October 2014
Miami.
Oh Miami how fabulous you were. Mid October and absolutely scorching.
We didn’t want to do things by halves when visiting Miami, so we splashed out on one of the top hotels in South Beach, Vintro Hotel & Kitchen. In one word this hotel is outstanding. The roof top terrace was literally something else – read the full review here. At the time of booking our trip, Vintro was #1 on TripAdvisor, but has since dropped to #3 which is a shame as this hotel definitely deserves the top spot.
There is plenty to keep a young couple entertained in South Beach, and we wished we had extended our stay a little longer as there was just so much to experience.
Miami Beach Boardwalk.
One of our favourite memories in Miami was renting bikes and cycling down the famous boardwalk. We rented bikes rather than use the hotel’s as I was paranoid about a.) the bikes getting stolen b.) losing them when we went to the beach c.) damaging them if we fell off – which I almost did (several times)!
Both of us had not ridden a bike since we were teenagers, so it took some getting to used to at first! But when we got the hang of it we were on our way, and what a wonderful way to view the city it was!
The Beach.
Our hotel had a private section of the beach, so we spent an entire morning catching some rays on our second day. The wide and fine, white sand-covered beaches are popular spots for fashion photo shoots and celebrities, so we enjoyed some people watching whilst lazing on our sun loungers. The sea was so clear and blue – though not warm enough for a dip in October!
Art Deco District.
The Art Deco District is an area of South Beach noted for its concentration of over 800 Art Deco buildings – all within one square mile. Collins Avenue and Ocean Drive are the most popular spots, famous for their architectural brilliance and history. Here is the actual staircase featured in the film Scarface after the horrific famous chainsaw massacre scene.
At night this area comes alive with neon lights and the hustle and bustle from the numerous bars and restaurants that Miami beach has to offer. We had so many amazing meals in Miami, it was refreshing to try family owned establishments rather than the same old restaurant franchises that we have in Texas.
Miami, you were unforgettable.
Until next time… Zena and Chris xoxo
Florida.
Apologies for the lack of posts on this blog recently, after our trip to Florida we have been busy in the run up to our first Thanks Giving and Christmas in Texas (new posts to follow).
In October we fulfilled my childhood dream of visiting Orlando. I begged my parents every year to take me but they never did (sob), so at age 26 it was time to unleash my inner child.
We were a little concerned about how the weather was going to hold up during our trip BUT we were pleasantly surprised and I have since recommended to my friends that they should go to Florida in October. The weather was warm (not too hot), no rain (though I am sure we were just lucky with that one) and most importantly the parks were VERY quiet as we went during school time, which meant we hardly had to wait for rides which would take hours if we visited in the peak season.
Taking advantage of the fact that we were visiting in school time, we managed to power through two parks a day! This spared up some time for lots of shopping in Orlando’s fabulous malls,outlets and mini golf – because mini golf is amazing out here!
Disney World Parks.
The Magic Kingdom.
This park is literally magical. As soon as you enter, Cinderella’s castle stands majestically at the end of Disney’s famous Main Street. I was lost for words seeing this in its true form, and I made Chris take lots and lots of photos at all angles ha ha!
The Magic Kingdom is understandably aimed at a younger audience as there were no white knuckle rides here. However, adults can relive their favourite Disney films, meet the characters and sing along to the famous tunes; it was all very nostalgic for me. Despite there being no crazy rides here, Splash Mountain and Space Mountain were lots of fun!
The biggest attraction here is the Dreams Come True Parade and Wishes Nighttime Spectacular firework display. Though we wish we grabbed a good viewing spot early as we struggled to see amongst the crowds – still very impressive though!
Epcot.
Epcot is the second of four theme parks built at Walt Disney World and is all about the celebration of human achievement, namely technological innovation and international culture. Again, this park does not have any crazy rides, but the Mission Space ride almost made us both puke! This ride encompasses NASA-style training in a simulator setting. Space cadets can choose between intense or moderate training levels, and we thinking we are tough thought we would be fine… NO. The intense experience uses a centrifuge that spins and tilts to simulate G-force speed during launch and re-entry…I thought my skin was going to fall off my face 🙂
In the World Showcase area, an international food festival was taking place. This was so much fun seeing, and smelling all the different foods and beverages being prepared from all over the globe.
Animal Kingdom.
One of the largest animal parks in the world, Animal Kingdom did not disappoint. The safari was one of our favourite attractions which surprised us as we didn’t know what to expect. It actually felt like we were on safari in Africa, getting up close and personal with the elephants, giraffes, gators and much more.
Expedition Everest was the best ride at this park. What an amazing and unpredictable ride this was! We journeyed through the Himalayan mountains on a speeding train while avoiding the clutches of a Yeti.
Small world but we also bumped into my aunt and cousins at this park!! Family reunion in an Animal Kingdom.
Hollywood Studios.
Movie magic comes alive at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The most popular rides here are Aerosmith’s Rock ‘in’ Roller Coaster which sets off at an eye-watering 60 mph and The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror which plummets you 13 stories down a haunted hotel.
Here are our frozen faces on the Rock ‘in’ Roller Coaster as soon as the ride shoots us up.
Universal.
The Universal resort is divided into two themeparks, Universal Studios and Universal Islands of Adventure. These were both our favourite theme parks as these are more aimed at the adult thrill seekers.
Universal Studios.
Universal Hollywood Studios features are composed of themed areas and attractions based on the film industry. We loved The Simpsons Springfield area and we even devoured some donuts at Lard Lad (just like Homer!). This themepark is home to Chris’s favourite ride, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket. This is probably the scariest ride I’ve ever been on and I doubt I would do it again (ha!). You start climbing straight up (vertically) and a moment later, you’re screaming at 65 mph, 17 stories over Universal Studios – terrifying!
Universal Islands of Adventure.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure is a theme park composed of seven distinct “islands” that are themed to various forms of adventures. Visitors make their way through Marvel Super Hero Island, Toon Lagoon, Jurassic Park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, The Lost Continent, and Seuss Landing. Everything about this park was amazing but my favourite ride here was The Incredible Hulk Coaster. As the name suggests, this ride is based on the Marvel comic book and features a launched lift hill (as opposed to a conventional chain lift or horizontal launch track) and accelerates to 40 mph in approximately two seconds – loved, loved, loved it!
Mini Golf.
I can’t finish this post until I mention the amazing crazy golf they have in Orlando. Pirates Cove was magnificent and Congo River was great fun and we even fed some baby alligators after our round! Being quite the budding golfers we played every course at each location.
After our very busy trip in Florida, our next stop was Miami…post to follow!
Zena and Chris xoxo
zena and chris take texas. 