Month long rentals on Gulf Coast of Florida

I can't tell you an area to look at. But my sister in law and her husband usually spend the month of September at the beach in SC. Sometimes they come back in Febuary for another month. She usually looks on vrbo.com for places. You can see photos and read reviews. She picks a different place every year in the same area. She's only run into a problem 1 time. And it wasn't serious, but she did end up getting a refund for that place and renting another place.

edit: they live in NJ, so it is out of the question for them to see it in person. While we live in SC. We are 4 hours from the beach. So we can visit when they are there, but we can't scope out the places for them.

I don't know if it is far enough south, but what about Sanibel or captiva?

Sand Key, FL is a very nice, upscale area tucked between Clearwater Beach & St. Pete. Search VRBO for Lighthouse Towers.

We've rented in the Sanibel & Captiva area using royalshell.com In Captiva you can rent houses by the week and in Sanibel by the month. It's a spendy area, especially during peak times, but it is beautiful.

My sister and her family and my dad all live in Englewood, FL. My parents started out vacationing there for the month of November and then bought in 1995. It is a beautiful area, close to a lot of things to do.

We love Ft Myers Beach. I just rented through Distinctive Beach Rentals and was very pleased with their services and their attention to detail.

I would start by looking there. Search for mid-island. That area is quiet and close to Publix.

I am from Sarasota and I would highly recommend Siesta Key, Crescent Beach, Lido Key, or Longboat Key. Siesta Key/Crescent would be my first choice. You could just search for Siesta Key vacation rentals. The rental sites usually have photos of all the rooms so you can actually see what you are committing to. We have stayed at Crescent Arms multiple times (yes, even though we live in Sarasota) and have been very happy there. We have only stayed for one week rentals though.

If you want to stay in Sarasota, but not necessarily right on the beach, you could stay at Sun 'n' Fun. It would be a bit of a drive in to the beach, but it is a nice RV place that also has homes on the property that you can rent for longer periods.

People also often rent out their homes, too. You are more likely to find a home if you come off season.

One thing you need to know about Jan/Feb in Florida is that it is considered "high season." That means the rates are higher. If you could possibly come at a different time, you will get better rates. Insider tip - the best month in Sarasota is May. Rates are cheaper, kids are still in school, it is almost always warm enough to feel summery but it isn't yet mind-blowingly hot. Also, it is before the summer rainy season. We always vacation in May if we are staying in Florida.

We rented a place in Ft Myers this summer from VRBO and had a really great experience. I know they will rent by the month. We wanted to stay on Sanibel Island, but found they would only rent by the month, and we wanted more than a hotel room. I'm personally more of a Pensacola girl, but it gets cold up in that area during the winter.

We've had good luck with VRBO in both South Padre and Pensacola. I really liked Pensacola since it seemed like a "real place" -- enough beach and tourist, but still "ordinary life".
Go to VRBO, create an account and start browsing! We look closely at pictures, see how old they are, read the reviews, etc. -- but so far, we've had good (enough!) luck.