Hi Mrselliott,

Difficult one to give advise on, as International Drive is in Orlando! (City)
The nearest beach resorts are about an hour away. If you want a place with both shopping and beach, then Fort Lauderdale is an option
But the down side is that if you want to do Disney then it means a trip back up the coast. (Fort Lauderdale is about a couple of hours from Orlando)
Another option would be Sarasota on the Gulf coast, which has a good beach and quite a few shops. The sea on this side (Gulf of Mexico) is usually quite calm as opposed to the Atlantic Ocean on the other side of Florida. But once again Disney is not really an option as it is a long trip back up.
An extreme option would be Miami Loads of Shopping, Nightlife, South Beach, but forget Disney as this would be a six hour drive.

If you want to do Disney then you will be stretched to do both beaches and the parks due to the size of the Disney Resort. A week is not really enougth to do both

I am off to Naples next year with my family and I will be booking everything individually as there are alot of options online. Go on to Google Search and find a map of Florida, as this will give you an idea of the size and location of the towns. Florida is about the size of England.
Reading between the lines you sound like you want a relaxing short break, so Sarasota or Fort Lauderdale would be a better option. Disney is not relaxing
Hope some of this helps
All the best.

i may have missed the point here but if your kids are not bothered about the theme parks and you are only going for a week..why florida...
its still the hurricane season you have an hours drive either way to a beach..plus the fact its hot and humid..why not somewhere like cyprus
half the flying time less humid lots of beaches maybe less shopping??
just my thoughts....cheers...grud

We used to go to Florida in October and once we had done the theme parks we used to travel around the state.We just got a cheap fly drive and stay one night in Orlando then head south.Our favourite place was Fort Myers Island on the gulf coast where we stayed twice for one week.As the previous poster mentions why go all the way to Florida when there are other destinations in Europe that would suit your family better?.

If Disney is not on your list of attractions it might be better to look further South,say Fort Lauderdale or South Beach, Miami- it will still be HOT there and the opportunities for shopping are endless. Have a look at Sawgrass Mills - huge shopping mall with over 300 shops,just outside Fort Lauderdale. You can also do things like Everglades airboat tours,which the kids like,go for a dolphin cruise, take a tour of Biscayne Bay to see how the other half lives........

Difficult one to give advise on, as International Drive is in Orlando! (City)

First time I have seen International Drive described as located in Orlando (City).

Just a thought - it may be worth going to at least one Disney park such as Epcot or Animal Kingdom as these two particularly, are NOTHING like fairgrounds / themeparks you get over here - totally in a league of their own.

Personally I'm not a fan at all of Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure beach etc or the coaster rides.... but I do love the Disney parks because they provide entertainment in alsorts of ways, and different levels, and for every differnt age.
Its hard to explain, but the presentation of these parks, and the level of detail, are what make them so unique.

It would be a real pity to go to Orlando, and not visit just a couple of Disney parks... just to see the difference to those over here.

Realistically, you would need a car if staying in a villa (and its so much easier to get about, even if you are not !).

Yes, you can buy tickets over there - even on the gate.

Thanks for all the replies...has given me some food for thought.

The reason I am looking at Florida is that neither of us have been to florida and we really do wish to do some shopping. My son is a mad basketball fan and loves the sportswear. We should bag some bargins considering the prices we pay over here. He has size 12 feet, I cant get trainers for him for less than £110.

I hear what you are saying about the distance to the beaches so its something to consider.

I looked at cyprus..I went in 2005 so wanted somewhere different, plys wont get the shopping bargins there I can get in the US.

I looked at Miami but it was much more expensive unless I did something wrong. New York was even worse!

I will take a look at Fort L as suggested.

Any more advice is welcomed.

Does anyone know of a good clean hotel in Fort L that wont break the bank. I dont expect a 5 * hotel, just somewhere, clean, decent and secure.

Mank Thanks.

If you are looking at Fort Lauderdale- will you have a car? You can get around the beach area on the water bus, about $11 all day HOHO. Or you can get a Sun Trolley which runs Thu-Sun free from hotels along 17th st down to the beach and around town,but for anything other than that you would need a car to get to shopping Malls etc. Taxis would soon mount up. Driving in Fort Lauderdale is easy,I would not attempt Miami cosmopolitan area if this is your first time in the US unless you are a very confident driver.
Do you want a hotel on the beach? Prices will reflect this.
We stayed last summer,before a cruise, at the Amerisuites on 17th St which is about 2 miles from the beach- it was a bargain for $69 we booked via Valutrips.com on the recommendation of friends. I think it is $79 this year. This was for a large room with two queen size beds,vanity area,bathroom, sofa and two chairs,small dining area with fridge and microwave, there is a small pool at the hotel. The rooms have an iron/ironing board and hairdryer. The price includes a "continental bkfst"- cereals,Danish pastries,waffles,juices and coffee etc. which was a good deal. They will come and pick you up from the airport as soon as you call (free), You can walk to restaurants and supermarket shopping along a busy road.... 17th St- and catch the trolley around town. Las Olas Blvd is the main shopping st there,it's more upscale than a mall,variety of little shops and restaurants.
Also take a look at the Renaissance Hotel- very nice- more expensive of course,but by UK prices and with a strong pound..... it may not look expensive to you. On the beach- look at Best Western Pelican Beach resort.
It depends how 'budget' you want... it sounds like this is more shopping vacation than beach break?
Have fun exploring your options, I think the planning is half the fun.
Hope this helps.

Good to see the majority of people who use this site are trying to be helpfull
Just like to know where International Drive is though As I thought it was in Orlando. Perhaps you can let me know where it has been moved too Terrynewpack

It's about 15 miles or so long. Part of it that includes Sea World and Convention Center,Universal Studios (quite a lot) is still within Orlando city limits,the rest is in the County. It is a big 'un.

Thanks for your reply emedia43, but my comment was aimed at Terrynewpack
I am aware of the length/location of I-drive, I was just abit miffed at the sarcastic response from him, when all I was trying to do was highlight to Mrselliot that the location she had planned to stay at was quite a distance from the nearest beaches. This is why I put City in brackets after Orlando
I think this site is very handy and most of the people who use it are very helpfull, but a small amount seem to have their own agenda.

You may want to consider the Tampa area as there are some of the best beaches in Florida close by, St Pete Beach, Clearwater, Treasure Island and tons more. Plenty of shopping and also major theme park with Busch Gardens should you get the urge.

BA fly into Tampa daily and its way less manic than both Orlando and Miami airports. You'll need a car where-ever you stay in Florida to be honest, no getting round that.

Yes, I think the gulf Coast is much nicer than the Atlantic.

stay in orlando cos once in florida i think temptation will get the better of you and you will want to visit a theme park. the shopping is great and if you want to visit the beach its only an hours drive away, most holidays include car rental where all you have to pay is the insurance and the fact your only going for a week means it wont cost you the world. and driving out there is a piece of cake.

For Mrs Elliot:-

I know you mentioned your son being a basketball fan, a really cool thing to do would be to take your son to an NBA match, we surprised my partner's son last year and booked tickets for a match in Orlando to see Orlando Magic play, he absolutely loved it and it was a good night out even for those of us that weren't avid basketball fans, you would need a car to get to the arena though or a taxi could be pricey. If you like the idea the link of the schedule and to buy tickets is:

http://www.nba.com/magic/schedule/

Love the shopping in Orlando and you must visit Seaworld.
It's awesome!!!!

As we have relatives in NY we tend to go there and I have to say, Orlando disappointed me for shopping after a great shopping trip last year. Boston is supposed to be great too.My friend prefers it to NY.

I second the Gulf Coast. There are great theme parks here too and the shopping is just as good. Look at Clearwater Beach or St Petersburg.

Hi Bridd -apart from Busch GardEns what other theme parks are there?