An Orlando Vacation Without the Kids

First of all a HUGE thank you to our most awesome and generous host and hostess, R&L!

We were offered a week’s stay in a Marriott time share near Orlando, FL with possible access to Disney World. The timing of the trip did not coincide with the teenagers’ Spring Break and they opted to stay home. Yes, you heard correctly; when presented with the option of missing school for a week, the teenagers decided that school was too important. So we went without them.

The preparations began. I arranged the carpool schedule for the kids/ events. I arranged for adults to hang out with them while we were gone. Thank you to S&A. I can’t wait to hear about your trip out west! I stocked them up on food for the duration.

We left on a Wednesday morning. We did not get stuck in traffic outside of Washington, DC, which was amazing. Unfortunately, we did stop at South of the Border in SC. That place has become really run down. Ladies – this is NOT a good place for a bathroom stop. We stopped for the night in Santee, SC.

Since we were so close to Savannah, GA we decided to eat breakfast/lunch there (breakfast for us – lunch for everybody else).  We did the tourist thing along the River Walk. We ate at a place called the Boar’s Head Inn. The food was really great. Get the crab bisque – it’s delicious!

I loved all the moss in the trees. It was beautiful.

Because it was a Thursday morning, there were plenty of places to park and no crowds to speak of. I would love to go back to Savannah and spend some in-depth time as a tourist.

From Savannah, the drive to our next destination was reasonable. We stopped for the night in a Coco Beach, FL hotel close to the beach. 

While the beach at Coco Beach was nice, the hotel was less than average. It was a Best Western. There was a power outage twice that night, and I was glad there wasn't an emergency that required a quick exit from the room. Because the door stuck. It required a very strong shove to get it to open.

The next morning I got to spend only an hour on the beach before we had to leave for Orlando. The drive wasn’t too bad, but the tolls were outrageous! We arrived at the Regal Palms Resort and Spa in Davenport, FL (right outside of Orlando and really close to all the Disney World parks) in the early afternoon. I napped while my husband’s Orlando golf vacation began.

If you want to rent a vacation home near Orlando, the Regal Palms would be a good choice. Our unit had 4 bedrooms and 3 and a half baths. Two of the bedrooms were master suites. For a family looking to rent a vacation home near Disney World, this one would work well for a family or a couple of families vacationing together. It is no more than 10 minutes from the Disney World parks.

Later that night we went to Mt. Dora, FL to have dinner. We ate at a place called Copacabana Cuban Café.

I had my first mojito. I do believe this is my new favorite adult beverage! My dinner and everyone else’s was fantastic. The prices at this restaurant were reasonable. I highly recommend them. Go. Eat there!

The Regal Palms Resort and Spa pool is very nice. There is a lazy river, and a water slide, and another pool just for hanging out in. There is a bar where you can order food from the restaurant or a beverage. They will bring you your order pool-side. I ordered a margarita for $8. Decent enough.There were volleyball courts, too.

My first experience with it was on a Saturday. Let me tell you, a Saturday on a warm and sunny day in Florida at the Regal Palms Resort and Spa pool is very very VERY crowded. I think there was a party happening. The joint was jumping! Our party of 8 got lucky and managed to get lounge chairs and a table with an umbrella all together.

My husband’s contingent played golf. Every day - they played golf. They played golf at Champion’s Gate. They played golf at Celebration, and Falcon’s Fire. They played at Bella Collina Golf Club. He loved every course he played on. However, he does have a favorite. After playing the course at Celebration, my husband told me it was his favorite. After playing golf at Bella Collina Golf Club, Celebration was bumped into second place.

I took 2 days away from Orlando to go visit an old friend who now lives in Sebastian, FL. It rained the first day I got there. I didn’t mind, because we were having so much fun catching up on old times. She drove me around and showed me the inlet where there are dolphins and manatee. We ate dinner at this fun little place called

Squid Lips. The next morning we spent on the beach.

I got one more day at the pool before it was time to come home. I hated leaving Sebastian and the beach, and I didn’t want to leave the great days at the pool. I have decided we are retiring to Florida.