Winter place in warm weather on water

[RetireWhen]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:

1. On the water (not averse to lake living if it meets #2)
2. Warm enough to swim and boat in said water
3. 2 bedroom / 2 bath (does not need to be large)
4. Townhouse or condo (do not want to maintain grounds)
5. $1M budget
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)

We were looking in Marco Island, FL and found some nice places that met our requirements but I thought I would ask here to see if we should look at additional areas. Hate to make the capital investment but so far we have not been able to find a rental that meets our requirements and allows our doodles. If they met them, they would let us rent their place. They are perfect!

I know of a place on Sanibel Island that ticks off every one of your requirements. Moderator please do not remove as this is not a sales pitch. The OP asked a question and I am simply replying to the specific question. I do not own the property nor do I benefit from it. I post this trying to help the OP.

[corn18]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:

1. On the water (not averse to lake living if it meets #2)
2. Warm enough to swim and boat in said water
3. 2 bedroom / 2 bath (does not need to be large)
4. Townhouse or condo (do not want to maintain grounds)
5. $1M budget
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)

We were looking in Marco Island, FL and found some nice places that met our requirements but I thought I would ask here to see if we should look at additional areas. Hate to make the capital investment but so far we have not been able to find a rental that meets our requirements and allows our doodles. If they met them, they would let us rent their place. They are perfect!

I know of a place on Sanibel Island that ticks off every one of your requirements. Moderator please do not remove as this is not a sales pitch. The OP asked a question and I am simply replying to the specific question. I do not own the property nor do I benefit from it. I post this trying to help the OP.

PM sent.

[mnnice]

I would look in Mexico. Find a hotel that takes the dogs book a week and then look for a rental once you get down there.

While more Spanish is always better than less any place with great temps and water is going to have an abundance of lodging and English speakers.

[rustwood]

Say what?? 50k for three months?? USD??

How about this: small-ish 4 bdrm house in Margate NJ, 3rd block from the beach renting for $28k for the month of September! A 2 bedroom condo on the beach there can easily be about the same and they're both more in July and August. That's insane in my worldview, but there's clearly a willing market given that almost every unit is taken for the summer months by mid spring.

[MJS]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:
...
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)
...

Do you have requirements for the annual January commute? Currently, it looks like a 16-18 hour drive, with the dogs, boat & luggage. When one of you dies or can no longer drive, will the driving spouse be comfortable with this? A house you can't get to is a poor investment.

Would flying in and renting a car & boat work?

[naples09]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:
...
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)
...

Do you have requirements for the annual January commute? Currently, it looks like a 16-18 hour drive, with the dogs, boat & luggage. When one of you dies or can no longer drive, will the driving spouse be comfortable with this? A house you can't get to is a poor investment.

Would flying in and renting a car & boat work?

A lot of SB's leave a car and boat at the house year round. No need to rent when flying down for the season.

[Sandi_k]

Check out Coronado, CA. Not to buy...but to rent. Look up Coronado Shores Condominiums....the rental units. A spectacular place for 3 months. Spectacular.

Thanks for this! We'll be visiting San Diego next August, and hadn't discussed hotel accommodations just yet. This is a great option!

[Sandi_k]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:

1. On the water (not averse to lake living if it meets #2)
2. Warm enough to swim and boat in said water
3. 2 bedroom / 2 bath (does not need to be large)
4. Townhouse or condo (do not want to maintain grounds)
5. $1M budget
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)

We were looking in Marco Island, FL and found some nice places that met our requirements but I thought I would ask here to see if we should look at additional areas. Hate to make the capital investment but so far we have not been able to find a rental that meets our requirements and allows our doodles. If they met them, they would let us rent their place. They are perfect!

We spent a week in Marco Island, and were disappointed to find that beach access was difficult. Almost all the access is via a hotel, and if you just want to go to the beach, you traipse through hotel grounds and lobbies to get there, after parking in a lot across the street.

I would highly recommend St. Croix, US Virgin Islands. We've stayed at the Buccaneer Hotel, and we rented a VRBO with a private pool the last time - very nice! It's warm enough in the winter to really allow swimming and boating. Florida is too cold.

[north2016]

Don't buy a place to live in it for 3 months. The hassles of ownership are just not worth it and odds are you will want to try a different location at some point.

[Outer Marker]

St. Croix USVI might be worth a look. It's probably the most affordable, least touristed in the USVI. The economy is a bit depressed, in part, because of the closure of a large oil refinery that used to operate. That's a blessing and a curse, as property values/prices are lower. You could likely find a rental for the season that would take dogs and you can see what you think. There is some poverty and crime in sections of the island, but the touristy parts are fine. St. Croix is generally regarded to have the best SCUBA diving in the USVI.

[Living Free]

I lived in Miami for several years. Would agree with others that it’s too cold for beach/swimming in January. I mean, you can do it, just wouldn’t be that nice (definitely wouldn’t consider it $17k per month nice). I would need a light jacket during the month of January when not at the beach (maybe just for early morning/evenings? Was a while ago…). IIRC January was the only month even a light jacket was worth using there

[Greywolf]

As several others have stated, there are many AirB&B's in Florida that take pets. I have rented for several months (Jan + Feb) in both the Keys and SE Florida. These homes were on the water (canals) with large yards, nice views and a heated pool. My Golden Retriever is over the weight limit for most condo rentals in Florida so that is the route we took.
Often, the owners will give you a discount if you are renting for several months.

[tibbitts]

We are retired and enjoying life. We live in SW Ohio and want to leave from Jan through Mar. Requirements:
...
6. Additional requirements we have not thought of (you don't know what you don't know)
...

Do you have requirements for the annual January commute? Currently, it looks like a 16-18 hour drive, with the dogs, boat & luggage. When one of you dies or can no longer drive, will the driving spouse be comfortable with this? A house you can't get to is a poor investment.

Would flying in and renting a car & boat work?

Just based on my experience I wouldn't assume that the surviving spouse would keep a second home.

[River in Sight]

The costs quoted in this thread are really eye opening to me.

My family spent last January in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. We had a direct water view (with Mountain views off to each side) and a huge terrace to enjoy it from. The unit was fully updated and one block from the beach. We paid $3,000 for the month and from what I gathered from others, we overpaid.

Groceries and meals out were at most 50% of what we pay in the US. Local rail transit was essentially free (€10 monthly pass, but the pass was refunded if you used it at least 16 times). Access to other parts of Spain via the high-speed rail network which is cheap, fast, and on-time. Of the 30 days we were there, the weather was sunny and warm for 27. I have very, very limited high school Spanish (I essentially don’t understand anything people say to me, but can read and speak a bit) and made out fine.

It wouldn’t work with a dog and I doubt the water is warm enough for swimming, but otherwise I’m absolutely shocked at how much people are paying for Florida compared to very similar weather in southern Spain.

[mrmass]

The costs quoted in this thread are really eye opening to me.

My family spent last January in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. We had a direct water view (with Mountain views off to each side) and a huge terrace to enjoy it from. The unit was fully updated and one block from the beach. We paid $3,000 for the month and from what I gathered from others, we overpaid.

Groceries and meals out were at most 50% of what we pay in the US. Local rail transit was essentially free (€10 monthly pass, but the pass was refunded if you used it at least 16 times). Access to other parts of Spain via the high-speed rail network which is cheap, fast, and on-time. Of the 30 days we were there, the weather was sunny and warm for 27. I have very, very limited high school Spanish (I essentially don’t understand anything people say to me, but can read and speak a bit) and made out fine.

It wouldn’t work with a dog and I doubt the water is warm enough for swimming, but otherwise I’m absolutely shocked at how much people are paying for Florida compared to very similar weather in southern Spain.

Sounds wonderful. Was this a VRBO?

[il0kin]

Call one of the vacation rental brokerages that have an actual office and let them know what you want, they can contact their owners and see if anyone is open to a long term pet friendly rental.

[quantAndHold]

Check out Coronado, CA. Not to buy...but to rent. Look up Coronado Shores Condominiums....the rental units. A spectacular place for 3 months. Spectacular.

OP mentioned swimming.

The Pacific is pretty cold in winter? (I don't know that far south). Google is telling me 59 degrees in Jan- March? You'd need a really good wetsuit

Coronado is amazing lovely place, but the ocean is too cold for all but the hardiest swimmers even in the summer (it’s 64 degrees *now*), and winter surf would make it a difficult place to swim even if temp weren’t an issue. They could swim in Glorietta Bay, but that’s only going to be about 5 degrees warmer. And both beach and bay were closed for swimming most of last winter because of water quality issues.

The dog beach is 1.5 miles away on the other end of the island.

[Outer Marker]

My family spent last January in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. We had a direct water view (with Mountain views off to each side) and a huge terrace to enjoy it from. . . .
It wouldn’t work with a dog and I doubt the water is warm enough for swimming, but otherwise I’m absolutely shocked at how much people are paying for Florida compared to very similar weather in southern Spain.

Sounds lovely. Why, is Spain not dog friendly?

[Valuethinker]

The costs quoted in this thread are really eye opening to me.

My family spent last January in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. We had a direct water view (with Mountain views off to each side) and a huge terrace to enjoy it from. The unit was fully updated and one block from the beach. We paid $3,000 for the month and from what I gathered from others, we overpaid.

Groceries and meals out were at most 50% of what we pay in the US. Local rail transit was essentially free (€10 monthly pass, but the pass was refunded if you used it at least 16 times). Access to other parts of Spain via the high-speed rail network which is cheap, fast, and on-time. Of the 30 days we were there, the weather was sunny and warm for 27. I have very, very limited high school Spanish (I essentially don’t understand anything people say to me, but can read and speak a bit) and made out fine.

It wouldn’t work with a dog and I doubt the water is warm enough for swimming, but otherwise I’m absolutely shocked at how much people are paying for Florida compared to very similar weather in southern Spain.

If US GDP per capita is 100, then Spain is maybe 60? So that's one factor: 40% difference in GDP per capita. (I have not checked the exact numbers).

The other factor is there are 330m (?) Americans and 40m Canadians. Most of whom would probably rather have Florida weather in January than what they do have where they live (well 100% Canadians. Say 50% of Americans?). Florida also attracts people from other countries as well (Latin America etc). Now you have similar numbers in Europe but 1). people are not as well off 2). Spain is a separate country so it's not quite so attractive - although there are plenty of Brits (maybe many fewer new ones now that Brexit has removed the right of residency), Germans, Dutch etc (too many, some would argue). And there's southern Italy, France, Greece, Portugal even, former Yugoslavia.

I agree Spain can be a real bargain. I wouldn't want to be in southern Spain in summer if I could avoid it (I've been there in a not particularly hot August, as they go - didn't enjoy it). But the rest of the year? Great place.

[Valuethinker]

My family spent last January in a beautiful 3-bedroom condo on the Costa del Sol in Southern Spain. We had a direct water view (with Mountain views off to each side) and a huge terrace to enjoy it from. . . .
It wouldn’t work with a dog and I doubt the water is warm enough for swimming, but otherwise I’m absolutely shocked at how much people are paying for Florida compared to very similar weather in southern Spain.

Sounds lovely. Why, is Spain not dog friendly?

It's purely practical. OP lives in Ohio.

I believe the fatality rate for dogs shipped by international airline is significant (or even domestic North America). It's really a lot of trauma to put a dog through, trans Atlantic, and that's even if the airlines handle them properly (I gather they often do not).

I haven't noticed Spain being any less dog friendly than other places in Europe. OK France is Over The Top dog friendly, but other countries.

[River in Sight]

Sounds wonderful. Was this a VRBO?

AirBNB. I just double-checked and it was $2950 for the month.