# Florida Winter "Vacation"



## DGS49

My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.

I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.

But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,

Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.

Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


----------



## Oddball

Tried the Redneck Riviera yet?

Though it is no longer "Florida's best kept secret" it's still a relative bargain to downstate.


----------



## Third Party

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


You will pay the going rate. Northern rentals in the summer aren't any better.


----------



## Disir

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


https://www.norwegian.com/us?gclid=...j4xI296Jmc64JpQheOYaAuYoEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds

I suggest if you are going to pay out the wazoo, go some place fantabulous rather than Florida.


----------



## Synthaholic

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


I’d offer suggestions but we don’t want you here.


----------



## Markle

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.



You're lying about our state.

My suggestion is to go to California.


----------



## depotoo

Cape Canaveral, Beach House Vacation Rentals, Condos | BeachHouse.com


----------



## gipper

Fort Myers has some trailer parks that might accept you.


----------



## 22lcidw

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


During the winter it get a bit cool at times. It may be a bit cool the whole day or warm up a bit in the afternoon. This is semi tropical. Not tropical. However, about halfway between Central Florida and South Florida, most of the time the weather is warmer if a weather front line holds. How many times have you seen a space launch from the Cape with it pretty cool out? As the fronts move in and out you may even ask if it ever was cool. If you want warmth Florida is the place to come to. If you want more of a guarantee, further South is it. It still will not be like where you come from at that time of the year anyway.


----------



## Dick Foster

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.



They've had years, actually decade upon decade of practice fleecing the annual snowbird migration down there. They've  thought of everything you can imagine and then some. Either bend over, grab your ankles and take it or look elsewhere.
I was in the military in the 60s down there and had a hard time keeping a rental to live in because they had their regular snow bird  pigeons that needed their annual shaking down. And that was in central Florida where it's not as bad as on either coast. Lucky for me I'd married a local gal and had some connections.


----------



## Markle

Dick Foster said:


> They've had years, actually decade upon decade of practice fleecing the annual snowbird migration down there. They've thought of everything you can imagine and then some. Either bend over, grab your ankles and take it or look elsewhere.
> I was in the military in the 60s down there and had a hard time keeping a rental to live in because they had their regular snow bird pigeons that needed their annual shaking down. And that was in central Florida where it's not as bad as on either coast. Lucky for me I'd married a local gal and had some connections.



I suggest you move to California!


----------



## Synthaholic

Dick Foster said:


> DGS49 said:
> 
> 
> 
> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> They've had years, actually decade upon decade of practice fleecing the annual snowbird migration down there. They've  thought of everything you can imagine and then some. Either bend over, grab your ankles and take it or look elsewhere.
> I was in the military in the 60s down there and had a hard time keeping a rental to live in because they had their regular snow bird  pigeons that needed their annual shaking down. And that was in central Florida where it's not as bad as on either coast. Lucky for me I'd married a local gal and had some connections.
Click to expand...

I bet you complain when hotels raise their prices for big events, too.  

Poor wingnut.


----------



## Dick Foster

Markle said:


> Dick Foster said:
> 
> 
> 
> They've had years, actually decade upon decade of practice fleecing the annual snowbird migration down there. They've thought of everything you can imagine and then some. Either bend over, grab your ankles and take it or look elsewhere.
> I was in the military in the 60s down there and had a hard time keeping a rental to live in because they had their regular snow bird pigeons that needed their annual shaking down. And that was in central Florida where it's not as bad as on either coast. Lucky for me I'd married a local gal and had some connections.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> I suggest you move to California!
Click to expand...


Belive me, he wants no part of this shithole either.


----------



## petro

DGS49 said:


> My wife and I are apparently the renters that Florida property owners don't want to deal with.  We want to go down for a couple (3?) weeks in February, just to get away from the worst of the Winter.
> 
> I have no particular place in mind, although my wife wants to be able to "walk to the beach," and presumably she doesn't mean a 10 mile forced march.
> 
> But you go to the various websites that specialize in those places, and they make you feel like a red-headed stepchild.  In addition to rates that are VERY high, they play games with you, like,
> 
> Quoting nightly rates PER PERSON. WTF?  Do they rent the same unit to strangers sometimes?  This is bullshit.
> They add a thousand dollars in fees and taxes to the "low" rates that are quoted.  (The VRBO "Administrative Fee" is particularly galling to me because last year the Owner of the house I rented - a German in Deutchland - stiffed me out of a $350 security deposit, and VRBO told me there was "nothing they could do about it").
> They quote for twice as many days as you put in the calendar.  I guess in those cases there is a minimum number of days that is simply not stated anywhere.
> They show you a thousand properties that, when you plug in your dates, are not available (some filter the requests and some do not).
> It's interesting: the airlines play nice with you if you book in advance, and the car rental companies provide very good rates, but the "vacation home" renters want to make a whole year of cost absorption in the three or four months of Winter up north.
> 
> Any suggestions?  We want to go south of Orlando & Tampa, so we are sure to get good weather, and we want to be near saltwater.


 Don't know about that area, but my wife and I flew to Miami last year late Feb., then went south to the Keys. Car rental was reasonable and found a small quiet resort in Key Largo then a few days on Marathon Key. Stayed at Captain Pips overlooking 7 mile bridge and despite the silly name had reasonable totally refurbished apartments with full kitchens for rent and units at two other locations. We booked a couple months in advance doing all reservations ourselves.
Visited Key West but don't think I would ever stay there. Too crowded and expensive.


----------



## Disir

And there's like 3 waves of spring vacation for underage/21 college students.


----------



## Markle

petro said:


> Don't know about that area, but my wife and I flew to Miami last year late Feb., then went south to the Keys. Car rental was reasonable and found a small quiet resort in Key Largo then a few days on Marathon Key. Stayed at Captain Pips overlooking 7 mile bridge and despite the silly name had reasonable totally refurbished apartments with full kitchens for rent and units at two other locations. We booked a couple months in advance doing all reservations ourselves.
> Visited Key West but don't think I would ever stay there. Too crowded and expensive.



Way back in the late 60's I lived for three years in Key West.  I was taken in, accepted by the "Conchs" and it was pure paradise.


----------



## petro

Markle said:


> petro said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know about that area, but my wife and I flew to Miami last year late Feb., then went south to the Keys. Car rental was reasonable and found a small quiet resort in Key Largo then a few days on Marathon Key. Stayed at Captain Pips overlooking 7 mile bridge and despite the silly name had reasonable totally refurbished apartments with full kitchens for rent and units at two other locations. We booked a couple months in advance doing all reservations ourselves.
> Visited Key West but don't think I would ever stay there. Too crowded and expensive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Way back in the late 60's I lived for three years in Key West.  I was taken in, accepted by the "Conchs" and it was pure paradise.
Click to expand...

As a literal water bug growing up in the land of lakes and a boat owner, and fishing nut, it sure looked like water paradise to me.
Can't wait to go again.


----------



## Markle

petro said:


> Markle said:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> petro said:
> 
> 
> 
> Don't know about that area, but my wife and I flew to Miami last year late Feb., then went south to the Keys. Car rental was reasonable and found a small quiet resort in Key Largo then a few days on Marathon Key. Stayed at Captain Pips overlooking 7 mile bridge and despite the silly name had reasonable totally refurbished apartments with full kitchens for rent and units at two other locations. We booked a couple months in advance doing all reservations ourselves.
> Visited Key West but don't think I would ever stay there. Too crowded and expensive.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> Way back in the late 60's I lived for three years in Key West.  I was taken in, accepted by the "Conchs" and it was pure paradise.
> 
> Click to expand...
> 
> As a literal water bug growing up in the land of lakes and a boat owner, and fishing nut, it sure looked like water paradise to me.
> Can't wait to go again.
Click to expand...


My job was in retail management but I was also a certified diver.  I worked a part-time job as well and crewed as a divemaster on a couple of dive boats as needed.  I had a great one-bedroom duplex owned by the curator of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City.  They came down for three in the winter.  The rest of the time their side was vacant.  I owned a magnificent custom-built Harley, snorkeled off a few places for lobster if money was short.  So wish I had never left.  That was years before Key West became so bizarre!


----------



## Markle

Whatever floats your boat.

I've been retired for a while now but I only went to Miami on business, in addition to being a Realtor, I am a professional speaker and was frequently hired by associations in that area.  I would never go to Miami for a vacation.  There are at least a hundred other more inviting areas for relaxation and spectacular beaches.


----------



## Sunni Man

Oddball said:


> *Tried the Redneck Riviera *yet?
> Though it is no longer "Florida's best kept secret" it's still a relative bargain to downstate.


That's where I go every year to avoid the harsh winters. ...


----------



## DGS49

I ended up finding a nice 2BR condo on the water in St Petersburg.  3 weeks in February.

By the time it's time to go, I expect to be fed up with WInter.  All is good.


----------



## gulfman

Take a half a million dollars and buy your own place.


----------

