NYC & Florida Aug/Sep 14! Day 12 - Airboat Ride & Arriving in Miami

[Lolly90]

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Tuesday 9th September 2014

It was our last morning in Orlando, so we made sure we had everything packed and loaded up the car.

Our airboat ride was at 10am, so we decided we’d head there first and eat afterwards. We handed back our car pass to security and were on our way. The drive was very simple and didn’t take too long. We had picked up an insect spray from Target earlier the week so sprayed this liberally on ourselves. We both really didn’t want to get bit after the other day on the hot air balloon, so we didn’t take any chances.

Captain Harold had just got a new boat and was testing this out, so we waited a little while for him to bring this back. We were the first people to try out the new boat, so that was exciting and there was only the 2 of us plus the guides. We put on the provided earphones and were off. They slowly took us down the canal before making our way into the Everglades. Once we had arrived here the boat is able to go much faster.

They were both really nice guides and tried so hard to find some alligators for us to see and kept us out there longer than planned. Unfortunately we only found some baby ones, that were very cute but we did see lots of birds and other wildlife. The actual ride itself was good enough for me; it was a great experience speeding across the water. We also had plenty of chances to ask questions, they were both very knowledgeable about the area. The only issue had been with the grasshoppers, they kept jumping up at our legs. We got our picture taken on the boat and after over an hour in the Everglades we were taken back to the dock.

We were really happy with the experience and would recommend Spirit of the Swamp; they were all really friendly and helpful. At this point we were both starving so had to find somewhere to get food before making our way to Miami. We spotted a Wendy’s back on the main road, so this is where we headed. Haven’t missed out on this in New York, we were happy to be having it now. We both got burgers and fries to takeaway, as we had all our luggage in the car we decided to eat it there.

After this we were on our way to Miami, we took the Florida Turnpike down, which was quick and easy. We stopped halfway at a service station for a drink and reached Miami in just under 4 hours. We drove in through downtown Miami, which was pretty cool seeing all of the tall buildings. This was quite a contrast to Miami Beach.

We decided to head to the hotel first and check-in. First impressions were very good; it’s an art deco style building, with a rooftop pool and an historic Tiffany spire. The room was quite small and we didn’t have a view but it was clean and good enough for us.

Once we checked in we went to drop off the car at Alamo. We were staying quite far South in Miami Beach and the car drop off point was further North. We dropped the car off with no issues and decided to get a cab back to the hotel rather than walking in the heat.

Back at the hotel we decided to have a wander up to the roof top pool; this area was so lovely and really quiet. We each got a cocktail and sat near the bar to drink these, just enjoying the views in peace.

After this we headed back to the room, unpacked the few bits we would need over the next two days and got ready for the evening. Before dinner we headed down to the beach for our first look, just as the sun had started to set.

Then we were on our way to Johnny Rockets, which was just a short walk from our hotel. I didn’t get a picture of the food, not sure what happened there but we both had cheeseburgers and fries with lemonade.

This was nice, just a standard burger and fries but the diner style of the restaurant is cool. We’d hadn’t been there before, so always good to try somewhere new. We finished the evening enjoying a few cocktails in the hotel bar before heading to bed

Next: Day 13 – Relaxing Day in Miami

[abiknox]

Miami looks lovely

[collybird]

Miami looks great, excited to hear what you get up to there.

[Lolly90]

Originally Posted by abiknox

Miami looks lovely

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It was a lot nicer than we expected, we heard a lot of negative things before we left.

Originally Posted by collybird

Miami looks great, excited to hear what you get up to there.

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I really enjoyed it, wish we had more time there or weren't so tired