Our Trip 20th April to 4th May 2003

[K4LGB]

Tuesday 29th April

Woken by the alarm at 6AM and suddenly golf didn’t sound such a great idea as I was knackered. The weather didn’t provide any loophole as the storms had passed and it was a beautiful day for golf at Highland Reserve. Drove down the I4 and up the 27 and was at the course for just after 6:30AM.
The fees were $75 for cart, clubs, a sleeve of balls, green fees and snack at the turn.
The clubs weren’t Callaway as we had been told but they were a matched set of King Cobra cavity backed irons and metal woods. Played off the 6000yrd Gold Tees so there was basically NO water on the course apart from a tiny bit at the 10th tee. First on the tee (despite some Highland Reserve regulars trying to get off in front of us) and we blasted through the first few holes – I had a birdie put on the first 3 holes but then started having sand problems as the scrub area started gobbling up my slightly wayward drives. Completed the first 9 holes in 90 minutes and grabbed a breakfast bun and soft drink at the turn.
Completed the round just before 10AM – well under 3hrs if you knock off the time we wasted getting the breakfast bun as the waitress couldn’t believe we had reached the turn that quickly (she thought we had given up and were just going home early!)
Anyhow not completely entering into the birthday spirit I trouced my brother-in-law 5 and 4 but then relaxed too much and ruined my respectable card with nothing better than a double bogey on the last 4 holes – my putting was atrocious as the greens finally showed there true menace after the early morning dew!
The course was pretty wide open apart from the scrub land and playing off the Gold Tees we could easily clear most of the fairway bunkers that were strategically placed for the Black tees. Very good course though if you want a British Parkland type course to break up the usual water lined course that Florida has an abundance of.
Bought a T-Shirt to commemorate the visit – $45 very good value for a patterned Callaway t-shirt with Highland Reserve embroidery.
Arrived back at the villa by 10:30AM much to the amazement of everyone. Despite this we just lazed around for the day as the kids were done in after Busch Gardens and we couldn’t even tempt them with a trip to Gatorland, which we offered several time around lunchtime.
As this was going to be my brother-in-laws evening Birthday Meal we organised a table at TGI Fridays on the 192. Just before we left the villa we were hit with another ferocious thunderstorm, which did not relent for the remainder of the evening. The meal was typical TGI Fridays fair but they entered into the birthday spirit when ALL the greeters and waiting staff each tied a balloon to my brother-in-law – great fun and the kids were in hysterics at their dad with about 20 helium balloons floating around his personage as he tried to eat his dinner.
After the meal Babette and I went to WalMart on the 192 to get some presents – hoped to buy a bottle of bubbly for my sister and her husband but I was very disappointed in the selection of wines at WalMart – I even asked if I had missed the real wine section! I had noticed a good selection in Publix so expected even better from WalMart but boy was I mistaken.
Stopped in at Champions Gate but the Publix was just closing so we had to pay top price at the little liquor store for a bottle of Moet c.$45 for something I could have got a Heathrow Tax Free for £13!
Got back to the villa and gave my sister and brother-in-law the champagne which they planned to drink in the Jacuzzi on his real birthday once the kids were safely in bed. Did a small bit of organising but it was getting late for packing so we just called it a day and went to bed.

[K4LGB]

Wednesday 30th April

Up early to finish packing and get ready for the drive from Thousand Oaks to the Everglades. Decided to take the 27 down the other side of Lake Okeechokee but there were too many traffic lights and 45 mph zones so we decided to cut over to the Florida Turnpike at Lake Wales which got us onto the Turnpike at Yeehaw Junction.
Had a pretty uneventful journey down the Florida Turnpike until we reached Ft. Lauderdale when it started to rain. Decided to by-pass Downtown Miami and cut across the Sawgrass section of the Turnpike back towards the 27. The rain was getting increasingly worse but I felt quite secure being high up in the Durango whereas last year I just parked up as quickly as I could when it started to rain in a Dodge Intrepid as it was borderline dangerous with all the bouncing rain and road spray.
Drove into the car park at Florida City and phoned Flamingo Lodge to check the weather at the resort. Despite the fact that they had rooms available I thought it was a waste of our time to be stuck in the Everglades in a Thunderstorm with basic cable to entertain us and as I was driving and happy enough to continue we decided to change our plans and charge on to Key West.
The weather was now borderline tropical storm with Thunder and Lightning and incredibly heavy rain but at least the roads were quite quiet and we made good progress towards Key West and always had the option of finding somewhere on the way if I got too tired.
Anyways we got all the way to Key West but as you enter the main island the road splits and you guessed it we took the wrong one! OK it is unfair to say the wrong one as we knew we were on the Southern Side of the Key so it was a good bet to go to take the left road but just half a mile along the road the sea was higher than the road and there was about 3foot of standing water on the road. Luckily the SUV came into its own and we ploughed through the floods and eventually made it to the hotel we were booked into for the following two nights. In my haste to charge on down to Key West we had forgotten to check with the hotel we were booked into if they had rooms available for that night. Got to the reception desk and they were very helpful and fortunately had an Executive Twin (same as I had booked for the next two nights) available. I insisted on a quick check of the room to see that they had FULL cable as the forecast was predicting that at least the first night was going to be a washout. Cable was in order and the room was big with a small balcony, large TV, microwave and fridge.
Checked in and settled into the room by watching the spectacular storm through our balcony patio windows. Decided that we were too tired to eat out so went out to the Publix Supermarket for some food/drink for the room and picked up a Pizza Hut pizza on the way back. Settled in room for the night by about 9PM but the storm raged on until the middle of the night, which did not bode well for our 2 days in “sunny” Key West.

[K4LGB]

Thursday 1st May

Woke up to beautiful sunny weather with cloudless skies but 100% humidity. After a quick trip to the hotel gift shop/tourist advice centre we tried to get some photos of the Southernmost Point but it was too busy so we decided just to leave it!
We decided to walk up Duval Street to get our bearings. Basically Duval Street is a 1.5mile strip of hotels, pubs, art galleries and shops. Key West is full of tourists, cats and chickens – basically in roughly that order. The chickens are a legacy from the Cuban immigrant days and there is a local law that means up to a $500 fine if you injure/kill one of the roaming chickens – madness!
We were a bit late in getting up so most places had stopped serving breakfast so when we reached the end of Duval Street at the Marina area we ate lunch at a Boardwalk restaurant called Billy Fish's. Watched the various big game fish boats, pleasure craft and coastguard pass by whilst we decided what to do for the rest of the day.
Following lunch we wandered along Mallory Square, inspecting the luxury yachts and the single cruise ship that was in harbour.
Decided to take the Historic Harbour Boat Tour and after buying our tickets we had a wander round the Hilton Resort shops and cafes.
The harbour tour was very informative with lots of funny anecdotes and gave us a good insight of what was worth seeing in our short time on Key West.
Went back to the hotel via a shop we had spied called Planet Smoothie – bought one of the cooler cups which entitled you to 10% discount on further purchase which I knew was on the cards!
All the walking in the high humidity had taken its toll on my fiancée and she hit the sack for a rest. I decided that I would go swimming in the closest of the three pools that the resort had to offer. The closest pool had a Tiki Bar next to it and it was a scene I have witnessed many time before with dozens of 18-30s getting [bad word filter] ***ed, flirting and playing the fool. I could have been anywhere in the world – Tenerife, Majorca, Ibiza and as I wanted to get some serious exercise I decided that this was not the pool for me. The second pool also had a bar but was more orientated at families but with all the kids in the pool it was also not conducive to serious exercise. I found the third pool over in the posh area of the hotel and had the pool to myself but did feel conscious that I may get asked to leave – but I had my Southernmost Resort passcard and nobody bothered me whilst I swan and sunned my self for the best part of 90minutes.
After showering (which was a waste of time due to the humidity) we headed off to Mallory Square – unfortunately there was not much of a sunset as it had clouded over but I did manage to partake of a KeyLime Colada or two – basically a Pina Colada using KeyLimes instead of Coconut - $7 a glass from the Hilton Pier bar.
The market stalls and street entertainers were pretty amazing – jugglers, fire-eaters, performing animals – including the infamous CatMan show ( a Frenchman with performing house cats which has to be seem to be believed http://www.catmankeywest.com )
Walked back down Duval St and Babette had the Crepe she had been eying up all day and I bought a slice of KeyLime Pie – basically a KeyLime cheesecake with a meringue topping – few beers watching ESPN and off to bed – ONLY day of the holiday I didn’t drive apparently.

[K4LGB]

Friday 2nd May

Got up reasonably early and headed off to IHOP for some breakfast. Very good food – boy do I love those Western Skillet!
Back to the hotel tourist information to purchase Trolley Tour tickets, which we had been told, was better than the shorter Conch Train Tour despite them both costing $20. First stop was the Key West Aquarium ($9 admission) – joined the tour which basically covered the whole aquarium and took the best part of an hour (they have a website which has three web cams if anyone is interested at http://www.keywestaquarium.com ). The Shark Feeding/Petting was very good even though it was only a small nursing shark and you could only touch its tail. Apparently sharks taste through their skin and as the guide said the shark didn’t like the taste of some people as the shark squirmed and thrashed when a couple of people touched it despite it being calm when most people petted it.
The Trolley Tour took you all around the Key West Island but basically there is not too much to see in the outlying area as most of the tourist type attractions are centralised around the Duval Street and Marina areas.
After the Trolley Bus tour Babette was ready for a rest so we stopped in past Planet Smoothie for a top-up and headed back the hotel. As it was only about 3PM I decided to go out for a walk to get some better pictures of some of the site we had only just swept by.
Eventually found the Zero Mile Marker of USHighway1, which is located on a back street away from all the real tourist areas. Wandered across the pleasure craft area and watched a man gutting a Queen Fish that had been freshly caught on one of the big game boats. He basically filleted the fish and then fed the remains to the very large Tarpin that were scavenging around the jetty.
Tried to get tickets for the sunset sail on one of the historic schooners that do trips – the “America” and “Western Union”. Unfortunately they were fully booked and I didn’t even find out the price but I expect it would have been expensive as it was two hour trip which included food and drink.
After my photo frenzy wander I went back to the hotel and we then went to the resorts Private Beach for a paddle – as the storms had brought a lot of seagrass ashore we soon retired to the posh swimming pool for some R&R.
The tourist guide at the hotel told us that the view from La Concha Hotel (the highest building in Key West) was the best place watching the Sunset. We arrived at the hotel and proceeded to the RoofTop Lounge which is open to everyone. Had a drink and watch a pretty rather than spectacular sunset. Managed to take a few pictures – hopefully they will turn out good.
We decided that we would have a nice meal to celebrate our last evening of the holiday – we both fancied pasta instead of anything with chips and opted for a meal at a quiet Italian Restaurant called OPERA which was located on a small quiet lane off Duval Street. Had a lovely three-course meal and then walked back the short distance to the Hotel. Bed nice and early as we planned an early exit to beat the traffic on the way off the Keys.

[K4LGB]

Saturday 3rd May

Up and packed by 9AM. Managed to finally get some pictures at the Southernmost Point of Continental USA – just managed to beat a wedding party to the monument otherwise we would have probably missed out altogether! Checked out of the hotel and started the drive up the Keys. Stopped at Pigeon Key to get some picture of the Seven Mile Bridge. Arrived in Florida City about 12:30 and grabbed a Taco Bell before heading down into the Everglades. Stopped at the Visitors Centre and got our passports stamped and then headed into the park and down to Flamingo. We had noticed the Mosquito Alert HIGH posters at the toll-booth but were not quite prepared for the ferocity of them. Consequently we didn’t stay in Flamingo too long but did see an alligator in the marina area and meandered back up the road stopping at the roadside lakes and doing the boardwalks – left the park at about 16:45 and drove up the Florida Turnpike to Miami International Airport. Quite straight forward even though the Car Rental Returns signs were not very well placed so we had a number of last minute lane changes but eventually got to the Dollar compound.
According to the car hire records I drove 1549 miles in the hire car over the 12.5 days but it didn’t feel like a burden and I don’t remember having any near misses during the holiday and I must admit I was much happier in an SUV especially when the rain was bouncing 2ft off the ground as it does in Florida!
No real problems at Miami Airport although we had played things by the book and left our cases unlocked with toiletries at the top. The BA area seems to be quite self contained so it was pretty much straight through without any queues or delays.
Different seat configuration on the 747 on the way home with much less 1st/Business Class and many more cattle class rows. Same seatback TVs and a new month so new films with Gangs of New York (in two parts), About Shmidt, Two Weeks Notice, The Recruit, Disney Treasure Planet and The Hours. However, the flight was only 7.5 hrs so they cut the third rotation about half way through so we now need to rent The Hours ad The Recruit to see the endings!

[K4LGB]

Sunday 4th May

Big tailwind across the Gulf Stream so arrived back at Heathrow half an hour early, which meant we had a long 4.5hr wait for our connection back to Aberdeen. Roughest landing I have had in a long while as well – uneven and bouncy – not good on a bellyful of beer and wine!
Flight back to Aberdeen was on time but when we got to Aberdeen we found that a piece of our check-in baggage had missed the connection from Heathrow but BA said it would be on a later flight and true to their word it was delivered to the house at 8PM that night – intact and undamaged. One of our case was not properly shut and after a quick check of each case it was obvious that they had been opened at Miami but fortunately nothing had got out!
To finish the holiday we had the joyous task of telling our family about our pregnancy – I think everyone thought our news was that we were had got married whilst away but we can leave that for another trip!
Went to bed about 11PM which meant I had been up about 35hrs.
9hrs sleep and into work on Bank Holiday Monday as it was a good day to clear email without interruptions…..
We now just have to tell our hundreds of friends or just let the jungle drums spread the word on our behalf.

[Harmony]

Hi Leslie,

WOW that was some trip report[:0]. Overall you seem to have had a good time dispite a few problems. I certainly agree with you about the credit card. I know have one from Nationwide Building Society as they seem to offer the best exchange rate and do'nt charge commision when using it abroad. Hope the pregnancy goes well. You'll have even more reason to return to Florida with a family.

Thanks for taking the time to do the report and best wishes.

Jeff

[steph_goodrum]

Thanks for that report Leslie and congratulations to you and Babette. As Jeff said won't be too long before you're back with the family (the golf might have to be sidelined for Disney though).

[Daniel Ramsey]

Awesome trip report! I felt like I was there, and that was the best trip report I have seen in ages...on any board, thanks for sharing it with us. Flying to Orlando for my family is usually in two legs with an hour layover its still 12 hours. We leave Anchorage about 8pm and arrive Orlando around 9 or 10am the next morning. No movies on the 757 but we rented a portable DVD player and some movies, next time I will use my Toshiba laptop.
I stayed at a rental home in Thousand Oaks as well off of Loughman Road, it was a little off the way to Disney but we found a less than traveled direct road to the parks and it all worked out, nice community, very quiet except when the lawn maintenance crews are about.

[Andy & Arlene]

Thousand Oaks is only 10 minutes to Disney - a lot closer than some of the communities. It is only 2 minutes from the Championsgate golf and retail park and the I4 - which is quicker to drive on to get to shops, parks etc than the 192.