Vacation on the Beach in Florida

English: Aerial view of New Smyrna Beach, Flor...
English: Aerial view of New Smyrna Beach, Florida, from the observation deck, top of the Ponce de Leon Lighthouse from across Ponce Inlet. (maximum zoom) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I have stayed at the Watermark Condos, in New Smyrna Beach, Florida and it was wonderful.  They are located near Flagler Avenue and are right on the beach. The condos are owned individually and rented out by the week, month or season -whatever the owner decides.  Some owners are year round residents.

They are very large with 3 bedrooms and all of them over look the ocean.  The long porch on the front is just awesome.  Each resident has their own garage so the car is stored inside and not out in a parking lot.

This is a drive on beach and is open to traffic all day long and can get very crowded from about April to September or October.  I have stayed there in July which is very crowded and super HOT…and also the end of November when we had the beach all to ourselves and did some fishing.

I contacted one owner who is renting hers and I thought I might be able to get down to Florida to visit my son and all my friends this summer some time.   I would have to go in the summer because my son has school – otherwise I would not choose that time of year.

I doubt that it will happen because I just don’t have the money to take a trip, but here is the link to the condo. Be sure to check out all the pictures… very nice!

So if you are thinking about vacationing on the beach in Florida I would definitely recommend the Watermark.  It is located off of Flagler Ave. in New Smyrna Beach.

Fun on The Beach

Twice I have spent the fourth of July on the beach. We stayed at the Watermark condos and sat on our balcony to watch the displays- public and private- up and down the beach.

One year the family who stayed in the condo next to us had family members with the same names of 3 in our family…what are the odds? That was a fun year. My kids and their kids would walk down to Flagler Ave and get smoothies at the little store. And it’s always fun to have friends to hang out with at the pool and beach.

The downside to staying at the beach in July is that it is hot. You say…”hey, I want it to be hot!” And I understand, but there is hot and there is unbearable. The second time we stayed there in July, it was unbearable. In July the pool and ocean water can be in the 80’s – in fact the pools are probably 90° and it’s just not able to cool you off. The sun is killer all day long, but by afternoon usually a thunderstorm would come along to block the sun…not cool things off- in fact the storms just make it more muggy…if that’s even possible.

We would plan to go out and do something in the middle of the day, like drive up to the Volusia Mall or go out and eat someplace. Just to get relief from the sun.

My favorite time of day on the beach is always the evening after the drive-on traffic is gone and the lifeguards have packed up. The beach is much less crowded and if the waves are good the surfers will be out and you’ll find the remains of the days sand castles and holes dug by kids getting washed away.

That’s the time to collect beach treasures and look for dead jelly fish and watch the sun glint off the waves while the kids kick water at each other.
Ahhh…I wish I was there.

Ocean Surf Postcard postcard