SW Florida in October

Best Things Nearby:
Beach, restaurants, andBusch Gardens.

Best Things About the Resort:
We stayed in a small two-bedroom unit that was decorated in lovely bright colors that suited a beach timeshare. We enjoyed our unit and found everything that we needed to make our own meals and enjoy ourselves.

Resort Experience:
The two-bedroom unit was small but managed to fit a king bed in the master bedroom with an adjoining bathroom. The second bedroom had two twins but our daughters were delighted to have their own TV and bathroom. The entire decor was bright and cheery. All the wood trim was painted white and the colors were blue, pink, yellow, and green.

The resort provided bicycles and had several activities like continental breakfast, Florida dreamsicles at the pool, deck fishing, etc.

There was also a lovely area off the bay with a deck and grilles. This area was landscaped and enjoyable to watch the wild life.

The resort is on a narrow strip of land across from the beach. That was the only negative.

• Unit Type: 2 Bedroom
• Activities: Very Good
• Amenities: Very Good
• Unit Satisfaction: Very Good
• Family Friendliness: Very Good
• Service: Very Good

One of our favorite public beaches in Southwest Florida is Coquina Beach. Coquina Beach is located at the southern tip of Anna Maria Island, just before crossing the bridge to Longboat Key. Coquina Beach has parking (free), restrooms, showers, cafe, and also lifeguards in season. We did not see lifeguards in early October. There are also plenty of shade trees in case you have gotten too much sun.

The beach is well maintained, and while we were there, a tractor was cleaning up any seaweed that had washed up onshore. The best thing about Coquina Beach, however, is the clear, turquoise water. We loved playing at the beach, looking for shells, and had a great family time! We were amazed at how clear the water was at this location versus just a few miles further north.

Another fun thing to note about Coquina Beach is the turtle nests. We had just heard from Santa Maria Island Turtle Watch that only three nests remained because it was late in the season. We managed to find two remaining nests at Coquina Beach, so our daughters were thrilled! They were due to hatch in 10 days, or we would have been out there during the night to watch the baby sea turtles run for the ocean.

Check out the beach and see why the turtles prefer Coquina Beach!