My Travel Diaries: Florida

I fall further in love with Florida with every visit and it’s not hard to see why. The Sunshine State has so much to offer. Sprawling white sandy beaches, crystal clear seas and glorious sunshine. Most of the time, with all of the heat and humidity you do get a lot of electrical storms which are incredible to watch!!

Florida seems to be one of those places where those who haven’t been, want to go, and those who have been, never want to leave. For me, I fall into the latter. I’m fortunate enough to have been to Florida 6 times as we have family over there. Florida is definitely a dream holiday destination. Despite having been, it still remains my dream holiday and honestly, I would go every year if I could. Infact, I’d probably never leave.

It had been around 10 years since my last trip! The whole time I had been desperate to go back and visit so naturally you can imagine the sheer excitement when in March we finally booked a holiday to Florida! I immediately began to listing things to do, at the time I still had around 165 days to wait! I was just so excited I could barely contain myself! 10 years I had waited for this!

The great thing about Florida is that there is something for everyone. Of course one of the main and most well know attractions are the parks, and there are plenty to choose from. Most are in Orlando and this being the busiest and more popular place to be in Florida.

Now that I’m home, my holiday feels like a distant memory but I get to relive it through this post as I detail some of my holiday highlights.

Orlando

Arguably the busiest part of Florida, largely because it is home to nearly all of the parks and has so much to offer. I adore the hustle and bustle of Orlando and of course the parks too, but that said I do look forward to heading to West coast where we spend much of our holiday. Orlando is a great place for couples and families alike. Parks for everyone, endless restaurants to cater for all tastes, family entertainment, bars and clubs and a huge selection of shopping opportunities, my personal favourite. Theres just something about shopping in the US which you don’t get here in the UK I feel, namely a better selection of beauty and skincare. Hello Sephora and Ulta, I’m talking about you.

We spent two nights of our trip in Orlando and picked out three parks to go to in that time, talk about cramming! It was a hectic three days let me tell you.

Universal Studios & Islands Of Adventure

This is probably my personal favourite of all of the parks on offer. Mainly because I’m utterly obsessed with all things Harry Potter. Both Universal Studios and Islands Of Adventure are linked up by none other than the Hogwarts Express!

You can opt for a ticket to gain entry into one park, or choose to do both which is what we did. Due to our time limited we crammed both parks into one day, which honestly, I wouldn’t recommend because you will sacrifice some time in one of them. We visited in August which is peak time and the waiting times for rides were in excess of an hour at times, some considerably more! A little cheat we found incredibly useful was to head for the single rider lines, we all got on and off in a lot less time than the regular queue. If you don’t mind being separated from your party it is well worth doing and saves huge amounts of time.

If you’re able to I would definitely suggest doing a park per day to really allow you to get around each park and their attractions thoroughly.

Walt Disney World – Magic Kingdom

Possibly the most magical place on earth, where dreams really do come true. Even for when your 30! Arguable one of Florida’s most popular, if not the most popular park. This was my first visit since I was 7 and as you could imagine, I couldn’t recall a whole lot, plus it will have changed some in that time. It was truly magical and I felt like a little girl lost in a fairytale! Seeing Cinderella’s castle as I made my way on to Main Street U.S.A. sent my inner Disney Princess into meltdown! I felt like a girl of 7 all over again! Naturally I bought the classic Disney Minnie Mouse headband to wear for the day, because did you actually go to Disney if you don’t?!

The Magic Kingdom is never short of things to marvel at, whether it be their spectacular parades, firework displays, or the Disney characters performing or holding a meet and greet. One thing I would say I found a bit annoying was the restaurants. If you want to dine in you have to download an app, register and make a deposit to hold your place in the queue. Regardless of the wait time, you must remain on site or you will forfeit your place, with no refund. Depending on the time you visit this can be a lengthly process. You can eat in other areas without this fuss and it’s more of a food court system and it’s every man for himself when it comes to finding a table.

Kennedy Space Centre

This one probably won’t be for everyone, and in truth I mainly went along because I had previously visited the Johnson Space Centre in Houston, so it made sense to see this one when I had the opportunity. The Kennedy Space Centre is still fully functional and planning future space missions which made it all the more interesting. We were able to take a guided coach tour into Cape Canaveral are view actual launch sites. In the Kennedy Centre they have the Atlantis Shuttle on display which was used as part of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program. In the outdoor areas you will find various rockets and shuttles scattered throughout the park and also some tributes to both past and present astronauts. All in all this made for a really interesting day out and we all really enjoyed our time at the centre.

St Petersburg

This is where we spend much of our time whilst in Florida. Situated on the Gulf Coast, St Petersburg is part of the wider Tampa Bay area. It is home to stunning, and might I add award-winning beaches and coast lines, and it is famed for having such sunny weather. It is because of the good weather it is very popular with holiday-makers and golfers alike. In the heart of St Pete you will have plenty of shopping opportunities, restaurants, bars and attractions to entertain yourself with.

The Don CeSar

When we don’t stay with family, we stay at the Don CeSar or the “Pink Palace” as it is more famously known as. We have been visiting since I was 7 and it still looks as beautiful as ever. Every inch painted in a stunning soft pink, it is very much like a beach front paradise. Alongside the stunning accommodation you will also find two outdoor pools, sun loungers aplenty, 5 restaurants, bars and cafes, a spa and a private beach area.

A short walk down the beach you will also find the Don CeSar Beach Suites complete with its own pool with restaurant and bar. I have so many fond memories here and I hate to leave at the end of every trip. If you’re in Florida and looking to explore the area, I definitely advise calling by for a visit, even if it’s for bite of lunch or to lie by the pool.

Have you been to Florida?

If you enjoyed this you might also enjoy my Dubai travel post.