The Sunshine State

Can you believe that were already in March. Mind you it may not feel like it due to the snow we've just received over the past couple of days...but it is! A lot has happened in the first couple of months of the year, and we're sorry we  haven't been updating you all. The months of November and December at the end of 2017 are pretty much a blur because I was really sick and took a much needed rest from work and blogging to focus on getting better. Part of that rest period was spent with the hubby visiting family and friends in Florida. So today I'm finally sharing little tidbits from that trip with you al. Fittingly because I'm daydreaming about that sun and sand and hoping that spring weather will soon be here.

We spent a total of two weeks in Florida and made a little road trip out of it. Our starting point was Coconut Creek in southern Florida where we have some relatives living there. First off can we just say that the weather was amazing. At the time, Montreal was experiencing a deep freeze, it was so cold. I knew that in order to feel better I had to get out of the cold. With the okay from my doctor and our bags packed we took off for Florida.

We arrived on December 15th and we had rented a car making it much easier to get around without relying on uber or anyone to come and pick us up from the airport. Driving in Florida isn't too bad except for the fact that not many people like to indicate haha so traveling on the highway was a bit daunting at times.  

For the first few days we relaxed in the house and hot tubbed it and caught up on sleep. When my cousin and her husband arrived a few days later we started to hit up the beaches and go exploring. 

Mind you I was still on antibiotics so I had to take it a little slow but I was amped to get out of the house and enjoy the sunshine. Our two weeks was fun filled with a lot of food, drinks (plenty of pina coladas to go around), the beach, shopping and sight seeing. I have been to Florida many times over the years and the main purpose for this trip was just to relax and enjoy some peace and quiet away from a busy schedule so we didn't go crazy and fill our days with activities. Our intention was to slow down.

Here’s a recap of some of our favourite moments from our vacation. We’ll take you from Coconut Creek, up to Tampa, to feeling like big kids in Orlando and back. 

We stayed with family in Coconut Creek and while in Tampa and it was great. We felt so welcome and spoiled. It was so nice to catch up. 

We did stay in a hotel for our little trip to Orlando. We stayed at the Four Points by Sheraton on International Drive. It was the perfect location, right across the street from Universal Studios, a variety of restaurants and near the outlets. Which made unwinding after our long day at Disney really easy because we could sleep in a little later the next morning before heading to Universal Studios. As a member of Starwood it was also easy to make our reservation.

While in Florida we took advantage of the warm weather and went to the beach a few times. There were so many to choose from but we were able to make it to the following. 

• Pompano Beach

• Holmes Beach

• Fort Lauderdale Beach

• Las Olas Beach

The beaches were beautiful and although at this time of year the water temps are a bit cooler, we didn't mind. Anything is better than what we were getting back home at the time haha. Most of the locals who were on the beach just went to tan and the tourists were in the water.

Some of our highlights from a little sightseeing were:

• Lauderdale by the Sea

• Tampa Riverwalk

• Disney's Magic Kingdom

• Universal Studios

• Las Olas Blvd

We had never been to Tampa before. Well I had before but for only a day so doesn't' really count lol. One of the things we enjoyed were the beach. So beautiful, white sandy beaches and clear waters. We saw one of the most beautiful sunsets from there. We also enjoyed walking the Tampa Riverwalk at downtown Tampa waterfront.

The highlight of our trip though was going to Disney World and Universal Studios. IT was Andrea's first time there and for myself I hadn't been in more than a decade. We went on December 25th and 26th respectively. I was amazed at the crowds as well as at how much the parks had changed and expanded over the years.No more Jaws or Back to the Future rides :( I was definitely filed with nostalgia and well it was fun to experience this with  Andrea and feel like a big kid again.

Recommended rides:

Disney

• Pirates of the Caribbean

• Big Thunder Mountain

• Space Mountain

• Aladdin

• Peter Pan

Universal Studios

• Transformers

• Jimmy Fallon

• The Simpsons

• Rip Ride Rockit

• ET

Needless to say, as expected after the marathon of walking around theme parks, standing in long lines, and getting our thrills in on a number of rides and roller coasters, we felt like we had ran a marathon. So it was nice to have a couple of days back in Coconut Creek to relax before we had to fly back to Montreal.

While we enjoyed both parks, and well Disney is a bucket list for anyone to hit, I think as adults we enjoyed Universal Studios more. It was less crowded and also we had the speed pass..learned our lesson from the long wait in line for Space Mountain haha, but they're both awesome parks.

When in Florida, we take advantage of some of the stores that we don't have in Montreal, as well as some chain stores that offer great deals on quality items. Here are some of our favourites.

• Orlando Premium Outlets

• Ross

• Marshall's

• Bed Bath & Beyond

• Burlington Coat Factory

• Target

• Sawgrass Mills

There is definitely no shortage of food and great restaurants in Florida. Big chain restaurants and great fast food as well as different dining options for classy date nights. For obvious reasons we could not get to every place that we wanted to try, but the ones that we did we enjoyed very much.

• Primanti Bros-pizza pizza

• Aruba's-nice spot by the beach. Try their turkey club

• Vinnies-their happy hour specials are really good as well as their oyster bar

• Disney's Ginormous Turkey Legs and churro ice cream

• Red Lobster-seafood and cheese biscuits...need I say more?

• Cooper's Hawk- great winery serving their in house wine out of awesome decanters. I had their gnocchi carbonara which was delicious and banoffee pie for dessert.

• Ethos Greek Bistro-Try the grilled calamari and the Ethos gyro platter

• Café Ibiza-beachside eats. Loved their ribs nad strawberry daiquiris. Yum!

• Chipotle-cannot go to the states and not have this. Must have Mexican food.

All in all it was great trip, that really helped us unwind and get ready for the year ahead. Can't wait to plan the next trip What about you all? Any big travel plans for 2018?