BACK AGAIN?? 10 NIGHTS SAPPHIRE FALLS.....MAY 18 TRIP REPORT

[ckmiles]

I have never eaten at an IHOP. Growing up in the NE US there were diners on almost every corner, so no IHOP's around. There are a couple near by now, but the diners are still the place to go. But seeing the pics of your food makes me want to try!

Pineapple on pizza is the best ever! A little savory a little sweet! Perfect combo in my opinion!

 

[tink1957]

Still enjoying your adventures...one of these days we will venture out of the theme park bubble to explore the area beaches and surrounding towns. After all, we dream of moving there someday if we win the lottery

By the way, I love the dress you're wearing in your SA pics...looks good on you

 

[wmoon]

Great trip report. I have just caught up. The wok experience looks good as does Cowfish. Hoping to try them both during our RPR stay in July.

 

[schumigirl]

Late to the party as usual but so glad I clicked here. We're looking at doing the 3 bedroom suite at Sapphire Falls if we can get a good APH rate in the fall. We've got 6 adults and a baby and it looks divine!!!!

Still not sure if we can manage without express pass though.

damo.........

So good to have you along!!!

Oh I hope you get a great rate and can stay there.........you know how much we love RP! But Sapphire really did blow us away......everything about it is lovely!

Yes, EP does make a difference, I hear that...........

But, hope you enjoy the upcoming reports too.........nice to see you post!!!

 

[schumigirl]

Dang @schumigirl, I didn't know you guys were going to St. Augustine! I live right up the road; we do day trips there all the time. It would have been fun to meet up. Oh well, I guess I need to start reading your PTRs more carefully.

Well darn it!!!!

We absolutely could have met up! We certainly plan to go back maybe on our March or May trip next year.......although when we plan to go I’ll certainly give you a shout out!

Such a beautiful place, and to live close enough to visit often.........that would be lovely!!!

Glad you’re still reading along.........

 

[schumigirl]

That pizza looks great. We found a little pizza place, in a basement, on our college visit, that DH said was the best place to eat. It was cheap, and fresh, and well, I put so much toppings on our pizza, you could barely lift it. Then also put red pepper flakes on.

We have an IHOP, soon to be IHOB, near us, but will not eat there. There are better breakfast places around, including a very small cafe up the road that my older one wants to eat at again.

Great pictures of St. A, and nice you got some time to explore there.

More of St Augustine coming up.......when I find the time!!! Been a little busy last couple of days, but need to find time as I hate dragging a report out.........

We don’t have ihop, so it’s quite the novelty for us, and this one was immaculately clean and passed the test for us with that...........

Good pizza is a find! I don’t care the cost.....if it’s good, it’s worth it!!

 

[schumigirl]

Still enjoying your adventures...one of these days we will venture out of the theme park bubble to explore the area beaches and surrounding towns. After all, we dream of moving there someday if we win the lottery

By the way, I love the dress you're wearing in your SA pics...looks good on you

Thanks Vicki!!! I like that dress........

Oh there really are so many places to visit around Florida, I do hope you get your lottery win and we can all come visit you then.......lol........

 

[schumigirl]

Great trip report. I have just caught up. The wok experience looks good as does Cowfish. Hoping to try them both during our RPR stay in July.

Along wmoon.........

Fantastic you joined in and posted.........

Yep, the wok experience is excellent and you certainly wouldn’t leave hungry! And Cowfish is excellent.......enjoyed every meal we had there........

And hope you enjoy your visit to RP too........

 

[schumigirl]

I have never eaten at an IHOP. Growing up in the NE US there were diners on almost every corner, so no IHOP's around. There are a couple near by now, but the diners are still the place to go. But seeing the pics of your food makes me want to try!

Pineapple on pizza is the best ever! A little savory a little sweet! Perfect combo in my opinion!

Another pineapple on pizza fan!!!


Folks tell me I’m in the minority.........but I adore sweet and savoury and sweet and spicy together........all good!!

Yep, I’d choose a classic diner over ihop too........we loved some of the diners we ate in when we were in Long Island particularly.........absolute classics!! But I’d try ihop once just to say you’ve done it.......but I’d guess you’ll stick to classic diners.........

Glad you’re still reading along.........

 

[Dduckpgbc]

Just got caught up! Yes we also love St. Augustine. Beautiful town. We went for an outdoor concert and drove up from Orlando for the night last year. Best time ever. I assume you skipped the alligator farmwhile there!

 

[keishashadow]

Still enjoying your adventures...one of these days we will venture out of the theme park bubble to explore the area beaches and surrounding towns. After all, we dream of moving there someday if we win the lottery

By the way, I love the dress you're wearing in your SA pics...looks good on you

Remember your SANS friends when you win!

Forgot to mention that I liked the whole outfit in those pics, Carole looked right a home. Especially in the shot in front of the veranda’d two story building with the hat. Takes some talent to pull that sort of topper off well.

Had to laugh too at the size of the slice, big as your head! Haha

 

[schumigirl]

Just got caught up! Yes we also love St. Augustine. Beautiful town. We went for an outdoor concert and drove up from Orlando for the night last year. Best time ever. I assume you skipped the alligator farmwhile there!

along for my little ramblings Dduckpgbc.........glad you joined along.........

Isn’t it a beautiful place!! I had heard it was lovely, but even so, it was prettier than I expected and had such a lovely feel about it.........

I had no idea they had an alligator farm before we left........and you’re correct!!! I definitely skip anything like that.........the very thought makes me cold

I blame the Bond movie Live and Let Die when I was a kid for terrifying me so much of them......lol.......gotta be something to blame........

 

[schumigirl]

Remember your SANS friends when you win!

Forgot to mention that I liked the whole outfit in those pics, Carole looked right a home. Especially in the shot in front of the veranda’d two story building with the hat. Takes some talent to pull that sort of topper off well.

Had to laugh too at the size of the slice, big as your head! Haha

Yes, I hope Vicki remembers us if she does win a packet!!!

Aww thanks Janet.......I do love a hat! The fancier the better........love a good wedding hat too........any excuse to wear one will do!!!

It was a big pizza!!! Would have loved another slice.........but.....it was too big!!!

 

[schumigirl]

So, we left the pizza place feeling quite full, but we did fancy some ice cream. There was a Ben & Jerry`s next door, but we had spotted a Kilwins further back......there is one of those in Celebration and another in Mount Dora......their ice cream is lovely.

So we walked further back and walked in as they were making some candies apples...….they do offer you samples, but as I can`t eat apples I passed......Tom did try a little bit and said it was lovely. Watching them make and prepare some of the products is very interesting and the smell is pure sweetness...….maybe a little too sweet.

They do a huge selection of chocolates too with assorted flavours, too many to choose from and much nicer than the chocolates we tried from Toothsome, they were a bit of a disappointment. Although, as I`m not the biggest chocolate fan, my opinion may be skewed here......however Tom declared them nice than Toothsome, so I trust his opinion.

Although I don't eat fudge, I have to say it looked incredibly tasty!!!

It is a lovely store and they are incredibly friendly...…..but we were here for the ice cream. The pictures didn't turn out great as the glass was all frosted up, but they have a lovely selection of ice creams...…..I was tempted by marshmallow s`mores but eventually settled on rather greedily, caramel and a strawberry mix, Tom went for Salted caramel and praline...….I think he chose the praline as I didn't like it......lol...….but the scoops were larger than we realized so it looked a huge amount of ice cream......it kinda was!!!

We went outside and found a bench to sit on while we ate, we did feel a little oinky eating such a huge portion after such a large pizza...….but we were on vacation, and that was the mantra we used to excuse our slight over indulgences on our trips...…

We didn't finish them I have to admit, but we made a good dent in them both. Kilwins ice cream is gorgeous and if you see them, give them a try...….we did now have a little smattering of rain as we sat, but only a little. It was so hot it totally evaporated before it got a chance to settle. We found a trash bin and began to wander again.


The history here is everywhere...…..

There are so many beautiful and unique buildings along this one street, it is a treat for the eyes. You can see the European influence in most buildings and it has melded together with the modernisms perfectly.

There was a little indoor shopping space which had a variety of little stores including a very good Steampunk store...….it`s not a theme I particularly enjoy or embrace, but it was a fascinating store. There was also a little store that sold a hug variety of fridge magnets and other little souvenir items. We did buy a St Augustine pirate one and one of Professor Snape with "Always" written on it...….it was nice.

There are many little museums smattered around and each have their own appeal to many I presume...…...however I wasn't sure this one particularly appealed to me a lot...……

Tom kinda blended in to the background here with his white shirt...…….

The trolley train is a fabulous little idea. We didn't go on it today, but it takes you round St Augustine and you can really get your bearings as to the City itself. It was quite cute and many people take advantage of it. I think we may utilize it if we were here for longer as there was a lot we didn't get to see as it was a short visit. But, for today we felt we would see what we wanted to see without the need for it. The city is fairly compact and you can cover a lot on foot without going too far.

I loved the look of this little quaint bed and breakfast...….it`s somewhere that certainly fitted with in with the surroundings...….and looked like somewhere we would love to stay for a couple of nights. I adore little proper bed and breakfasts or guest houses that are certainly different from large hotels, which we love, but we also love the other end of the spectrum too.

We were so loving this wandering around and taking in the environment around us...….and now we headed over to the water...…..we knew the Fort was across that way so we wandered over to have a look at it. We didn't plan to go inside but we knew you could have a wander around the outer areas and there was some lovely views to be had from the front area too.

As we approached we see some small re-enactment being held on the front...…...there was a group of people dressed in Spanish war outfits and were planning to fire muskets while describing the circumstances of the war and the hardships the soldiers suffered in what were boiling hot outifts……..they did warn everyone that the bang from the guns would be loud......but Tom and I being used to various forms of explosives in a previous time, it wouldn't be loud to us......they were quite interesting and explained that three of them were paid, but the rest are all volunteers......they can only do these displays when they have the correct amount of volunteers available.

We were right. The musket being fired was not loud at all...…..but of course the kids watching thought it was cool...….it was a decent little show and they stayed behind after they fired them to answer any questions...….at this point we wandered off...….

It really was beautiful today, the heat was fabulous and the sun was shining......I was glad we had hats and sunscreen on.


Watching the beautiful boats in the water, we spotted the bridge open up in front of us...….we like bridges and watching this one was quite impressive...…

We headed up the slight hill and saw where the entry into the Fort was, but you really don't need to go in...….kids will probably love it and war aficionados of course will enjoy it a lot. For us we just wanted to enjoy this gorgeous sunshine...….

We moved up the hill a little and sat on one of the benches for a little while...…..the view was gorgeous...….and we enjoyed it together after Tom retrieved my very billowy hat which had been propelled into the air and fell behind me with a small gust of a very welcome breeze...….thank goodness it wasn't a steep drop...….

We must have sat here a good half hour, and folks that passed whether local or tourists all spoke even if it was brief hello...….it was lovely and we felt so relaxed and at home here...….Yes, I felt my familiar comment of I could live here as about to be spoken, Tom jumped in first though and said, yes, I could too. I think when you`ve been together as long as we have, even unspoken sentences are finished by the other...….lol...…


We headed back towards the town again and came back down the same street...…..we did stop in to one of the places for a drink, just blackberry lemonades and then wandered back down this very pretty street...….


We did find a load of places and things we would want to come back to. A wine tasting place of course would be tops......there was also a ghost tour at nights that we would love to do and we would really enjoy it I was sure of that.


They do have a very well known claim to have the oldest wooden schoolhouse in the USA...….and it did look it!!! It dates back to the early 18th century and again it is a little museum that is only a few dollars to go in and look around. Records show is was there around or just before 1716, which is quite unique as most of the wooden properties were destroyed by the British when they burned most of Spanish St Augustine to the ground.

There really are some beautiful little areas along this fabulous street. And some very talented people were in situ here.


And also some very lovely seafood restaurants that we had earmarked as places we would love to visit on our return to this gorgeous city...….every menu seemed better than the last. We would be spoiled for choice.


We grabbed a bottle of water each as we were quite thirsty now, and it was hot...….we are always so aware of not getting dehydrated......so we downed the bottles between us before heading back down to the Plaza where we headed over to see the front on other side of the bridge.

Weirdly, Tom and I began singing the Jimmy Buffet Pirate song at the same time as we saw this boat......again, great minds think alike...…..

This really was a beautiful city, and we wished we had more time to enjoy it. But, for today we were almost done here.

We hadn't really scratched the surface of this place and we should have gone to see lighthouse and many other little treasures this place held like the Pirate and Treasure museum, scenic cruises and of course the winery. There is also a brewery that has a partnership with StrongWater and they get some of their liquors from that would have been interesting to see. I think the history was fascinating and even on our short trip we learned several things we had no clue of. We also found out later we could have gone inside Flagler College, it was supposed to be something to see too. Again, maybe next time.

The buildings here were stunning and far prettier than expected. We were also mesmerized how peaceful and tranquil everything was here, it was busy but not bustlingly so, we had just loved our day.

Now, we headed back to where the car was parked.

 

[JaxDad]

I'm so glad you enjoyed St. Augustine! We love going down there, generally for day trips but also an occasional overnight (so I can enjoy some adult beverages). The Castillo and Kilwins are ALWAYS part of our trips. You should try to return during the Nights of Lights, generally mid-November through January. They light up the whole historic district with millions of white lights. It's very cool.

I actually went out on that pirate ship several years ago with my children. They did a treasure hunt themed cruise up the intracoastal, chasing another pirate ship and shooting cannons and doing sword fights. It was pretty fun. They also have an adults-only cruise that is supposed to be good.

 

[angryduck71]

Well, now I have to go to St Augustine. How beautiful!

 

[schumigirl]

We walked very slowly back to the car park. I think it was $15 to park for the whole day, so it seemed a real bargain for us. I suppose there were places you could park for free, but we had no desire to go searching if there was such a thing.

We got in the car and it was sizzling as it was in direct sunshine...….so aircon whacked up to full and we set off...….just as a woman stepped in front of the car!!! Tom jammed the breaks on and was thankful he was barely moving......she tapped the window and incredibly asked us where we paid...…...we just looked at her...she had actually stepped in front of a albeit very slow moving vehicle...…..to ask where we paid. We told her we had paid at the little gate building, but there was no one there now, we didn't know if it was free now although as no one was there to take money it seemed to be.

She thanked us, and incredibly walked again in front of us to get to her car...…..at that point I burst out laughing...….

We drove out of the city and headed back towards Orlando. The road is a simple one and we didn't bother with the satnav this time......again it was a pleasant drive, until we reached Daytona Beach area...…..we could see we were driving into some very thick and heavy dark clouds......ominous indeed. And just as we drove a little forward the heavens opened and we were being deluged by monsoon like rain...….we were down to a basic crawl, and thankfully every other driver on the road did exactly the same...….there`s usually one or two who think they are invincible to wet roads, but not today.

We were stuck like this for thankfully only five minutes or so...….it began to ease slowly and soon we were back on dry and clear roads.

The rest of the journey was uneventful and then as soon as were almost alongside Orlando City itself, the heavens opened again......not quite as bad as back in Daytona, but heavy enough...…..and as we passed the Amway centre we saw a long line ahead of us on the other side of the road......there was a car facing the wrong way and of course causing the dreaded tailbacks. For us it wasn't long till we were pulling into the parking garage and we would stay dry...……

Into the lobby we walked to get a coffee from the Dutch Trading Co...….we did like this coffee...…..

We headed up to our room and drank the coffee. The rain was on again now and looked to be on again for the night………...so we knew we would be staying in the hotel for dinner tonight...….not a bad thing at all...…..

We showered and got changed and then had a glass of the wine that had been delivered the day before and sat down in front of the tv...….we watched Deadpool with Ryan Reynolds, it`s one superhero movie I actually like a lot...…..and we enjoyed that...…..this suite felt so cosy and we enjoyed our time in here...….

We decided to go take some pictures of the hotel and lobby before we went for dinner...…..it was still a little early...…..

The elevator area is so spacious......RP and the other hotels felt very enclosed when you saw how spacious this place was, and so light...…..

The view from the hotel to the pool area looked a little dismal today...…..and you can see from the picture of the boat dock below, the boats had indeed been stopped for a while.

We decided to take lobby pictures later...…..we were ready for a cocktail...…..it had been a lovely day, but a long day...…..

We got seated easily, and we were glad we did go in when we did, as it really began to fill up after we were seated...….there seemed to be a few convention people in tonight. We really knew this menu off by heart by now, and there weren't many cocktails I hadn't tried before...….. Tom ordered a French Berry Daiquiri as I was always raving about it...….He can drink most things...…..so I opted for the Fountain of youth.

We quite literally sat here most of the night...…..we watched the rain, we chatted, we held hands and we talked...….however long we spend together we never seem to run out of things to say to each other...….which is lovely. I sometimes look at couples who are together, but barely utter two words......that certainly wasn't us...….


Later on we decided to order some food as we were now starving...….that's another thing we have in common...….a good appetite.


We chose to share Florida Ceviche which I loved as it was spicy...…..the sliders which I teased about as not being very Caribbean style food somehow......and the chicken n rice and later the pinchos de carne asada……….we also ordered a couple more drinks...….I had a storm water and Tom ordered a straight rum...…..

Food was again so good. The chicken and rice was not my favourite, it was nice, but I`m not really a fan of rice.....however Tom really liked it and said he would order it again...…..it was quite tasty. Everything else was delicious...…..although we always meant to ask if we can omit the vibrant green sauce that came with the skewered beef as it tasted so strongly of Cilantro...….neither of us like that.

Everything we have eaten from here has been lovely......tasty and fresh and always served to a high standard...…..we ordered a few more different drinks including a familiar Rum mule...…...I think the straight rum Tom had was Plantation Original...…..and he really enjoyed it.

I love rum although that is a taste that has only been acquired since we began frequenting SW bar...….they do rum really well!!! And we had certainly enjoyed a good selection of rums tonight...…….

So we passed another evening in StrongWater Bar and it was lovely...….

We paid our check and headed out to the lobby where we took some pictures...….it is large, airy and very light but at night it feels warm and welcoming......doesn't feel cold at all...…..

Heading back through to the elevators is such a pretty area too...…..

The pool although closed now, looked incredibly inviting...…..the rain had gone off fully now, so it looked incredibly pretty...….

The décor throughout the hotel is of a very similar design...…..very pretty indeed and so colourful.

We walked into our room and this was indeed a lovely sight to see again...…..we had been sent another gift

This time it was from friends at RPR who knew we had arrived and wanted to say a big hello to us...….how lovely, and so thoughtful of them......the card was so lovely to read and had some lovely sentiments in it...…...we so appreciated the thoughtfulness behind the gift...…..we were beyond lucky to know such kind and thoughtful people.

We also smiled at how well folks knew us...…… When I say some people here have become like family I truly mean it, and we are always made to feel like returning family every single time we enter the hotels......and that is something special indeed. And that feeling of familiarity and closeness is one of the many, many reasons we make that long 9 hour flight as often as we do now.

We took it out of the ice bucket and into the fridge...….we would enjoy that another night...….we certainly wouldn't run out of wine that was for sure...…. We again marveled at the thoughtfulness of people.


As I hadn't taken many pictures tonight, I added in a couple from the room at night...…..you don't see that cozy feel in the pictures though, but it was so comfortable to be in it...…….

We got into jammies and although it was late we watched some tv and enjoyed some Snapple...….

Then all of a sudden we both felt incredibly tired...….so we retreated to our lovely bed and chatted about how lovely people really were.

We had no clue what we do tomorrow at this point...…..we would decide tomorrow. But today had been a lovely day...….the rain certainly couldn't dampen our spirits or our time here.

 

[pattyw]

Wow St. Augustine is simply beautiful! I love all those quaint shops. But Medieval Torture museum?? That sounds very frightening! But hey, after HHN houses with real people jumping out, I think I could go to that museum!

The sliders at Strong Water were our favorite dish!

 

[schumigirl]

I'm so glad you enjoyed St. Augustine! We love going down there, generally for day trips but also an occasional overnight (so I can enjoy some adult beverages). The Castillo and Kilwins are ALWAYS part of our trips. You should try to return during the Nights of Lights, generally mid-November through January. They light up the whole historic district with millions of white lights. It's very cool.

I actually went out on that pirate ship several years ago with my children. They did a treasure hunt themed cruise up the intracoastal, chasing another pirate ship and shooting cannons and doing sword fights. It was pretty fun. They also have an adults-only cruise that is supposed to be good.

We really loved it!! More than we thought we would...….

Now Nights of Lights sounds gorgeous!!!! I love things all decorated with lights......I`m really not hard to please......stick some lights on something and call it a celebration...….lol......but that does sound like something we would enjoy...….

We have plans for KSC in December so I doubt they would want to travel that far again this year......maybe the following year we could visit then.

I like the sound of the adult only cruise...…..

 

[schumigirl]

Well, now I have to go to St Augustine. How beautiful!

Alice, it was stunning......I don't think pictures really do it justice...….and it was the feel of the place we loved too...…it felt very special.

Davy would love the history...….I haven't put a lot on here as not everyone is interested in history, but we were fascinated......I had no idea I knew so little about that period of time and the conflicts that ensued. Well, I certainly learned a lot in a short space of time...….I`m sure Davy would enjoy it, and you would love it.

And amazing food places too...….always important