Hi. I'm going to be on vacation in Orlando at the end of March. I would like to take a day or two trip from Orlando to the coast on which I plan to ask my girlfriend to marry me. Any recommendations on a very romantic place to go, hotel to stay at, restaurant, etc. would be greatly appreciated. The only requirement is that it is drivable from Orlando. Thanks.

st. augustine........2 hrs NE.

Hi Kevin...I think The Don Cesar Beach Resort on Gulf Blvd. in St. Petersburg Beach is a nice place to stay...then you can have dinner at the Columbia Restaurant at The Pier on 2nd Avenue NE in St. Petersburg, which offers a panoramic view of the Atlantic Ocean...I think that would provide a romantic setting in which to pop the ? especially at sunset...and just in case you are interested in the food, they serve delicious traditional Spanish cuisine such as paella valenciana or marinera, and arroz con pollo...they also serve Cuban dishes and seafood and steaks, etc....you can sip sangria or mojitos and have desserts such as guava cheesecake or crema catalana...there's live music on the weekends...this is only about 70 or 80 miles from Orlando.

Was at the Columbia recently and it was great and so was the view.

I was also at the Columbia recently, in fact had the paella, and it was just plain terrible--dry and tasteless with not a hint of saffron. I'm far from being any kind of a decent cook, but even I have made better paella than that. Have also had paella at their Sarasota restaurant with same experience. Lesson learned--steer clear of Columbia! One other small detail. It is Tampa Bay you are looking at there. It's a long way to the Atlantic Ocean!!

I do agree with the rec for the Don CeSar and they have a fine dining room as well. Haven't eaten there so don't know what their view is like, but they've got an excellent chef. They are located on a pretty stretch of St Pete Beach. It will not be inexpensive!

I loved my meal at Columbia. I had a delicious Steak Diane that was flambauyed at our table.

Message to OliveOyl is it's not what you say or in this case write, but how you say it or how you write it. You come across as being positively obnoxious, self-righteous, and arrogant. I have no doubt the staff at the restaurant took one look at your smug face and decided they didn't want you back.

I'd have to agree with Rob. St. Pete is nice, but St.Augustine is so romantic. It's an old pirate village so there are cobble stone streets and little restaurants. The Don Cesar is nice, but a totally different vibe, it looks out on the Gulf of Mexico and it's a big hotel. As for the Pier, it's nice..but a little tacky. I'd stay on the beach and go to a restaurant there. Plus, St. Pete is a whole other trip in itself...there is so much to do and so many great restaurants...I'd stay near Orlando and go to one of the beaches along the atlantic coast or make the trip to St. Augustine...it's more of a day trip than St. Pete is.

Hi again Kevin...please excuse my geography faux pas...the west coast of Florida is surrounded by the Gulf of Mexico, Tampa Bay, etc. as another poster pointed out...I was thinking east coast, Altantic Ocean...good thing I'm not drawing nautical charts or leading the coast guard.

Kevin,

Here are some more details on St. Augustine...great little town - do you like lighthouses? If so, maybe climb the St. Augustine Light and propose there...about 1 1/2 hour drive from Orlando. Cannot give you a name of a romantic restaurant there - I'm sure there is one, but I'm not that familiar with the area, except for the lighthouse.
St. Pete is about a 2 hour drive from the Disney side of Orlando. And any beach along the Gulf would be very romantic. If you like steak and seafood, there is a nice restaurant called Sila Dent's in St. Pete Beach, right across from the Tradewinds resort (been there, not too impressed) and a short distance north from Don C's. You can request a raised window seat with a view of the intercoastal waterway.
Guess you would be the best person to know where your girlfriend would like to be (i.e., beach, restaurant, lighthouse) when you pop the question. Good luck!
Debbie, a Tampa Bay resident.

No name, you liked Columbia; Olive Oyl didn't. Are you so insecure that you cannot distinguish a differing opinion from a personal attack?

Add my name to the list of people who've eaten at Columbia and hated it. We'd heard the one in Ybor City was good, so we gave the one on Sand Key a try. It was really quite awful. Maybe this is to be expected when a good restaurant turns itself into a chain. Something usually suffers.

Kevin, I was reminded of a wonderful place in Florida after I sent my original post...although it's not near the ocean, it is quaint and charming...about 25 miles north of Orlando is a town named Mt. Dora...there's a beautiful hotel there dating back to 1883 named The Lakeside Inn...it's situated on Lake Dora...there's a veranda with colonial rocking chairs and a lounge with a fireplace where you can have drinks and listen to live entertainment...the restaurant in there is named the Beauclaire Room and it is quite nice with very good food...I remember the baked brie was delicious as an appetizer...they serve, seafood, steaks, chicken, pasta, and tasty desserts...the lobby was once a ballroom and the staff are very friendly people...they have lakefront rooms with a balcony that are quite nice...not sure how much they would be now...anyway, the town itself is ideal for strolling past antique shops and galleries...it is romantic.

I vote no for both the Columbia and especially Silas Dent. No romance at all. If you want romance, try Armani's at the top of the Hyatt Westshore in Tampa. They are Italian, located on the rooftop above the hotel. My husband took me there for a special birthday, there was a rose and a bday card at the table (from the staff), and the waiter suggested we go out on the little patio overlooking Tampa Bay and enjoy the sunset! This was before we even ordered! And the food was the best part. The best antipasto I've ever had. Expensive, but worth it. You could stay there too, or at the Don CeSar or the Vinoy (they have jacuzzi suites too). The restaurant at the Don is overpriced and not romantic either. Vinoy has a good one, but not quite as nice as Armani.

My delicious meal at Columbia's was at the Ybor City establishment. Maybe there's a difference in quality between that one and the one mentioned in St. Pete's.

OK, enough about the Columbia. How 'bout something different.

I'd get a picnic lunch, including champagne, and head over to Sebastian Inlet park, watch the sun set on the Indian River, and "make the ask." Should be nice there in March.

In case you're wondering, Sebastian is between Melbourne Beach and Vero Beach, about 90 mins. from Orlando.

I think St Augustine is a very romantic little town. There are lots of nice Bed & Breakfasts. My personal favorite is the Casablanca. You can arrange for a horse and carriage pick up at your B&B, take her to dinner, and pop the question on the way there, or back. Good luck!

Wow, No Name, did Fodors edit Olive Oyl's post before I saw it? In the one above now she offered a most simple personal observation. There was not a hint of being "positively obnoxious", "self righteous", or being "arrogant" in her post. I guess you know her personally if you are so sure that she has a "smug face". Or do you own stock in the Columbia? Are we not allowed to actually say we didn't like a particular dish at a particular restaurant now? I've never been very impressed by the Columbia's food either, although I enjoy a nice chopped salad and that great Cuban bread on the patio at Sarasota for lunch when I'm there. I used to order black beans, but even those are so tasteless there.

I'm far from a Tampa expert, but I agree about Armani's -- an excellent restaurant with what could easily be a most romantic setting especially timed with a perfect sunset. And there is a very fine hotel right below it, so if the mood inspires. . . well, you won't have far to go.

If you want a beautiful, deserted beach atmosphere then I second the suggestion by "river" for Sebastian Inlet. Beautiful beach, beautiful color of water, and somewhat remote. Don't know about places to stay around there, though.

However, St. Augustine would be a wonderful and romantic place to pop the question.

Congratulations.

Just So of Don e Sars in DeSoto Park. Very pretty & on the water. It may be your spot