Know Your Weather

In Fort Myers, the summers are long, hot, and greeted with showers, while the winters are short, comfortable, and mostly clear. Over the course of the year, the temperature typically varies from 55°F to 91°F and is rarely below 42°F or above 94°F. The hottest month of the year is August, and the coolest (not coldest) is January. The month with the most rain in Fort Myers is June, with an average rainfall of 6.0 inches. The month with the least rain in Fort Myers is December, with an average rainfall of 1.3 inches. For the most part, Southwest Florida has blue skies and fairways throughout the year. Hitting your rounds in the early morning gives you a lesser chance of running into an afternoon shower and securing a full 18-hole game. Thanks to our beautiful Southwest Florida weather, you have the chance of teeing off on BOTH of our 18-hole courses in one day; if you’re up for the challenge. 

Secure Your Rental

You can never begin securing a rental unit soon enough for the following winter. Our northern friends often rent the same unit year after year and will commit to the following year before returning home. It tightens the rental market, and we all know the importance of securing your home. Being sure to explore multiple channels early and often is a wise move, as no single channel will give you access to all available vacation rentals, plus inventory is always changing. Explore your options with second home opportunities as well. If you have the opportunity to secure a rental for next season while you are still in your winter destination, you should strongly consider it. Just don’t leave this until the fall, or you may be out of luck! 

One of the huge advantages of The Forest Country Club is we are a non-bundled community, meaning that our members live both near and far! You do not have to live in the community and be a member and vice versa. 

Book Your Flights

The sooner you book, the better, and if you’re using your airline points to fly back and forth, some programs only offer a limited number of seats than being booked on points. Remember that you can also mix and match, depending on your loyalty program, so sometimes booking two one-way flights on different carriers makes sense and gives you more available for the dates and times you want.  

The Forest Country Club is conveniently located 9.4 miles away from the Southwest Florida International Airport or roughly a 15-minute drive depending on traffic. 

Get Your Medical and Insurances In Order

How you handle routine and emergency medical treatment while you are in Florida will largely depend on the type of health insurance you have and the length of time you spend in the Sunshine State each year. If you are insured through a major health care provider, chances are that you will be covered should you need emergency medical treatment while out of state. Each insurance provider has a unique set of rules you must follow in order to ensure you get the proper coverage. Making a simple call before you travel to understand your health insurer’s rules before an emergency happens can help you avoid a rush of medical bills. If your health insurance is limited, simply get established with a local physician in Florida. Many Snowbirds keep their hometown doctor as the primary physician for insurance purposes but also use a local doctor who has a completed set of their health records and history on hand. If you take regular medications, establish yourself with a national chain like Walgreens. Choose a chain that has a strong local presence in your hometown as well as your local area in Florida. No matter where you are, you won’t have to worry about transferring or calling in new prescriptions, as all of your prescription and insurance information will be readily available. 

Plan Your Guest Visits

This may sound crazy, but it is never too soon to plan family visits for the winter ahead. Sometimes our northern friends can get inundated with visitors back-to-back, so a little planning goes a long way. Of course, while we love having family and friends coming to visit, it is never a bad idea to build in time without visitors so you can relax and enjoy your friends and activities to yourself! Establishing a “visitor’s calendar” will help you plan for and enjoy your visitors more!

The Forest has so much in the surrounding areas perfect for your guests to check out as well, including Bell Tower Shops, Gulf Coast, and Coconut Point Malls, and, of course, beautiful white-sand beaches. We are 11.4 miles away from a seven-mile-long beautiful stretch of sand and sea known as Fort Myers Beach; home to watersports, fishing charters, shopping, and some of the most beautiful sunsets you will ever see. Just off the coast, it’s an easy reach to Sanibel and Captiva, some of the most unique barrier islands of the world, and winning awards for being the best shelling beach in Florida.

Begin Planning Your Winter Lifestyle Now!