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.
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.
