In the Kissimmee area for example, the main drag along the US192 is full of restaurants, and of course some are better than others.

Now I am old and wise enough to know that recommending restaurants is asking for trouble, so this is just an overview of some we have tried, and what is generally on offer.

The breakfast buffet deals, of course, are legendary. Places like the Ponderosa Steakhouse offer an “all you can eat” breakfast for $3.99 (drinks are extra). There’s a very wide choice of food from the healthy to the very unhealthy, and you can certainly skip lunch after one of these extravaganzas. The buffet experience also enables you to sample American favourites such as grits, and biscuits and gravy.

More upmarket – and not too far from the 192 – is the Market St Café in Celebration. It is a typical smart American diner and the food is good, without being too expensive. You can create your own breakfast and the Eggs Benedict is a speciality.

For dinner, you can find Chinese buffets, Mexican, Italian, Thai, Indian and Japanese. Sea food restaurants abound and often supply buffet menus. Try The Crab House, Red Lobster, or Angel’s Lobster and Seafood Feast.

If you are looking for the American experience, there are many diners which give very good value such as Bahama Breeze, Chilli’s, and Logan’s Road House (free peanuts on the table, just throw the shells on the floor!). And remember that the burger you order in the US will be a proper burger with 100% meat, unlike the version you would avoid back home in the UK.

A trip to Downtown Disney, or the Universal Boardwalk gives you the opportunity to try out some very nice restaurants, such as the Rainforest Café, Wolfgang Puck, Fulton’s Crabhouse, and Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville.

For a more sophisticated dining experience, many hotels have more exclusive surroundings. The Omni, near Champions Gate, has several restaurants none of which would break the bank.

Another area for smart restaurants, where it’s probably best not to wear shorts, is just off International Drive on West Sand Lake Rd.  There you can try the Timpano Chophouse and Martini Bar, Seasons 52, and Antonio’s. Antonio’s also has a sister business called Cafe D’Antonio in Celebration where you’ll enjoy “…the taste and style of a more expensive place”

Don’t forget your discount coupons. Many of the more popular restaurants and diners accept discount coupons to be found in coupon books from tourist information centres.

Coffee and “sodas” (coke, sprite etc) are generally topped up at your table for free, and you won’t even have to ask.

Tipping is always the problem. It is very rare to get poor service and a tip of between 15% and 20% is expected. Remember that waiters are poorly paid in the US, and rely on tips. It certainly ensures that service is good. Do check your check (bill) carefully though; some restaurants will add the tip on automatically, so don’t tip twice!

Andy Brownlie

Now if you want to drink at Sloppy Joe’s and soak up the Hemingway experience, you have a choice. You can take a road trip down the east side of Florida via the Florida Turnpike. This is a 390 mile trip (one way) and will take the best part of seven hours if you don’t want a break. You will, however, have the opportunity of having a look at such places as Palm Beach and Miami. After Miami you take US 1 down the Keys starting with Key Largo, (a good place to break your journey overnight), and taking in Islamadora, Long Key, Marathon, and Seven Mile Bridge to name only a few, before you get to Key West,the home of Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville

If you do fancy the road trip through the Keys on US 1 (sometimes called “The Overseas Highway”), you should go during the week and avoid the very busy weekends. The road is only two lanes in places, and being stuck in a traffic jam is not the best way to see the Keys.

Some people love the long car ride down the Keys, and across all the bridges, but there are those who do find it all a bit “samey”, and tiring.  

There is, of course, an alternative which will allow you to combine a shorter road trip down the Gulf coast with a trip to Key West.

200 miles from Orlando, and a much shorter three and a quarter hours away, at Fort Myers Beach, just south of Sanibel Island, you can take the “Key West Express” – a high speed ferry which will get you there in a leisurely three hours. You can go just for the day, and spend from 11:30am to 5pm in Key West, or spend a night or two drinking in the atmosphere.

The ferry, with air conditioned interiors and outdoor sun decks, will cost around $145 return. You will have to leave your car in Fort Myers (car parking is free) but you can well do without a car in Key West anyway.

So, go on - Join the nightly sunset celebrations at Mallory Square, and choose which way you would like to get there.

Andy Brownlie