Welcome to our Florida Guide. Your one-stop shop for vacation planning for that trip of a lifetime to Florida! http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/ en-us Copyright 2012, Orlando Villas Ltd. All Rights Reserved. info@orlandovillas.com http://www.orlandovillas.com/pictures/rss/logo.gif http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/ 75 50 http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/universal-studios-rip-ride-rockit.aspx One of my favourite parks in the whole of Orlando is Universal Studios. Over the years the park has evolved and morphed into one of the Worlds finest theme parks for the whole family. Key to their success is their constant upgrade of the older rides and the best use of their available space. The first being the Simpsons Ride where Universal took and old ride ‘Back to the Future’ and turned it into the Simpsons Ride. Although it is essentially the same ride, it has been bought into the twentieth century to cater for the new target audience. The second is the emergence of Rip Ride Rockit in what used to be a quiet and empty part of Universal Studios. They have turned the underused space into one of Orlando’s finest rollercoaster. The ride itself is very impressive and commands a great spot and is immediately noticeable from when you walk into Citywalk and up to the front gate. When in the park the ride is almost visible from any part of the park due to the enormous first drop. ... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/saving-money-for-your-florida-holiday-entertainement.aspx You have to have some days out and a little entertainment in your life so how are we going to cut costs here. Buy a family National Trust pass; this gives you entry to hundreds of homes and gardens that incudes free parking. Take a packed lunch; their cafes are notoriously expensive and can easily swallow up £60 for a family of 4. If you regularly share restaurant meals with a group of friends resolve to move your dinners to your houses. If you all take a turn and keep it simple it is not a hassle. Or you could each bring a course whilst sharing the hosting. Join a baby sitting group; if there is not one in your area, start one. The simplest way is to issue each member 10 one hour tokens and each person has to start earning hours back. A good way to make new friends as well. Keep this within your area so you do not have to use the car to get to your assigned home. Always check an attractions website before you set out; there are often special offers. Once there,... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/cherry-pocket-2011.aspx We first visited the Cherry Pocket 4 years ago and at that time it was unknown to tourists. The people there were the local residents, cabin owners and boat owners, joined by people in the neighbourhood who were in the know. Since word got out, it is now visited by a lot of villa owners and their guests, who have been tipped off about the good and unusual food and, of course, the great location. The Cherry Pocket is on the banks of the beautiful Lake Pierce in the Lake Wales area. A satnav is definitely recommended to find it. Once there it is not possible to walk around the lake as it is all private property, however, for the adventurous we have seen sea planes available for charter and it is worth enquiring about the air boat if you want to explore off the beaten track. Live music is provided Friday, Saturday and Sunday evenings with Karaoke on Fridays and Saturdays. There is also a children’s playroom to keep the youngsters happy. At some time of the year they have a hap... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/eagle-ridge-mall-and-clermont-landing.aspx Fancy a change of shopping scene from the big Orlando malls or want to have a day out, combining shopping and perhaps a visit to somewhere a little bit different? Here are two suggestions, which will particularly appeal if you are staying at a villa on or near HW27 – Eagle Ridge Mall at Lake Wales which is just south of Haines City, and Clermont Landing, just south of Clermont. Both these shopping areas are well worth visiting. It’s really quick and easy to get to them via the HW27, and as they are both a little ‘off the beaten track’ they are normally much quieter and more relaxed than some of the Orlando shopping malls can be at times, and parking is never a problem. Eagle Ridge Mall has a good variety of department stores (Sears, J C Penney, Dillards) well-known brands like Victoria’s Secret, Foot Locker and Toys-R-Us, and lots of smaller independent speciality shops. All the shops here are undercover, inside the mall– so this makes a great choice if it happens to ... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/breakfasting-out.aspx How often do you go out for breakfast at home? 4 times a year? twice? never? Well Americans go out for breakfast routinely and I think I know why. Most restaurants serve breakfast and rather than the full English or Continenta choices we are used to a typical American menu will have dozens of delicious choices. And the bill will not break the bank. You could eat breakfast out for a month without repeating your order. Some restaurants serve a breakfast buffet with a seemingly unending array of all the hot and cold dishes you could imagine (and some you have never dreamed of) This is a good time to try a little of those things you have heard of (but been too afraid to try) This is how I learned to avoid grits; they do not sound very nice; and they ain' t! You can go up to the buffet as many times as you want and a meal at one of these restaurants will take you through the whole day (unless you are a teenager! ) If you have self control issues this may not be a good... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/calling-all-runners.aspx Are you perchance going to Florida in september 2012? Are you a keen(ish) runner? Do you want to join a race with 100000 other like minded people? And would you like to do this in Disney? If you have answered yes to all 4 questions; then I can tell you, well, you can! This year could be the year you enter The Tower of Terror Race. What is it? Wel, it is a 10 K race round Walt Disney' s Hollywood studios park that takes you through Lights Motion, Action; past Mickeys hat and concludes at The Tower of Terror. Once completed, it is party time! Disney are laying on some rocking music and there will be your favourite Disney characters in attendance. You can also ride the rides. Will you have the energy for all that? well I would not but I dare say you will find a second wind. AND, there is more! You can take the children with you and they can enter their own 5 K race. There is also a health orientated expo at E. S. P. N Wide World of Spo... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/manny-rsquo-s-chophouse.aspx You will either love or hate the atmosphere at Manny’s. It is loud, very busy, nearly always has a long wait for a table and it is a twenty minute drive from our villa BUT the food is great, and once you have a table then the service is friendly, efficient and fast. I can absolutely guarantee that you will not leave Manny’s feeling hungry! Manny’s is off the 27 south of the Haines city Walmart and traffic lights. It is on the right hand side of the road after the next set of lights. Two new branches have now opened, one at Lake Wales and one at Winter Haven, The décor both inside and outside is car based. It really does need to be seen as no description would do it justice. There are a number of special offers. There are early bird specials for diners arriving between 4 and 6 o’clock and there are free Fajitas on a Wednesday – buy one get one free. If you arrive before 7 pm you will be in time for Happy Hour. Draft beer, glasses of house wines, martinis, manhattans an... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/the-gulf-coast.aspx Sunshine state rentals are exactly that, renting a villa in the Sunshine State, the colloquial name for Florida. Villa rentals are available in Orlando for ease of visiting the Walt Disney parks, a trip to Kennedy or even the beaches on the east coast of this sunshine state of Florida. To experience a different area away from the world of Mickey Mouse and all his friends, try the Gulf of Mexico coast. This western coast of the sunshine state is quieter than the Orlando metropolis and has the most wonderful beaches. Direct flights from the UK into Tampa, a wonderful airport to greet you and as you collect your car you head south perhaps through Clearwater with its miles of sandy beaches. Travel south over the Sunshine Skyway Bridge and fairly soon you will reach the northern end of Sarasota. Sarasota is the jewel of the coastline of the sunshine state and is a cultural city with theatres, orchestra and concert hall and the famous Ringling Estate. After a lunch lo... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/medical-treatment.aspx So, you and the family have made the decision to go to Florida, perhaps for an once-in-a-lifetime holiday or perhaps the lure of the State entices you more frequently. The excitement within the family builds as the great day of departure arrives. The flight is taken - perhaps it was longer than you thought and Immigration and car rental procedure a little tiresome. Then, after all the months of waiting you open the door of your chosen villa and it all seems to have been worthwhile. After a good nights sleep you all ready to go and see Mickey and his friends and what happens? One child has the sniffles; one complains of earache and perhaps you yourself are feeling a little under the weather. Do not worry unduly. Whilst the States does not operate a form of universal health system such as the UK’s there are plenty of places to get help and remedies. For general coughs and colds there is a plethora of over-the-counter medicines, many of which you will recognise fro... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/all-you-can-eat-buffets.aspx One thing about the tourist area of Orlando is the wide choice of food available for dinning, for those who don' t like the formality of a sit down meal or like little bits of everything then check out the all you can eat buffets. There are a number of all you can eat outlets ranging from Chinese, seafood to American foods, one of the best American food type buffet type outlets in Golden Corral as they offer good wholesome food at reasonable prices although on our first visit we were not sure about the seating arrangements as everyone had to sit on the long bench type seats. There are cheaper buffets like Ponderosa but the quality of the food and is not as high as in places like Golden Corral although if you are eating on a budget then collects some coupons from the free visitors guides you get at supermarkets and you can eat cheaply. Seafood Buffets There are a number of eateries that specialise in seafood such as Crabby bills. Angels lobster and seafood buffet or Boston lobst... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/american-grills.aspx The choice of where to eat when you are on your first visit to orlando Florida can be overwhelming a little, a quick drive down the HWY192 or International drive and you will be hit by literally 1, 000' s of neon lights from all the places you can eat, the choice is amazing and with some brand names having more that one venue you can soon become confused. So you decide that tonight we will eat at an American eatery a grill or steak house but which one? Here are some of my favourites and my personal views on them all. Brannigans A smaller grill that is often missed is Brannigans. This is not as big as the TGI or Chillis chain but is more like a family run grill and the choice of food is typically America offering burgers chicken and steaks. On the number of times we have visited we have found the service to be excellent and very friendly. TGI' s TGI is a favourite of mine because I have always found their food to be excellent. I particularly like their Jack Daniels range of... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/simpsons-ride-universal-studios-florida.aspx The Simpsons Ride is located at the far side of Universal Studios in Florida. The ride replaces the old Back to the future ride which was a massive favourite with the public, but lost some appeal due to the younger audience not having watched the old film. It was decided that due to their popularity and mass appeal the Simpsons would replace it. The ride is a 3-D simulator ride that has many levels that can cater for a large amount of people in peak times of the year. Each level has 10 seperate cars with each car housing 8 riders. Having been on the ride in the middle of Aug I was surprised at just how quick the queues actually went down! We waited for no longer than 20 minutes. Once inside you are kept entertained with TV screens and interactive bits and bobs from the Simpsons series. Here you will meet all your favourite characters. It really does pass the time and add to the overall feel of the ride. If you are a fan of the Simpsons you will really like this ride, it has b... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/jurassic-park-river-adventure-at-universal.aspx This ride comes with a warning “You may get wet” and let me say you probably will get wet a little but it’s perfect for a very hot day Sometimes this ride gets very busy and the queues can be quite long for it so it’s best to time your visit either first thing or around three or 4 o’clock in the afternoon when the crowds are leaving to get ready for their evening meal and before the start of the evening crowds Essentially this is a raft ride but a very big raft ride with nearly all of it indoors apart from the splash down (yes I did say splash down) at the end The ride starts out with a gentle raft ride through the jungle of Jurassic park looking at the dinosaurs in their natural habitat gently glide past a huge Ultrasaurus. Spot a baby Stegosaurus and its mother but watch out for the Dilophosauruses, commonly known as ' spitters. ' Yes this should give you a clue of what happens when you see the “spitter” All of a sudden you are bumped off course into the restricted area... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/orlando-in-november.aspx A lot of villa owners choose November to visit Orlando for many reasons so if I tempt you, you will have to book early (No owner can resist a booking! ) First, the weather. The humidity has gone and the days are beautiful and sunny. The evenings can be cold though – I have woken up to frost early in the morning in November, but it is nice to wander around in shorts and t-shirts during the day. However, having said that, the weather can be a bit unpredictable and may rain or be dull occasionally. Second, November is probably the least popular time for people to visit, so the parks are very much quieter, the queues for the rides much shorter. Third, the sales are usually starting which means even more shopping bargains. Thanksgiving is always on the fourth Thursday in November and every American spends the time with their families and a lot now choose to spend the time in Florida. This always means the last week in November brings busier parks and longer queues for... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/ding-darling-national-wildlife-refuge.aspx If you chose which wildlife parks to visit based on how cute the name sounds then Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge would be one of your first stops. However, alliteration is not the only reason to visit Ding Darling; this refuge boasts a spectacular array of animals in one of the most beautiful locations in Florida. Situated on the island of Sanibel in the Gulf of Mexico (close to Fort Myers) you are guaranteed spectacular sights anytime of the year. There are two key parts to Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, a visitors/educational centre and the actual wildlife refuge itself. The visitors centre is free to visit, which is always a bonus, but it’s not worth a trip to Sanibel just to visit this education centre. Fortunately, it only cost five bucks to get into the refuge. The five dollars permits you to take your car and drive around the refuge. A car is not necessary, as you can just hike around the reserve, though I wouldn’t recommend this as the reserve does cover a large area so havi... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/seasons-in-florida.aspx It has long been assumed that Florida is one long summer, but that is no longer true. Although it is a tropical region (remember it is not very far from the Caribbean and only a short boat trip from Hawaii and The Bahamas) it has gone through quite a change in recent years. For several years now they have experienced seasons and unpredictable changes. Not so long ago most of the rain they had came in the hurricane season, which runs from June through to September and only rarely at other times, but now it can rain at any time. Also the hurricane season has moved up to July through to October. This year they had 2 weeks of solid rain in October, which is unheard of. Normally Florida suffers from quite severe water shortage, which is why they stopped automatically putting a pitcher of water on every table in the restaurants and limited the days when owners could use their sprinklers. However, this year they have made up a great deal of water in the lakes and reservoirs. We have bee... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/kelly-park.aspx We try to do something new each time we visit Florida and Kelly park had been recommended to us so on a beautiful day in May we decided to visit. It was outside the school holidays so it was relatively quiet which was good for us as we had no kids with us! The park is located at Apopka and is well sign posted and easy to find. We stopped at one of the roadside shops to hire inflatable tyres which cost $5 each, when we got there we realised that any one of the inflatables we had in our pool, even the foam ‘spaghetti’ floats would have done just as a good a job . There’s plenty of parking and a building with a café and changing facilities. We had gone prepared with fold up chairs, cool box with plenty of drinks and sandals to wear in the river. We didn’t really know what to expect, although we had read about it, it wasn’t what we imagined, it was better. The river runs through the state park and is very clear and slow and meanders through the trees. We took our floats to the point t... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/santa-fe-steak-restaurant.aspx Having often seen it from a distance on our many shopping trips to Walmart and after hearing good reviews we decided to finally try The Santa Fe Cattle Company Restaurant ourselves. br / br / We visited the one on the US27 in Clermont, just up the road from the Walmart Super Center on the right. br / br / The exterior of the restaurant is authentically decorated to look like a Texan ranch, complete with a life size bull to welcome visitors at the door. The Texan theme is carried on throughout the restaurant and we had great fun looking around and spotting all the decorations. br / br / Despite it being the busy Easter period, we only had to wait ten minutes for a table for four. We were shown to our table, where the children were delighted to find a huge bucket of roasted peanuts in the shell, and even better were invited to throw the shells on the floor. I felt quite sorry for whoever has to clean the floor at the end of the night, as by the time we arrived, it wa... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/a-relaxing-coach-safari-through-forever-florida.aspx The tour, lasting approximately two hours, will take you into the four-thousand acre Forever Florida wildlife conservation area. The actual coach tour lasts 90 minutes as there is a video beforehand which explains how Forever Florida came about. The site features nine different Florida ecosystems and numerous flora and fauna including alligators, black bears, black panther, wild boars and almost two hundred varieties of birds. However, you are very unlikely to come across the bears and the panther during your visit! These special open air safari coaches are elevated five feet off the ground, which enables you to obtain great views of the surrounding area. Your guide will be able to get you up close to everything as you travel over land and through water. Make sure you have your cameras at the ready as you never know when you are going to come across the animals. All through the tour our informative guide and driver provided a commentary about our encounters with the wildlif... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/flying-fish-cafe-restaurant.aspx The Flying Fish Cafe is located at Disney’s Boardwalk. As its name suggests the emphasis is on seafood but there are also plenty of meat dishes from which to choose including chicken and beef and also vegetarian meals. Depending on where you are seated within the restaurant you will be able to watch the chefs preparing your meals in their show kitchen. If you wish to be seated by the ‘on stage kitchen’ you must request this at the podium. This also applies if you would like a window seat. The Flying Fish is dimly lit which makes it perfect for a romantic meal for two although on the evening we visited there were plenty of families present also. However, all the children were well behaved so it did not spoil our meal. The menu changes often, with major changes each season. To give you an example the Flying Fish Signature dish was Potato-wrapped Red Snapper, served with cream leek fondue and red wine butter sauce. At $34, not a cheap option but it looked delicious and i... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/jaws-at-universal-studios.aspx If you have seen the film ‘Jaws’, and in all honesty who hasn’t, you will want to take this ride if only to see how the film has been adapted into a theme park attraction. Jaws is a five minute water ride, so if you don’t want to get wet you might want to give this one a miss. However, getting wet is all part of the fun and it’s not as if you will get a soaking on this attraction as it all depends in which part of the boat you are seated. If you want to add an extra spark of excitement, take the ride in the dark! The attraction begins with a leisurely boat ride around the harbour in the small New England village of Amity. It is not long before you are told that there is a great white shark in the waters around you. As you turn the corner you see a sinking tour boat on your left, could that be the same boat we saw leaving just as we were boarding our own boat? This is when the adrenaline kicks in, as you are not sure when or where the shark is going to attack. If you h... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/celebration-a-good-afternoon-out.aspx The town of Celebration (on Highway 192 near the Disney turn off) was built originally as Walt Disney’s ideal of a modern suburb. It is supposed to be kept as litter free and clean as it is possible to get and all the homeowners have strict rules to which they must adhere, like keeping their lawns immaculate, keeping exteriors of houses perfectly painted and most residents use electric cars to go around the small town. They have their own huge hospital (open to non residents as well) and all the usual amenities, bank, post office etc. But for tourists, it is a fascinating town for a quiet al fresco lunch, European style and a stroll round the shops. The shops are all very exclusive, hence expensive, but not so over the top that you would not buy anything. The many gift shops sell wonderful souvenirs and gifts. Apart from the gift shops there are speciality shops: the fabulous doll shop – strictly for little girls, the sweet shop, the dog accessory shop and the baby wear shop. The... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/osborne-lights.aspx These spectacular lights are shown at Hollywood Studios from around the first week in November through the holiday season. With no extra charge on your park ticket, it is so worth staying to see them light up and dance in the dark. You would be forgiven for thinking that they must just be some fancy lights put up for the festive time, as Disney do so well with all their decorations you expect nothing less. WOW is all I can tell you. Spectacular is the right word for these amazing Osborne lights. The minute we walked up the street to the Boulevard entrance (by the backlot) you could feel the atmosphere and are dazzled by all the glittering lights. There are thousands of them all different colours, you just stand in awe of it all, there is even a hidden Mickey head to be seen on the huge Christmas tree all made out of lights. The toy soldiers stand so tall and bright, flying Angels circle above, Santa and his reindeer, wonderful coloured wreaths and more. Then as you stand looki... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/applebees.aspx On a recent trip to our villa on Highlands Reserve, we were delighted to see the opening of an Applebee’s restaurant at next door Berry Town Centre. The moment we walked in we were impressed with the relaxed atmosphere and the friendly staff. We opted to have a drink at the bar while our table was prepared. The theme of the place is American sports and several large TVs were showing a US football game. There seemed to be quite a lot of people just there for a drink and to watch the game. Drinks are certainly good value as there is an ongoing 2 for 1 deal on beers, wines, spirits and some cocktails… all day, every day! We chose an ice cold beer from a large choice and by the time we had taken a look at the menu we were invited to take our seats. Seating is either in booths, standard tables or counter type tables with tall stools. Again our friendly waitress quickly greeted us and gave us advice on our order. “Don’t order an appetizer each”, she recommended “You’l... http://www.orlandovillarentals.com/orlando_guide/mickeys-rsquo-not-so-scary-halloween-rsquo-magic-kingdom.aspx Around Oct time each Year Mickey Mouse throws a large Not-so-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom. For an extra admission fee (not covered by your Hopper pass) you can go into Magic Kingdom at night and ride the rides, meet Mickey and his friends and then watch the Boo to you Halloween parade. At first I must say I was very sceptical and thought it would be a waste of money, however I could not have been further from the truth. One thing Disney does better than any park is they fully immerse everyone in the theme and walking around the park at night you do get a much different experience than going during the day. All staff are dressed in Halloween fancy dress and almost everywhere you look children are carrying buckets of sweets and candy! All the rides are open extra late on Halloween nights and we found the queues very short indeed. This is ideal if you don’t want to go when the queues are very big (during break time). Most of the rides or attractions you can get straight o...