.com.

Longboat Key is the next closest key to St. Armands and to the downtown area. It is 10 miles long and has a single road that goes the length of the island, so perhaps you might not mind driving that in the evening. Longboat is primarily condos, some large and some small, with many to choose from. There are also a few cottage colonies as well. It%26#39;s a quieter key, and the beach would be less crowded. Longboat also has some excellent restaurants, and a small shopping center mid-island. One of my favorite condos is Sea Club III; another is the penthouse building of Gulf Tides.

For information about Sea Club III (plus other places), go to www.vacationsdirect.com. Once you are there, go to ';Florida';, then to ';Sarasota';, then to ';Longboat Key'; and scroll down until you see Sea Club III. For information about Gulf Tides, go to www.vacationfla.com.