Having just spent 15 wonderful days in Florida, I have decided to share my thoughts with you all. For the first 7 days I stayed in an apartment located in town called Bradenton, near Tampa and the other 8 in a wonderful 7 bedroom villa in Kissimmee. I am pleased to report that the weather was fantastic, most days the temperature reached the 85 mark and fortunately no hurricanes!! The people warm, welcoming and friendly. Upon arrival at Orlando International Airport, after a long but enjoyable flight, we were processed through security quickly and were able to collect the hire car just 45 minutes after landing.
Driving around Florida wasn't as terrifying as I originally thought. If anything it was a pleasure. All the roads were smooth and un-congested, and the huge Jeep that we had was relatively cheap to run, with the price of unleaded being only €3.60 per gallon at the moment.
Before I left the UK for Florida I was aware that the living costs in Florida had increased, but I can safely say that the cost of living over in America is still around half (if not less for something’s) of what we currently pay in the UK. Now if I buy anything in the UK, I feel as if I'm being ripped off!! All three of us would eat out every night for around $35.00 (not including tip, this is normally around 5%). This still worked out to be around £20.00 for a meal including drinks. Eating out proved to be cheaper than buying food from the supermarkets (which were a day trip alone!) and cooking for yourself. I am beginning to see why more and more retired people are buying a property of property in Florida. You could live very comfortably over there on a reasonable pension.
The first week was spent exploring beaches, sunbathing and shopping (my partner and daughter soon realised this was going to become a regular occurrence!!). The beaches were an unexpected surprise. I only hear about the theme parks when I see vacations about Florida being advertised, and yet they are nothing short of stunning. Many of the beaches were nearly empty with beautiful white sands and blue oceans, but they still had life guards. Much of my time was spent face down in the sea looking at all the fish and other see creatures. My favourite moment was seeing Manatees in their natural habitat (a rare occurrence).The sting rays on the other hand.......
After a week of sun and sand it was time to move onto Kissimmee. Kissimmee was around an hour and a half’s drive from Bradenton. We had decided to rent a large 7 bedroom detached villa as it worked out cheaper than renting a 3 bed. We also had the luxury of a 30ft large private pool. The inside of the villa was wonderful, with 2 dining rooms, 2 sitting rooms, 5 bathrooms 7 bedrooms all tastefully decorated. I did make one rule...after the bedrooms had been allocated; the doors would be shut on the remaining rooms, keeping the cleaning that I would have to do to an absolute minimum! Even though there were only 3 of us staying within the villa, you didn't feel as if you were rattling around, and air-conditioning is an absolute must!! Our air-conditioning broke for one night and it was un-bearable! The agents we rented the villa from were fantastic and it was fixed as soon as we phoned the next day. The villa was set within a large gated community. The development even had its own on site security guard, who spent his days talking to residents and being a help when needed.
Of course being in Kissimmee meant that we were only a 15 minute drive from the parks. We decided to go to Universal, Islands of Adventure and Disney. Universal was a favourite of mine and my partners however my daughter (who turned 8 years old when we were out there) was not so sure. She preferred Disney and Islands of Adventure, especially the Dr Seuss rides, which having been on the all, numerous times, I can quite safely say I still don't understand any of the stories! I would recommend shopping around for tickets prior to travelling as they would be a lot cheaper than paying on the gate.
One thing that was becoming more and more apparent the more we more we explored Florida was the amount of property for sale, and the prices! The 3 properties opposite our own villa were either for sale or rent. I even spotted a beach front villa, with private beach and mooring for sale for only $450,000!
I would recommend Florida as a destination for everyone...retired, family and couples. You can stay in Florida for 3 months without a visa, so it’s perfect for a long vacation. Even the 9 hour flight didn't deter me ( to be precise it was 8 hours 45 mins on the way out and 7 hours on the way back). I would recommend having your own car; this will give you the freedom to explore Florida at its best. I would also say that a map is an absolute must. Myself and my partner had many 'adventures' the first week without one!!
I will be returning there next year, but maybe for 3 weeks this time. There's definitely more I would like to see and do.
So now I have returned to the UK with a thump. The thump being that it took nearly 3 hours to get out of Gatwick, that I will now be paying a ludicrous amount of money for my food, fuel and other expenses. Not only that, it is cold, damp and depressing!
We do have a wide range of property for sale in Florida. If you can't find what you’re looking for please feel free to contact us.
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Type of Article: Local Information in Florida
Other Categories: apartment property florida in Florida, condo property florida in Florida, Property Florida in Florida, villa property florida in Florida
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Location: Property in Florida, Property in United States
Other Categories: apartment property florida property, condo property florida property, Property Florida property, villa property florida property
Other Categories: apartment property florida property, condo property florida property, Property Florida property, villa property florida property
Other Categories: apartment property florida property, condo property florida property, Property Florida property, villa property florida property
Other Categories: apartment property florida property, condo property florida property, Property Florida property, villa property florida property