Where should we rent a house to escape the New England winter?

[Onomatopoeia]

With Coronavirus still raging my husband and I are toying with the idea of renting a place somewhere warmer for January through March since he's working remotely anyway. We live in a small apartment in New England so we're dreading being cooped up this winter. We would follow any quarantine protocols for the state we travel to. We have a toddler and an infant and we're looking for a location where we could get outside and enjoy the outdoors while remaining socially isolated. Since we have little ones we'd definitely drive, so it has to be somewhere on the east coast.

At first I was thinking somewhere on/near a beach could be fun. After looking up winter temperatures for locations all down the eastern seaboard, it looks like it will still be a bit on the cool side to enjoy the beach unless we went all the way to Florida, which wouldn't be ideal with how they're handling the virus. Our budget is flexible, we'd be willing to spend up to around $2000 a month to rent a place.

Does anyone have a recommendation for a location that we should check out?

[GuitarStv]

Find an apartment that fits your needs and stay in place.

[TheFrenchCat]

Find an apartment that fits your needs and stay in place.

And get snow pants so you can get more outdoor time. 

I really wouldn't go to a shore town.  Some of them don't have the hospital capacity to handle out of towners.  My dad lives in one year-round and there's only one hospital in the whole county.  He was not happy when all the tourists came down anyways this year.

[Catbert]

Palm Springs?  Reliably good weather January - March.  Lots of one story vacation condos with green belts between buildings.  Outside dining at most restaurants. 

Not close to beach (2+ hours a way) but every complex has at least one pool.

[NorthernMonkey]

New Zealand? 14 days quarantine then stay there for their summer

[Dicey]

Palm Springs?  Reliably good weather January - March.  Lots of one story vacation condos with green belts between buildings.  Outside dining at most restaurants. 

Not close to beach (2+ hours a way) but every complex has at least one pool.

Palm Springs/Palm Desert. It's surprisingly affordable, but it might still be a challenge on your budget. I'd include all the surrounding areas in your search, as it's the same sunshine. Fly to Ontario (ONT) and drive for best airfares. Since the Canadians can't travel to/from the US, I expect there will be more than usual for rent next year if the restrictions don't lift by then.

[iris lily]

New Zealand? 14 days quarantine then stay there for their summer

are they letting people in then?

[mrsnamemustache]

I wouldn’t rule out all of Florida. There is a lot of variability in Covid rates across parts of the state. Panhandle might be worth looking in to. North central Florida has lots of beautiful outdoor spots and is great in the winter (and cases are currently relatively under control).

[wenchsenior]

Personally, I dream of being a classic snowbird. Tucson area in the winter/spring, Great Lakes or Pacific NW in summer/autumn. 

I love snowy/cold landscapes for a short period/visit, but I grew up in northern WI and between the cold and the short days/gloomy cloud cover, I NEVER want to subject myself to those sorts of winters again. I also have Raynaud's and pretty bad seasonal affective disorder. It's been very apparent every time I spend any extended period of time in that kind of winter situation that it is seriously not good for me, mentally nor physically. Whereas I thrive in bright sun and 75-95F temps.

[mountain mustache]

I was coming here to recommend Tucson, but then saw your East Coast requirement. If you are willing to make the drive I feel like Tucson is ideal in the Winter and Spring...sunny, warm, no humidity...also fairly inexpensive rentals, too...LCOL in general. Great hiking, outdoor activities, etc.

[Car Jack]

Palm Springs?  Reliably good weather January - March.  Lots of one story vacation condos with green belts between buildings.  Outside dining at most restaurants. 

Not close to beach (2+ hours a way) but every complex has at least one pool.

Palm Springs/Palm Desert. It's surprisingly affordable, but it might still be a challenge on your budget. I'd include all the surrounding areas in your search, as it's the same sunshine. Fly to Ontario (ONT) and drive for best airfares. Since the Canadians can't travel to/from the US, I expect there will be more than usual for rent next year if the restrictions don't lift by then.

You had me so confused.  I'm thinking "Why would someone fly to Canada and then drive?".

[Dicey]

Palm Springs?  Reliably good weather January - March.  Lots of one story vacation condos with green belts between buildings.  Outside dining at most restaurants. 

Not close to beach (2+ hours a way) but every complex has at least one pool.

Palm Springs/Palm Desert. It's surprisingly affordable, but it might still be a challenge on your budget. I'd include all the surrounding areas in your search, as it's the same sunshine. Fly to Ontario (ONT) and drive for best airfares. Since the Canadians can't travel to/from the US, I expect there will be more than usual for rent next year if the restrictions don't lift by then.

You had me so confused.  I'm thinking "Why would someone fly to Canada and then drive?".

HaHa, that's why I included the airport call letters!

[FrugalFisherman10]

If you're going to socially isolate other than outside I don't see why you wouldn't drive all the way to South Florida. Make it count. Get that warm weather and keep away from people and you'll be fine. You're not going to get COVID if you don't see others, so you're not going to tax some hospital system etc.

Want city by city recommendations?
Fort Myers, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm, Homestead. Idk anything about these cities but they're really far south. I've been to ft Myers and it was pretty cool

More remote? Marco island, Naples, bonita springs


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[lhamo]

Might be a bit higher priced than you are looking for but we visited San Diego during Christmas break a couple of years ago and it was really pleasant.

[pbkmaine]

I second looking into the Florida Panhandle. Are you familiar with the blog https://www.younghouselove.com? They just moved there with their two children.

[Trudie]

Find an apartment that fits your needs and stay in place.

This.  I empathize with your situation, but frankly we’ve chosen to stay in place because if one or both of us gets sick we have access to great health care.  We know the health system here, the resources, and trust that we won’t get tossed aside.  That is no small thing.  Going somewhere else is no guarantee against getting sick.

I would take a tip from the Scandinavians and learn to embrace the outdoors.  There is no bad weather, just bad clothes!  (I live in the upper Midwest.). Explore hygge activities.  Make big pots of soup.  Find ways to make your life where you’re at more manageable.

[FrugalFisherman10]

What did you go with? Florida keys???


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[meandmyfamily]

I also was going to say Tucson but that doesn't met your East Coast requirement.  It is lovely in the winter with lots of hiking and fun day trips.

[PDXTabs]

Lisbon, Portugal? Somewhere in the Algarve?

[Fishindude]

Lots of options for warm winter weather.
If you're concerned with Covid, just stay clear of the mobs of people and go someplace more rural and outdoorsy.

[soccerluvof4]

Wilmington,NC but while warmer not going to get you like Southern Florida would.  A little further South, Hilton Head in SC.

[Dancin'Dog]

Wilmington,NC but while warmer not going to get you like Southern Florida would.  A little further South, Hilton Head in SC.

You beat me to it. 


We were just in Hilton Head, during the heat wave, and the locals said the off season is wonderful there.  We're planning to go back in a month or so for a longer stay.  The homes are really nice on HH and they have biking paths all over the island. 


Btw, after our trip I found some much better rates on Craigslist instead of through a management company. 

[RetiredAt63]

New Zealand? 14 days quarantine then stay there for their summer

are they letting people in then?

Only if you are staying for more than 3 months.  And tourists can't stay for more than 3 months.  So no tourists.  Plus as of a few weeks ago the14 day quarantine was in a hotel, by plane, so you get bussed to the hotel of their choice together with your plane mates.  Fine for people coming home.