Florida in January


Florida in January (DCA-TPA-DCA 18th - 20th)
With these frigid temperatures in the DC area and as we wait on our companion pass, we jetted south for a quick beach trip and found roundtrip flights for about 4000 points.  Win! We flew out of National on Southwest at 3pm on Thursday and got to Tampa a little after 5pm. We rented a car for 2 full days for about $200 with unlimited mileage and tolls included and best of all we picked up and dropped it off at the airport which saves on time and is super convenient. 
Once we got on the road, we drove 2 hours south to Fort Myers.  We stayed at a Red Roof Inn right on the water.  This was my first time at a Red Roof Inn and I wouldn’t recommend it for a long stay but for one night it was super convenient, clean, and affordable for the beautiful view.  After checking in we went across the street to eat dinner at Sabor de Mexico Restaurant.  It had only been open for a few days but had great reviews so far.  We enjoyed the food.  They are still working out some kinks but the food was worth waiting for.  We made a quick stop next door at a cute little ice-cream shop for water and they had the most amazing collection of train memorabilia.  Best part was the train that was going round and round up above near the ceiling on floating tracks.  Super cool! 
After checking out of the Inn, we grabbed some Dunkin and headed directly to Ft. Myers Beach.  We went to the beach but it was a bit chilly and definitely NOT beach weather.  Florida had a cold front making its way through the state.  But it was better than DC freezing weather, that’s for sure.  The beach was very nice too.  The sand was almost like that of Siesta Key only with more shells. It was so lovely eating our breakfast on the beach and enjoying the view.
We headed south some more and went to Bonita Beach.  That was also very “Bonita”!  By now it had warmed up some but it was still not beach weather.  On our way to Bonita Beach we found a doggie beach and park.  We stopped to check it out and came to the conclusion that Miss Diva would enjoy it but would not be happy with the mud on her paws.  One day we hope to bring her along and see.
We started making our way back north to Downtown Ft. Myers to visit the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  WOW!!!  I’m a total history buff and really enjoy these types of interactive museums.  Although the entrance was a bit hard to find, once we did it was all gravy.  We did our own audio tour where you enter the number of the location found on the map and along the walkways and hold a wand to your ear to hear the dialogue.  We thoroughly enjoyed walking around the grounds and looking at all the different flowers, trees and rooms in the homes.  An interesting fact, Edison built the first swimming pool in Florida on his estate and invented the Edison’s water system to filter the water.  Also, we were told that over 100 trees were lost on the grounds this past year due to Irma and as we drove around we could still see some homes, fences, and trees damaged. 
After we walked over to the Edison Marina at the end of the property and enjoyed great food and drinks at the Pinchers Restaurant.  Kevin had wings and fries and I feasted on clams, shrimp, and a dozen raw oysters.  Yum!
We then drove north up the coast about an hour to Siesta Key and checked into the Siesta Key Resort.  We got settled, washed up, and then headed out for a stroll on Ocean Boulevard.  We had a lovely dinner at Gilligan’s Island bar and grill and after stuck around for some live music before returning to the room. 
Saturday morning after checking out, we walked up to the Village Café on Ocean Boulevard for some awesome breakfast.  Afterwards we walked onto the beach and went for a long walk down the beach the main entrance, over a mile walk.  We searched for treasures along the way and I found a number of sea dollars and shells.  It was a lovely time.  Only 65-68 degrees on Saturday and the water was 58 degrees so it was still quite chilly for Florida but we thoroughly enjoyed it. 
Finally, we drove back up to Tampa and visited Ybor City.  Our neighbor Michelle highly recommended it and it was awesome!  It was a lot like NOLA but in Florida; cobblestone streets, street cars, European architecture, and plenty of cool eateries.  We strolled down 7th Street and visited a few shops.   We ate dinner at a great spot on the main street with a garage door table that made for great people and cool car watching.  After gassing up, we returning it to the airport (15 minutes away) and checking in for our 6:45pm flight home.  What a wonderful little getaway on a budget!


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