Loving Summer

It’s still summer, and I’m happy.

Summer is by far my most favorite time of year, followed by spring then fall.

It’s been a busy spring and summer, but it’s been good. Work kept me pretty busy for a large portion of it (travel, new projects), but I was able to squeeze in a few travel adventures.

The highlight was a week in Florida in May.

Some folks may think Florida is a tad too warm this time of year, but Tim and I have always been heat-lovers. The first part of the trip was a work trip for Tim, but for me, it was relaxation at Saddlebrook Resort near Tampa.

This 480-acre nature preserve was beautiful. I enjoyed daily walks on the nature trail, hours by the pool and a day at the spa.

After work was over, we were both ready to conquer our drive down to the Florida Keys for the weekend. Again, the drive was half the fun!

Had a glitch not hit Hertz’s computer system delaying our journey, the day would have been perfect. Travel glitches make things ever so interesting, though, right? Because of this, we didn’t get on the road until after 10, which landed us in Miami right at the start of rush hour traffic after 3. But the drive on the overseas highway made up for it. I never get tired of looking at “blue blue” water for hours on end.

We pulled into the Hilton Garden Inn Key West just in time to figure out where we’d go for dinner. We went with Tim’s pick of the Hogfish Bar & Grill. I was a little skeptical of this place when we pulled up, but the fresh seafood was so good. This place is totally out of the way on Stock Island, but worth finding. We had Key West Pink shrimp, conch fritters and the daily fish specials while watching a beautiful sunset. I would probably go back if I ever returned. It sure did beat the more touristy places lining the streets of Key West.

We headed back to our hotel, enjoying our balcony and some wine the rest of the evening.

Day 2 was another great day. We got up early for a morning snorkeling tour. The boat ride around the key was beautiful. Again, I can never get enough “blue blue” water. We snorkeled two spots, both of which were murky due to high surf. It was OK, though, the boat ride was still fun.

Following our excursion, we grabbed lunch at the Half Shell Raw Bar. As you know, Tim and I both love oysters, so a dozen was in order along with some fruity drinks. We also shared some buffalo shrimp, salad, and of course, another Caribbean favorite, conch fritters! We cruised around Old Town, Duval Street and Mallory Square until we decided we were too hot and needed a break in our hotel pool! The Hilton Garden Inn and a few other of the hotels in the area where we stayed share a shuttle that takes you to and from Mallory Square. So, that was a nice benefit as parking is minimal in that area. We stayed a bit outside of the touristy area at the entrance of the island to save some money on hotel costs.

We enjoyed the afternoon at our pool along with its happy hour specials. For dinner, we got ready and headed back into Old Town. We didn’t have a particular place in mind this night, and ended up at A&B Lobster House. We weren’t disappointed. We shared conch fritters and barbecue shrimp, while I also had some conch chowder. We, of course, had to have the key lime ice cream for dessert.

We walked around a bit more along the waterfront after dinner and then decided to call it a night.

On Day 3, we got up and visited the Southern Most Point of the Continental US bouy, and saw Ernest Hemmingway’s home. Next, it was time for some brunch at the Cuban Coffee Queen. This was one of my favorite places. The coffee was amazing (took a couple of pounds home) as was the Cuban Queen Sandwich. Holy cow, the pressed Cuban bread! So yummy. We wandered around the Bahama Village a bit, grabbed a slice of key lime pie, and hit the road to head back up on the Overseas Highway, stopping in Marathon at the Turtle Hospital.

We then made our way up to Ft. Lauderdale, where we stayed that evening and had another highlight of our trip — the Mai Kai!

As you may have read before, Tim and I are huge tiki fans, and the Mai Kai is quite the tiki landmark. Often in Top 10 lists of tiki bars across the US, the Mai Kai is a Polynesian-themed restaurant and tiki bar built in 1956. Just look for the thatched palm A-frame building along Federal Highway and you’ll know you’ve found this kitschy tiki bar like none I’ve ever been in before. We enjoyed tropical drinks, Chinese fare and an atmosphere of gardens, fountains and tiki statues galore. It was a great way to close out our Florida trip.

Other than that, we’ve had a few long weekends in Okoboji with family and friends this summer and a couple of family reunions will round things out. I can’t wait to tell you about our upcoming adventure! Where are you planning to travel next?