Looking to head to SW Florida. Any suggestions?

I chuckle every time I read about the cost of snowbirding south of the big lake. While mostly true if you are still RVing and renting, it's false for the former RVers here in Imperial Bonita Estates. We're next to Bonita Springs, five miles from the ocean, and all the fine restaurants and other pleasures of SW Florida! Many here, like my wife and me, sold our motorhome, and bought a mobile (most have a carport, lanai, and Florida room). IBE is a co-op, and while you still have your own utilities to pay (who doesn't?), our maintenance fee which includes all the amenities (see the website at www.imperialbonitaestates.com) is $83 per month! There's an IBE clicky in one of my earlier posts.

Ivylog wrote:
I hope you have not been in south TX this past month...40 degree lows and maybe a high of 70 most days...

Decided to spend the holidays with family after 10 years of spending it on the road. 30 degrees here, 60 in Texas, doesn't look like we're missing too much.

Glad to hear you're in WPB enjoying the warmer weather. Happy Holidays.

As far as the OP, we like the area south of Tampa near the Gulf. Not old Florida, but still lots to do, and kinda affordable. Much further south is just too many people and costly for us.

Just saw your post Clerbrook in Clermont FL, just west of Orlando has a golf course and isn't too pricy. 3 pools, several club houses and lots of
activities.

Florida Cold Snaps: = one night for only 2 hours before dawn, at 32/40 degrees and then by the time the sun comes up it's back into the 70's!

So-called Florida cold snaps like that trumps anything that Wisconsin can dole out which could last for weeks on end ALL day and ALL night below zero. :B

Yup I can handle a 'couple of hours' at night time only, of 30 or 40 degrees once or twice thru out the winter in Florida. :C

IMHO the draw a line below Orlando advice for warm weather, add to that expect all kinds of different bugs to be biting and eating you up alive. Hot and humid and not a breeze to be found.

I finally discovered the n. central part of Florida. First thing I noticed is it actually has breezes in this area all the time. Scenery is beautiful and the crystal blue springs all over this area are spectacular. Offering all types of recreation or just standing there enjoying them.

Crystal River area on the west side offers the same. Springs, the Gulf Coast and manatee watching or swimming with!

Cold? in Phoenix? I am in Tucson...cooler yet than Phoenix and tomo will be 74 here. It has been a bit cooler the highs only in the 60's. But that is pretty nice weather.

I have been to both Florida and Arizona (where I am now) and frankly I do not care for Florida at all. To me it is one huge strip mall peppered liberally with strip joints, Cigarette outlets, tourist tchochke stores and a rather sad vibe. Worse yet it believes it's own Marketing press.

Now there are some nicer cities actually Orlando being one. But for my money Arizona is head and shoulders above the fabled Florida.

I remember one winter many years ago that I had gone to Florida to get out of the cold of Indiana and ended up buying a sweatshirt in Key West...the cold front had gone that far south. I finally caught a plane to Guatemala and then Belize.

So you can be cold almost anywhere.

I hope you have not been in south TX this past month...40 degree lows and maybe a high of 70 most days. Will have to compare the degree days of heating. Here’s his winter forecast that has not changed since August. Glad I’m not going to be in northern GA this winter.

Ivylog wrote:
This winter is going to be colder than normal in the SE ...

Hey Ivy, what does your weather man predict for the south this winter. Been waiting for your yearly weather post to pop up.

sidebar: you still owe me a Yuengling. Don't care how much it's going to cost me in gas and time to get there, but I'm going to collect it for all the grief I've taken over the years.

There's always Boyds in Key West at $95 per night if you can get in.

Ivylog wrote:
This winter is going to be colder than normal in the SE and my line is parallel to and below I-4. Most cold fronts stall around Orlando area making for it being colder and more rain. The fronts come down the state on a NE/SW angle, not as rocmoc stated. This late, it's going to be hard to find a month in any one location so you may have to settle on a couple weeks and then move.

Yeah we would be totally fine with 2 weeks there and then 2 weeks in the Keys!