Florida - Boats, Boats and more boats!
We started off in Orlando as we wanted to meet up with our son Josh who had been working as a lifeguard at the Hard Rock Hotel, Universal for the summer. Unfortunately our budget did not allow for us to stay at the Hard Rock, but we did get a good rate at the newly opened Sapphire Falls, another Lowes property on the resort.
Having arrived at the hotel after a long flight we were disappointed that our room was not ready, but after a short while and being given complimentary breakfast vouchers for our two night stay we were able to settle in.
As I said this is a new hotel, it is nicely decorated in a bright Caribbean style and has amenities including a large pool, games room and gym.
You can either take the boat taxi or a short walk to the theme parks - you get in an hour early if staying on resort but not the fast pass which is only for guests staying at Portofino Bay, Hard Rock and Royal Pacific.
After our two days in Orlando we collected our hire car and drove up to Crystal River on the Nature Coast where we would be staying at the Plantation Inn and Golf Resort for four nights. This was in stark contrast to Sapphire Falls as it is an older property and looks like an old southern plantation house. Our room was adequate although a little dated but was in keeping with the image they wanted to convey.
We were right on the river here and took the opportunity to take an excursion where you can swim with the local wildlife - being Manatees - this is the only place it is legal to do this. We also managed a couple of kayaking trips here and also a sunset cruise which I can thoroughly recommend. The resort also had a lovely pool which we made good use of as it was so hot.
For the golfers there are two courses, one nine hole and one 18 hole. At the time we were there, there were a couple of Manatees stuck on the course in a small lake as our visit was just after hurricane Hermione. They were having a great time though as there was plenty of food for them and they were rescued a few days later.
As the name Nature Coast suggests this is an ideal location if you and your family are into wildlife - we saw dolphins, manatees a small alligator and numerous birds. There are also a number of fishing trips you can take here.
From Crystal River we drove down to Madeira Beach on the Gulf Coast - we have been here before and were looking forward to going back. Madeira Beach is a small resort between Clearwater and St Petersburg. It has a laid back feel to it and nothing is done in a rush. We stayed at the Madeira Bay Resort in a two bedroom condo as our son Josh and his girlfriend were joining us here for the remainder of our stay.
The accommodation is well maintained - as well as the two bedrooms you get an open plan kitchen, diner and lounge area with all mod cons. Our apartment looked out onto the marina where we regularly saw dolphins and manatees.
Across the road is the wonderful sandy beach and the warm waters of the Gulf of Mexico. We would walk the beach early in the morning before it got too hot and often see dolphins not far out. Madeira Beach is home to John's Pass Village where you will find lots of quirky souvenir shops as well as some great restaurants and bars. You can book lots of trips here too from dolphin watching to parasailing.
Busch Gardens is a must if you have not been and is only a short distance away - we had a day here and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. We did the Serengeti Safari where you get to feed the giraffes which was fun. And of course Busch has some of the best coasters in Florida.
Again here we took a number of boat trips - including a sunset cruise where you go out via the inter-coastal waterways to the gulf. This is an inexpensive trip and "Captain Shaun" was a mine of information. You also get free beer and wine so great value for money.
We also kayaked here in the bay where you can get up close to the dolphins that frequent this area.
Another day another boat trip - this time we drove down to St Petersburg where we took out speedboats - they were small boats but you could drive yourself so great fun! We went out in a small group and followed our leader through the inter-coastal waterways and across the bay and back - going full throttle where allowed.
I have to say our best boat trip was on our last day. We travelled a short way up to Tampa Bay for an airboat trip with Kevin our guide. His boat is brand new and only seats six, we were lucky enough to have it to ourselves. Kevin took us across the bay and through the mangroves to the inner bay where again we saw manatees and many different birds. We stopped at a small beach and were amazed to see the ground moving! On closer inspection it was hundreds of fiddler crabs! The highlight of this trip was coming across a mother dolphin teaching her baby to fish - we were so lucky to witness this and it made the trip really special.
Back home and Madeira Beach is forever in my heart and I am missing it already - can't wait to go back!