We have owned our Safari 25 for a few years now & have travelled down to Florida for a number of years each Dec, exploring to try to find an ideal spot to base ourselves for the winter season.
So far, the Sun & Fun campground in Sarasota is the front-runner of all the places we've seen...& we have become fairly confident that S/W Florida is well suited for us since we also own a sailboat & love being near the water.
Retirement is fast approaching & as we will be on a fixed pention (cost is an important concern...) & we plan on being south for the winters from Nov 15 til May 15 each year...I'm wondering if any of you might suggest any good quality, economical spots that we might have missed seeing, due to our lack of local knowledge.
I didn't think that "economical" and "SW Florida" had anything in common - especially Sarasota! Though it is a beautiful area. Someone posted a trip report here recently that included the campground at Myakka State Park (among others). I stayed in the cabins there awhile ago and thought it was really nice - scenic. Don't know how close it is to a place for sailing access though ....
Check out Travel World in Clearwater. Lots of good folks from Canada among the winter-over regulars. Very nice management team, well kept place. Privately owned.
My parents lived in Melbourne, Florida , for almost 30 years and no offense to the folks that live there but there are not that many things to do in the area. We are taking a trip to NW Florida the first week of March to check out from Destin to Crystal River.
If you enjoyed Fun & Sun you should give Sarasota Lakes RV resort a try. They are located on University Parkway in Sarasota close to everything. This is a park that is 75% park models and 25% trailers and motor homes. A very diverse age group and a lot of activities, not to mention all the activities in Sarasota. You can do a google search to get the office phone number. Prices quoted through the office are a bit higher than if you find an individual to rent from.
Check out Travel World in Clearwater. Lots of good folks from Canada among the winter-over regulars. Very nice management team, well kept place. Privately owned.
North of this is the nature coast, Crystal River and if your sailboat is less than 4 ft draft. Much less expensive, but for each degree latitude you can get a couple of degrees colder.
Depending on what you need in a park, we have low to expensive. The key word seems to be resort in the name.
Quail Run RV park in Wesley Chapel Fl, just north of Tampa, has special rates for retirees. We stayed there for a year and it's vey nice and the owners are great.
It is very close to all major attractions, and the beaches.
Marie
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Be sure to check rvparkreviews.com for opinions about parks you are considering. I was going to recommend Ramblers Rest in Venice FL to you, but a recent review says that new management is not taking good care of the place.
Venice is a smaller city just south of Sarasota that my parents have lived in for 30 years.
Be sure to check rvparkreviews.com for opinions about parks you are considering. I was going to recommend Ramblers Rest in Venice FL to you, but a recent review says that new management is not taking good care of the place.
Venice is a smaller city just south of Sarasota that my parents have lived in for 30 years.
My wife and I enjoy Venice - just a nice size, yet has all you need including good beaches.
We normally stay at the "Royal Coachman" RV park in Nokomis, just a mile or so north of Venice. It is a very nice park with great facilities, but not cheap.
Recently we having been spending more winters in Arizona, but I think we may just head back to Florida this year, so I'll watch thise thread with interest!
Encore Park in Nokomis is very nice and close to Nokomis Beach. Also, Rambler's Rest south of Venice is a little more out of town. Both are just of I-75 in the Venice area. I have visited friends at both places, but have never parked there. Venice is a great area for boating.
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