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HELPFUL TIPS
The journey out Flights & Car Hire Holiday Insurance Theme Parks Shopping
Eating Out Golf Courses Money Saving Tips
To help avoid fatigue, have you considered travelling down to your departure airport the night before your flight?
There are many options such as on site airport and locally associated hotels, local bed & breakfasts, travel lodges etc;
Flights to Florida - Orlando in particular - are now available from many airlines in many options.
Costs for Direct flights to Orlando International or Sanford Airports can vary depending on the time of year and the airline you choose. Indirect flights are generally slightly cheaper and although it can make the travelling time longer on the occasions we have used them, we have not had any bad experiences. Scheduled flights normally cost a little more than charter flights, however you do get better seats, entertainment and free drinks. Scheduled flights fly into Orlando International and Charter flights fly into Sanford.
Indirect flights - flights with at least one stop between the UK and the destination (Orlando) - are usually good value and don't be put off by the thought of a stop-over. Connecting flights are usually scheduled for departure approximately 2 or so hours after landing. Much of this time will be taken up with imigration and will pass quite quickly. You then travel on to Orlando on an internal flight and with no immigration to go through at Orlando you clear the airport much quicker.
Car Hire rates vary depending on the type of vehicle required and how many drivers etc. for larger groups, upgrading to a 7,8 or 9 seat people carrier rather than 2 separate cars may be a good idea as is the 'gold cover' option which gives you additional driver(s) and a full tank of petrol. You can return the vehicle empty, so there's no chasing around on the last day to fill up. All hire cars in Florida are automatic and have aircon - a necessity.
We have found a company called 'Charter Travel' very good and helpful on both airfares and car hire rates. They state that all airfares to the USA are heavily discounted and although on occasions they are not the cheapest, generally we find they provide great value and because we recommend many guests we find they offer excellent rates. Don't forget to mention our names.
Holiday Insurance is essential for anyone travelling abroad. It gives you peace of mind to enjoy your holiday knowing that you and your family are covered for any unforeseen cancellations, losses, accidents or illness. Should you require it, we have arranged a special discount for you with our preferred supplier 'Gold Cover Travel Insurance'. We use an annual policy which covers us for all of our trips away be they abroad or just a weekend away in this country and is excellent value, especially when you consider the comprehensive cover for health, belongings, cancellation etc. We feel this is excellent value. To obtain a quote, either go to www.gibling.goldcover.net or alternatively telephone 01892 559 530 and quote S & J Gibling.
In the Orlando area there are countless Theme Parks, Water Parks and attractions. Follows are a selection of names, some you may recognise and others you may not.
Disney World containing: Magic Kingdom * Epcot * MGM Studios * Animal Kingdom * Downtown Disney * The World of Sport * Typhoon Lagoon * Blizzard Beach * The Boardwalk *
Many others such as: Universal Studios * Islands of Adventures * Sea World * Discovery Cove * Wet and Wild * Busch Gardens * Gatorland *
Other Days Out and excursions include: *Kennedy Space Centre * The Titanic Exhibition to name but a few.
There are attractions everywhere. We all know the main well known, well publicised Theme Parks such as Disney World, Sea World, Universal and Busch Gardens. But there are many others, smaller but equally as good such as Gatorland and an air boat ride.
On our page titled Attractions there are links to numerous Attractions web sites
For the shop'a'holic Florida is a paradise. Shops are everywhere. On the side of every road you will see 'Outlets' for Nike and many other well known brand names. Huge stores with everything from fishing rods to golf clubs are all around. And the Malls are everywhere. In them you get great value and a huge selection of different stores.
With our villas being situated on Hampton Lakes which is on highway 27, they are ideally situated. There are several Publix supermarkets, Pharmacies, Wallmarts, and Petrol stations at which you can easily obtain food, drinks and other provisions as well as the odd present or souvenir.
A statistic is that on average everyone in America eats at least one meal in a Restaurant every day. Once you get there you will see why. Restaurants are everywhere.
RESTAURANTS
Favourite restaurants are many, so we will name just a few to help you grow out of those holiday clothes!
Olive Garden – Lake Buena Vista, Sandlake Road opposite Florida Mall entrance. There is also one on the 192. Casual Italian – as much salad and as many breadsticks as you can eat as long as you order an Entrée.
192 West near the DEMIM shop/Goodings Plaza entrance
Carrabas – Casual Italian
Gordianos – Italian and very very large pizzas
Outback – Australian theme steak house – as much bread as you can eat with your meal – try cheese fries but you may need to share, as you will if you try the 'Blooming Onion'.
192 West near Old Town
Ruby Tuesdays – Great for Ribs, Steaks and Burgers
There are other numerous other low cost restaurants too many to name.
There are also many fast food places not far from the Highway 27/192 Junction including Pizza Hut, McDonalds etc. On the interstate 4 West/Highway 27 intersection you have The Waffle House, Wendys, New York Pizza and Bob Evans and more.
BRITISH STYLE PUBS
There are a number of the above located on the 192, the closest of which is the Stage Door British Pub and situated less than 1 mile from the junction of the 192 and highway 27. They serve a good selection of both local and British beers as well as providing good value home cooked British food. To see more about the 'Stage Door British Pub' go to our Links page
Alternatively, if you would like a quiet night in, you can order a takeaway and they will deliver to your villa.
7. Golf Courses:
In Florida you could play a different course every day for 3 years! Then it would take you another couple of months to play the new ones currently being constructed. Yes, Florida is a golfers paradise. Within a 30 minute drive of the villas there are dozens of courses of the highest quality. The closest is just a couple of hundred metres away at Highland Reserve. We can offer advice on courses and costs. To find out more follow the link above or contact us at home.
Make a point to pick up a discount booklet. There are many varied booklets and they are available from most supermarkets, many souvenir shops, and all shopping plazas and malls. In them you will find money off vouchers for restaurants, attractions and shops. In restaurants we recommend a tip of perhaps 10% to 15%. The savings made by using a voucher is normally 10% or a free course. The voucher simply covers most if not all of the tip. The saving on entrance to attactions can be as little as $2 or as much as $10 or more per person. Many also give addresses and directions so they are extremely handy to keep in the car.
Spending one, two or more weeks away from home can be expensive. Eating out is reasonably priced however paying for the family and/or group to eat breakfast, lunch and dinner every day will add up. Our villas have fully equipped kitchens with everything from a coffee maker to a dishwasher. There are several supermarkets within a few minutes of the villas which stock everything you would ever need. The goods available are very similar to the UK, so buy your breakfast foods there. Cereal, milk, coffee, bread etc are all there (perhaps you may want to take your own favourite brand of tea, as much of the local stuff would take two or three months to brew!!).
Look out for the 'all you can eat' restaurants. If you are having a late start and not planning to get to an attraction until say lunch time, try one of the restaurants that offer a breakfast menu. These are extremely good value and costs are only $4 or $5. For this you really can eat all you can! Start with cereal, move on to the fry-up, then all the breads and toasts with cheese, ham, preserves, try the pancakes with maple syrup, refresh your pallets with fruit and then (if you're up to it) start again!!! Treat it as a brunch it will last you the day and save you money on eating in the parks, which can be a little expensive.
If you are staying for two weeks then take enough clothes to last one week. The villas are fully equipped with easy to use washing machines and tumble dryers so you can keep your existing clothes fresh and clean. You will be doing some shopping for clothes so why not wear what you buy. Clothes are cheap in Florida and by leaving space in your case on the way out you will have space to bring back what you buy.