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Temperature at home? Cold! Weather wet ,windy, miserable and generally unpleasant! It has been for weeks. The winter shadows begin to fall away at the airport, the feel good factor kicks in. The holiday begins here.
A restful and enjoyable 767 flight –this time with Delta Airlines, via their excellent hub at Atlanta, Georgia, and onward - to MCO. Brilliant views from the plane…bright sunshine and plenty of snow on the mountains over Labrador and Quebec; the lakeside waters at Toronto still frozen solid; moving south the first signs of a thaw near Cleveland along the southern edge of Lake Erie, announcing the welcoming warmer weather to come further south. The changing and varied scenery of Ohio, Virginia, Georgia an unforgettable sight. The forested southern end of the Appalachian Mountains , the approach into Atlanta with its superb view of high rise downtown.
Central Florida is a mere 50 minute hop by 737 from Atlanta. Orlando International (MCO) is a favourite at this time of year. Busy, bustling, efficient but it is not overcrowded. Baggage reclaim is easy to negotiate, Dollar car hire is hassle free, but most importantly the major roads are high quality, swift, not overloaded with traffic. A big plus is the south exit which brings the Disney Resort areas within 25 minutes via the Central Florida Greeneway (the 417 toll road…its cheap and very quiet even in the daytime…from the airport to the Interstate 4 highway intersection the total cost is $2.50c ! A bargain !)
The villa is located on the Southern Dunes Golf and Country Club gated estate -one of many high class recent developments- just off US 27 north of Haines City. It provides a great base for the Disney Florida Resorts, but for those with other interests it is very centrally placed ..a fine base for exploring central Florida : Kennedy Space Centre to the East , Tampa, St.Pete’s, Sarasota to the west. For the shoppers Walmart is right next door for the everyday needs….and there are numerous ‘outlets’ within easy reach for those hunting for bargains. Famous named goods at extraordinarily reasonable prices attract people into Prime Outlets (was Belz), Premium Outlets,and Buena Vista Outlet, to name but a few. All are alongside the I4 highway.
The weather at this time of year ( February-March) is benign. Its great to wake up to sunshine which mostly lasts the whole day.The temperature is in the 70’s and ventures into the low 80’s.Its dry. By contrast in the summer it can be oppressively hot and humid, with daily thunderstorms, and later in the year there is the hurricane season.
Getting up and having a dip in the pool each morning is special.Sit outdoors and enjoy reading a good book. Eating out is a real pleasure : inexpensive,with a range of different style eateries on offer close by. AND the portions…GENEROUS, FILLING are just two adjectives that come to mind!!! Try Manny's Chophouse and see what I mean. For the golfer the area is pure magic. It is peak season..many of the players are drawn from abroad, including ‘snowbirds’ down for the winter from colder northern parts of the US and Canada.
Golf courses to suit all pockets ( $ 107 for 18 holes was the top price we found locally in March 2006 : the lowest $20! Amazing value this last figure..18 holes and it included a golf cart too! Plus a delightful rural setting with trees and lakes to negotiate as well as ‘livestock’…turtles, racoons, alligators, which were more interested in a place in the sun rather than chasing golfers. They were allowed to keep any balls which landed near them!)
Florida in Springtime IS Florida at its best !! |
