Beach Vacation in December

We spent Christmas in Florida a couple years ago. My in-laws rented a beach house on St. George Island. It was a very lovely beach... the water was warm enough for us most of the time... but I wouldn't consider it 'warm warm.'

It's not a US beach, but you may want to consider the Turks and Caicos Islands. There is an extremely family-friendly resort there (It's a Beaches resort) and it's a 2 and 1/2 hour flight from Atlanta- I would assume it would be around 4 hours from DFW.

You will need a passport, but they accept US currency. Also, considering the time of year that you want to travel, I'm sure you could get incredible price reductions at the resort.

Another thought would be the Florida Keys or the Miami area. Personally, I love the Gulf Coast, but I don't think the water would be warm enough in December.

Have fun planning!

Miami. We just got back from Miami on Sunday. We did a mom/daughter trip last week.

I love South Beach and North Miami Beach. Lots to do and good food.

We stayed at the Loews on Collins/Lincoln area. Great hotel with wonderful things to do. When you check in they give you the schedule of activities for the week. There are a lot of things for children but it is not so much that adults can't go and enjoy time as well without being bothered with children. It has a good balance. It is pricey but everything is down there and December is a prime time. We paid $300 before taxes for the room and the food was very expensive. Breakfast buffet for 2 was $75. A cocktail was $14. Lunch which was a burger, chicken strips and 2 frozen drinks was $72. Tips are included in the checks as well. Have a bunch of single bills because everyone down there has a hand out for a tip.

We flew into Fort lauderdale instead of Miami and took a private taxi to our hotel ($100 with tip each way). It was worth the $200 I spent on taxi because flying in to Miami directly from DFW was about $600 extra. We flew down on American for less than $700. Keep in mind, if you are not a Gold, Platinum member, you do pay for bags $25 each and you can't fly standby if you choose to get an earlier flight. Sundays are a hard day to get out because all the cruise ships are back in and those people are flying home as well. CROWDED and full planes. Flight time to/from Fort Lauderdale is about 2 1/2 hrs from DFW.

Last year we flew to Fort Lauderdale on Southwest on one of the web specials and it was great. Rented a car and drove over to Marco Island and had a great trip at the Hilton Resort marco Island. You can fly into Naples, I just had a good deal with Southwest since we fly a lot and are on reward programs with SW and American.

SanDestin is fantastic but it is a little further north so the weather might not be as warm as you like. We always stay at the Hilton SanDestin Golf Resort and Spa.. LOVE this place too. We fly into Fort Walton which is about 2 hours.

Of course another all time favorite is Hawaii but you are looking at a much longer flight. It is worth the trip though. We go to Maui and stay in Kaanapoli or Kapula .

I do all of our travel plans directly with the airline website and hotel website. You can get some good deals.

Enjoy!

Southern Florida is generally incredible in December (one of our busiest months actually). Now for our family (we live here) it's too cold to swim in the ocean, but I see many others doing it. I think we're spoiled LOL!

The Boca Resort is amazing, as is the Marriott Harbor Beach in Fort Lauderdale. Both are pricey during season. Fort Lauderdale has numerous smaller hotels along the beach. You might also want to consider Hawk's Cay in the Keys - it's the ultimate family get-away.

The Fountainbleu in Miami is neat too (also pricey).

Caveat: Every now and then we get a real cold snap in December and January (i.e., 40's & 50's). That's not common though.

ETA: Ooooh Karen M. - I would love to go to Turks & Caicos! We had friends who loved it there.

I did a quick google search for warm US beaches in December and for the continental united states the two answers were Texas and Southern Florida. I'd go to one of the Hawaiian islands myself because it's tropical! (And part of the united states, however it's a four hour trip from California so that won't work under your guidelines.)

California beaches are frigid in December. The water is usually cold during the summer too because of the ocean we're up against.

http://suite101.com/article/why-californias-beaches-are-c...

Hawaii is awesome in December, not quite under four hours though. Lots of California beaches but *to me* the water is not warm then. Maybe coming from Texas they will fell warm to you :)

Panama City, FL beach has, Sugar Sand & is generally nice during the winter months, Destin is another, Pensacola all of those are wonderful, family oriented areas...I agree with Karen about a winter destination away from the U.S., perhaps even a cruise? If you begin searching now you will find LOTS of places that will give discounts for, 'early booking'! You would have time to get passports for everyone (takes about 4-6wks).

Wherever you decide, have a wonderful time!

I have friends that go to Fort Walton Beach in Florida every winter. They love it!

DonCesar Tampa bay, you will love it. Absolutely children friendly, welcome toy, crib in the room. Outstanding customers service. There is also lots to do in Tampa bay: aquarium, zoos, kids museums etc. About an hour drive to Disney:)

Puerto Rico is very nice year round and you wouldn't need a passport. Also perhaps the US Virgin Islands. Basically any location closest to the equator will have warm weather year round.

Enjoy your vacation.

The KEYS! We love Key Largo. We've rented a house in Marathon (which is kind of in the middle) and we've stayed in Key West. It's warm most of the time and the attitude in the Keys is so laid back and relaxing.

I've rented homes through vacationrentals.com and have gotten excellent rates. There's a turtle hospital in Marathon that's a lot of fun and Robbie's on Islamorado where you can feed tarpon.

Seeing the sunset on Mallory Square is a must do if you decide to go to the Keys (Key West).

Feel free to PM me if you'd like.

Blessings!
L.