We got showered and changed and went out to get in the car.......it felt like the ground was melting today under our feet........this was hot! But, we wanted to go a little drive out to Celebration.
Last few years, anyone has read the previous trip reports will know I`ve had issues with crown that kept coming out, so we d found a fabulous dentist in Celebration so that was our main reasons for visiting. This year however, my crown had finally been replaced by a bridge in May......so fingers crossed this would hold better! It certainly felt better than before. And thankfully it stayed in place and we had no issues with the bridge at all.
It only takes around 20 minutes or so to get there, we go through LBV and are there in no time at all. Celebration is beautiful.......a very peaceful and quaint little place that is just so pretty. We get parked on the main street and head down towads the lake, passing a few stores on the way. We should probably have driven right down to Front Street and parked closer but its a fairly small area. But, we do check with the closest business that we are ok to park there for a while, she assures us that we are. Don`t want to get a ticket.
We really don't plan to do much here today, just wander around the lake and go for an ice cream at Kilwins.....always a nice treat on a hot afternoon........there are a few things to do here for fun but as we have no sunscreen on we decide to wander a little and then just have the ice cream........the lake is gorgeous........
We go into Kilwins after we wander a little. There are some beautiful little stores here, boutiques and bakeries to candle and kitchen accessories.....it`s hard to resist a lot of them, but somehow today we actually don't buy anything, apart from the ice cream.
Kilwins is tiny, and they don't have any indoor seating, so I am glad to see there are tables with shade available outside that we can sit at. We decide on a cherry ice cream between us as we aren't really hungry.....so many choices in there and every one that we have ever tried is gorgeous. I adore cherries so this one was perfect........creamy and full of real cherries......nothing artificial here......they also have a fabulous selection of chocolates and treats..so much choice....
We do share it, although I think I get more than Tom does somehow........It`s just so peaceful sat here and we pass almost an hour talking to some locals who are also doing the same thing......I could live here I think......the houses are mostly beautiful, and at Christmas and Halloween the houses are all supposed to be done up spectacularly.....we have never been at Chritmas but if we did we would definitely visit here.
Eventually we reluctantly head back to the car and start to drive back to the hotel, it is 104F and it`s just after 4.30. This has been a hot day........as we head ot of the Kissimmee area we see the sky looking incredibly ominous....black clouds are growing and then we see some lightning.......big lightning. So, we decide to get home as soon as possible. Drive is uneventful and we pull into the parking lot and get to the hotel doors just as the rain starts. And it`s heavy.
We had planned to drive back out to Longhorn in LBV tonight, but when we see the force of the rain and the lightning we decide we wont be going anywhere.
We drop some stuff off in our room and freshen up a little then head up to the Club Lounge and have a drink since we are now not driving anywhere..........It`s fairly busy tonight but we still get a seat by the window.......we watch the storm develop and it`s not going off anytime soon. We had thought if it eased off we would head out to Longhorn, but it seemed to be getting worse. After a bit we could barely see 10 feet out of the window, this was torrential. Thunder was so loud.
So, we thought where we would like to eat dinner. We had eaten sushi a couple of times and had pizza at Jake`s, so we thought we would give The Strongwater Tavern a try over at Sapphire Falls. We had been looking forward to eating there since we had been given the tour day after we arrived. Thankfully you can walk over there without going outside using the back ballroom and convention centre routes. Only takes 10 minutes or so........
We finished our glass of wine and headed over........it`s a quiet walk as not too many people are using it yet, some take the shuttle bus and some come from Citywalk. But for us, we were the only ones around........there is a change of carpet when you hit the Sapphire Falls area.....and the over the road bridge lets you know too.
You can see the rain still bouncing against the window and the lightning is amazing. On the way there are a few comfortable looking chairs and I had to try a few out.........and I swear my husband is with me......he just prefers to be on the other side of the camera..........
We get to the main part of the hotel where the lobby is and we glance out and see the weather is still foul outside, we were glad we had walked over here........it looked so dark outside and the storm was definitely gathering speed.
The lobby is very impressive. It is large and airy and has a full size Universal store, concierge and ticket store along with the grab and go options snack bar. I have to say everything in there looked so nice.
Strongwater Tavern is bouncing........there is not a spare inch of space to be found in there, sounds like a convention crowd to be honest, but no way will get to eat there tonight......so we wander a little and take some pictures of the areas, There is a beautiful spiral staircase that is quite the feature in this hotel and it leads down to the restaurant Amatista.
Down at the bottom is a lovely little space that can be used for small events too, but it`s pretty.......
The entrance to Amatista is right next to where you go for the boat dock, apparently this causes some confusion as it`s not the ground level.......but it`s an easy hotel to navigate and so pretty.
We really could have taken pictures all night, but we were beginning to get hungry now. I have to admit, this menu isn't my favourite, but it did look like we could get something to eat from it easy and the restaurant itself is lovely.
We walked in and were immediately greeted by a friendly pair of staff members who couldn't have been nicer. We asked if we could get a table by the window as we knew it had the view of the waterwheel.....despite the weather we could still see it a little through the rain and lightning.........
Ashley was very personable and was excited to help us order cocktails........we told her what we liked and we ended up with 2 that were gorgeous.....and strong, very strong. This seems to be a theme at this hotel.......we also ordered the chicken entrée and I ordered a Shrimp and avocado salad.........we did enjoy our evening here and it was relaxing and exciting watching the amazing lightning show going on outside......weare such tourists at times.....we never get lightning like this at home.......
Have to say everything was lovely and service was outstanding, very friendly and couldn't do enough for you......we were very happy with our dining choice this evening. It's a shame to read some folks weren't having good experiences here, but ours was perfect. Desserts had no appeal for us here so we decided to go back to Orchids for dessert there and maybe another cocktail.......
Love to see an open kitchen in a restaurant..........
Didn't take us long to walk back, despite me trying out the comfy seats I didn't try on the way over.......lol.......
Orchids was quiet, very quiet even for a Monday night........so we got seated and ordered a cocktail for me and a beer for Tom and a dessert.......we ordered deep fried cheesecake and Tom got the flourless chocolate cake that Kyle loved so much.......the chocolate cake had been changed and wasn't as nice as previous years, thankfully the cheesecake portion was huge, and I only eat a litte of it as it`s so sweet so we could share that dessert........
The cheesecake was lush!!!!! But, a huge portion........despite that we did clear the plate.
We sat for over an hour and just reflected on the day. One of the girls we knew from last year came up to talk to us as soon as she saw we were back......lovely girl and a good memory. It was lovely catching up with her and what shes been doing this last year. The staff in this hotel really are the best, so friendly and it's nice to see so many of them year after year.
Eventually we headed up to bed, it was still raining and tonight I kept the drapes open and fell asleep watching the lightning streak across the sky.......it was spectacular and the colours were extraordinary........but before long I was out for the count.
tlinus...........fabulous to see you post again.....how are you??? You are missed on the threads.....please don't be a stranger!!! Glad to have you join along and hope you get a trip planned soon........meantime, hope you enjoy reading along..........
it'll be here before you know it........
I'm glad you rebounded quickly and were able to keep going and have a wonderful trip so far! The dinner at Ocean Prime looked amazing! I love that you take your time and really enjoy the Parks. It's my dream to do that once, but I may have to go alone to do it 
I hope you got back and picked up something lovely at Tiffany!
