It’s been a while since we returned from Florida and we’re back to the routines of work and school. I had planned to write the final blog of our time in Naples whilst we were away, but the sun and sand was just too tempting…and anyway who wants to actually work when they’re on holiday! This current spell of English warm weather has motivated me to finish writing about our amazing trip away and tell you about a few more of the fantastic things South West Florida has to offer.
Dolphin adventure – As I mentioned in the previous blog we spend a lot of time planning and researching how we will spend each day of our trip. These holidays are special and you never know when you might be lucky enough to go on another one so we try to make the most of every moment. We knew a trip to see some dolphins was an essential part of our trip, especially when we had seen some wild dolphins swimming across Lowdermilk Beach. There are so many options for dolphin tours in Naples and we chose Naples Water Tours because their promise of an ‘up close and personal experience’ with just us on the boat was exactly what we wanted. We were not disappointed! We took the boat straight out to sea and before long there were the dolphins – leaping and playing right behind the boat. It literally took my breath away and the children couldn’t believe what they were seeing! We spent a good 30-40 minutes out with the dolphins and were then taken through the Mangrove forests to a secluded island where the boat parked up and we were able to get out and swim in the clearest blue waters. The beach was covered in beautiful shells and the fish swam around our feet – it was idyllic and an experience I will never forget. I actually cried – I know I am a sap but then I cried when I first saw the Blackpool illuminations so it doesn’t take much!
Brooks Burgers – Voted the 6th best burger joint in the US Brooks Gourmet Burgers is a must! It’s a small restaurant with friendly staff and burgers to die for! So many different styles of burger and even a diet one for those watching their waist line! At Brooks Phoebe found her love of Mountain Dew (pronounced perfectly by her as Mount’n Doo) and they also serve some pretty awesome milkshakes. Our meal at Brooks was the cheapest meal of our entire trip and probably one of the best, so good in fact we went twice! At 17 years old it’s hard to believe that Harry had never eaten a burger before until he went to Brooks. I reckon if you’re gonna have your first burger somewhere then Brooks was the best place to have it! He loved it!
Kilwins – Kilwins have been making chocolate, fudge and ice cream since 1947 and are well know in America for creating products from the finest ingredients. We stumbled upon Kilwins on Naples 5th Avenue one evening. The ice cream is AMAZING! The portions are huge (although not cheap!) and perfect for a late evening after dinner treat.
Tin City – This place is a gem away from the expensive boutique shops and restaurants of 3rd Street and 5th Avenue. The buildings are, as you might guess, made of tin and contain small gift shops and cafes as well as a few restaurants thrown in. We spent a few evenings wandering through tin city and if you’re a fan of magic (which I am not, but everyone else in the family is) then visit the magic shop by the main entrance. The guys that run the shop are pretty handy with their tricks and are more than willing to share a few with their visitors. Our boys made numerous visits here and came home with so many packs of cards (who knew anyone needed more than one pack of cards!).
Day trips – We made two day trips which I thought I would share. We had desperately wanted to take a trip to Key West but were put off by the 5 hour car journey and decided to give it a miss. We now have a reason to go back though! Our first trip was back to Fort Lauderdale to show the children where our love for the States had begun. I am sorry to say that it is not the place it used to be. There is a lot of building work going on which doesn’t give a great impression along the sea front. A lot of the nice restaurants and shops along the beach have been replaced with clubs and bars with staff touting for business – it was reminiscent of trips to Ayia Napa in my younger days. The Atlantic Ocean is obviously very different to the Gulf of Mexico on the East Coast and I wouldn’t have felt happy letting the children swim out in the sea with huge waves and deep water. If you’re a surfer however, it would probably be great! We decided to take the water taxi over to Las Olas Blvd where we remember spending many evenings eating and drinking, listening to live bands and sitting by the beautiful fountain. To our huge disappointment this whole area is now derelict! The main high street is now full of large restaurant chains and bars with busy shops and high rise hotels and condos. Gone are the small residential streets with pretty independently owned shops and B&Bs. It was very sad to see and we could tell that a lot of the locals weren’t too happy with the change either.
Our trip to Sarasota, back on the East Coast, however was a much more positive one. We spent the morning at Siesta Beach, voted America’s number 1 beach. Sea and sand as far as the eye can see. In the afternoon we took a trip over to St. Armands Circle, a beautiful circle of shops, street entertainers and restaurants. We picked up some souvenirs and soaked up the atmosphere. Thanks to my friend Helen for recommending Sarasota, it was wonderful!
So that was our holiday! Of course there were other trips and days out and lots more food but I have written about our favourites and hopefully given you a flavour of this fantastic place. Florida is more than just a Disney holiday, there are so many fabulous places to explore and the people are some of the warmest and friendliest I have ever met.
Goodbye for now Naples…until next time 🙂
Nicx
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