Driving across Overseas Highway 1 Key West to Key Largo April 2018

There is one way in and out of Key West- overseas highway US 1. It is a strange sensation driving along a road where straight ahead of you there is nothing but endless miles of more road but either side you are surrounded by endless miles of ocean.

While it is an easy drive from Key West to Key Largo there are also plenty of places where you can stop and explore, stretch your legs and just take in the views. 

We stopped at Marathon to refuel ourselves and the Jeep and then we also stopped at the Old 7 Mile Bridge. The old bridge is what remains of a rail and car causeway that was ultimately destroyed by hurricanes. The new bridge runs parallel to it. It made for some good photos and also a reminder of the power of nature.

I must mention that the Keys were hammered by Hurricane Irma last year and the destruction is still very evident in parts along the US 1. Many businesses are still closed for repair, much of the vegetation along the roads has been destroyed - it clearly hit them hard. It is interesting seeing road signs we would never see in the UK such as Hurricane Shelters and Evacuation Routes.

Our next stop was Key Largo for 2 nights and our first experience of an AirBnB.

Key West for 2 days -April 2018

We could have just driven down to Key West as a day trip from Key Largo but we decided to stay for 2 days - relax - and see as many sights as possible.

We stayed at the Southernmost House, a historic hotel / museum.

You can see it for yourself here www.southernmosthouse.com but here is the view from our room (302) and of the house from the ocean front.

This hotel was perfectly located for exploring Key West - which is easily done on foot. 

We walked up Whitehead Street, passing the southern most point of the US, checking out the lighthouse - interesting because it's the only US lighthouse that's built within city boundaries - the home of Ernest Hemingway, the road marker for the start of US Route 1 (the overseas highway) to watch the sunset at Mallory Square. We then walked back along Duval Street checking out the bars and shops, stopping for our first taste of conch (pronounced conk) shell fish. The bars along here are absolutely buzzing - every night. It's an assault on the senses but so much fun and always something going on. I may have sampled a few pina coladas - another good reason for not taking the car out.

There is much more to see than that but we were quite happy with what we fitted in. 

I would definately recommend staying in Key West rather than just driving down there for the day. We were there for the Conch Republic Independence Day celebrations (- in 1982, in scenes reminiscent of the old B&W film Passport to Pimlico, Key West declared independence from the mainland US as a protest to some border patrol issues). It's worth a quick google to check it out. It certainly added to all the fun. 

3 days in Miami Beach (April 2018)

Our road trip continues with a 3 day stop in Miami.

I was keen to visit Miami for the Art Deco history and I wasn't disappointed. There is the main, famous, run of building along Ocean Drive but wander away from this main street and you'll come across other less famous, but no less beautiful, buildings. There is a lot of renovation being carried out on some of the Art Deco buildings so a lot of scaffold but still a lot to see.

These photos were taken all over Miami Beach

One thing I was not prepared for in Miami Beach was how loud it is - everywhere! Every restaurant or bar has music thumping and people drive up and down Ocean Drive in cars and on motor bikes with the music blaring out. We even walked along the street behind someone who had music blasting out of their rucksack  - literally the bag had built in speakers. It really is a case of people having to be seen and heard in this town. 

The beach is a big draw here and it kept beautifully clean.  I loved the funky designs of the life guard stations dotted frequently along the beaches. It was too hot to walk along the length of the beach to see all of them but here are some:

Other things we did while here:

It was very hot while we were here so we took advantage of the free trolley bus that drives a loop around Miami Beach. Even taking 10 minutes off your walk feels worth it.

We also had to do the not so glamorous laundry (the downside of packing light for a 3 week holiday!) but that is (almost) fun to do when you're in a strange place - it's certainly a way to meet the locals!

We chillaxed in South Point Park and watched the cruise ships coming in and out (it's a huge cruise port with loads of cruise lines having their bases there). Some of them are so big they look like tower blocks afloat.

We ate at the 11th Street Diner - an old railway car. Fabulous decor and wonderful food. 

Miami Beach was definately worth it for the Art Deco and the beach. If you like noise it'll also be the place for you.

2 days in Universal Orlando Resorts April 2018

We stayed in the Cabana Bay Beach Resort, a Universal Hotel which meant we had a free shuttle to the parks and early entry to Universal Studios and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter - Diagon Alley.

Check out the hotel and Universal park tickets here www.universalorlando.com

The hotel was exactly as described, 50s style retro and is a lot cheaper than the other Universal hotels and has a great pool area complete with man made beach and lazy river.

The website also has better ticket options than the .co.uk site. We bought 2 day passes which got us in to one park each day but didn't let us ride the Hogwarts express. This was perfect for us as we were only in Orlando for 2 days anyway.

Shuttle worked out great - dropped us at the entrance to City Walks (shops and restaurants). Never waited more than 5 minutes for a shuttle - most of the time there was one sitting at the stop waiting.

Day 1.

Universal Studios Florida.

Highlights for me

Diagon Alley and meeting Simon the Knight bus conductor and the Shrunken Head

I was also happy to see The Blues Brothers are still going strong - we saw them when we were last in Orlando 25 years ago (!!!) They've aged better than us 😉

Day 2

Islands of Adventure

Didn't get in early to this park but we were here mid-week just after Spring Break so the parks weren't too busy. In fact we never waited more than 20 minutes for anything.

This park has Hogwarts and Hogsmeade - again staggering in the way they have been brought into being. Just enjoyed being here, people watching and absorbing the atmosphere. Stayed for the night light show which was spectacular.

Also enjoyed Jurassic Park where I got to meet a baby dinosaur and narrowly escaped being eaten by a T Rex. Also hung out with some superheroes.

Theme park fun all over. Total of about 60,000 steps in 2 days. 
On to Miami.....

Flying Virgin Atlantic in the bubble April 2018

We flew to Florida with Virgin Atlantic (VA), Premium ecomony (PE).

Unlike past road trips, where we have booked directly with VA, this time we booked a fly-drive package with Virgin Holidays. When we booked there was a sale on and we got the return flights plus a car (midsize SUV) for less than the cost of our flights to Vegas 2 years ago. We also got free access to the Virgin lounge in Manchester airport so - quite good value really.

Being PE we could choose our seats months before we flew and as I am super organised I had the date saved and did this asap. I wanted to choose seats early as I was keen for us to sit in the bubble. For those that aren't aware the "Bubble" is the top deck of a jumbo jet and it looks like this

with so few seats in it feels like an oasis of calm compared to this (and this is just the economy section of the lower deck)

As well as more space PE comes with quite a few advantages - extra luggage (handy if your hubby wants to bring a chainsaw back from USA and yes that did happen 2 years ago), priority boarding, upgraded food and drink options. Because there are fewer seats in the bubble the flght attendants also seem to have more time for you. If you are flying economy I would also recommend you choose seats in the bubble when you can. You may not get all the perks but you get the peace, the attentive service and you're off the plane quickly as the top deck is emptied before the economy section downstairs. I always check out my seat selection on seatguru.com before finally committing. It lets you know of any issues such as limited seat recline / foot room etc.

Our flight was just over 8 hours. There is hours (days probably) of entertainment to watch - all latest releases too. We had a problem with hubby's screen so they gave him an ipad to watch the films on. Food and drink is excellent. Glass of prosecco on boarding then a constant steam of food, drinks and ice cream - even afternoon tea before we landed (warm scones and clotted cream - mmmmmmmm!) Hubby was driving as soon as we landed but I wasn't so I took full advantage of the drinks on offer.

Here's some photos..

Hubby is never going to "enjoy" flying but at least doing it this way it's as stress free as it can be for him (and I get the vodka - hic!).

Itinerary for Florida Road trip with some potential activities

Here is the bare bones of our upcoming road trip - as stated in previous post this is mainly for hubby's benefit but you are welcome to check it out.

All the accommodation is booked and the Harry Potter tickets but other than that we just have some vague ideas and things we'd like to try and see / do. If anyone's got any suggestions feel free to comment 😀

April 2018

16th Fly Virgin Atlantic to Orlando

        Pick up jeep, check in at Universal’s Cabana Bay Beach Resort,

17th Universal Studios Florida - Diagon Alley

18th Universal’s Island of Adventure - Hogsmeade and Hogwart Castle 🏰

19th Drive to Miami and Urbanica The Meridian Hotel for 4 nights.

20th possibly check out the Art Deco history

21st probably drink cocktails 🍹

22nd Maybe explore Little Havana, try Cuban coffee (but not Cuban cigars!) 🍵

23rd Drive along Highway 1 to Key West and The Southernmost House for 3 nights

24th Maybe visit the Ernest Hemingway House, or the bar where he wrote 📚

25th Potentially dive or snorkel or sail or sunbathe - choices choices...

26th Drive back along highway 1 to Airbnb’s Key Largo Getaway for 2 nights

27th Dive / snorkel John Pennekamp Coral Reef State Park 🐠

28th Drive through Everglades to stop overnight at Comfort Suites, Sarasota 🐊

29th Drive up West coast to Plantation on Crystal River for 3 nights

30th options for next 2 days include swim with manatees, kayaking along the

        Chassahowitzka River, watching a sunset on the Gulf Coast etc etc……..      

May 2018

1st as above 😎

2nd Drive across to Jacksonville and an overnight stop at the Holiday Inn Express.

        Time for some history as we visit the Kingsley Plantation House on the way.

3rd A short drive today down to St Augustine and 2 nights in TRYP by Wyndham

4th Explore St Augustine - the oldest city in the USA (allegedly!)

5th Drive down to Airbnb River Front - home away from home, Cocoa for 2 nights

      Call in to Daytona International Speedway Track on the way 🏁

6th Visit Cape Canaveral & Kennedy Space Centre 🚀

7th Fly home Orlando to Manchester

8th Arrive home

Florida Road Trip - 3 weeks April / May 2018

For those of you who have been polite enough to show an interest in our exploits in Florida - here's a little taster of what's coming up. 

For anyone planning a road trip in the States, New Zealand or Australia I highly recommend the Roadtripper site. I've used it for 2 previous trips and it's incredibly useful (if not at times a little distracting - there's so much information on there).

I'll post a full itinerary in another post but that'll mainly be for Hubby's benefit as he still doesn't really know where we're going!