Australians escape the British winter and head to sunny Sarasota
Feb 6th, 2010, 11:45 AM
#1
Original Poster
Australians escape the British winter and head to sunny Sarasota
22 January 2010 - Flew London Gatwick to Orlando with Virgin Atlantic
30 January – return flight to London
After having lived through four British winters which are much colder than anything we had ever experienced, we were desperate for some sunshine so started researching a trip to Florida. We’ve visited the USA many times and have seen a lot of the west coast from Australia and now some of the east coast from England. Having visited Florida a few times before, Sarasota and the Gulf Coast were a new experience and we loved it. We wanted to relax for a week, not rush around madly ticking off tourist attractions, and that’s just what we did.
I started by spending weeks looking through websites, mainly VRBO, for an apartment or cottage we could rent by the sea for a week. Siesta Key sounded good, I wanted to be within walking distance of the village area with restaurants etc so we wouldn’t always have to drive to dinner.
Then came about a month of frustration when we found, to our amazement, that we couldn’t pay in the way that owners in America seemed to expect. I had one person ask me to post her travellers cheques. Travellers cheques are not used any more in the UK and Europe and I would have had to send them counter-signed which is extremely unsafe. We had two different places lined up to rent and they both fell by the wayside. One owner stopped corresponding with us when we asked to pay online or via debit/credit card and the other owner said she was mailing us something (why use snail mail when we have email, step into this century for goodness sake) which never arrived so I guess she couldn’t be bothered with us either.
It was a very disappointing experience. We’ve rented apartments in the UK and Europe and never had such a situation occur before. In the end, we booked the lovely Hotel Ranola in Sarasota, all done quickly and efficiently online, plus we didn’t have to pay months ahead. What a relief to get something booked.
We had very cold weather in the UK in late December and early January, with snow and ice and massive transport disruptions. The weather in the USA was even worse and the weather forecast for Florida was looking very disappointing. Maximums were around 10 and 11 (Celsius) and we wanted sun, sun, sun! By the time we were due to leave, the forecast was much better and it turned out we had good weather with warmth and blue skies. Bliss.
Earlier we'd filled in the online ESTA’s, the new electronic visas to visit the USA. Then we had to fill in exactly the same information on the usual green forms on the plane. We assumed that one would replace the other….you’d think.
We booked a cheap hotel near Orlando airport for the first night, thinking a good night's sleep would be desirable before the leisurely drive to Sarasota the following day and not realising it would get dark so early we were especially glad to just drive to the hotel and not be on the road for hours.
One of the things we loved about the trip was that people were so friendly, helpful and polite. You certainly don’t get that in London so it was like a breath of fresh air. The volume of voices was immediately noticeable too, the Brits speak very, very quietly as a rule but the Americans sound like they are at a football match and want to be heard over the noise. No offense intended, it’s just very noticeable. Other things we really liked were the lack of people smoking and no litter. There is rubbish everywhere in London, it’s disgusting. We did find it too cold everywhere inside, the aircon was way too high for us.
Accommodation
One night at the Quality Inn & Suites in Orlando US$67 incl tax and breakfast
7 nights at Hotel Ranola in Sarasota, US£149 plus tax, no breakfast
Meals
We had the first night’s meal at Sangria, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Main street in Sarasota. Food was average, service was terrible.
Had a wonderful meal at the Waterfront Restaurant on Anna Maria Island. We stumbled on this place after having been out all day and loved the view of the sea while enjoying our scallops and fish. Mmmmm.
Takeaway Chinese food one night from China 1 which we went into because we were starving, then takeaway pizza from the pizza place on Main Street. Both average meals.
Barnacle Bills in Main Street for dinner, what we had was just OK but I think we chose poorly as we weren’t very hungry, having had cocktails down at O’Learys at the waterfront.
Panera Bread and Cracker Barrel have tasty food at reasonable prices. We enjoyed both and would definitely eat there again.
Things we did
We explored downtown Sarasota on foot, from the hotel down to Burns Court and to the park at the marina and back to Wholefoods (or Whole Paycheck as the guy at our hotel called it). The town seemed quite small but had a safe feel with lots of places to eat. It was very quiet even though we were told it was high season in January. Maybe we are too used to living in London where it’s overcrowded.
South Lido Park was recommended to us and we had a nice, though windy, walk on the beach. St Armands Circle came as a surprise to me, I had read about it and imagined some purpose built mall with posh shops (so not us) but it had atmosphere and charm and we enjoyed wandering around, poking into a few shops. Drove further along Longboat Key as far as Anna Maria Island, then across the bridge to Bradenton and back to the hotel.
Went to a few malls, I love shopping in America, the choice is great and the sales are even better. We also went to supermarkets and stocked up on our favourite things like Zatarain’s Jambalaya and Gumbo mixes, Jiffy and Betty Crocker biscuit mix (we call them scones in Australia), chocolates etc. Plus Yukon Jack which my husband adores but is very hard to find outside North America. I also stocked up on Clinique which is much cheaper in America.
After living in England for a few years without a car because we don’t need one, driving everywhere was a bit of a novelty. It’s funny how some places have fantastic public transport and other places have very little.
I’d read at home all about the Ringling Museum and we spent about half a day there. It was really interesting, my favourite part was Ca d’Zan, the home they built modelled on a Venetian palace. We did think the entry fee of US$25 each was pricey.
We explored Siesta Key, having pancakes for breakfast one day and dinner at the Daiquiri Deck one night. It was wonderful to see some Amish people on the beach, enjoying the sand and shells like everyone else but dressed so differently they really stood out.
Drove north on our last full day to Fort Do Soto County Park where it was peaceful with nice scenery and a relaxed feel. Had a great Panera Bread sandwich sitting on a low wall gazing at the sea, gulls and pelicans.
Any questions, just shout.
Kay
30 January – return flight to London
After having lived through four British winters which are much colder than anything we had ever experienced, we were desperate for some sunshine so started researching a trip to Florida. We’ve visited the USA many times and have seen a lot of the west coast from Australia and now some of the east coast from England. Having visited Florida a few times before, Sarasota and the Gulf Coast were a new experience and we loved it. We wanted to relax for a week, not rush around madly ticking off tourist attractions, and that’s just what we did.
I started by spending weeks looking through websites, mainly VRBO, for an apartment or cottage we could rent by the sea for a week. Siesta Key sounded good, I wanted to be within walking distance of the village area with restaurants etc so we wouldn’t always have to drive to dinner.
Then came about a month of frustration when we found, to our amazement, that we couldn’t pay in the way that owners in America seemed to expect. I had one person ask me to post her travellers cheques. Travellers cheques are not used any more in the UK and Europe and I would have had to send them counter-signed which is extremely unsafe. We had two different places lined up to rent and they both fell by the wayside. One owner stopped corresponding with us when we asked to pay online or via debit/credit card and the other owner said she was mailing us something (why use snail mail when we have email, step into this century for goodness sake) which never arrived so I guess she couldn’t be bothered with us either.
It was a very disappointing experience. We’ve rented apartments in the UK and Europe and never had such a situation occur before. In the end, we booked the lovely Hotel Ranola in Sarasota, all done quickly and efficiently online, plus we didn’t have to pay months ahead. What a relief to get something booked.
We had very cold weather in the UK in late December and early January, with snow and ice and massive transport disruptions. The weather in the USA was even worse and the weather forecast for Florida was looking very disappointing. Maximums were around 10 and 11 (Celsius) and we wanted sun, sun, sun! By the time we were due to leave, the forecast was much better and it turned out we had good weather with warmth and blue skies. Bliss.
Earlier we'd filled in the online ESTA’s, the new electronic visas to visit the USA. Then we had to fill in exactly the same information on the usual green forms on the plane. We assumed that one would replace the other….you’d think.
We booked a cheap hotel near Orlando airport for the first night, thinking a good night's sleep would be desirable before the leisurely drive to Sarasota the following day and not realising it would get dark so early we were especially glad to just drive to the hotel and not be on the road for hours.
One of the things we loved about the trip was that people were so friendly, helpful and polite. You certainly don’t get that in London so it was like a breath of fresh air. The volume of voices was immediately noticeable too, the Brits speak very, very quietly as a rule but the Americans sound like they are at a football match and want to be heard over the noise. No offense intended, it’s just very noticeable. Other things we really liked were the lack of people smoking and no litter. There is rubbish everywhere in London, it’s disgusting. We did find it too cold everywhere inside, the aircon was way too high for us.
Accommodation
One night at the Quality Inn & Suites in Orlando US$67 incl tax and breakfast
7 nights at Hotel Ranola in Sarasota, US£149 plus tax, no breakfast
Meals
We had the first night’s meal at Sangria, a Spanish tapas restaurant on Main street in Sarasota. Food was average, service was terrible.
Had a wonderful meal at the Waterfront Restaurant on Anna Maria Island. We stumbled on this place after having been out all day and loved the view of the sea while enjoying our scallops and fish. Mmmmm.
Takeaway Chinese food one night from China 1 which we went into because we were starving, then takeaway pizza from the pizza place on Main Street. Both average meals.
Barnacle Bills in Main Street for dinner, what we had was just OK but I think we chose poorly as we weren’t very hungry, having had cocktails down at O’Learys at the waterfront.
Panera Bread and Cracker Barrel have tasty food at reasonable prices. We enjoyed both and would definitely eat there again.
Things we did
We explored downtown Sarasota on foot, from the hotel down to Burns Court and to the park at the marina and back to Wholefoods (or Whole Paycheck as the guy at our hotel called it). The town seemed quite small but had a safe feel with lots of places to eat. It was very quiet even though we were told it was high season in January. Maybe we are too used to living in London where it’s overcrowded.
South Lido Park was recommended to us and we had a nice, though windy, walk on the beach. St Armands Circle came as a surprise to me, I had read about it and imagined some purpose built mall with posh shops (so not us) but it had atmosphere and charm and we enjoyed wandering around, poking into a few shops. Drove further along Longboat Key as far as Anna Maria Island, then across the bridge to Bradenton and back to the hotel.
Went to a few malls, I love shopping in America, the choice is great and the sales are even better. We also went to supermarkets and stocked up on our favourite things like Zatarain’s Jambalaya and Gumbo mixes, Jiffy and Betty Crocker biscuit mix (we call them scones in Australia), chocolates etc. Plus Yukon Jack which my husband adores but is very hard to find outside North America. I also stocked up on Clinique which is much cheaper in America.
After living in England for a few years without a car because we don’t need one, driving everywhere was a bit of a novelty. It’s funny how some places have fantastic public transport and other places have very little.
I’d read at home all about the Ringling Museum and we spent about half a day there. It was really interesting, my favourite part was Ca d’Zan, the home they built modelled on a Venetian palace. We did think the entry fee of US$25 each was pricey.
We explored Siesta Key, having pancakes for breakfast one day and dinner at the Daiquiri Deck one night. It was wonderful to see some Amish people on the beach, enjoying the sand and shells like everyone else but dressed so differently they really stood out.
Drove north on our last full day to Fort Do Soto County Park where it was peaceful with nice scenery and a relaxed feel. Had a great Panera Bread sandwich sitting on a low wall gazing at the sea, gulls and pelicans.
Any questions, just shout.
Kay
Feb 10th, 2010, 11:18 AM
#4
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Really enjoyed your report, especially since we will be in Siesta Key tomorrow, providing we aren't grounded here in Massachusetts due to today's blizzard! I was happy to read you had warm weather, especially since the next couple of days looks chilly down there!!
Ironically, I am planning to visit London in November, and will soon be asking many questions! Thanks again for posting!
Ironically, I am planning to visit London in November, and will soon be asking many questions! Thanks again for posting!
Feb 11th, 2010, 10:29 AM
#6
Original Poster
Hi everyone and thanks for reading. Funny how you plan for so long, then it's a distant memory. Sarasota was much nicer than I expected, it was the sort of place I could imagine living.
Jayneann, trust you managed your flight OK, weather reports on your part of the world are not good so hope you are in Florida now.
Best wishes
Kay
Jayneann, trust you managed your flight OK, weather reports on your part of the world are not good so hope you are in Florida now.
Best wishes
Kay
