Florida 2019 - Part 2 - Our Villa

Going on holiday means time to escape reality and enjoy some much needed rest and relaxation and no matter where our destination our holiday accommodation is something that is very important to us. We probably spend as much time deciding on where to stay as we do deciding where & when to go!

Last year we did a split stay, we had 3 nights in a Disney resort (Port Orleans Riverside) and then a townhouse on Windsor Hills. We enjoyed both aspects of that trip however it made us realize that space is important to us which is why this year we opted for something different. There was nothing wrong with the Disney resort, in fact we were both quite pleasantly surprised at how nice it was. We are just not the kind of people that can spend 2+ weeks in one room with very little storage space and no facilities to be able to cater for ourselves, no disrespect here to those that do and can, its just not for us. The townhouse we had was really nice too and its location was absolutely spot on, in fact I think that Windsor Hills has been cited as one of the closest communities to the Disney parks. The only thing that we didn't like about it was that it didn't have a very large pool or pool deck and that the outside area was very overlooked. We like to be able to sit outside with a coffee in the morning and of an evening to unwind before bed and in this property we just didn't feel comfortable or really have the space to do that. So with all that in mind it was time to start looking for somewhere else to call home.

As with last years trip our villa search started and ended with The Dibb. We looked at several properties but only one seemed to have everything that we were looking for, it looked and sounded perfect even though it was a little on the large size for just us two. We contacted the owner who got back to us within a matter of hours and before the week was out we had confirmed our dates and made a reservation. The whole process was so simple and straightforward and the owners were really helpful with all our questions prior to our departure. The villa that we chose is called Pineview Villa and its located on Highlands Reserve which is a golfing community location just off the US 27. Its a two story 3 bedroom and 2.5 bathroom property with a gorgeous pool deck that overlooks the golf course.

It was a beautiful property which was spotlessly clean and super comfortable with everything we could possibly need. The master bedroom with an en-suite bathroom was downstairs along with the kitchen and living room, upstairs was another smaller living area that overlooked the main downstairs room and two further bedrooms with a family bathroom. The outside area comprised of a decent sized pool with spa, a table and chairs, sun loungers and a lanai where there was a couple more chairs, a sofa and a coffee table. Just off the main hallway there was a small utility room with a washer and a dryer, the garage was adjacent to that and has been converted into a games which is pretty cool. 

Each bedroom had a tv and a hairdryer, and in both the living areas there were tvs, games consoles, dvd & cd players, docking stations and a telephone with free national and international calls. The kitchen had a big American style fridge freezer with ice maker, coffee machine, toaster, cooker & dishwasher. The whole villa (except kitchen) was carpeted throughout which was lovely, even in the heat it was nice not to have cold feet when walking about. There was also a safe in the master bedroom, a security alarm and air conditioning throughout and ceiling fans in each room. Highlands Reserve is a mix of residential and holiday lets and even though we had neighbours on either side we were not disturbed at all, it was just so peaceful. We loved the outside area the most and I think we pretty much started and ended every day out there.

Just a 5 min drive away was a Publix supermarket, a gas station, IHOP, Applebees and a few other smaller shops. Another 5 mins further along the US 27 is an area called Cagans Crossing and that's where the closest Walmart is. The Disney parks were about a 20/30 min drive away depending on the traffic, the sat nav took us various different routes but we found the most direct route was along the 27 and then onto the 192. Universal & Sea World were a little further but not that far, however the traffic was awful on some days which made the journey time a little longer than we would have liked.

We absolutely fell in love with the villa, we had found our Florida 'forever' holiday home! We both said that as soon as we were home we would start planning our next trip and contact the owner to re-book. However the sad news is that after 16 years the owners are selling up in 2020 and at this point they don't know if the new owner will keep the property on the rental market. I honestly could have cried when I read the email and Toms reaction wasn't much different when I told him. So now the search is on to find another villa, there is no rush though as we don't have any plans to go back next year.

Thanks for reading and I hope that you have enjoyed this post.

Jane

Florida 2019 - Part 1 - Pre & Travel Day

I cant quite believe that we have now been home from Florida for 4 weeks, it seems like so long ago that we were out there. We had the best time though and I thought that I would start to share with you a few of our memories. This post is all about our pre and travel days.

We flew from Gatwick and to make life a little less stressful we stayed over at the airport on pre-travel day. This time our hotel of choice was the Premier Inn on Airport Way which is located just behind the North Terminal. As this PI isn't actually classed as being at the terminal its always slightly cheaper than the one that is right by the main airport building. However its location shouldn't put you off booking as it only takes 10 mins to walk from the hotel to the terminal, there is also a shuttle bus (an each way fee is payable for this) if you didn't want to walk. The hotel also offers onsite parking, a restaurant and a bar. Its somewhere we have stayed several times now and we would have no hesitation in staying there again, its always been clean, warm and comfortable. If your a light sleeper our top tip would be to ask for a room on the top floor (level 3 I think) so your not disturbed by anyone above.

As we were flying Virgin Atlantic this trip we had the benefit of being able to do Twilight check-in. The desks are open from 5pm to 9pm and all members of your party have to be present then its just a simple and straightforward process. You show your passports and then all your checked luggage is taken and your boarding passes are issued. We always like to take advantage of this service when flying with Virgin as it makes travel day a little less stressful. While we were in the North Terminal we decided to eat there and once again we chose the Nicolas Culpepper, its where we ate last year on our Florida pre-travel day. The food is fab, service is friendly and quick and its reasonably priced. As an added bonus they also have their own gin which is great for me!!

Our travel day started with a visit to the Number 1 Lounge. The North Terminal lounge is slightly different to the South in that the hot food is served buffet style and is unlimited. You can go and help yourself to as much as you want, as many times as you like. There is also a full bar as well as unlimited tea/coffee/juice etc. For us the lounge is the perfect way to start our long haul trips, we always shop around to get the best price and check out booking through sites like Quidco or Top Cashback.

As I previously mentioned we flew Virgin Atlantic this year, we chose them purely because at the time of booking they were far cheaper than BA. We used some of our flying club miles to upgrade from economy to premium economy which is our preferred way to fly long haul. We are much more comfy and relaxed if its just the two of us side by side with a little more room overall to spread out in. The flight was fine although it was quite bumpy, the fasten seatbelts sign came on several times and the flight attendants were even told to take their seats at one point. Anyway despite taking off about 55 mins late we ended up landing just 15 mins behind schedule which wasn't too bad. Due to being PE and in the lower cabin we were one of the first off which is always a bonus, however our joy soon turned to frustration when we saw the queue in the immigration hall - it was massive!! It ended up taking us almost 90 mins to get through then we had to collect our cases, take the monorail to the main building and go and collect our car. Thankfully the drive to our villa was swift and took just 30 mins but by that time we were well behind our planned 'schedule' as well as tired and hungry. We knew that we were not going to make our FastPass so we cancelled our plans to visit a park and instead headed to Walmart to stock up on snack and supplies. We ended the day by having a bite to eat out by the pool before jet lag hit and we headed to bed to get some sleep safe in the knowledge that we were finally in Florida!!

Thanks for stopping by for a read - Part 2 will be with you soon!

Florida 2019 - Its The Final Countdown!

So here we are, a little under a week away from our next trip to Florida. Its not been the best lead up to our departure as my Dad was admitted to hospital a week or so ago and is currently still in. He is on a ward for the care of the elderly where he will get all the help and support he needs to regain some of his strength and mobility. So far he is doing ok and appears to be making very small steps in improving, his doctors are monitoring him for a couple of other underlying issues and his treatments will be looked at when they have done all their tests. Thankfully they are not willing to discharge him until he is well enough to go home and when that does happen their will be a care package in place to assist him and Mum as needed. As you can imagine my emotions have been all over the place in regards to us going away, we have even discussed the option of cancelling however as I write this post we are still planning to go. Dad is in the best place right now and getting the care he needs to aid his recovery, we will be in touch with my Mum and Sister every day and if need be we can cut our trip short and head home.


Pretty much everything we need to do is now done, we just need to finish the packing and do the final few chores at home before we head off to Gatwick for a pre-travel overnight stay at the Premier Inn. Tom still has to go and get a shave and a haircut and I need to sort my holiday beauty stuff plus we have to drop the pets at their holiday homes but these are all things that will be done on pre-travel day.

We actually first decided on this trip last year, I think we booked our villa around March time and then the flights in December when they were released. Once again we used the Dibb for our villa, we have gone for a different one to last year simply because we wanted to try somewhere different and have a villa with a larger pool deck. The one we have opted for is on Highlands Reserve and is called Pine View Villa - if you want to take a look the link for it is here. Our flights are with Virgin simply because they offered us the better deal, we had some flying club points that we managed to use to upgrade to Premium Economy which is what we both prefer as it offers a little extra comfort (and luggage allowance!!).

Our friends Shaun and Caroline are going to be there at the same time as us along with Jason & Josh, Paul & Cheryl, Nathan and Gary & Becca - we didn't know this at the time we booked, we just picked that time of year so we could experience MNSSHP and HHN. There are a couple of group meets ups planned, plus we will all be getting together to celebrate Caroline's 40th birthday which should be great fun. However I am sure we will bump into each other on more than once occasion in and around the parks.

I know these last few days are going to drag, and no doubt at some point there will be a slight panic over something we have 'forgotten' but I know all will be just fine. If you want to follow along with our trip please add me on Instagram, that's the place you are most likely to find our daily posts, photos and insta stories.

September 2019 - A New Season Has Arrived

I feel like I start almost every post saying something about how fast the year/months are passing by but wow are we really in September now? August seems like a dim and distant memory and although we had some good weather it wasn't that great either was it? I love the Summer months, it really is my favourite time of year - there is nothing better than the long light evenings, lightweight clothes and plenty of time spent outdoors. For me September is the month that brings the most change and although I like it for its beautiful colours and cooler air I also get sad because it means Summer has gone and we are heading towards the cold and darkness of Winter which I truly dislike.

It really does feel like Autumn has arrived and that somewhere, someone, flicked a switch and turned Summer off! The nights are starting to drawn in, the leaves are beginning to fall and there is a slight crispness to the morning and evening air. Most of my Summer wardrobe has been packed up and is now safely back in the case under the bed. There are a few items that have escaped the annual seasonal cull for now as they will be needed for our trip to Florida later this month. In a bid to stay positive about the seasonal change I have started to plan cosy nights in with meals cooked in the slo-cooker, blankets on the sofa and a film or box set on the TV. We have Netflix now so I am sure that we will be able to find plenty to keep us entertained. Also I am ever-so slightly beginning to think about Christmas - its the one and only thing I like about the Winter months. I have even set a date in my calender to put up the tree and decorations #sorrynotsorry!

Speaking of Florida its now just 24 days until we fly back to Orlando for another 2 weeks of magic and memory making and the excitement has really kicked in. The itinerary is being checked (and amended) on a daily basis as we are now able to book our fast passes and so far we have managed to get a few that are on our list. We also have a lot of 'new to us' things to do this year which is quite exciting. We are going to Mickeys Not So Scary Halloween party in the Magic Kingdom, Halloween Horror Nights at Universal, Food & Wine at Epcot and a Giraffe Safari at Busch Gardens amongst other things.

Last weekend I dragged out the suitcases and started trying to organize some of our stuff. I have a notebook full of lists and am gradually starting to cross things off but we do still have a lot to do before we can load up the car and head to Gatwick. Thankfully Tom isn't working the next two weekends so we will have a chance to get some holiday stuff done as well as a few other bits that need doing around the flat. The idea is to do a little bit each weekend which should mean that there is no last minute panic or rush for something that's been forgotten - famous last words!!

In other news not much else has been happening really, we had a fairly quiet end to August. Tom has been busy doing overtime which means I have managed to spend some time in my craft room and I have actually made some kind of dent in scrapbooking our Florida 2018 photos. I still have a lot to do but I feel a little more organized and in control in regards to getting it finished, I am hoping I can do this by the end of the year so I can begin a new album for this years trip. 

So that's about all for now, thanks for stopping by. If you like my blog please leave me a comment below to let me know you have been here, it really means a lot to know that people do like to read my posts.

Jane