We've made a couple of short visits to Florida in December and January. Our schedule included finishing the guttering and making some updates. We managed to squeeze in a couple of new restaurants to tell you about (and a couple of repeat visits.) As usual, watch out for the bears.
Christmas in Lake Eva Park, Haines City
In the last newsletter we visited Lake Eva Park, about 10 minutes drive from the house in Haines City and the bears got to play on the playground slides and swings and their large train. This year, Haines City hosted the city Christmas lights down in Lake Eva Park. We missed their switching on celebration Glitter, Glisten and Snow on Saturday night, but headed over - in daylight on Sunday morning to take a look. The bears were looking forward to taking some of their friends from Ohio to take a look, and also have another go on those slides.
The bears were quite surprised when they found snow in the park! Yes, SNOW!!!! It wasn't there when we went back a couple of days later, but on the morning after the opening there were still some traces of a snow track. How amazing is that? Well, we were pretty excited! There's a beach overlooking the lake with a reindeer on it, so the bears decided they had to get a photo.
Knowing the above photos do not really do justice to the lights, we headed down again a few days later. We loved the archway of lights at the entrance to the park from the parking lot. There's a huge tree near the entrance which was all lit up. There were also static displays like this house.
There were lights such as this one wishing for Peace on Earth and flashing lights such as this soldier who marches (on the spot). There was a giant Santa and carol singers on display too.
We know you can't go and see it now, but maybe you are thinking of spending next Christmas at Villa Southern Dunes? Well, Haines City are hoping for a bigger and better display next year, with a million lights! Book next Christmas (to include 25 December 2016, minimum 7 nights) before Spring (20 March 2016) (while still available) and we'll include pool heat for seven nights at no extra charge!
We made a flying visit to SeaWorld during our stay - we have annual passes, so free entry and no parking charges. We arrived about 3.30pm and there was no one manning the parking booths anyway so just drove straight in - a useful tip if you have unlimited visit tickets and just want to catch a late show or do a little shopping! Not sure if it's always like that though. The park was closing at 5.30pm so this was not one of their Christmas Celebration days, but we thought we could show you a few of the decorations in case this was in your Christmas plans for 2016 - they have the late nights with Christmas lights on select days in November and December.
Despite being December the temperatures were in the 80s Fahrenheit (20s Celcius) the bears decided to share an ice cream. It was huge and melting as fast as they could eat it! We crossed the boardwalk over the lake by the Sea of Trees that are lit up after dark.
We caught the final One Ocean show of the day, with the beautiful black and white Orcas, which is shown just before the park closes. It's an amazing show and if you sit in the Soak Zone you will get wet (below right) but the stadium was fairly quiet that day.
Outside the Shamu Stadium we took a few final Christmassy photos - with the topiary Shamu, the Polar Express simulator train ride to the North Pole with excerpts from the popular movie. This ride is set up at Wild Arctic during the Christmas season. The park was closing then, so we headed out, taking a couple more photos of the lights as we left.
What we didn't get to see, as this was not one of the special Christmas Celebration evenings, was the Christmas Market with gifts and holiday delights for your enjoyment. This, along with Winter Wonderland on Ice, Clyde and Seamore's Countdown to Christmas, A Sesame Street Christmas and more are available to entertain you during the Christmas season.
Just three miles north up the US-27, you can find Webb's Candy Shop. This is a great stop for locally-made gifts to take home, to browse, or just grab an ice cream. Being so local, you can pick up some chocolates without having to leave them in a parked car in the Florida heat, meaning you don't have to take home solidifed chocolate soup! The shop has an eclectic mix of household gifts, a variety of alligator-inspired gifts (like these chocolate alligator lollipops) and some fabulous teddy bears.
Their chocolates are made in machines dating back to the early 1900s, the old-fashioned way. You'll find a variety of unusual and Specialty Wines, including fruit and even vegetable wines. Some are perfect for a relaxing evening by the pool or maybe you want to take some home with you? Then there's the fudge. It's made with goat's milk as it makes it smoother and creamier than any other fudge. They have so many flavours!
They do some specialty candies too with peanut and pecan brittle as well as a range of citrus jelly candies. They even have sugar-free candy, though we're not sure we want to try that! If all that shopping wears you out, they also sell a variety of ice cream flavours. The bears insisted on trying it and thought it was really good.
It's a fun spot to stop and shop and if you are having a lazy day at the house is close enough for a short trip out for some gift shopping and tasting! You can see many of their products in their online shop at the link above and it will give you an idea on prices too.
Attached to the store is a Dunkin' Donuts store so you can also get coffee and/or doughnuts to eat in or takeaway and they also have a drive-thru. It's even open 24 hours so you'll never go short of doughnuts!
Back in September 2013, we had lunch with an Animal Specialist at Sanaa restaurant, Animal Kingdom Lodge (see Newsletter #7). We enjoyed lunch and when we heard they had a new menu in place we decided to make another visit. We invited Ted's Florida pal Duffy the Disney Bear to join us. We drove over easily enough, but Security initially sent us to Animal Kingdom Lodge (below left) - a quick look around (below centre and right) and we were diverted back to the car to drive down to Kidani Village. Even then we parked a ten-fifteen minute walk away, so not sure how you find the proper parking lot (we walked past it!) but it was a beautiful day so didn't matter too much.
Just beware, telling Security you are going to Sanaa may get you misdirected - maybe be better to ask for Kidani Village and hope for the best! Allow a little extra time! This is where you want to be, close to the Transportation Center. Once we arrived we recognised this building and headed inside and downstairs to the Sanaa restaurant.
We had to wait a few minutes before we were seated so we took a look around. The model (below left) is actually totally made of chocolate by the restaurant staff! Isn't it fabulous? Out of the window we spotted the Radiated Tortoise. Not sure if it's the one we met a couple of years ago though.
We took our seats and decided to go straight to entrées. As we had folks which have allergies (shellfish and nuts) they brought out special menus which listed which foods were safe for people with which allergies, which was useful, and they said that if those didn't work the chef would come out to discuss options but it wasn't necessary. Sanaa's menu is East African-inspired but this is fused with Indian flavours. We chose the Five-Grain Pilaf Rice with Paneer Tikka and Lentil Dhal (you get to choose two from five options, several of which are vegetarian), this was very tasty and spicy but not too hot, however this was about $25 and wasn't huge. The Sanaa Burger comes with Spiced Mustard, Goat Cheese, Pickled Shallots and Piquante Peppers on a Naan Bun with Sanaa Chips (which were seriously salty!) and a Pickle Spear. This was a pretty standard burger but with a more spicy accompaniment, though the potato chips (or crisps to those of us from the UK) were fairly inedible, being so salty. The Grilled Beef Sirloin Steak with Olive Oil Crushed Potatoes and Spice Route Vegetables wasn't bad, but the dressing with the steak (the spices) did not hugely appeal to the diner.
Of course, having the bears with us we had to try out dessert. We knew you'd want to know about them. They offer a variety of options, or they offer a trio dessert of three of the options, so that's what we ordered. Admittedly they were tiny, but a nice introduction with a Tanzanian Chocolate Mousse, Lemon Lychee Tart, and Seasonal Kulfi. They were all good!
After dinner we headed outside to see the animals on Sunset Savannah that we had glimpsed now and again through the restaurant windows. It was a beautiful sunny day and we probably spent a couple of hours there, just talking and hanging out watching the animals. If you like animals it's a great place to spend some free time - free parking and you can have a wander through the resort or take advantage of Disney's free Wi-Fi, you don't have to be a guest to take advantage of any of this. Inside Sanaa there's also a lounge where you can get a drink. Upstairs in the Lodge there is also a gift shop - Johari Treasures
There are over two hundred hoofed animals and birds of about thirty species to be found on the Savannah. There is always a cast member available close to the fire pit and they will answer questions about the animals. There are also signs identifying the different species.
Lunch wasn't the cheapest meal you'll get in Disney, but we only booked a few days before (not 180 days before!) and could easily get a reservation for great food in a lovely location. It's just amazing to sit in their large wooden chairs and chat about anything while giraffes chomp on tree branches just a few metres away.
Based out at The Loop on West Osceola Parkway, which is a shopping mall just 35 minutes from Villa Southern Dunes Abuelo's is a Mexican restaurant.
There's a vast range of food on their menu, including a gluten-sensitive menu, with several options for vegetarians too. We ordered the vegetarian plate with lime cilantro rice and a Grande Burrito. Both were very good. They had a well-stocked bar too.
Also close to The Loop (just a little further on the left, as you go east on West Osceola Parkway, is this American-style restaurant. There was quite a group and we got a large table in our own corner (they say it gets really busy!).
Among the food ordered was the Chicken Pot Pie and blackened Grilled Salmon. However, word of warning, don't order a side expecting the usual American hugeness - the picture below shows their tiny plate of Mac & Cheese for $2.49 (the bear sitting alongside is 4-inches tall!) There were about two spoonfulls. We'd never seen something so small in an American restaurant!
New pans for the kitchen
We thought it was time to upgrade the pans in the kitchen as a couple of our old skillets were a little beaten up. With so many vacation rentals offering cheap basic pans, we thought our guests needed something better, especially when we have a full house and you need to feed everyone.
We bought a Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 12-Piece Cookware Set, which includes a variety of pans including skillets, two saucepans, a sauté pan, a covered stockpot and even a steamer. The pans have a core of aluminium-bonded stainless steel, which requires less heat than regular pans, so they should always be used on low to medium heat to prevent burning.
The handles are "Cool Grip" meaning that when used on the hob/stovetop they won't get hot, unless you take advantage of their heat-proof capability and use them inside the oven, where they are safe up to 500F! Magical, eh? Who needs Mickey Mouse?
We also did some research on cast iron skillets and found they were quite popular (we'd never used one!) They are not hugely expensive and I'm sure some of our guests will appreciate them (others will no doubt leave it alone!) Still, it gives our guests choices when preparing a meal. Ted figured he should try them out.
Painting the pool deck
It had been a few years so it was time to repaint the pool deck. We cleared off the deck, cleaned it and started painting. We ended up doing two coats to help it last.
We did have some "help", but still got it finished!
Finished the gutters!
It's taken us ages (higher priority issues kept getting in the way!) but we have finally finished the guttering. We now have guttering down both sides of the house and even by the front door, so you won't get dripped on!
Thinking of what to ask for for your birthday? Or even Christmas? Why not try a Villa Southern Dunes Gift Voucher!
We continue to offer Villa Southern Dunes Gift Vouchers. Perhaps you can get your friends and family to pay for your vacation? Ask them for Villa Southern Dunes vouchers! We can send a PDF file for any occasion, by email to the person who contacts us or we can email it directly to the recipient. We offer any amount in US Dollars or GB Pounds, which must be paid for using PayPal (including credit cards) or by bank transfer. Credit card/PayPal payments will incur a 2% administration charge and vouchers will not be sent until payment has cleared but we will endeavour to issue the voucher within 24 hours of receiving cleared payment. If you need a voucher for a particular occasion, or to include a photo of your choice, just ask us at villasoutherndunes@gmail.com
The voucher can be used towards an existing booking (the name on the voucher must be a Named Guest), or towards a deposit, if not yet booked. The name on the voucher may be changed, but this instruction must come from the person whose name is on the voucher. If this is impossible, please contact us at villasoutherndunes@gmail.com
For more information, email villasoutherndunes@gmail.com or call 07952 408964 from the UK (011 44 7952 408964 from the US).
If you'd like to submit a short review of an attraction or restaurant you visited while staying at Villa Southern Dunes, or send some photos of your stay, please email it to villasoutherndunes@gmail.com Please supply your name, email address, dates of stay and age (if under 18). We'll try and include it if we can.
Thinking of what to ask for for your birthday? Or even Christmas? Why not try a 