The beach with kids. But not San Diego.

December 4, 2014 2:38 PM

Where will the ocean be warm sometime in February or March?

We live in San Diego, and it's awesome etc. etc. but the water is cold, so cold, so it really does not scratch my "beach vacation" itch. Every two years we do a massive family beach vacation on the southern atlantic coast, but I missed this years shin dig because I was very pregnant. And now I'm overdue for sun and sand and water and relaxation and can't wait til next summer for the continental US to warm up.

I'm hoping someone knows JUST the place that we (parents, ~2 yo & 5 month old) should go. We're looking for maximum relaxing. Swim, sand, eat, nap, repeat.

• On the beach
• The hotter the better
• Warm, swimmable water
• A separate bedroom or a patio/outdoor space, so we can hang out after putting the kids to bed
• With a good restaurant, or maybe a close market and a kitchen
• Reasonable travel time from SD (babies!)

There are lots of possibilities that meet all of these EXCEPT for the warm, swimmable water. Help!

posted by pennypiper to Travel & Transportation (20 answers total)

Florida fits your needs. The further south the better. So Ft Lauderdale or Miami.

Also, Puerto Rico.
posted by Ruthless Bunny at 2:40 PM on December 4, 2014

Florida or the Caribbean.
posted by zug at 2:42 PM on December 4, 2014

Response by poster: Can I add that the more specific the better? I mean "Florida or the Caribbean" is probably absolutely true, but it's an overwhelming amount of options.

So this resort (is more helpful than) > this beach > this town > this city > this state > this region > this country

Thanks!
posted by pennypiper at 2:46 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: Flying to Honolulu would be way easier from San Diego than Florida or the Caribbean would be. Average daytime temp in Honolulu is 81 degrees. I have only ever stayed on Kauai, but that's an extra plane ride. Since I have never stayed in Honolulu, unfortunately I don't have any specific recommendations, but here are TripAdvisor's Family-Friendly Honolulu hotels. Mexico would also be an obvious choice, but I've never been there.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 3:00 PM on December 4, 2014 [4 favorites]

Best answer: Check out the Dreams Villamagna condos in Nuevo Vallarta (Puerto Vallarta), there's lots on VRBO.com

The condos are nice and have full kitchens plus balconies overlooking the pools and beach. A few supermarkets and pharmacies are really near.

There's a bunch of Good restaurants all within the Nuevo Vallarta area 5-10 minutes from the resort, and a bunch of Really Good restaurants 20-40 minutes away in the Puerto Vallarta area.

Memail me if you want more info...I've been there twice.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 3:15 PM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

My boss was just in Cabo over Thanksgiving and said the ocean was warmer than the heated pools.
posted by Lyn Never at 3:16 PM on December 4, 2014

Response by poster: CrazyLemondade Is the ocean rough in Nuevo Vallarta? I visited PV many many moons ago and remember the ocean being really rough, way too much to carry a small child into. But maybe that was an anomaly or it's different in NV... I was surprised when I looked it up that the PV water temps are comparable to Hawaii in Feb (75 ish).
posted by pennypiper at 4:42 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: I'd go with the Gulf Coast of Florida - around the St. Pete/Clearwater area. Gorgeous warm water. :)
posted by heathrowga at 4:46 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: I second the St. Pete/Clearwater area. I've been down there at least once every year of my life so far, somewhere between St. Pete and Longboat Key. Warm, calm Gulf water, lengthy shallow areas with sandbars, beautiful sunsets, great little communities all over the place, tons of vacation rentals.

For some of my favorite spots, check out:
Bradenton Beach, FL (NOT Bradenton, just "Bradenton Beach")
Anna Maria Island, FL
Longboat Key, FL
Holmes Beach, FL
Lido Key, FL
posted by erst at 4:51 PM on December 4, 2014

Maybe the Gulf Coast is warmer, but I've lived in Northeast Florida and Miami Beach, and while both are lovely at that time of year, the water is not what I would really call warm (though you may have different standards - my dad swims in Miami Beach basically year round).
posted by raisindebt at 5:13 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: We always go to Puerto Rico in February. Last year, as the Polar Vortex ate NYC, I was floating on my back in the ocean. Lovely.
posted by gaspode at 5:23 PM on December 4, 2014 [1 favorite]

Best answer: Look for a rental near Anini Beach on Kauai. The reef forms a very shallow reef area that is usually pretty calm. I mean, you'll have to keep a solid eye on your 2-year-old no matter what, but it's the most toddlers friendly beach I've been to in Hawaii. Lots of vacation houses around there too.
posted by purpleclover at 6:26 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: Puerto Rico is nice (I am craving mofongo, now!), but if you'd rather stay continental and still have warm water, South Florida is the way to go. Our water down here is the warmest you'll find in the continental U.S. (our winter water temps are higher than San Diego's summer temps).

Hollywood Beach might be perfect for you. It's between Miami Beach and Fort Lauderdale, so you can easily hit up South Beach, Las Olas, the Everglades, the Keys/Key West, etc.

There aren't high rises everywhere, and you can get a condo/suite right there on the ocean; many offering multiple bedrooms and some sort of patio/terrace/outdoor space. There's everything from full-service resorts to cute/strange/dated places like these: 1, 2, 3

I think a lot of the motels are a trip, and I'd probably stay in one. You can easily walk or push a stroller up and down the 2.5mi boardwalk, and it's got a play fountain your 2yo might enjoy. Lots of restaurants where you can sit for hours people-watching and taking in the ocean. Many places on the boardwalk regularly have food and drink specials, so that doesn't have to break the bank, either.
posted by nobejen at 8:13 PM on December 4, 2014

Best answer: If you look up water temperature maps, the water in the Gulf of California can be dramatically warmer than the Pacific off of SoCal (especially during the warmer months). Places like San Felipe can be reached by car from SD, making them potentially much cheaper than some of the other recommendations here, especially for a family.
posted by kickingtheground at 11:45 PM on December 4, 2014

Sorry I just saw your question. The water has "good days and bad days" in terms of how rough it gets. When I was there in July for three weeks, my husband would go in carrying my toddler (wearing one of those floater thingies around his arms/chest) and they would spend almost an hour in there, they loved it. When my husband left and I stayed, the first day a wave knocked me over and a nearby swimmer had to take my kid out of my arms so I could swim back up. I never risked it again except when I could get in the water with a few more adults with us. So yeah you can get in but, the water was pretty much full of people everyday, but if you have a baby you have to be pretty careful about it, or stay close to the shore.

Memail me if you want more info about the condos or area.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 5:58 AM on December 5, 2014

This is the place, beautiful and perfect for families. February is not a high season so you're pretty much going to find a good rate easily.
posted by CrazyLemonade at 6:05 AM on December 5, 2014

I would be careful about expecting warm, swimmable water even in South Florida in Feb-March. The water temps could be around 70, which, to me, is swimmable, but not really floating-about-all-afternoon warm. I'd suggest Hawaii.
posted by dzot at 6:22 AM on December 5, 2014

Best answer: We went to Mazatlan the first week of March a few years ago, it was 75 and the water was lovely (and it was raining and in the 60's when we left LA).
posted by vignettist at 12:53 PM on December 5, 2014

You can start in Sarasota, FL and work your way south.
posted by Thistledown at 1:57 PM on December 5, 2014

Response by poster: Thanks everyone! Lots of options for us to explore, but specific enough to feel like we can start! I think we'll potential vacation destinations for years to come :)
posted by pennypiper at 7:11 PM on December 5, 2014