Florida Gulf Coast, Multi Centre Holidays

Florida Gulf Coast

The Gulf Coast of Florida is home to some of America’s best beaches, as well as unspoilt protected islands, fantastic golf courses, and cities offering diverse attractions for all ages and interests. This USA multi-centre holiday will allow you to make the most of the coast on a road trip you’ll remember for a long time to come.

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This self-drive explores some of America’s best beaches and unspoilt islands, as well as letting you enjoy great food and activities.

2 Nights: Tampa
3 Nights: St Pete’s or Clearwater
3 Nights: Sarasota
4 Nights: Naples or Marco Island
2 Nights: Miami

UK – Tampa (2 nights): After touching down at Tampa Airport, you’ll pick up your rental car and kick off your holiday in a city that’s great to visit with your kids. Tampa is packed with exciting family-friendly attractions like Florida Aquarium and Busch Gardens (a zoo-cum-theme park), while Walt Disney World and Universal Studios are only a short drive away. There’s lots of live entertainment for grown-ups, too, and you can take your pick from classical performances at the Straz Center or contemporary music gigs played in the city’s bars.

Tampa – St Pete/Clearwater (3 nights): The next leg of your self-drive holiday will take you to two of America’s best beaches on the barrier islands of Clearwater and St. Pete. You are free to pick a hotel in either of those two, but whatever you choose you can’t go wrong. It takes less than an hour to drive from Clearwater to St. Pete along a stunning coastline flanked by sugar-white sands and funky beach bars. Add a choice of water sports and you get the recipe for a perfect summer.

St Pete/Clearwater – Sarasota (3 nights): In Sarasota you’ll have three nights to enjoy a diverse dining scene and to shop around St. Armand’s Circle, an area densely packed with attractive stores and boutiques. Take our advice and make some time to visit the impressive John and Mable Ringling Museum of Art. Its ornate, palatial building and landscaped gardens are quite an attraction in their own right.

Sarasota – Naples/Marco Island (4 nights): Your road trip will continue further south to Naples and Marco Island. Luxe boutiques, chic restaurants and lots of art galleries are the main allures in these affluent communities. Naples is famous for its innumerable golf courses, while Marco Island boasts serene, picture postcard beaches. The latter is also a good base for exploring the maze of mangroves known as Ten Thousand Islands. You can spend a day or a few navigating these pristine isles by water, air or land.

Naples/Marco Island – Miami (2 nights): Your trip will end in Miami, where the choice of entertainment is inexhaustible. The city has many distinct communities and neighbourhoods offering different activities. South Beach is a chic nightlife hub and celebrity haunt; Mid-Beach is a calmer hide-away perfect for water sports, while Downtown is home to shopping outlets, museums and cultural institutions. Miami is also a culinary melting pot of Latin American influences with restaurants offering everything from Argentinian steaks and Peruvian ceviche to Cuban fare. You don’t have to take our word for this, you’ll be able to try it all.

Miami – UK: On your last day you’ll drop off your car at Miami Airport before boarding the plane back home.