Spring Break Vibes in Siesta Key

MaKayla, me, Alexis & Madeline

Siesta Key Beach is rated the #1 beach in America due to its long stretches of pearly white shores. Bright life guard towers (perfect for taking cheesy beach pictures) dot the sand, and the soft lapping of the ocean and smell of salt fills the atmosphere.

Let me back up first. This week I am on spring break in Florida with three of my best friends. Overall, the weather has been beyond beautiful, and we didn’t let the one day of cloudy Florida cool keep us trapped inside—plus, 60s is better than 10⁰ any day. So, we jammed to our eclectic but popping spring break playlist with the windows down all the way to Siesta Key.

Hot coffee sounds like an odd commodity in the midst of Florida’s heat, but I found a unique twist to summarize the coffee offerings in this cute beach town.

LeLu Coffee Lounge

LeLu Coffee Lounge is situated at the beginning of a colorful stretch of restaurants and shops. The beachy, surfer feel is obvious as soon as you step into this chill hang out spot.

Surf boards suspended from the ceiling overshadow the comfortable seating area. Out back a cute patio is covered with brightly colored chairs, palm trees, and tiki shading. LeLu combines the beachy atmosphere with a dimly lit, bar ambiance, making it a perfect local oasis.

We didn’t actually order any coffee—we had to save our money for later experiences—but LeLu serves many varieties of coffee, smoothies, and cocktail drinks. If I had gotten a drink, I would have tried the Island Coconut Mocha, simply because it sounds like the perfect fit for the island vibes.

Meaney’s Mini Donuts & Coffee House

Continuing down the main strip of Siesta Key, we found my favorite stop of the day: Meaney’s Mini Donuts. The slightly touristy shack is central to the shopping area but looks like it belongs right on the sandy shores.

You can order your choice of coffee beverage from all the typical hot or iced coffee options, and all for good prices.

But the real pull for me was the donuts. Warm, delicious, mini donuts. I highly recommend the basic powdered sugar, though there is a vast assortment of fixings you can choose from. The donuts were the perfect bite-sized goodness to take with you as you browse.

Big Olaf Creamery

The third stop on our tour of Siesta Key’s coffee offerings was Big Olaf—your typical small-town ice cream shop. It was the most touristy of the three, but the quaint purple and white décor and wafting smell of homemade fudge would make any stranger feel right at home.

Big Olaf’s doesn’t actually serve hot coffee, but they’ve got your coffee flavored ice cream craving covered.

Madeline had chocolate chunk espresso in a chocolate waffle cone—basically a mocha in a cone. The coffee flavor was strong and tasty, and chocolate coated toffee crunchies balanced the rich creamy blend.

The creamery would be a good break from a hot beach, but it didn’t really have the Florida feel I was looking for. Also, the large portions were expensive. The long, slow line ended in very nice service. But the delicious ice cream makes all the negatives worth it.

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I wish we could all stay in the warmth of Florida’s sun and find more coffee shops here. (And continue our quest of soaking up as much sun as possible before returning to the snowy cornfields of Cedarville.) What’s your favorite spring break vacation spot?