My brother and I have come up with the idea to take a large family trip:

Myself and my wife + 2 kids
My brother and his wife
My father and mother.


The three of us men will be playing golf while the ladies shop, hit the spa, beach etc.

That being said, we'd like a nice resort type of situation, with pool perhaps a large condo or adjoining room situations.


The trip will be in Februrary or March of '10

Any locations i should look at that can provide us with 3-4 rounds of golf in close proximity of the resort. Money for the golf course isn't a huge issue, we'd be happy to pay for a quality track.


Ideally id like to stay on the Gulf side or panhandle.



Throw me ideas, websites, golf courses etc!

Try yo wait until March so the Temp can get up around the pools.

If $$ is not a big concern then go Innisbrook.

come down here to naples? great golf down here.

Given the group, Disney sounds ideal. Good golf courses, good spas, plenty of entertainment and dining and you wouldn't need to rent a car at all.

For that time of year, Orlando would be your best bet, but I would avoid the overpriced Disney tracks. If you can hold off until late Apr or May, Destin is the best FLA has to offer IMO.

I've stayed in Naples probably 20 different times over the last 15 years and you really can't beat Naples. The weather is awesome, courses and shopping, beaches are 2nd to none.

Here is a great course. There is also a Hyatt here as well. There are also a few other good courses within a 30 min drive.

http://www.raptorbaygolfclub.com/



Hotel
http://coconutpoint.hyatt.com/hyatt/hotels/index.jsp

The Hyatt/Coconut Point (above) has an awesome new upscale shopping/dining center and also a new Hyatt hotel (smaller travelers version) right on the mall property (separate from the main Hyatt which is just a mile down the road where the golf course is)

There is also the Ritz-Carlton where they play Greg Norman's Shootout
http://www.ritzcarlton.com/en/Properties/N...olf/Default.htm

Naples weather in Feb/Mar is perfect golfing weather. Cool mornings/evenings and warm days.

There's also some other really good courses like Heritage Bay (27 holes) out on Immokalee Road and Old Corkscrew in Estero close to Coconut Point and to an outlet mall - http://www.oldcorkscrew.com/

Thanks thus far guys!

My father is a HUGE fan of the Destin area, though i think we're a bit out of season? keep in mind we'll be coming from NY.....so anything better than 30* and snow will be nice.

Disney is out of the picture, though it does fit the bill nicely. we've all "been there, done that."

V Red,
If you have never been to Naples, thats your place. Your father would be a bigger fan of Naples than Destin after the trip. Fly to Ft. Myers Int'l airport and your only about a 15 to 25 min drive down to Naples - Bonita Springs. The Naples Beaches are also really great. You'll love it.

Ok I'll take a nice hard look at Naples! Looks like a beautiful part of the state.

So what are the course reccomendations for Naples? (30 mile radius)

Orlando. Good golf courses and lots to do BESIDES golf too. and if u wanna go to the beach one day yer only 90 minutes from either side (Gulf or Atlantic)

Reunion golf in Kissimee. I rented an 8 bedroom four bath house with pool in the resort and my sister-in-law rented a three bedroom condo. Three courses and plenty in the area. Plus great free water park in the complex with lazy river, big slide etc. Can stay all day and just pay for food and drinks. The golf complex and housing was excellent. Rentals include daily housekeeping service. 8 bed house was $3400 for week in July, (probably higher in March) and condo was $1400.

We did a big family trip last summer to Marco Island and stayed at the Marriot. Great place for kids, spa, wonderful golf course called the Rookery. Played 3 other rounds in Naples as well. It was fantastic.

^^^^ what other courses did you play? any reviews?

Rookery near Marco is a really nice course. I've played it twice. It would be about a 35 to 45 min drive from North Naples (Bonita Springs - Coconut Hyatt).

There are also these.

Raptor Bay, - I mentioned this already, its a Ray Floyd design in Bonita Springs. Its a georgeous piece of property near the coast. You'll love it, its very original. There are no cart paths, just crushed shell waste areas. The course has won awards for the natural design.

Lely Resort - has 2 courses. The Mustang and Flamingo Island, both really nice. Flamingo is a great RT Jones Courses built in the early 90s.
Old Corkscrew is another somebody mentioned, which is a fantastic new J. Nicklaus course. It looks amazing, I haven't played it.

Tiburon is pretty pricey that time of year, but you get to play a Top course that the Pro's played. I've played it a few times and its a blast and in top shape. They have 2 courses there.

There are not a ton of public access courses in Naples, but there are enough, and the ones that are public are really good.

Doesn't get much better than Destin......Sandestin sounds like what you are looking for. You may be alright with weather in Feb but you won't be swimming in the ocean.

We rent a house down there every spring for about 8 of us. You can get a big house on the beach for around $3,000 a week that time of year....Destiny by the Sea is where we stay. It's about 15 minutes from Sandestin. With a big family, the house imo is the only way to go.....the homes are between 1-2 Millon dollar homes so they are pretty decked out.

Outside of that, I'd look at Orlando.

We played the two courses at Tiburon (about 40 minutes from Marco Island). They were very nice courses but was disappointed in the staff. Nobody out there those days but they were still rushing us off of the range to our tee time. We got out and moving, and we did not see someone all day. It was kind of foolish.

The Lely Resort is only 15 minutes from Marco Island. We played the Flamingo course and enjoyed it. That was probably the worst course we played but still had a good time.

The Rookery at Marco is stellar. Lots of wildlife around the course, a great closing hole, and a lot of fun ones along the way. We all wanted to experience Florida golf and play 4 different courses. After the fact, we all said we should have played the Rookery twice.

From what I hear, some of the private courses are opening up to public play right now because they are hurting for $.

Naples is very nice, you can also visit Marco Island, Sanibel Island, or got to the Everglades for some family trips.

^^^^^ i would not recommend going to either marco or sanibel. the everglades is not fun at all. it's all really old and full of swamps. the things to do at the everglades are not enjoying. just stay in naples and you'll have a blast.

Sounds like you've never been on a swamp boat ride ! Great fun !

Naples is a solid choice. Played the Tiburon course last year about 2 weeks before the shootout and it was a blast. Pretty cool to play with the bleachers and towers set up. When I went I stayed at the Naples Beach Hotel which was nice and right on the ocean, really good bartenders who do not shy on the pours....

Anyways Naples also has a really nice downtown with good restaurants / shops / bars that all got redone in the last 3-4 years.

LOL, "really old and full of swamps", LOL... thats part of the reason why some people like to go there

i have been on the swamp boat rides. boring. IMO. it's also reaaaalllllllyyyyyyyyyy buggy.

Destin is a great place to visit. We go there twice a year to visit family. Best of all seasons but without the snow. My family lives on a golf course. When I'm not golfing I find myself out on the deck watching people golf. Prices of golf get a lot cheaper in non-peak season. The courses are in the same condition as they are in the summer. Everything is close as far as golf courses, eating, shopping. I can't wait to get out of the snow which will be here soon enough to go to Destin.

Orlando.

I live in Jacksonville and it's typically too cold to play golf here in February. Not all of the time, but I wouldn't book a trip with that in mind. It's about the same temps here as West FLA that time of year. O-town is a little warmer, plus you have tons of stuff for the family. Makes everybody happy. People suggesting Naples for family activities have never been there with their family. LOL! Even in South FLA, I wouldn't call it beach weather, and that's about all your family is going to be able to do. Orlando would please everyone. Hope this helps.