Vacation Village at Weston
Friday, April 13, 2012 - Tuesday, April 17, 2012
The trip to Weston was about 4 hours 30 minutes of actual driving time. We left our house a little before 11 AM and arrived at the check-in building about 4 PM. After checking in and unpacking our stuff, we went to find the Publix and to have a bite to eat. Japan Inn in the Weston Town Square is where we ended up. We sat at one of the hibachi tables where Zen, our chef, prepared the food. A couple we sat next to visit this restaurant all the time, and I can see why. The food was excellent and the chef was extremely entertaining. He even took a few pictures with my camera!
Our plan for Saturday was visiting Sawgrass Mills, the second most-visited tourist attraction in FL after Disney World. It is such a large shopping area that it would take at least 2 days to see most of it. I had mapped out a few stores that I wanted to visit, the first of which was IZOD. After a few hours of walking and shopping, we stopped and had a pizza before going back to the timeshare to relax, read, and watch television.
Sunday morning we headed to the Miccosukee Indian Village. The village itself looked like it would be a ripoff, so we decided just to take the airboat ride through part of the Everglades. The ride was quite an interesting experience. We were told to put cotton balls in our ears to cut back on some of the noise. We zoomed through the grasses at a good clip, heading towards an old, unoccupied Indian village. We got out of the airboat to spend 10 minutes walking around the village area. Then we zoomed back to the launch area. The driver went fast so it was difficult to get any pictures of wildlife.
We stopped at the Miccosukee resort and gaming facility after the airboat ride. First we had a late lunch at the buffet brunch. Then we spent about a half hour in the casino where I came out $10 ahead and John lost $20. When we returned to the timeshare, John took his all-important nap. We stayed in and relaxed for the rest of the day.
Monday was a very leisurely day. We did take a drive through Fort Lauderdale, but the traffic in that area is terrible so we didn't linger. We ended up back in Weston and had a meal at Il Toscana. Much of the day was spent reading one of my Kindle books on the iPad.
Our return drive to Ocala on Tuesday was uneventful. Traffic was much better than it was in south Florida! Click here to see pictures from Weston and The Everglades.
Gaylord Palms, Orlando
May 3 to May 5, 2012
After my usual Thursday golf, John and I left for the Gaylord Palms Resort & Convention Center. We ate at a Ruby Tuesday's in Ocala before getting on I-75. We arrived, checked in, unpacked, and decided to just relax in the room and on the balcony overlooking the atrium. Click here to see Gaylord Palms photos.
After breakfast in the atrium on Friday, we took the hotel shuttle to Epcot to see the beautiful flowers during the annual flower and garden festival. We walked around Epcot until 1:30 and then rested on a bench until the 2:15 shuttle back to the hotel. People-watching can be so much fun! We only went on one of the non-threatening rides. Our main purpose was to see the flowers, and that we did. I have about 80 pictures to prove it. Everywhere we turned, there was another beautiful sight to behold. Click to see the beautiful flowers at Disney World's EPCOT.
When we got back to the hotel, we checked out Wreckers Sports Bar to have an early dinner. We were both hungry and didn't want to wait until 5. The resort just spent millions building this state-of-the-art sports bar. One wall has a two-story video screen with many different tv sports channels displayed. There must have been 50 other smaller tv's throughout, including one in the rest room. After our great meal here, we had an ice cream cone at a small shop in the lobby. Rest and relaxation followed. We need a lot of r & r at our age!
Saturday morning checkout, breakfast at a Denny's, drive home, Ida Benson's birthday party from 2:00 to 4:00, and then 3 hours watching the Kentucky Derby broadcast on television completed this very busy day!
Vanderbilt Beach Resort & Harbor Club
May 26-30, 2012
We arrived in Naples on Saturday at 3 PM. Our unit was very nice. A screened lanai overlooked the pool and the bay that leads out to the ocean. The beach was across the street. After unpacking and freshening up, we went out for a few groceries, but had a meal first at an Italian restaurant in the Publix plaza. When we returned to our unit, I started reading a book.
On Sunday we spent a few hours lounging at the beach under an umbrella. We still got burned slightly. The water is so clear and warm. We enjoyed watching people on body boards. We went out to eat at 4 at the Watermark Grille.
More of the same on Memorial Day except we lounged by the oceanside pool sitting in the shade. Around 4 PM, we went out to find a place to eat and ended up driving through Mercato, an upscale shopping district near us. We had fish & chips at a British pub-style restaurant. The Pub Naples was beautifully decorated, and the fish was excellent.
On Tuesday, we visited the Naples Botanical Garden. This was a photographer's paradise! There are 6 gardens on the grounds. The Children's Garden and The Brazilian Garden were my favorites. We spent several hours walking through the gardens and talking to a few of the volunteers. One of the volunteers told us about Grouper & Chips, a favorite restaurant of hers. I happened to see it on our way back, so we stopped to have lunch. It's a tiny restaurant, but a favorite with the locals. Once back at the resort, we relaxed for the rest of the day. Click to see some beautiful sights at the botanical garden.
After spending our usual 4 nights away from home, we left the resort on Wednesday morning for our 4-hour drive home. We enjoyed our stay in Naples, a beautiful upscale town.