Showing posts with label Florida. Show all posts

NYE Weekend in Ft Lauderdale


Happy new year everyone! I hope 2016 is off to a great start for you.

I had a very eventful weekend in Ft Lauderdale ringing in NYE with friends. On Thursday I had the day off of work so we took the 3 hour drive to south Florida to check in to our hotel by Ft Lauderdale beach. While driving there the hotel called to say they overbooked and wanted to give us an upgraded room at their sister hotel only a block away and also gave us a small discount for the inconvenience. Fine by me! It was a cute boutique hotel called Tranquilo which was a short walk to the beach.



After getting settled we went out for dinner at Casablanca Cafe along the beach with a girl friend and enjoyed some escargot, baked brie, beef carpaccio and a strawberry mojito. Everything was amazing and the outdoor patio overlooking the beach was a nice vibe.


After dinner we went out for some adult beverages and then watched the annual ball drop along Ft Lauderdale beach at midnight. It was a fun night out with friends exploring a new town.


On Friday we went to visit one of my best friend's from childhood and spend some quality time with her three kids at their house on the water. We brought Lola along so the kids could play with her.



After a few hours of bestie and kiddie time and whining children, we were starving so we went with K's friend from high school to G&B Oyster Bar for some amazing oysters and stone crab.



On Saturday morning we slept in and then checked out of hotel to make the trek back to Orlando. Before hitting the highway, we stopped at La Granja Peruvian restaurant for an amazing seafood ceviche for lunch.


The rest of the weekend was spent relaxing and doing errands. Overall it was an amazing weekend with good friends, amazing food and a nice change of scenery for a couple days in sunny south Florida.

How did you ring in the new year?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.

Let The Holidays Begin


Another warm and sunny weekend in Florida. We thought a cold front would be coming through but no such luck. The weekend was pretty relaxing and I only ventured out on Saturday to Kate's annual holiday party which was a blast. She really did it up with great food and drinks plus a photo booth and white elephant gift exchange which is always entertaining. So here's Saturday in photos...


The host and hostess.



I scored a pack of Cards Against Humanity from the white elephant gift exchange.



Festive Roxy


Lots of fun was had and I'm ready to take on more holiday parties ahead.

How was your weekend?

Joining the lovely Biana for her Weekending linkup.


Mount Dora Day Trip


A few weeks ago K and I planned a day trip out to Mount Dora in Lake County, Florida which is about an hour away from our home in Orlando. The small city is quaint, historic, and overlooks Lake Dora and a few other lakes. I thought it would be the perfect day trip and a great way to spend a Sunday.

We started off in the cute downtown area and walked around browsing different antique shops, a tea room, a doggie bakery, and a few other shops.



We then went on to check out some historic buildings and architecture scattered throughout the downtown area.



We also stopped by to check out the atmosphere and menus of some of the restaurants. A few of our favorites were Cecile's French Corner, Pisces Rising and The Goblin Market.







It was a hot summer day in Florida, so we decided to settle at The Lost Parrot for a cold drink before continuing along. The bar area was quiet with only one other patron but it was a nice spot to cool off and listen to some music.




Finally we headed to check out Lake Dora which was fairly quiet with a few people walking around and some others boating and jet skiing on the lake.




It was a nice day to walk around and explore somewhere new. We were also really impressed with some of the restaurant menus so would love to go back for lunch or dinner one weekend.


Wanderlust Wednesdays

Link-up Rules:
1. Follow Kerri, Kate and myself on Bloglovin
2. Link up your favorite travel recaps or travel related posts
3. Grad our Wanderlust Wednesdays button and link back to our blogs
4. Be sure to visit other blogs and build your travel bucket list!

Siesta Key, Florida

I couldn't be more excited to finally make it out to one of my favorite beaches in the world this coming weekend. The sand at Siesta Key feels like white powder, the water is crystal clear, and the overall vibe is soothing.


If you've never heard of Siesta Key Beach, it's located on Florida's west coast close to the city of Sarasota, which is where K grew up and my in-laws live so we try to make it out to the beach when we're in town visiting family. 


Ever since Siesta Key was ranked #1 beach in the US by Trip Advisor (in 2011), it's popularity has grown quite a bit causing certain weekends to be crowded and making parking a stalking game but once I'm settled on a beach chair near to the water it's literally my definition of heaven on earth. 




Things you may or may not see at Siesta Key beach:
~ tons of colorful beach umbrellas and tents. (guaranteed)
~ lots of beach activities including volleyball, ladderball, casual football and lots more.
~ NYC's famous Naked Cowboy and his female sidekick (yes that did happen)
~ Policemen on horses patrolling through the crowds (maybe)


After laying out in the sun for a few hours and taking a dip in the ocean, we always head over to the Siesta Key Village for a cold daiquiri at Daiquiri Deck and some seafood lunch at Siesta Key Oyster Deck (SKOB).