going on holiday there...

hello

me and my family are going on holiday there in august... dont really know the area...we are looking for a nice beachy holiday with places to go out and eat and and drink at night time

any suggestions??

this the right place for us ????

thanks

going on holiday there...

While Port Charlotte is not known as a tourist destination, it is a very central jumping off point to go to several superb beaches. Englewood and Venice beaches are the nearest. A little further North you will find Siesta Beach, Lido Key, Longboat Key, Bradenton Beach and Anna Maria Island, or go South to Ft. Myers Beach and Naples.

You will need a car to get to anywhere as there is no public transport.

What make you choose Port Charlotte and not one of the more well known places?

going on holiday there...

The last sentence should of course be:

What made you choose .....

chose port charlotte as it was a good holiday deal... never been to america before. not fussed about disney world.

is there a good night life near abouts??

yeh car rental is all sorted!!

how hot is it in august roughly??

thanks for answering all of my little questions

I think you will have a great time in Port Charlotte. Our family discovered the area about 5 yrs ago- we Love it!!

You may enjoy a day at the beach in Boca Grande- it is about 30 minute drive from Port Charlotte.

You will find shopping and restaurant choices in Port Charlotte. And If you do go over to Boca Grande the ';Loose Caboose'; in downtown Boca Grande is a favorite of ours for lunch. If you want to have another fun outing charter a fishing excursion for 1/2 trip. Some of the best fishing in the world is in this area.

Weather in August will be warm and humid but isnt that why we go to Florida?

You%26#39;ll have a great trip!

Since you%26#39;re from London, if you%26#39;ve never experienced a Florida summer you will find it uncomfortably hot and humid when out in the open unless you%26#39;re at the beach and in the water. All buildings and rental cars are, of course, airconditioned.

Don%26#39;t leave a visit to the public beach at Siesta Key for last as I%26#39;m sure you will want to go there more than once.

You have a few months yet to go so I would suggest you read the other forums here, particularly the Sarasota, Ft. Myers Beach, Bradenton, Anna Maria Island ones. Also consult your Google Gods for more information on any of those places in my previous message, including Port Charlotte.

Remember to stay hydrated by drinking plenty of water. If you burn easily stay out of the direct sunlight between 12 and 4 pm and put on sunblock lotion when outside at all times.

Also if you don%26#39;t want to buy extra suitcases, each person should bring an empty one to take back your purchases. Yes, it happens to everyone - with the favourable exchange rate Brits have now.

And of course if you have other questions, feel free to ask.

thanks for all this helpful information on places to go.

all the beaches you have suggested are they all far to travel by car ?

There is actually a small beach at Port Charlotte - not up to some of the others mantioned but not too bad. Englewood is about 15 miles away I guess, with a very good beach.

You might consider a boat trip from Punta Gorda to the outlying barrier islands like Cabbage Key. You will often see dolphins following to boat. Fishermans Village here is good for shopping

For all the places mentioned so far, it%26#39;s an easy day trip by car, with more than enough time to spend at each place. Check into Google Maps to determine distances. The drive from Lido Key up the coast road to Anna Maria Island is very scenic.

And I don%26#39;t remember if this is where I said it, so I%26#39;ll say it again. Don%26#39;t leave a visit to Siesta Key for last as you will likely want to go there more than once.

I, too, am curious as to your choice of Port Charlotte. Port Charlotte is about an hour away from the larger Sarasota (north) and Fort Myers (south) where they have ';night life'; and beaches that are directly on the Gulf. Port Charlotte%26#39;s beach is on the Charlotte Harbor so it is a quiet, ';no wave'; beach. While Venice and Englewood beaches ARE directly on the Gulf, they are at least 30 minutes from Port Charlotte, so making that trip every day might not make for a ';great beachy vacation.'; Port Charlotte is also a retirement community, so there is not a huge ';night life.';

Port Charlotte is a great place! I am just not sure it has what you are looking for in your vacation plans....

My fiancee and I are moving to this area in a few weeks and we have travelled there extensively over the last three months looking for houses.

You will have a GREAT time in this area-especially Boca Grande. It is a very, very low-key, but very,very wealthy little resort area where everyone gets around on golf carts and bikes-even though there aren%26#39;t any golf courses, there-just the most beautiful, peaceful, wide open white sand beaches you will ever see. If you want to relax, unwind, soak up the sun and then drive to Sarasota for real night life-this will be a perfect vacation for you.

It costs 4.00 to go over the little bridge onto Boca Grande -just an FYI.

There is adorable and fun shopping with charming, cute little stores, but, for us, the highlight was at the very tip of the island. This is where the old, preserved lighthouse is and one of the most fantastic views in all of the area. Don%26#39;t miss it!

If you enjoy fishing, canoeing, bird watching, sailing, boating, shopping-you will find this area to be paradise. To be sure, Ft. Myers and Sarasota offer more to see-especially Sarasota. Sarasota is very cultured and charming. Make sure to go to the Ringling Musuem and the very famous botanical gardens there if you like that sort of thing. Also, for shopping, St. Armands Circle is incredible. Lots of independent shops there that sell the cutest and best.

If you love to sail, go to the Sarasota Marina for lunch. However, we prefer two restaurants down by Englewood and Boca Grande. One is Howard%26#39;s in Englewood and the other one is The Fishery which is a hole in the wall with the very best view on the water- it is right on your way to Boca Grande. A local place-not too many tourists. Great food, service and reasonable-watch the dolphins gambol right outside the windows.when they come in to feed on the flats.

I hope this helps you and have a great vacation!