We just got back from a week at Vero Beach, staying at the DVC resort. Right on the Atlantic coast, swimming pool, activities for the girls, restaurants, bars and a very nice three room suite for us all to hang out in. My parents visited the second day we were there.
We also had a visit from a nephew who was staying with GPs up the coast, we all went out on a guided kayak tour. The highlight of which was Emma and I nearly being tipped over by a manatee we unknowingly disturbed in the shallows of Indian Creek Lagoon. We visited the treasure museum at Sebastian Inlet and met a turtle wandering along the beach. 
And had a late night one evening making smores with all the other families staying at thee resort. The resort while small was still a wonderful place for the girls and held their attention with its many attractions: Pool, Light house water slide, Water play area with canons, climbing frame, mini golf and 8 hours a day of organized arts and crafts if you wanted to stay busy. Downsides of the area, awful food, everything was fried that we found, but to be fair we didn’t try the “fine dinning” list as there was no kids menu listed for them. Cell phone reception was dreadful, but this was also a plus point in terms of being away from the office. The weather was a lot cooler than we expected, mainly due to strong on shore winds blowing the entire trip. Large surf prevented the sea being a safe place for the girls but they enjoyed wave jumping with an adult staying by ready to grab them when they were knocked over by a waves – which was a frequent event. 
The bugs weren’t bad, again due to the onshore wind I think. After the surf had stirred up the sand the beach was very pleasant to walk on, but initially it was covered in sharp crushed shells which hurt the girls feet – ($8 Croc knock-offs from Target helped with the shells). There was a Hobie Cat, a Jet Ski, and a sit-on Kayak to rent at the beach, the weather prevented any of those toys going out. The crazy rental prices for beach chairs sent us running to Walmart where we bought two chairs for less than the price of one days rental…. we left them for the next occupants. The drive there and back from Orlando Airport was fast and simple thanks to the talking GPS and empty roads (we arrived at 2am and departed on a Saturday).
Flying home now via Baltimore to drop off Emma, to 18 inches of snow blocking the driveway… love it, not.
We also had a visit from a nephew who was staying with GPs up the coast, we all went out on a guided kayak tour. The highlight of which was Emma and I nearly being tipped over by a manatee we unknowingly disturbed in the shallows of Indian Creek Lagoon. We visited the treasure museum at Sebastian Inlet and met a turtle wandering along the beach. 
And had a late night one evening making smores with all the other families staying at thee resort. The resort while small was still a wonderful place for the girls and held their attention with its many attractions: Pool, Light house water slide, Water play area with canons, climbing frame, mini golf and 8 hours a day of organized arts and crafts if you wanted to stay busy. Downsides of the area, awful food, everything was fried that we found, but to be fair we didn’t try the “fine dinning” list as there was no kids menu listed for them. Cell phone reception was dreadful, but this was also a plus point in terms of being away from the office. The weather was a lot cooler than we expected, mainly due to strong on shore winds blowing the entire trip. Large surf prevented the sea being a safe place for the girls but they enjoyed wave jumping with an adult staying by ready to grab them when they were knocked over by a waves – which was a frequent event. 
The bugs weren’t bad, again due to the onshore wind I think. After the surf had stirred up the sand the beach was very pleasant to walk on, but initially it was covered in sharp crushed shells which hurt the girls feet – ($8 Croc knock-offs from Target helped with the shells). There was a Hobie Cat, a Jet Ski, and a sit-on Kayak to rent at the beach, the weather prevented any of those toys going out. The crazy rental prices for beach chairs sent us running to Walmart where we bought two chairs for less than the price of one days rental…. we left them for the next occupants. The drive there and back from Orlando Airport was fast and simple thanks to the talking GPS and empty roads (we arrived at 2am and departed on a Saturday).Flying home now via Baltimore to drop off Emma, to 18 inches of snow blocking the driveway… love it, not.
