Blogger: Stephanie Lynch
Time to launch our first VLOG on our new TRAVEL TUBE… Florida Part 1. We arrived in Florida for the start of our 6 week adventures throughout the USA and Canada. We woke early on our first morning with excitement to explore this sunny paradise. We started our first day with a 6am swim with the sunrise. We decided to go explore Sarasota as a local had recommended the area for us. We headed off on a day of exploration. First stop was Siesta Key beach. Siesta Key Beach is central Sarasota’s gateway to the sparkling waters of the Gulf of Mexico, a spot with luxurious amenities and a relaxed vibe. It has been voted the number 1 beach in America. Year after year it is voted in the top 10 beaches in America but this year it made number 1. The soft, powdery sand on our feet, the sun shining down on us and the crystal clear WARM sea… a perfect start to the adventure. (QT tip: Drive the beach route from Bradenton south to Siesta Key Beach… it’s beautiful). We then explored the area of Sarasota… we fell in love with so many houses that we lost count. Perfect, wooden, fairy-tale houses which lie with views of the sea and situated on small lakes where you can park your boat in front of your house… now that is the life.
Next stop for us was to drive out towards Lido beach. What a stunning view while driving out towards this gem. Driving across a big bridge called Ringling Causeway just took our breath away with views on both sides which were out of this world. We stopped off at St. Armands circle for a walk and a little bit of shopping in their unique boutiques. We couldn’t leave without a delicious ice-cream in Kilwins. Kilwins is a homemade chocolate, fudge and ice-cream shop which drew us in with the delicious smells. Onto Lido beach which was very quiet, compared to Siesta Key Beach. We loved it! We parked the car and walked over a little bridge and arrived in a little piece of heaven. Another swim in the turquoise waters(I have never swam in water so warm in my life, the water is just like walking into a bath… you could spend hours and hours swimming in it).
We then decided to head to Clearwater for a day of adventure. Clearwater is a town located in Pinellas County, west of Tampa in Florida. To the west of Clearwater lies the Gulf of Mexico and to the east lies Tampa Bay. A local recommended this trip to us so we were very excited to check it out. The drive itself is just breathtaking. We stopped off for lunch at ‘Whiskey Joes’, a restaurant on route to Clearwater which lies overlooking the sea and a beach to the right. A great spot to stop off for a swim during your journey. Seafood here was just unbelievable. We continued on to Clearwater with an stunning view. It is almost like an island with water on both sides. A spectacular drive.
We arrived in Clearwater and stopped for an ice-cream to cool down(It was very HOT!!). We then stumbled upon a beach called ‘Indian Rocks Beach’ which is a beautiful, peaceful, quiet beach just past Clearwater. Clearwater beach was very busy and packed with people so we decided we would go in search of a QT beach and we found it with ‘Indian Rock’s Beach’!! A quiet, heavenly beach with amazing waves… what more could you want? We enjoyed a few hours at the beach, relaxing and swimming in the warm sea(I honestly dont think I have ever swam in such warm waters!!).
To end the day, we went out sailing at sunset. As many of you know, I am a big water baby so I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to sail a catamaran at sunset. We went sailing with Kay Lani. There is no better place to experience this gem’s natural beauty than on the water. Enjoying a relaxing sail with island music and cold drink, in the glow of the beautiful sunset. A perfect way to end the day! It was an unbelievable experience with spectacular views all around. A great way to meet people from all around the USA as the boat can fit up to 27 people. We met lovely people from Pennsylvanian and Illinois during our sail. We weren’t lucky enough to see dolphins but we have been told it’s common enough to see them during your sail. What more could you want; the warm breeze on your face, the full sails and the sun setting…. pure perfection. The sunset was just beautiful… even nicer to see it out on the water. This has so far been the highlight of the trip. Two things to tick of my bucket list: 1) Sailing at Sunset. 2) Sailing a Catamaran.
