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Have hotel/vacation rental prices in South Florida always been this expensive?
Posted on 8/17/25 at 12:56 am
Posted on 8/17/25 at 12:56 am
Looking to book a trip early next year in the winter to FL. Went to the panhandle last December and while it was nice and relatively cheap, the weather was too damn cold to even enjoy the beach.
Decided that the southern part of the state would be much warmer and a better fit for a week-long winter vacation. I looked at all of South Florida from Naples and Marco Island all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Keys.
There was literally not a single beachfront resort worth a crap that wasn’t below $600 a night in any of those cities. And we’re not even talking the “luxurious” 5-star high-end hotels. Even the chain-hotels like Hilton and Marriott were outrageously expensive. Beach houses were never an option to begin with due to the fact that they’re always more pricey than hotels, but this is just fricking insane. The vacation dates planned are in the off-season which makes it even more baffling.
How the hell can the average middle-class family even afford to vacation in South Florida? Visiting Europe for a week is probably cheaper than visiting Miami/Key West at this point.
Decided that the southern part of the state would be much warmer and a better fit for a week-long winter vacation. I looked at all of South Florida from Naples and Marco Island all the way to Fort Lauderdale, Miami and the Keys.
There was literally not a single beachfront resort worth a crap that wasn’t below $600 a night in any of those cities. And we’re not even talking the “luxurious” 5-star high-end hotels. Even the chain-hotels like Hilton and Marriott were outrageously expensive. Beach houses were never an option to begin with due to the fact that they’re always more pricey than hotels, but this is just fricking insane. The vacation dates planned are in the off-season which makes it even more baffling.
How the hell can the average middle-class family even afford to vacation in South Florida? Visiting Europe for a week is probably cheaper than visiting Miami/Key West at this point.
This post was edited on 8/17/25 at 1:00 am
11
Posted on 8/17/25 at 1:06 am to Lacreus
South Florida has always been popular, but it became even more so during and after Covid.
Plus, that's a very busy time of year down there.
Plus, that's a very busy time of year down there.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 1:14 am to H2O Tiger
It’s just hard to believe that there are people out who are willing to shell out $600-$700 for a 1 bedroom hotel room.
Who are these people and where do they come from?
Who are these people and where do they come from?
This post was edited on 8/17/25 at 1:15 am
Posted on 8/17/25 at 1:20 am to Lacreus
There's been a noticeable shift towards premium travel in recent years. Not sure if people are taking fewer vacations and spending more or if there is a large group willing to shell out that kind of cash.
Personally, I find it hard to justify spending more than $500/night just for a place to sleep.
Personally, I find it hard to justify spending more than $500/night just for a place to sleep.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 1:28 am to H2O Tiger
quote:
Personally, I find it hard to justify spending more than $500/night just for a place to sleep
I agree 100%
Tourism in the US is already declining at a significant rate which makes it even more mind-boggling
Posted on 8/17/25 at 1:49 am to Lacreus
If you work for a large company they often have discount codes you can use to help bring the rates down. You can do this with AAA as well.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 3:46 am to Lacreus
quote:
How the hell can the average middle-class family even afford to vacation in South Florida? Visiting Europe for a week is probably cheaper than visiting Miami/Key West at this point
Post Covid the prices tripled in the Florida Keys. Summer of 2022 it was cheaper for me to spend a week in Sag Harbor than it would cost to stay at a Hampton Inn in KW. I’m not sure what winter 2025/26 prices are projecting at, but August/Sept prices in the Fla Keys are the cheapest I’ve seen since 2016.
The lack of foreign tourists is really impacting prices the last 7-8 months from what I’m seeing.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 5:42 am to Lacreus
We always stay in Hollywood and find something affordable, have you looked there?
Posted on 8/17/25 at 6:19 am to Lacreus
SouthWest, FL is very expoensive in the winter. When we were in Naples an 1100 sq ft house owuld rent for $10K a month.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 7:10 am to Lacreus
Summer is peak season in the panhandle.
Oddly, winter is peak season in the rest of Florida.
Check out St. Augustine, especially the VIlano Beach area.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 8:19 am to Shexter
quote:
Summer is peak season in the panhandle. Oddly, winter is peak season in the rest of Florida.
This. ‘Snowbird’ season in Florida, it’s when half of the northeast retirees come down to south Florida to escape the cold and snow from around Christmas to April.
Last winter was very cold in the Florida panhandle and gulf coast in general, I mean we had 10 inches of snow in places to set the 100+ year record. But that’s very abnormal, most years if you spend a week you’ll get a couple days at least you could sit on the beach in shorts.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 9:27 am to CONNECTICUTTIGER
quote:
We always stay in Hollywood and find something affordable, have you looked there?
Yeah we looked at Hollywood. It’s definitely a little cheaper than Fort lauderdale/Palm Beach/Boca Raton
Posted on 8/17/25 at 9:31 am to VABuckeye
quote:
SouthWest, FL is very expoensive in the winter. When we were in Naples an 1100 sq ft house owuld rent for $10K a month.
Naples is by far the worse when it comes to prices. It’s as expensive as Key West if not more.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 9:35 am to Motownsix
quote:
The lack of foreign tourists is really impacting prices the last 7-8 months from what I’m seeing.
I think the problem is that Key West has an extreme shortage of hotels along with hospitality workers which drives the prices up so sky high
Posted on 8/17/25 at 9:42 am to Lacreus
Yea it’s crazy. To me it makes more sense to stay at all inclusive resorts in Mexico or the Caribbean.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 10:39 am to Lacreus
It is a lot cheaper to travel to Mexico. Even with last minute flights for Easter, it was a fraction of the cost to fly into Cancun transfer to Playa del carmen, stay in a nice AirB&B and eat out for every meal than taking the same trip to Alabama or Florida. We stayed in the middle of town, tons of great restaurants with no wait
Posted on 8/17/25 at 11:36 am to wickowick
quote:
It is a lot cheaper to travel to Mexico
I mean yeah, but there’s a reason for that lol
Posted on 8/17/25 at 11:43 am to baldona
quote:
Last winter was very cold in the Florida panhandle and gulf coast in general
That’s an understatement tbh. It was freezing when we went to Miramar Beach in December of last year. Some days and nights it got as low as the upper 40s. And I wouldn’t really say that’s an exception. NW Florida has always been colder than average in the winter compared to the rest of the state. That’s probably why it’s so cheap to vacation there in the winter.
Posted on 8/17/25 at 11:46 am to Shexter
quote:
Check out St. Augustine
Too far north
Posted on 8/17/25 at 11:50 am to Lacreus
What about treasure Coast? Jupiter island, Stuart, Vero, Fort Pierce, Sebastian?
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