We reckon that car hire is pretty well essential for any Florida vacation – after all, with so many attractions, shopping malls, restaurants within such a short drive, why wouldn’t you want to ’spread your wings’.  And just a bit further afield, don’t forget the fabulous beaches on the Gulf Coast, or the Space Centre on the Atlantic Coast.

Or the golf courses, or top level professional sport…..

You will find a link for great value car hire at the home page of this site.  But what should you look for?

What Size Car?

Cars are available in many sizes – from small ‘compact’ cars (ideal for small families) right up to a 15 seat minibus.  But it’s not just the number of people a car will seat – it’s just as important to check that there is enough room for all the luggage you will take.  It helps that your villa will have washing and drying facilities, so there is no need to pack too many clothes.  Although bear in mind that there are some great shopping opportunities, and you may have more luggage to bring home with you.

Where is the car hire depot?

Whilst some visitors to Florida arrange a transfer to their villa, most pick their car up at the airport.  Some companies have their depot at the airport, whilst some are ‘off-airport’.  You may wish to check whether you have to catch a bus before you can collect your car.  Whilst the journey to the depot will not be long, many travellers prefer to collect their car at the earliest opportunity and ‘hit the road’

What Package?

Most car hire companies offer a choice of package – check what is offered, and compare the costs.  Extras included in packages may include extra drivers and a tank of fuel, although the most important is to check that insurance and all taxes are included (this will usually be the case)

Fly-Drive

Fly-drive packages can be convenient, and include car hire – but check whether you are required to pay extra for tax and insurance.  Where this is not included, the additional costs may be more than buying a separate car hire package.

Whichever you decide, driving in Florida is a joy – enjoy your vacation!

Many of these are chains with restaurants along International Drive or the 192 highway – and here are a few of our favourites (as at July 2010)

Italian

It is difficult to match the Olive Garden for value – with a couple of restaurants along the 192, and also at the Florida Mall.  Whilst pitched as a ‘budget’ restaurant, the variety of Italian food, wine and beer is always of a good standard. 

Perhaps equally as good, although maybe a little more pricey, is Carabbas – again with a restaurant along the 192 (at Formosa Gardens) and also elsewhere in the attractions area.  If anywhere can match the Olive Garden for Italian food, this is the one to try…..

Steaks

America has some great offerings for the steak lover.  Most restaurants will have a choice of steaks on the menu – but many consider it worthwhile to try a specialist steak restaurant.  And our favourite is ‘The Outback’ – at Formosa Gardens, but also by the Premium Outlets on International Drive, and at The Florida Mall.  An interesting mix of American and Australian, the steaks at The Outback are of a very high standard, cooked to perfection, without breaking the bank.  And most restaurants within this chain offer a happy hour during early evening, when the value stretches even further

Tex-Mex

Chillis is also a chain restaurant, which can be found at The Loop and Champions Gate.  The focus is on Tex-Mex and value – with many drinks on happy hour throughout the day.  A wide choice of menu includes many steak, fish and chicken options, as well as the traditional ‘tex-mex’ choices, including fajitas, quesadillas and many others.  No visit to Florida is complete without an evening at Chillis!

Sandwiches

Sometimes a lighter meal is enough – and Subway franchises are to be found in many locations.  Always freshly made with quality ingredients, a Subway will often provide an alternative, especially as a ‘take-away’ or ‘carry-out’ option.  A huge choice of sandwiches (or ‘subs’) made to order with your own choice of ingredients – often with great value offers.

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

But things are possibly changing.  Whilst the USA will most likely continue to be associated with the National Football League, ice hockey, baseball and basketball, there is a definite sign that cricket is making inroads.

There is a long history of cricket in the States – whilst today the big international rivalries are perhaps between England and Australia, or India and Pakistan, the first ever international cricket match was between USA and Canada, way back in 1844.

Since then other sports have dominated – but that may be about to change.  At the time of writing (April 2010), a series of international matches is being planned between New Zealand and Sri Lanka – to be staged in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.  And there is already a thriving cricket league in Florida.

My local club, Tunbridge Wells Borderers, play in the East Sussex League in England, but also try and play in a variety of overseas locations.  And 2008 saw the club visiting Florida to take on a couple of local sides – Silver Spring Shores and Poinciana.

The two local teams consisted mostly of expatriates from the Caribbean, and proved to be excellent hosts.  Although their hospitality was restricted to ‘off the field; - the home teams won both matches by a comfortable margin.  The wonderful Florida weather sapped the energy of the visiting English team in temperatures seldom seen on the cricket fields of England.

But, in spite of the defeats, Florida proved to be a wonderful venue for a cricket tour.  The hosts hospitality and the Florida weather provided the backdrop as the English cricket team spent their time as tourists, enjoying golf, the theme parks, plenty of shopping……and, of course, the fabulous choice of restaurants.

Our touring party stayed in villas.  This proved to be much more cost effective than hotel rooms, whilst giving us the luxury of private pools, plenty of space and the convenience of self catering.

This article focuses on themed dining - there are many different themed restaurants in the Orlando area, covering many different themes.  Two of the most popular are themed around the entertainment industry - Planet Hollywood and the Hard Rock Cafe.

Planet Hollywood

Planet Hollywood is located on Downtown Disney, and is easily spotted by its distinctive shape - the large blue ‘globe’ (similar to the chain’s logo) is visible from some distance.  With plenty of free parking, it is easy to get to, and offers theming around the movie industry.  With large screens showing excerpts from films new and old, there is always plenty of entertainment on offer, be it from the classics or more recent blockbusters.  But the real star of Planet Hollywood is the massive collection of memorabilia and props from the movies.  Everywhere you look inside the restaurant, you will see items collected over the years - many are instantly recognisable.  There is also every opportunity to buy the Planet Hollywood merchandise, be it shirts, glasses etc.  Oh, and the food - it is easy to forget that the reason for a visit to Planet Hollywood is for a meal.  The menu has a reasonable choice, largely built around burgers, steaks and pasta.  It may be true to say that better food is available elsewhere (and the bill may be less), but perhaps the real reason for your visit to Planet Hollywood is for the theming.

Hard Rock Cafe

If Disney offers Planet Hollywood, Universal provides the Hard Rock Cafe.  Hard Rock’s theming leans more towards the music industry than movies - but there are similarities.  The memorabilia includes gold discs, posters, artwork, costumes - from a wide range of international artists.  Whether your musical tastes are from the 60s, 70s or more recent, you will recognise many of the items on show.  Hard Rock also offers occasional live concerts, and is situated just outside the two Universal Parks (free car parking applies in the evenings only).  The food at Hard Rock tends to have many similarities to Planet Hollywood - accompanied by music throughout the meal.

Summary

It’s difficult to pick one of these restaurants above the other - they both have fabulous theming, and your choice may depend on your entertainment preference (music or films).

But whilst these malls are big and offer a wide range of goods, if ‘big’ is important, at the time of writing (January 2010) the mall claiming to be Florida’s biggest involves a drive to the east coast.

Fort Lauderdale

Fort Lauderdale is on Florida’s east coast, just north of Miami.  It involves a drive of several hours, so we took the opportunity to visit the area when we flew into Miami instead of ‘our usual’ Orlando (most scheduled airlines permit open-jaw arrangements, where you fly into one airport but return home from another - an ideal arrangement if you wish to visit Miami, Fort Lauderdale or the Florida Keys as well as the Central Florida attractions).  Another reason to find yourself in Fort Lauderdale is to join a cruise (perhaps to the Caribbean).  And whilst in the area, a visit to Sawgrass Mills is a must for shopaholics.

Sawgrass Mills

Sawgrass Mills claims to be Florida’s largest retail and entertainment centre, featuring more than 350 name-brand outlets.  A mixture of open air and ‘covered’ shopping areas makes this a very pleasant place to visit and spend a few hours - and also spend a few dollars. And with seven day opening well into the evening, there is no need to rush and miss any shopping opportunities.

Shops

Many of the names here are well known to international visitors.  Benetton, Tommy Hilfiger, Van Heusen, Ron Jons - as well as names better known to locals.  With over 350 to choose from, it is easy to be parted from your dollars.  It’s also easy to get carried away - remember how much space was left in your suitcase.  Or, for visitors from Europe travelling by scheduled airline, make full use of your luggage allowance - if this will require buying an extra suitcase you are in the right place to save money on this as well.

Entertainment

As well as a cinema, there is also the opportunity to eat - either a snack, fast food or a sit-down restaurant.

How To Get There

Sawgrass Mills is located at the crossroads of West Sunrise Blvd. and Flamingo Road just 15 miles from the Fort Lauderdale International Airport and 30 miles from the Miami International Airport.

But one thing we reckon is better than shopping at great prices - is shopping at even lower prices!

Thanksgiving

European visitors to Florida may not be too familiar with Thanksgiving.  It is a major celebration for Americans, and is the fourth Thursday in November.  A few shops continue trading for the day, but the majority of shops and many restaurants close for the day.

The Thanksgiving sales traditionally start on the Friday following Thanksgiving.  But be prepared for an early start - the best bargains are to be had at 5am (yes, really, 5am - that’s 5 o’clock in the morning.  The middle of the night!).

But is it worth an early start?  Many Americans certainly think so, as the shops are busy from the start.

Where to shop

The choice of where to shop for bargains is overwhelming.  The best way to find out where the best offers are is to buy the local newspaper ‘The Orlando Sentinel’ during the week before Thanksgiving.  The Sunday edition is packed with adverts for all the local stores, and makes great reading over a cold drink, lazing by the pool at your villa.  Examples of shops which have fabulous discounts are Wal-Mart, Super Target, Michaels, Best Buy……and many others.

What to buy

Villa owners are often to be found buying electronic goods.  Brand name televisions, video and DVD players enable them to provide extra luxury for guests.  We were delighted to pick up an additional DVD and video combination unit for just $48 (typical price in the UK at the time £75 or much higher).  But these may not be so attractive to visitors from overseas, who have different voltage to contend with.  European visitors may look for portable items such as laptop computers, MP3 players - but do check the voltage required to recharge the batteries.

To avoid concern about voltages, there are bargains to be had on toys, crafts (40% off any one item, or 20% off total bills are typical offers) etc.  DVDs and music are often on offer (the Shrek 2 DVD for $5 was a welcome addition to our choice of films - usual cost of Blockbuster films around $14, which is still great value) - but don’t forget to check if your DVD player at home plays Region 1 discs.

Getting up early

These bargains require a very early start - numbers are limited (but still there are often many hundreds of each item).  We recommend shopping, and then catching up with breakfast at one of the excellent offerings, such as the I-HOP (International House of Pancakes)

It is possible to arrange an entire vacation around visits to the theme parks – but it is always good to find an alternative way of spending a few hours.  Especially when it is something which simply isn’t available at home – at least for UK and European visitors.

So we can thoroughly recommend an airboat ride as a great ‘tourist attraction’ – slightly off the beaten track, yet typically Floridian.

One option is to drive down to the Everglades, where airboat rides will skim you across the lakes – yet there are similar trips available much closer to the attractions area in central Florida.

Our favourite is at Boggy Creek, just minutes away from Orlando International Airport (close enough that you can read the writing on the sides of the jets as they land at the airport!).  Here you can join an airboat ride which takes you across East Lake Toho – a typical daytime trip lasts around 30 minutes, with a very different experience available after nightfall.

This is an opportunity to see the local wildlife, including eagles and turtles, as well as alligators.  And in an 18 seater airboat, at high speeds skimming across the water amongst the reeds – do take up the option of earphones, as the engine on these boats is loud, to say the least!

So – a few tips to enjoy your airboat ride:

Take a discount voucher with you – these are widely available in many tourist brochures, distributed at kiosks, malls and supermarkets.  A couple of dollars saved on the cost can be very welcome!

Wear shades – the sun is very bright on the water.  And there will inevitably be a few insects, so shades will protect your eyes at speeds of up to 50 mph.

Wear a sun-block – its not worth the risk of sunburn.

Booking is not always necessary – but be prepared for a short wait at the coffee bar, or an opportunity to grab a bite to eat.

American Football

Like baseball, American Football is the all-American game, although a mystery to some European visitors.  There are many matches held locally - for top level American Football it is necessary to travel a little further afield.  A little over an hours drive is necessary to see the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who play at the Raymond James Stadium.  The regular season runs from August through to December - but make sure you have tickets before travelling, as the majority of seats are taken by season ticket holders.  If you are happy to travel further to see top sport, a trip to Miami to see the Dolphins is a must.  Miami is truly cosmopolitan, and also provides an opportunity to visit South Beach and the art-deco district.

Speedway (Motor Racing)

The world famous Daytona Speedway is in Florida - just head North along the Interstate.  The most famous race is the Daytona 500 - but around a dozen big race meetings are held each year, featuring cars, stock cars or motorcycles.  Nearer to the attractions, Disney has its own racing circuit - the Richard Petty Driving Experience, situated just alongside the entrance to The Magic Kingdom.  As well as the opportunity to watch, it is also possible to drive around the Disney speedway, with a variety of different packages on sale.

Walt Disney World Marathon

The annual Walt Disney World Marathon is a major event attracting many top athletes.  The route takes in all 4 major theme parks.  The event usually takes place in January, and draws big crowds.

Greyhound Racing

As well as being the landing point for many international visitors at the airport, Sanford also has regular greyhound racing.

Festival Bay is next to the Belz Designer Outlet shopping mall - or rather next to what used to be Belz, as this mall is now known as Prime.  And it is easy to find - just head north on International Drive, and you will drive past Festival Bay, on the right towards the top of I-Drive.  The I-Ride trolley service runs right by Festival Bay, which can also be approached from The Mall at Millenia.

Festival Bay is now well established, albeit with several units still unoccupied.  As these empty stores are filled, so this will become a more serious competitor to the existing malls.  But already there are some exciting shopping opportunities.

Ron Jon’s

Ron Jon’s Surf Shop is one of the anchor stores at Festival Bay.  Renowned for its wide choice of surfwear, a visit to Ron Jon’s used to mean a trip along the Interstate to Cocoa Beach.  But not any more - Ron Jon’s has come to Orlando!  Whilst there are other surfwear stores in the area (PacSun have several outlets), this really is a welcome addition, packed full of surf labels.

Bass Pro

Outdoor activities are catered for at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World, specialising in not just fishing equipment (the name gives that much away), but also other outdoor activities such as boating and hiking.  Why not treat yourself to one of the power boats lined up outside?

Vans Skate Park

Vans Skate Park provides the opportunity to practice skateboard and roller blade skills.

Other Stores

The range of other stores continues to increase.  Our favourites include shops specialising in Hawaiian fashions and products, an excellent discounted book store - and, of course, the opportunity to stop for an ice cream or coffee.

Cinema

A multi-screen cinema is the prime entertainment on offer - the opportunity to put your feet up and relax in front of a blockbuster movie (visitors from overseas will no doubt get the opportunity to catch a film several months ahead of its release in their home country).

Our Verdict

Festival Bay promises to deliver even more as it continues to develop.  Its location provides the opportunity for a real shopping blitz - by starting at the Mall at Millenia, and then joining I-Drive and working south through Prime, Festival Bay and the Premium Outlets.