As owners of a Gulf Coast villa in Rotonda, Englewood our preferred route is a flight from our home city of Bristol to Tampa via Newark Liberty Airport which is where Immigration and US Customs take place allowing for a relatively quick exit at Tampa to the car rental areas.   Alas this route will discontinue in late 2010 after six successful years; now it means back to starting from Heathrow.

Experience has told us over the years not to make a mad rush to the door of the aircraft once it reaches the gate although it is tempting having sat in a cramped seat for many hours and those with small children must be aching to get off the plane to have some space. No matter how quick or slow disembarking the aeroplane it will not make the luggage arrive into the luggage hall any quicker! ! !

Having made your way off the plane, blood having found where your legs are and you follow the crocodile of fellow passengers to the Immigration Hall the best advice I find is then to go and use the Rest Rooms!

US Nationals naturally ‘get in line’ on their own whilst all other passengers form a snaking queue at the head of which is generally a member of staff who will give a quick glance to your Visa Waiver or Visa form to ensure you have completed it correctly including the reverse portion on the Visa Waiver.

Generally you will not have a choice of which queue you then get allotted but if you are lucky enough to have a choice I would choose to stand behind what seem like business people as they seem to get through immigration without too many questions.

Upon reaching your allotted immigration officer, they after all just doing their job and protecting their country, they do often seem to be somewhat disinterested and we have known to have our details taken and passports stamped with barely a word spoken. On the other hand you can be lucky and get a cheerful officer who is glad to see the British in their country. Fingerprints and photographs taken and you then start the next portion of your Terminal voyage to the luggage hall.

Find the belt number according to your flight, and wait. Luggage trollies are chargeable but if it is easier to pull out a credit card than fumble around for your dollar currency by all means use a credit card. When you get to returning your luggage trolley to the rack make sure you wheel it onto the rail and then collect the returning quarter coin that will pop down into the tray.

Luggage collected, family gathered, white and blue customs forms handed to officer you are on your way.

Passengers travelling on an interconnecting flight must then locate the section whereby your newly found luggage will be, most probably, tossed onto yet another moving belt to disappear – some do miss flights if time is tight but in our experience they are brought to your door the following day, so a few essentials in hand luggage are generally worth it.

Happy travelling – just remember, sunshine, Mickey Mouse or the peace of the Gulf Beaches are there waiting for you.

Many years ago we made the discovery of the joys and untold pleasure to be gained by visiting the Gulf Coast and in particular the beaches of South West Florida,   There is something unique about still being able in this busy world  to walk along an empty beach of clear white sand with the occasional appearance of a dolphin  freely swimming close to the shore line looking a for meal, the only company.

We have encountered this scenario many times along South beach  Boca Grande and  and Stumps Pass Englewood to name a few, the locals do not bat an eyelid when the dolphins meander past, they are just used to it.  Whilst the visitor myself included will alert to the wife in excited way that dolphins are off shore, I can just visualised the locals muttering to themselves, typical tourists.  You can see dolphins along any beach on the gulf coast but there is no doubt they like quiet areas and when they come close to shore to feed.

The peak Gulf coast vacation rental season on the gulf coast is the winter months December to April when the North Americans and Canadians flood into South West Florida especially to escape the cold temperatures and snow in the Northern States.  The months of May and June are considered the off season which has always amazed me, I have been sat on a sun chair on a quiet beach in hot and sunny weather with the temperatures in the 90s and reading the local papers which talk about the busy season being over. When on some of the beaches in Europe in similar conditions you would be climbing over people to get to the sea.

Yes some of the beaches will still be busy, the likes of Fort Myers and Sarasota but there are still plenty of beaches to explore which offer the type of experience I have described above.

Half way down the street is a collection of small shops and bars. There you will find Craft shops, Art galleries, Antique stores, Eclectic shops, an ice cream parlour, cafes and several bars and restaurants. Its fun to browse and spend a while dipping in and out of the quaint stores – who knows what you’ll find!

There is always something going on. Over Winter/Spring they hold Poker runs on Saturday evenings. The Lemon Bay Playhouse performs comedy/drama several times each week. There are drop-in sessions held in the Master Library where you can come along and talk to local experts on a wide range of subjects from quilting to gardening.

“Cruizin on Dearborn” happens on the first Saturday every month late Spring to early Autumn. Car collectors and enthusiasts come along and set up with their T-Birds, Chevy’s, Oldsmobiles, etc. People come for miles to walk up and down admiring the cars and chatting to the proud owners. Many of the cars are with the original owners or have been restored to former glory. They go to great lengths to make the cars as authentic as possible. One of my favourites had a drive-in-movie snack tray attached to the window!

“Easy Rider Night” happens on the second Saturday every month. It is described as “Hog wild fun with Rock-n-Roll and big bikes” As yet we have not attended but I suspect it is  similar to the car rally – but for bikers.

Halloween Safe Walk is great fun. We were luck enough to be there for Halloween ’08. The whole street is lined with stalls full of candy and treats to give away to the kids (young and old). Buildings are decorated; one car park border was turned into a “Spooky Graveyard” with hands and limbs appearing through the gravel. The Adams Family Band entertained us with jazzy tunes. Cousin It was a big hit on the saxophone. Everyone is in fancy dress and the children are accompanied by parents and grandparents. There was a lovely family feel as hoards of people strolled up and down on a very pleasant evening.

There are musical events such as “Saturday Night Live” and “Bluegrass Jam”. The Bluegrass Jam is held in the park where you can come along and listen to traditional folk, country and bluegrass.

Throughout the year festivals and events are held. There are Art Festivals, Cracker Fairs, Parades, Santa Shopping Events. If you want to know more or to find out what’s on when you are in the area check out the website.  www.oldeenglewood.com