Cocoa Beach – the local billboards say it all – this is Orlando’s Closest Beach. It is just 45 minutes drive away from Orlando International Airport.  Take the aptly named Beach line Expressway (528) straight east, keep driving and arrive.  Buy a souvenir at Ron Jon’s Surf Shop, and then head to the beach – fantastic and not crowded at all.

Kennedy Space Center - is just north of Cocoa Beach.  It has an amazing museum of space exploration (known as the KSC Visitors Complex) and is well worth a full day visit. If you plan to catch a shuttle launch, be prepared to sit in traffic for several hours driving back to Orlando, but the spectacle of an actual launch will be well worth it.  Our whole family loved the day.

Daytona Beach - if all you are looking for is sun, sand and surf, then a quick trip Cocoa Beach will get you there a bit quicker and give you all you want.  However, Daytona Beach is less than two hours away, and it has a special appeal to Spring Breakers, bikers, and NASCAR fans. If you stay until sunset, the brightly colored Ocean Walk Shoppes and Movies offers a fantastic ocean view.  The beach is really hard and many cars and pick ups drive along it (slowly of course)

Tampa area – is less than two hours drive away from Florida on the West coast.  Check out Florida’s Gulf Coast in the historically rich city of Tampa. Nearby at St. Petersburg there are upscale shopping areas and museums while Clearwater Beach offers warm waters and powdery white sand.

Silver Springs – is another “Old Florida” icon.  It is famous for its glass bottomed boat rides, animal exhibits, and jeep safaris through the Florida forest. Silver Springs was opened in 1878, and is Florida’s oldest commercial tourist attraction.  It is where Johnny Weismuller filmed some of the earliest Tarzan movies.  A little drive away from Orlando but well worth visiting for the crystal clear springs.

Ocala National Forest – is not far from Silver Springs. It is the world’s largest sand pine forest and covers around 366,000 acres. Hiking, fishing, and canoeing are popular activities in this natural attraction.

Mount Dora - with its Victorian architecture, boutique shopping, and lovely lakefront, Mount Dora is one of the most genuine small towns in Central Florida. You can even see some of the few remaining citrus groves on the outskirts of this well preserved village.  My wife just loved Mount Dora with its fantastic quaint shops.  You can also go on a boat ride on the lake.  Well worth a visit.

Sebring – is a sleepy town less than two hours due south of Orlando, Sebring has a charming downtown district, and is home to the Sebring International Raceway, which is the oldest permanent road racing track in North America. Nearby Highlands Hammock State Park offers campsites and hiking trails.

Blue Spring State Park - with the water temperature at a constant 68º F, Blue Spring State Park in nearby Volusia County (where Daytona Beach is located) is a winter refuge for manatees between November and March. In the warmer months, human visitors enjoy snorkeling and canoeing.

Visitors from the UK (and indeed from Europe, North America and Canada) have a choice of airports for their Florida vacation.  There are many smaller airports which are suitable for shorter journeys, or as the final leg of an indirect flight), but there are 4 main options for visitors to Florida.

Each of them has its own advantages – this article is intended to outline some of the features, and will hopefully help visitors choose a suitable arrival airport

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

This is the nearest to the attractions area and the majority of the private villas featured on this site.  It is served by the two main scheduled airlines from the UK – Virgin Atlantic and British Airways, who offer daily flights from London Gatwick – Virgin also fly daily from Manchester, and less frequently from Glasgow.  It is a large airport, and as a result queues at security, immigration and the car hire desks can occasionally be a bit lengthy.

There is a variety of shops and restaurants – with on-site car hire offered by the main hire companies.  One less attractive feature is the need to double handle luggage (collecting from the carousel, and placing it on another conveyor belt to collect by the car hire desks) – although there is the option to struggle through with suitcases on the escalators…..

Tampa International (TPA)

A quieter airport than Orlando, which often results in shorter queuing times.  Whilst the journey to the attractions area is a little longer (around 45 minutes longer), this is typically saved through the time savings at the actual airport.

With direct flights from Gatwick most days with British Airways, this is becoming a popular alternative – Tampa is also suitable for indirect flights.  This airport is the closest International Airport for the Gulf Coast

There is less choice for car hire companies (although many more are just off the airport)

Orlando Sanford (SFB)

Sanford airport handles fewer flights than Orlando and Tampa, and as a result tends to be quicker passing through immigration and security.  This time saving often compensates for the longer journey time travelling to the attractions area.  Sanford is used by charter companies, which occasionally provides regional departures from the UK

Miami (MIA)

Miami is a major airport, but around 3-4 hours drive to the attractions area – an overnight stay is recommended before tackling the journey!  Miami is ideal for starting holidays on the Florida Keys, the southern Gulf Coast resorts, or Miami itself.

With many airlines there is no need to depart from the same arrival airport – which works well for two centre holidays.  Most car hire companies do not charge additional fees for returning a car to another airport within Florida

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.

It was one of those places that we had read about but hadn’t really put at the top of our priority list to visit, but a chance meeting with a couple of Americans while we were waiting for the Illuminations, Reflections of Earth firework display in Epcot  helped us to change our minds.

The two Bradenton residents enthused about Anna Maria Island so vehemently that they persuaded us to take the two hour drive to the south of Tampa Bay the very next day.

This was a world away from the Orlando theme parks and really was a paradise in the sun with just about every conceivable water sport attraction within easy reach. For us, the starting point was a leisurely stroll along the pristine white sands with the occasional paddle in the crystal clear water to cool the feet. The Americans had told us this was once one of Florida’s best kept secrets and it’s not difficult to understand why.

There is a distinctly private feel to the island, almost as if you are invading the space of some of the luxury mansions complete with immaculately manicured lawns that sweep majestically down to the beach.  We were happy to mind our own business and enjoyed a period of quiet solitude amongst the sea turtles and the playful dolphins who, it seemed, were putting on a special performance just for us.

Unfortunately the secret’s well out and although you can still find your own piece of paradise, the island is now a Mecca for day trippers seeking outdoor activities and a popular destination for honeymooners and film crews. 

We certainly found walking to be quite a gentle pursuit and it enabled us to explore not only the shell lined shoreline but also to get close up and personal with a variety of tropical birds and other wildlife, all within the city limits of Anna Maria on the northern most tip of the island.

Of course, there are alternatives. The island runs a free trolley service between the three main towns of Anna Maria, Holmes Beach and Bradenton Beach so it is very easy to get around quickly. More sedate forms of transport include bike rentals which are plentiful, or if you prefer to sightsee from the water, canoes and small charters are readily available.  

We really were impressed with what we had seen and could only thank our American cousins for their recommendation. We will definitely be coming again.

But there are other ‘jewels’ in Florida, and a two centre holiday has become a popular option for visitors. Here are some suggestions why….

Central Florida
The Silver Creek Villas website has a wide choice of privately owned villas, which can be rented directly from the owner. Check with the owner what facilities are nearby - the Disney theme parks will be within a short drive, as will Universal, SeaWorld, water parks, virtually endless shopping, golf, air boat rides, more shopping - and return visits to the parks. Central Florida offers so much - but we must confess that it is possible to finish a vacation in need of a rest. (A tip - remember most vacation homes have their own private pool - allow some relaxation time in between the ‘activity’ days). A two centre holiday is one possible solution - spend a week in the Orlando area, then follow up with a week relaxing in the second centre.

Gulf Coast
A popular option for the second week (or perhaps the third week if it proves possible to stretch your vacation to 3 weeks) is the Gulf Coast. There are other options (a cruise, a Caribbean island, the Atlantic coast, or perhaps the Florida Keys) - but the Gulf Coast has a very real advantage in its location - just 90 minutes drive will bring you to the glorious beaches.

We can recommend the Gulf Coast beaches as a great option for relaxing - but wouldn’t want to give the impression that there is nothing to do in the area. Shopping and golf are still popular options - but there is no need to miss out on the theme parks, as Busch Gardens is relatively close to Tampa Bay. Tampa also brings top level professional sport (Tampa Bay Lightning for ice hockey, the Buccaneers for American Football) - whilst the bay area offers dolphin watching tours, or perhaps a half day cruise on the inland waterways.

Conclusion
Florida is so much more than theme parks. So whilst Disney, Universal and the others are a compelling reason to spend vacation time in Florida, there are plenty more reasons to spend time in ‘The Sunshine State’

We choose a villa a Bradenton, which would be a good base to explore the area. Bradenton was an ideal location to visit not only the numerous beaches around but also Busch Gardens.

A favourite for the whole family was Anna Maria Island.

Driving along the coast road from Bradenton Beach to Holmes Beach and then onto the northern tip was Anna Maria Island.

On arrival at Anna Maria Island we found free car parking just along from the South Pier, across the road was a small shopping mall with restaurants, clothes shops and an Ice Cream Parlour.

We wandered along the pier and found at the end a restaurant, outside seating and people fishing. Our Boys who were 13 and 10 wanted to join in. This was not a problem as the Pier had a bait shop which not only sold bait but hired out fishing rods by the hour. So for a few dollars we had and lovely afternoon with the boys fishing. The adults were happy sitting in the glorious sunshine enjoying a cold drink which were also readily available from the bait shop.

After a couple of hours we decided to visit the Ice Cream Parlour “Two Scoops” to cool down and then make our way back home. The boys loved this unexpected experience that they asked to return the next day.

We decided that we would go to Wal-Mart to purchase rods, which they could keep. New rods in hand we returned to the pier the very next day.

Whilst there we even caught sight of many Dolphins, Sting Rays, Pelicans and various Fish on the end of the rods.

The locals at the bait shop, restaurant and pier were most welcoming, friendly and chatty. We thoroughly enjoyed our time there and plan to return next year. We would recommend a visit along to Anna Maria island whether you want to fish are just laze on the beautiful white sandy beach.