I've recently managed to take a holiday out to my property in Florida for the first time. I did go out to it in January, but that was a mad dash around to furnish the place!
This was a proper "sit back, relax, and enjoy" holiday. And it was fantastic to do so in my own flat. I also found it pleasing to holiday in a "familiar" place - I knew where to stock on essentials, where the place to park for the beach was, what's the best way to drive to the local mall and so on - although that doesn't make the holiday boring, not by any means. On the contrary, that left me more time to explore, search out great restaurants, try some new bars, and visit places that I'd either never been before or not been to in absolutely years. (Such as the Everglades.)
Here are some tips that I'd like to share:
This was a proper "sit back, relax, and enjoy" holiday. And it was fantastic to do so in my own flat. I also found it pleasing to holiday in a "familiar" place - I knew where to stock on essentials, where the place to park for the beach was, what's the best way to drive to the local mall and so on - although that doesn't make the holiday boring, not by any means. On the contrary, that left me more time to explore, search out great restaurants, try some new bars, and visit places that I'd either never been before or not been to in absolutely years. (Such as the Everglades.)
Here are some tips that I'd like to share:
- If your property comes with a pool - use it! (If it's a house with a private pool, how lucky you are.) The pool area is likely to be very tranquil with few people
- Florida has an abundance of nature parks, and there is bound to be one near you. I'm lucky - I have two beautiful ones about 5/10 minute walk from my flat. You'll be able to walk, hike, explore nature, fish, canoe/kayak in the parks.
- If you're close enough to the Everglades, it's definitely worth visiting. The place is amazing. And you'll get to go on one of the airboats, which are tremendously fun. We visited the Everglades Holiday Park which offers boat tours (with very knowledge guides) and gator shows.
- If you're heading to Florida this time of year, be prepared for rain - quite a lot of it. Whilst most showers tend to pass over after an hour or two (even if it's a full lightning and thunder storm) some days may be total washouts. So plan some indoor activities - shopping is always good!
- I had an absolutely awful time with mosquitoes this year. If you're prone to their bites, make sure you bring (or stock up) on some spray or something similar. Try to avoid sitting out at dusk. And if you do sit out on your balcony or terrace, one tip we were told would be to have a small fan out there (a cheap one you can buy from your local supermarket/pharmacy) that apparently keeps them away.
- Don't go to your local beach on weekends - it will be very, very crowded. Even if you just want to visit a beach cafe for lunch/dinner it will be very busy. Go on a weekday instead.
I'm going to do a separate post on the restaurants and bars I found - check back for that later!
Photos all June 2008 - 1. Fort Lauderdale Beach, 2. an alligator at the Everglades National Park,
1 comment:
Lovely post, thanks.
Rolf
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