Jacksonville

[keystonemama]

Hi there, I'm fairly new here to FL, moved after my mom passed away to be near my senior dad. Have to say that I'm really enjoying it here. Best thing is being driving distance to so many ports now. Was getting tired of the offereings in Southern CA!! :)

 

Welcome to Florida! :) I absolutely love St. Augustine, we visit all the time, wonderful city and locals!

Happy Sailing,

[Zoedokey]

We are staying at the Hampton Inn by the airport. It it up the road from from the VIP Park and Ride (or whatever the new name is).

 

The hotel has a cruise special and will hold your car but we are using points for the room so they won't let us book the cruise parking special.

 

There is a Sticky Fingers near there too.

[kcep02]

Thanks for all of the suggestions and advice.

[maggiemouse]

http://www.mapquest.com/maps?cat=jax+storage+mall&city=Jacksonville&state=FL&zipcode=32218

 

Here is a map, hard for me to say what hotels, but unless your staying right near the airport, anything off of 95/295 near the North & Westside is just not great areas anymore. Ex. roads, Dunn Ave, Lem Turner, anything that says Ribault, Soutel, Leonid, New Kings Road, Brentwood, Moncrief, Edgewood, Beaver.

 

It's just too dangerous there now. The Walmart on Lem Turner was robbed one night with armed gunmen. There's usually about 1 murder per day in those areas. When my son played football (we had moved to Keystone by then and they had to travel to play Ribault, he requested we not go to the game because it's too dangerous and our football team had to have a police escort. Teenagers carry guns to those games.

 

Awful, I know, hence why I live in Gainesville now. Hope this helps, just would not want anyone not really familiar staying in these areas or leaving there cars, cause you probably would be missing your tires and hubcaps/radio's when you returned.:rolleyes:

How about

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BLOUNT ISLAND

 

 

10148 New Berlin Rd.

[stepha06]

I know in Jacksonville beach there is a quality inn and suites, all balconies. We use to stay here when we would go to the beach for the weekend. I would say 20 or so miles from the port.

[keystonemama]

How about

HOLIDAY INN EXPRESS BLOUNT ISLAND

 

 

10148 New Berlin Rd.

 

You should be fine, you are closer to the beach and the Jax zoo. If you look at the map, New Berlin Rd runs up through Oceanway, (Jax's redneck good ole' boy area, ya know, hunters and fisherman types) :p, lol, most people living out that way have been there a long time. Enjoy your cruise!

Happy Sailing,

[gracerev]

Just a tale of my experience: We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Blount Island last week while cruising. When we returned, we discovered that my car had been broken into. The person took my mother's cell phone, my garage door opener, and tried to steal the car. This was part of a series of crimes committed by someone the Sherriff's Office now has in custody.

In talking with the officers while we filed the report, I learned that they are at that hotel fairly often.

Just this morning, a detective working the case told me that they have had 3 rounds of auto burglary events there recently.

I don't want anyone else to have the experience we had. It was a bit of a downer to handle right after a wonderful cruise.

That is my experience, take it with a grain of salt. Whatever you do, don't leave ANYTHING in your car (learn from my mistake).

 

Hapy Cruising!

[keystonemama]

Just a tale of my experience: We stayed at the Holiday Inn Express Blount Island last week while cruising. When we returned, we discovered that my car had been broken into. The person took my mother's cell phone, my garage door opener, and tried to steal the car. This was part of a series of crimes committed by someone the Sherriff's Office now has in custody.

In talking with the officers while we filed the report, I learned that they are at that hotel fairly often.

Just this morning, a detective working the case told me that they have had 3 rounds of auto burglary events there recently.

I don't want anyone else to have the experience we had. It was a bit of a downer to handle right after a wonderful cruise.

That is my experience, take it with a grain of salt. Whatever you do, don't leave ANYTHING in your car (learn from my mistake).

 

 

Doesn't surprise me. Sorry for your loss, leaving anything in your cars is always a chance you take, that happens here in Gainesville too.

That being said, hotels near the beach are the lesser of 2 evils, you have breakins all the time all over Jax. It's the drug dealers and drive by shootings you have to know the areas to avoid which is why I tried to be specific in my earlier posts. They just had another drive-by shooting this past week, during the middle of the day, missed who they were aiming for and hit a man who was just sitting on his porch.:eek: Personally, I would stay near the airport.