Friday Morning on the Beach
Sep. 24th, 2022 05:35 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
canyonwalkerFlorida Trip Travelog #9
Getting lunch at the hotel - Fri, 23 Sep 2022, 1pm
When people say "Florida vacation" you think of two things: 1) Disneyworld, 2) beaches. We're not the Disney sort, so that leaves beaches. Except we're also as much water slides and lazy rivers as beaches. Friday morning we did both. We got down to the pool area right after it opened so I could take a few rides on the big water slides— I even shot video, but it didn't turn out great— then boarded a boat for the beach.
Yes, a boat. I was a little mislead by the advertising when I selected this hotel. They said it was a short walk to the beach. What they meant— and deliberately obfuscated— is that it's a short walk to the dock where you ride a boat to the beach. At least there are no fees for it. Though the boats run on a limited schedule and must be booked in advance. We booked after lunch yesterday for 9:45 this morning, the first trip of the day.
Big Hickory Island is a short boat ride away; short being about 15 minutes. As we sail through the bay there are often dolphins in the water. They were quiet this morning but might be more active in the afternoon.
Once on the island things were kind of quiet. This private beach (private to our hotel and a timeshare property) is fairly Spartan. There's no restaurant here, no chair side drink service, etc. Just beach chairs and umbrellas, picnic areas, and a bathroom. Actually we like it this way. The combination of the boat to get here and the lack of services keep out the riff-raff. 😂
Oh, and the loooong stretch of white sand is unmarred by discarded drink cups, hamburger wrappers, chips bags, etc.
We picked a pair of beach chairs, then Hawk immediately went gathering shells. I stayed on my beach chair, enjoying the relaxation... and also enjoying a few bottles of beer I packed along in a small insulated bag. 😋
Eventually Hawk came back from shelling, and together we went out to wade in the surf for a while. The water here is so warm we could walk right in. And even on the open coast here the waves are so mild. We were getting, like, one-foot swells even when the tide turned and started coming back in. Gulf of Mexico FTW!
We caught the 12:15 boat back to the mainland. "Y'all look hungry, like you're goin' back for lunch!" the captain roared. Indeed we were. Indeed would any sane person having been out on a beach for a few hours with no place to get lunch.
Lunch today is at the hotel's pool-side cafe again. Yes, it's a little pricey for what it is, but it's also way more convenient than going upstairs, changing out of damp swimming clothes, and driving somewhere slightly cheaper. We'll order different dishes today so it doesn't feel repetitive. 😅
Getting lunch at the hotel - Fri, 23 Sep 2022, 1pm
When people say "Florida vacation" you think of two things: 1) Disneyworld, 2) beaches. We're not the Disney sort, so that leaves beaches. Except we're also as much water slides and lazy rivers as beaches. Friday morning we did both. We got down to the pool area right after it opened so I could take a few rides on the big water slides— I even shot video, but it didn't turn out great— then boarded a boat for the beach.
Yes, a boat. I was a little mislead by the advertising when I selected this hotel. They said it was a short walk to the beach. What they meant— and deliberately obfuscated— is that it's a short walk to the dock where you ride a boat to the beach. At least there are no fees for it. Though the boats run on a limited schedule and must be booked in advance. We booked after lunch yesterday for 9:45 this morning, the first trip of the day.
Big Hickory Island is a short boat ride away; short being about 15 minutes. As we sail through the bay there are often dolphins in the water. They were quiet this morning but might be more active in the afternoon.
Once on the island things were kind of quiet. This private beach (private to our hotel and a timeshare property) is fairly Spartan. There's no restaurant here, no chair side drink service, etc. Just beach chairs and umbrellas, picnic areas, and a bathroom. Actually we like it this way. The combination of the boat to get here and the lack of services keep out the riff-raff. 😂
Oh, and the loooong stretch of white sand is unmarred by discarded drink cups, hamburger wrappers, chips bags, etc.
We picked a pair of beach chairs, then Hawk immediately went gathering shells. I stayed on my beach chair, enjoying the relaxation... and also enjoying a few bottles of beer I packed along in a small insulated bag. 😋
Eventually Hawk came back from shelling, and together we went out to wade in the surf for a while. The water here is so warm we could walk right in. And even on the open coast here the waves are so mild. We were getting, like, one-foot swells even when the tide turned and started coming back in. Gulf of Mexico FTW!
We caught the 12:15 boat back to the mainland. "Y'all look hungry, like you're goin' back for lunch!" the captain roared. Indeed we were. Indeed would any sane person having been out on a beach for a few hours with no place to get lunch.
Lunch today is at the hotel's pool-side cafe again. Yes, it's a little pricey for what it is, but it's also way more convenient than going upstairs, changing out of damp swimming clothes, and driving somewhere slightly cheaper. We'll order different dishes today so it doesn't feel repetitive. 😅
