FMD Day 7 Anna Maria Island Robinsons Preserve

[Alyson]

Anna Maria Island Thursday 6th September

Weather a bit of a mixed bag!

We sleep until 7am! it's a very cloudy start and I’m happy with the this the sun has been relentless and having all the blinds open hasn't happened often what’s the point of a million dollar view if you have to have the blinds down all the time! Because the air con is in need of a service :angry:

After pottering, doing a bit of packing and enjoying the breeze on the balcony along with coffee juice and cereal we make plans to cycle out to a bike trail around a mangrove looking area that we passed yesterday on our way to Palma Sola

Whilst planning a rain storm whips up the sky goes black and the rain pours down, very very cool to watch it only delays us by about 20 minutes or so




Covered in sun cream, mosquito repellent and with lots of water we set off up Manatee Avenue for a couple of miles until we reach the turn off for Winston Tract which leads onto Robinsons Preserve a 487 acre site with various trails around the park lots of lovely views and wildlife including gators also a three storey observation tower.




We spend a good couple of hours cycling round the various routes stopping to look at the birds and millions of little crabs that are everywhere, some even crossing the bike track, luckily I don’t think I squished any!




We don’t see gators but we here a few sliding into the water when they hear our bikes stopping, which prompts me to not stop any where for very long




There are no loos except for near a big blue house signposted 17th Avenue (I think) and nowhere to buy food or drinks so you really need to be a good boy / girl scout and be prepared!

After visiting the loos we took a wrong turn and ended up adding about an extra 5 miles on our route home, luckily I had taken my iphone so we turned the data roaming on to get a fix on where we were and where to go next, it was no big deal, it just saved an argument and saved us getting even more of track! By the way when I put my phone in my bag I was mocked by my husband ''why do you need that'' soon he was eating his words though

The sun is beating down and I can feel bits of me slowly cooking

10 miles later we were near home, there is a burger bar near the condo called Skinnys but like many places on the Island its closed, it would seem many local restaurateurs take vacations straight after the Labor day weekend. Instead we go home and make turkey sandwiches and enjoy them on the balcony, we can see another storm moving in

After lunch we go to the beach, everyone is leaving and looking at us like we are mad, but we want to play on the beach in the storm for a little while, the wind whips up, the rain starts the waves get big its brilliant, what looks like a storm is gone in less than twenty minutes.




Michael isn't feeling very well, even after a couple of tablets, so I suggest he goes for a nap and I take a long walk on the beach, I walk for longer than I realise and I can feel my skin tingly burning in places so I hurry back, Michael is napping so I potter around trying not to wake him

We decide to have dinner tonight at the Bistro on the Beach we know its not cheap but it gets a good write up on Trip Advisor.

After getting a shower I realise I have so many different tan lines all differing shades of red that I now resemble a patchwork quilt, factor 50 goes on to try and stop the abstract patterns spreading – I am fifty shades of red by now – it’s really not a good look!

We cycle to Bistro on the beach and we discover its Valet parking so Michael nonchalantly hands the guy our bike lock and key lol and off we go

The interior is a bit odd, it’s very small and is a mass of draped voile and mirrors tables are really close together, the service is very good but in such a small space it's a bit overbearing,

The food was very expensive but very good, for the most part there were some very strange flavours put together that didn't always work, duck with a raspberry reduction, fine, but not then with a curry gravy and bread pudding brioche, when asked they said it was an American thing and brought some asparagus to replace the bread pudding, very nice of them I thought. The starters of scallops and lobster were served in dishes with broth that was so hot the food carried on cooking, so by the time I got to the final couple of scallops they were rubbery at the bottom where they had been in the boiling broth

The bill including tip was $300 my advice, give it a miss, it's good but its not $300 good and we didn’t have lots of expensive drinks we shared a $40 bottle of wine, the place makes you feel quite uncomfortable, we were in and out in just over an hour, it didn't feel like we had been somewhere special or memorable.

They did give Michael a lovely long stemmed Rose to give to me, which I somehow managed to get back on my bike that the Valet kindly returned to me lol!




Back home we shared a bottle of fizz and watched the sunset

We were in bed by 9.30pm watching the new series of COPS which I’m now addicted to and on returning home have started to watch it ... Bad boy, bad boys, watcha gonna do ... join in!

[mick]

another good day with mixed weather, but hot enough to get a nice red colour meal sounded a bit mixed

[Helen0705]

Another lovely day with some great photos - hope your fifty shades of red soon developed into a great tan !

[Ariel's Mum]

Fab day except for the meal

[orlandosgr8]

A lovely day, but ouch to the sunburn! Shame about your meal too.

[lovedisney]

Lovely day

[Col&Ali]

Lol @ 50 shades of red & valet parking!

Good job you're fit - an extra 5 miles in that heat must have been a killer! Eek

[Alyson]

Thanks everyone for your comments, the tan never really amounted to anything and at the side of Michael I always look pale, so lots of suffering for no pay off lol

[Irishrover]

OMG that red bib! I feel your pain.

Lol @ the bike valet but eeeeeeeeeeek at $300, now if I was your waiter for THAT tip Idve peddled you home my self.

[Glee Fan]

Oh what a shame you were disappointed with dinner, but I do admit to giggling at the valet bike parking!