Michael Myers returns..and so do we....19 Fabulous nights of HHN, RP & SF Sept/Oct 2018

So with HHN being the main focus of our trips I have been looking back at some of the older ones too...….

We have gone from going to one night in 2007 where we totally fell in love with the event......to going as many years as we can. We had to miss a couple of Septembers for different reason.

I don’t think I’d do well with HHN! I’m the one in the theatre where if you are sitting nearby you’ll get popcorn all over yourself if something startles me! It’s amazing how far that stuff will fly.
 
LOL -- you're so sweet! I'm allergic to crab (which developed later in life and bums me out as it's a favorite -- luckily can still eat other shellfish) and I hate duck... LOL. Once, we were in Germany with my ex and his family for dinner. As you know, this angryduck loves her Donald Duck.... well, the waitress didn't speak much English, and I was trying to tell her I wanted something else other than duck. She thought I didn't know what the dish was, so she said, "it's duck, like Donald." The family roared knowing, "well, if she didn't want to eat it before... she certainly doesn't now!" ;) Anyway, don't hate me. :) I'm sure one of these days we will share a meal and I'll eat SOMETHING. Hahaha.

Oh I adore crab!!! Next to where we live is famous for the nicest crabs in the UK!! Beautiful......we sometimes wander down to the pier and just have them freshly prepared.....don’t need anything else with it.......love seafood of any kind!

And you hate duck.......oh Alice..........tell me it ain’t so!!! No spice......no duck........:laughing:

Duck is funny.......it can be so fatty if not cooked properly.......I’m so fussy with it....... but that’s funny about your Germany visit.......we were once staying at a beautiful hunting lodge up in the wilds of Scotland.....where the waitress when asked what veal was like .........described veal as “like eating Bambi”..........:rotfl:The owner was Horrified..........she didn’t last long!!

Oh I couldn’t hate you Alice.......:hug: although tell me you don’t like wine.......:lmao:

Oh if we ever do manage to meet we’ll pick somewhere where we’d all be happy...........:thumbsup2
 
I don’t think I’d do well with HHN! I’m the one in the theatre where if you are sitting nearby you’ll get popcorn all over yourself if something startles me! It’s amazing how far that stuff will fly.

:welcome: Sue...........:wave2:

Nice to see you post with us.........oh HHN is a blast! It is so much fun and not as scary as it used to be!

But, as someone who does jump easily I can sympathise.......yes popcorn can fly far!!!

Hope you’re enjoyed so far........not that long to go now.........:thumbsup2
 


Mmmm....tres leches...one of my favorites. Looked beautiful, too!

We loved it!!! It was so gorgeous........

It was funny how it was quite sweet, but equally light and didn’t feel overly heavy......but, one is enough between two.....even two rather greedy folks!

Yep, I’m sure you’d love it..........:thumbsup2
 
So, we were back into this lovely lobby...….it really is spacious...….vey bright and airy.....



i-ktQz3nP-XL.jpg






i-XGJRsjT-XL.jpg






i-z8jKJdD-XL.jpg





We wandered over to buy some water from the Dutch Trading co, here you can have food options all day form breakfast through to late night snacks...….and all lovely.

Here we saw the food and beverage manager Phil, we had met several times before...…..he said the last time he`d remember us and our name next time, and he did!! Straight away had our names......always impressive. We had a good old chat with him and extolled the virtues of Sapphire once again...….we genuinely had never found anything negative about the hotel to say...….either hotel. He very kindly said the water was on him as we aid our goodbyes......nice little touch......it was so nice to see him again. Always love running into folks we`ve met previously.

Now we went over to check in and yep, our room was ready...….check in was swift and easy and the girl said we were in House 2. So far on our stays we had been in House 3, so this was different.

It was quite a walk from the elevator, but we discovered if we turned left out of room it took us to the elevator that goes down into the convention area......it was ideal. And no one else seemed to use this one.

We saw the room had double doors. Now, we had been very lucky to be given the Sapphire Suite on our last stays, definitely a real treat as it is a beautiful room......so we thought we had been blessed to be given it again but in a different House.

And we opened the door and saw the suite.......wowee……..we had been blessed with the Hospitality Suite...…..and the icing on the cake was.......it had a balcony!!!!!

Now, we were thrilled to bits with this, genuinely over the moon.....and our friend knew we would absolutely adore having such a beautiful suite with the luxury of a balcony.....balconies are few and far between at Universal hotels, there are none at RP and a few at Portofino, and Sapphire had six I believe...….so we were absolutely thrilled and incredibly grateful.







I may have let out a rather loud scream when I spotted it...…..which wasn't straight away...…..

I was so busy looking around this huge suite....and the first thing I noticed was we had a large fridge freezer and a little breakfast bar area...….

Then Tom said to me as I wandered through to the bedroom...….have you looked out the window......I actually hadn't...….although this was all in a very short space of time...…..I actually squealed oh look...…...it`s a balcony!!!!






We wouldn't be leaving this suite today!!!! Water rides were immediately dismissed from our thoughts......and we both wondered could we pass the next four days in here and not leave!!!!

One thing we did do before we unpacked and laid out our stuff which would make the place look untidy, was of course take pictures...……

The suite is large and incredibly spacious......and the settee was incredibly comfortable...….heck the whole suite was incredibly comfy!!!




i-Sc66fsd-XL.jpg






i-nK8LP4T-XL.jpg






i-jDPCKMW-XL.jpg





i-6n8V2Xz-XL.jpg




@keishashadow ……..Janet, guess who found the Dr Who marathon as soon as the tv was switched on!!!!



i-CqcnXQF-XL.jpg





i-5KkWPP3-XL.jpg





i-4PxqJCb-XL.jpg




I found a place to charge my ever depleting ipad!!! Always a priority...….we did try to Facetime Kyle later to show him the suite , but the connection kept breaking, we planned to upgrade to the paid for wifi later and we could then chat properly...…..



i-sB5ch72-XL.jpg






i-3JmJj47-XL.jpg




The kitchen was small but perfectly formed...….we had a fridge freezer for keeping our drinks cold with an ice dispenser......a microwave we wouldn't use and plenty of glasses and cutlery...….I could live here!!!!




i-ckZmvMn-XL.jpg






i-CpxWXLB-XL.jpg






i-jqkLGKd-XL.jpg






i-4R3nB5n-XL.jpg




We were loving this suite already!!!!!

Before we did anything else I sent an email off to say a huge thank you and we were over the moon with this....and now we probably wouldn't ever want to leave...…..our friend was happy we were so happy :hug:


More to come...…..

Small sink area or not...amazing! No idea they offered such an incredible suite @ SF.:worship:
 
Wow, so amazing you got to see the new lounge area. Too bad there were no food and drink samples! Can't wait to hear what your potential surprise might be from your front desk friend.....
 


Small sink area or not...amazing! No idea they offered such an incredible suite @ SF.:worship:

Yep........although the sink area was quite large........I just had so much stuff!!!

Apparently I take up a lot of room with make up/perfumes/toiletries/cleansers and such.....and I always seemed to be straightening my hair when he wanted to brush his teeth........it was just easier with his own area.......although we always manage fine with three of us lol.......

Yes, the suite was beautiful and so spacious......but the balcony was the icing on the cake.........we were being very spoiled!!

And yep 4am here and I’m posting.......can’t sleep........:wave2:
 
Wow, so amazing you got to see the new lounge area. Too bad there were no food and drink samples! Can't wait to hear what your potential surprise might be from your front desk friend.....

Well, being given the hospitality suite with the balcony was the surprise. Oh our friend doesn’t work the front desk......:thumbsup2

There were little appetisers laid out and we had the fruity island cocktail they had made up for everyone to sample.....it was lovely.......but we didn’t have any appetisers.......we were too busy looking around.......it was funny though seeing some TM we don’t know wonder why there was 2 guests wandering around. But when they saw who were with they guessed we were specially invited :)
 
SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 29TH...…………………


We did indeed sleep fabulously in this bed...….it was so comfortable...….we both slept great. And that was one of the things we love about these hotels, is the beds have always been amazing to sleep on. Mattresses were so perfect for us...….pillows were good for me, but Tom could have them a little firmer...…..he still slept really well though generally.

We had last night decided to order room service for breakfast...….we really wanted to enjoy the room as much as we could and of course we had the lovely big table to enjoy...….so we filled in the card and put it on the door before we went to bed last night. We aren't the biggest breakfast eaters on a day to day basis except when we opt for the buffet breakfast on our last day......so we had chosen breakfast pastries, croissants, tea, coffee and juices...……we were tempted with the cooked options, but really wanted to enjoy lunch...…..

We also didn't want to eat too much as we were meeting very special friends for lunch...…..the very lovely Keishashadow and her mister.....

Breakfast was timed for 8am, so around 7 we were up and we did actually feel very refreshed this morning.....into our lovely and big shower......the power was excellent as we had always found with the hotels......I think there had been an issue when it first opened with water pressure, but of course every hotel had teething problems......and it certainly had been overcome...…

We had just finished showering and got dressed when we heard our doorbell ring...…..how nice was it having a doorbell!!! The Sapphire Suite that we had been lucky enough to have been given on our previous visits also had the double doors and a doorbell...….always expected some joker to press it and run.....but so far it had never happened...…….

So, a lovely young lady brought the tray in and set it up on the table...….and it did look lovely...….




i-G6Jq57P-XL.jpg





i-5VBvt4G-XL.jpg




Now, this was very civilised……...the coffee was gorgeous, and I had ordered breakfast tea for a change...…but, I have to say the tea was a little on the cool side, but still drinkable......I like boiling hot tea and coffee....so I ended up finishing the tea quickly and then tucking into Tom`s coffee too...….he gave me that jokey look as if to say hmmphh!!! But it was a big pot of coffee...

Everything was beautiful.…..and so fresh......we really did enjoy sitting eating our breakfast looking out to the balcony...…..the sun was beating right on the balcony this morning, so it would be far too hot to even consider sitting out there right now.....we`d have needed another shower after 20 minutes!!!

Once we had eaten what we wanted, we called Star Services to come and collect the trolley.....and they were up in around 5 minutes which was excellent service. They did ask if everything was good and was there anything we weren't happy with......we told them, no it was perfect.....and it was lovely...…

Once the tray was gone we got my ipad out and tried to Facetime Kyle.....we had upgraded to the Premium, so hoped it would be better...….he answered straight away and it was an ok service...….when I went out on the balcony to show him the signal disappeared so went back in and could show him from the inside of the rooms...….he thought it was fabulous having a balcony...….and he loved the room too. He was doing great though......keeping busy and work was going superbly......he really was enjoying his job which gladdened our hearts no end...….he then said he was off......so we wee almost being dismissed......lol......he was happy knowing we were happy......and he was busy that night.

We then got ready and headed out to Publix for a few items we needed. They also sold gift cards we wanted to give to someone as part of a thank you......and we wanted to pick up some little bits and bobs for us too. Publix is a nice store. Staff are always friendly and helpful...…..we do go into Walmart and have no objections to shopping there, but Publix is nicer.

I was driving this morning and as soon as we went out we were greeted by Michael on Valet who had remembered us from last visit.....he sent someone to get the car and it was there in a flash.....well, we could have walked to it as it was right beside the main doors almost, but I got in and it was nice the aircon had already cooled the car down nicely......…

The drive to Publix is 5 minutes......it`s on Sand Lake Road and very handy...….and as we went in the store we saw their little pumpkin display...….certainly puts the UK stores Halloween displays to shame.…….and the aroma of the cinnamon broom was gorgeous!!!




i-qDbvmqW-XL.jpg






i-xJzZHqN-XL.jpg






i-cRk6dx7-XL.jpg






i-p6wwxR5-XL.jpg





We had a good old wander round the store and picked up very quickly what we needed.....and as always with us, picked up a few extras...…..I don't really like grocery shopping at all.....it`s one of these things that must be endured...….I do hate it at Christmas and Easter......what is it with folks and shopping like they are panic buying...….








Stores are closed one day. And people buy like there`s no tomorrow......and why so much bread.....it`s Christmas, if I`m stocking up, it`s going to be on goodies and treats.....not bread!!!

We drove back and those valet guys are quick off the mark......it was a young man we hadn't seen before and he immediately said he knew the car was to go to the front of the hotel and not the valet area in the garage.....lol...….they really are nice guys who are so friendly.

Back up in our room we put our things away and I gift wrapped the packages I had to do. Then we went out on the balcony with a Snapple and there was a little bit of shade out there now...….not much though....but we were keen to just enjoy some more time out there......




i-xzKBfRS-XL.jpg






i-gMPZHks-XL.jpg






i-DChFkD8-XL.jpg




We enjoyed the heat for a little bit, but it did get too hot...….and we didn't want to be all hot and messy for our lunch with Janet and her lovely husband...…...so back inside to cool down a little, some lipstick on and downstairs we went to Amatista for our long awaited lunch.
 
I must apologise for the lack of continuity in the posts...….I like to have as many pictures as possible in one post as I like the flow better that way.........but I`m being interrupted by a million things IRL...….all good I hasten to add...…...but still being disturbed...….but, not fond of little posts that don't say much...….so will try harder, but there`s not much left to do on this trip report now anyway...….almost on the last couple of days...

So should be finished by next weekend...…..just in time to start the next one, although a much shorter trip at 10 nights...…..I think we`ll stick to 10 nights in December......a week just wasn't long enough for us, even with a lot of stays in the year...….can`t believe I started this on Sept 8th and I`m still not finished!!!!

But, I do appreciate all the comments and sticking with it for all that have.....it`s nice to know I`m not talking to myself...…..:hug:



So, we had arranged to meet in Amatista……...Janet had said they may be a tiny bit late......that was no problem as we had all day......we had reserved a table just in case it was extra busy.....sometimes they have conventions over the weekend too, so if there was we wanted to be sure we had a table reserved.

We were taken to our table over by the window and we said we were expecting our friends at some point, they may be a little late......not a problem if they were.....

We had only sat a few minutes when I saw Janet and her mister appear in the entrance area...…yay they were here :jumping1:

It had been a long time since we had met up....and the last time had been the first time we had met although we had been emailing each other for a while...….we had missed each other on a few trips and finally managed to meet on a HHN in 2016...…..

We had met Keisha and Mr Keisha mid to late afternoon and then went on to do the holding area at the Simpsons...…..then macraven arrived a bit later too on that meet, who also I think hadn't long arrived for her trip too...…..maybe the day before?? ...….again, we had managed to be there at roughly the same time, although we were leaving the next day...…..so we didn't stay too long that night.....I think we did one or maybe two houses together then we said our goodbyes and headed off as we hadn't packed and our last night is usually packing up and relaxing a little......so our meet had been maybe 2 to 3 hours.....but it was fun and the five of us had such a lovely meet together.......it is always lovely to have meets with folks from inside the box as many describe the internet...……




i-2L7v9kg-XL.jpg




Boy did we chat!!!!! We have a lot in common and we all get on well and we just chatted the afternoon away....and laughed a lot...…

So, Tom was driving this afternoon, so he ordered a soft drink......I don't remember what it was, both the keishas had beer I think..….and don't laugh...…..I thought...….well it`s five o clock somewhere, I`ll have a cocktail for lunch...….






So, I asked what rums they had......and the lovely Tia made me giggle when she said she wasn't sure......she usually did breakfast service and I`m sure they don't get many requests for rum then!!! She did go check and they had Myers Dark, so I had that with ginger beer and lime and asked for it in a tall glass.....sometimes they present it in a small glass and it`s too strong...….and since it was lunchtime I`d be good-ish...……..lol...….

We were chatting so much Tia had to come back twice as none of us had decided yet what we were going to have...…..this is a good menu...….and anything we had eaten from here had been lovely. Even on our very first visit when we weren't sure we really liked it menu wise.....we had been spoiled with Strong Water.....but, it was a good menu with plenty of choice.

Eventually we decided.......Tom and I were going to share the Caribbean Wings with both hot and jerk sauce.....Janet and her mister had the wings and a Caesar salad which looked lovely I have to say...…..




i-tqBs8Dq-XL.jpg






i-B7gXqZp-XL.jpg




I was very grateful Mr Keisha didn't think me too odd taking pictures of everyone`s meals......but I think he somehow knew I would ask...…. :rolleyes1 lol...……

They were lovely......and Janet and I managed to eat them without making too much of a mess of our faces......that`s the downside of wings!!!! You can end up with sauce in your hair and everywhere else in between!!! But, they were very tasty and a good sized portion...….I honestly could have cleared the plate on my own!!!

We had a decent gap between courses which was lovely as we could chat all the more...…..we were so glad we had managed to co-ordinate our dates finally so we could meet up again, and not be rushed...….

Our entrees appeared and they were all lush!!!!! Mr Keisha had ordered the burger and fries and I immediately wished I`d ordered a side of those fries!!!! They looked so good!!!!



i-CbHmtdH-XL.jpg





Tom had gone for the meat lovers flatbread which was laden with meat...….chorizo sausage, pepperoni, ground beef and salami!!!! You could get the meat sweats just looking at it!!!!





i-hKqLZRp-XL.jpg





I opted for the pulled pork fajita flatbread minus the onions, it came adorned with fajita spiced pork, peppers, queso fresco and finished with a gorgeous jalapeno barbecue sauce!! And when I was eating it I was glad I hadn't ordered fries!!!! So filling...….




i-PM7jQRG-XL.jpg





Janet went for their signature dish...….the Mojo Marinated Rotisserie Chicken, which came with garlic and cilantro sauce. You had a choice of sides and I think Janet chose the platanos maduros..




i-H2jhNgX-XL.jpg





I think we all really enjoyed our food...…..I had forgotten to ask for jalapenos on my flatbread, but it was delicious.....and the pineapple on it was just perfect...…..everything looked so good...….

Tia is the perfect person to take care of you......she isn't intrusive and is excellent at her job......we had had her look after us a few times now and she really was an enthusiastic young lady.....she enjoyed her job and it showed......so she cleared the plates away and laughed when we all declined dessert...…we were full. But it had been such a good lunch...in more than one way.

We sat longer still and Tia came over to check if we needed anything, but now we were just chatting.....she of course said we could stay as long as we wanted.....so we did.....lol...….:hyper2:

Janet was moving over to another hotel so it was unfortunately time to set off...….but of course we had to get some pictures...….we asked Tia if she would mind, and of course she was happy to do it......so we went outside where the tables are beside the water wheel...….this is such a pretty area...….

I don't think the light was the best but they turned out alright...…..I really like this picture of the four of us....and Tia was very nice and took them with both our devices......I think she took around 3 or 4 each....always nice when folks don't mind and take a few pictures in case one isn't the best quality or you have your eyes closed.......….




i-XWPXN5Q-XL.jpg




So, we thanked Tia for taking the time to take the pictures and for taking such nice care of us during our meal...….and we set off up in the elevator to the lobby.

Here we said our goodbyes for this visit, and it had been a lovely few hours we had spent chatting and eating and then chatting some more...….these were the best visits when time flew past and you didn't realize.....

So, hugs all round and we went our separate ways......Janet to their car and us to our room.

We had to nip back out to do a favour for someone and then we planned to not do very much tonight...….but, Tom and I did both say our lunch was a real highlight of our trip. We got on so well and honestly could have stayed chatting all night long!!!!

Thank you guys for a lovely afternoon, you are both so lovely......……:wave2:






 
Last edited:
Oh I adore crab!!! Next to where we live is famous for the nicest crabs in the UK!! Beautiful......we sometimes wander down to the pier and just have them freshly prepared.....don’t need anything else with it.......love seafood of any kind!

And you hate duck.......oh Alice..........tell me it ain’t so!!! No spice......no duck........:laughing:

Duck is funny.......it can be so fatty if not cooked properly.......I’m so fussy with it....... but that’s funny about your Germany visit.......we were once staying at a beautiful hunting lodge up in the wilds of Scotland.....where the waitress when asked what veal was like .........described veal as “like eating Bambi”..........:rotfl:The owner was Horrified..........she didn’t last long!!

Oh I couldn’t hate you Alice.......:hug: although tell me you don’t like wine.......:lmao:

Oh if we ever do manage to meet we’ll pick somewhere where we’d all be happy...........:thumbsup2

I like white wine... and the developed an allergy to it too. Arrgggh! Lol
 
I like white wine... and the developed an allergy to it too. Arrgggh! Lol

Oh no Alice!! No white wine!!!

When I developed an intolerance to onions and garlic predominantly about 3 years ago........I thought it was awful as I loved them! But, I kept telling myself........it could be worse......it could be wine :rotfl:

I feel for you!!! We loves our wine! :D White or red.........just never Rose.........

Although spent tonight watching the first two POTC movies while sipping rum cocktails...........we likes the rum too!! Snacks in abundance.........

Hope you’re having a great weekend Alice.......



18 more sleeps!!! :-)
 
Today I popped into the LCBO ... Canadian Govt run liquor store, so guess what my Carole&Tom's trip report reading beverage is tonight... yup, dark rum & ginger beer. LOL. You are an influencer!

Those flat breads at Amatista look very nice.
 
:wave2::wave2:
Today I popped into the LCBO ... Canadian Govt run liquor store, so guess what my Carole&Tom's trip report reading beverage is tonight... yup, dark rum & ginger beer. LOL. You are an influencer!

Those flat breads at Amatista look very nice.

:welcome: Dynamoliz............

I love that!!!! Lol.........

We did that too last night.......watched two POTC movies with rum, ginger beer and lime........perfect evening! Hope you enjoyed it though.........

Yes, the flatbreads were lovely, I’d definitely have them again.........

Glad to have you along and hope you’ve enjoyed it so far.......not too long to go........:wave2:
 
We popped back into our room very briefly and then went back to get the car...….we were dropping something off for someone we know and it wasn't far away...….any excuse to go out for a drive was always nice....but it wasn't long till we were back and dropping the car off with the lovely valet guys again...….I think they were getting used to us bouncing in and out all day!!!

We stopped in to buy a coffee and then went upstairs...…..we actually felt a little tired so thought we`d watch some tv for a while...….so Tom sat in the middle of the settee and I laid down on the end bit which was incredibly comfortable....….I hadn't planned on falling asleep but I did, and Tom was sleeping before I even laid down!!!! I had brought my hoodie to put over the top of me as I hate being cold......so therefore I was sound asleep in an instant.

We slept for an hour or so and got the fright of our life when the doorbell rang...….you know that feeling you don't know where you are or what day it is...….that was us......we had been unconscious.....anyway, I answered to the door to room service bringing us a delivery...….

Another lovely surprise from our friend!!!! He is so considerate...…..



i-6RjdGmd-XL.jpg






i-rJCWvTm-XL.jpg






i-K4n5P2C-XL.jpg






i-sqRCkpX-XL.jpg




We loved this!!!! We had began to feel a little peckish and this was ideal......we love a cheese selection and adore those strawberries..….our friend is always so wonderful to us. I immediately sent off a thank you email straight away!!!

So while we munched on this we were trying to decide what to do tonight......we really had no desire to do much at all...….so we thought we would rent a movie in the room, order some room service later and have some time on the balcony...….sounded a perfect night to us. We did think of going over to the Club Lounge as we had been afforded that privilege......and were incredibly grateful for that too, but we decided against it for tonight.

So, it was still early......so after we enjoyed our cheese and crackers, we put the strawberries in the fridge for later......that would be dessert...…..

We thought we`d have a wander over to Aventura again...….not to go to the bar on the roof, just to have a wander around and see what was on offer there...….we thought we may have something between us just to try something out...…..

It`s a nice little walk over to Aventura from Sapphire...…..we did like the little water feature in the middle.....




i-qc9xb6x-XL.jpg






i-psG97Ws-XL.jpg




Aventura does look commanding at night, it does look better lit up than how it looks during the day for me....I did like the glass look though....


But, the hotel doesn't inspire me at all to stay there...….it feels cold, but, like all the hotels onsite, staff are lovely for the most part..…..



i-T4KFD4r-XL.jpg




We had a wander around the food court......it was fairly busy for a Saturday night, and there were people dotted around all of the food stations...…and the food did look decent.

We thought about sharing a pizza, but we thought we may order one between us from room service later, we also considered the stir fry station...….but the line moved so slowly I gave up and left the bowl with my veg choices and we tried something else...……

Tom wanted to try the beef rib.....it did look nice...….he chose mac n cheese and roast potatoes as his sides , so we opted to share that...…..




i-8Ct3374-XL.jpg





i-ShGFLmg-XL.jpg




The beef rib was quite nice, but too cool for me...….the mac n cheese was tasteless and had a slimy texture....and the larger of the potatoes were still hard. We ate very little of it and most of it went in the trash...……

We wandered around a little more, but quite honestly it wasn't a hotel I`d choose to spend any time in.....although I think we may try the rooftop bar at some time in the future...….




i-hKzDT8h-XL.jpg






i-jrzFXqV-XL.jpg




Of course Tom had to check on the car...….lol...….



i-RNJXScX-XL.jpg





Back into Sapphire and it was incredibly quiet...…..there were a few people checking in but not many and hardly anyone in the public areas at all...…..but, we were heading to our room to enjoy that again...…





i-mHxc59x-XL.jpg




We did stop into the Dutch Trading Co and picked up a bottle of red wine...….as we were having pizza we thought it would be nice..…..we somehow picked up a bag of potato chips too.....why I`m not sure but we got them...…..

Once we got into our suite, we both wondered if we should maybe do HHN for a little while.....but, no.....neither of us really wanted to do it and our friends who were here at the same time had sent an email to us saying they were there and it was heaving!!!! They were staying maybe another hour and then leaving.....didn't sound like a lot of fun. So we decided to content ourselves and we poured ourselves a drink and went out on the balcony for a little while...…

Boy, was it hot!!!! So, we didn't sit long at this point...….we went in and chose a movie to order......and I don't remember what it was......but it was good...……

We had ordered a pizza off their special menu for this hotel only...….we had chosen an pepperoni pizza with added pineapple and jalapeno......and ordered it to be delivered around 9.30...….

Halfway through the movie the doorbell went and we let in the very friendly delivery guy......and I have to say the pizza did look lovely...…..

And we had tabasco and chilli flakes!!!! Well, a few flakes wouldn't go amiss...……




i-GFjzCmx-XL.jpg




I did have to be careful with how much I put on it...….

A few years back we were out with very good friends at an Indian restaurant for dinner. We had decided Peter and I would share a couple of dishes as he always claims he can eat hotter than me......lol.......…...so we ordered 5 dishes and two of them were really hot and spicy…...Tom and Peter`s wife ordered regular spiced food...….so it arrived and he began to eat the dish that I had ordered and regularly order it...…..he took a few bites and declared it alright......then a few mouthfuls later he got up...……..







I did warn him!!!!! He had gone up to the bar area to get one of those lassi drinks which is basically yoghurt and ice to try and cool him down......I think his ego was hurt more than his mouth...….lol.....

He wasn't in the best of moods the rest of the night which his wife found hilarious...…..he just kept looking in wonder at me finish the dish......we never went back there again!!!! And they`re still really good friends......they were the friends who were in the park tonight at HHN...….we were seeing them tomorrow.

But, I made sure not to flake spice on Tom`s pieces and it worked out fine.

The pizza was lovely and I`d definitely order one again...……..

We called star services and said we`d leave the trolley outside for pick up. We were back watching the movie again. Whatever it was we liked it.

It was quite late now, but we went outside for an hour or so and again, enjoyed the heat and the tranquility of the resort right now....there was no one around......this really was bliss.

Around 1am we finally retired and climbed into bed. It had been a quiet evening for a Saturday night, but we had so enjoyed it......we were showing the effects of so many days being up so early every day and staying up so late most nights....we weren't 21 anymore!!!

But, it had been such a good day with meeting up with friends...…..now we were whooped...…..and sleeping in minutes.



Tomorrow we were going into Orlando itself...…..and had arranged another meet at HHN!!!


 
SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 30TH...…….


We again, slept so well last night...…...I got up around 3am as is usual, I went through to the other room and just watched out of the window for a while...….it`s so peaceful and the lights still look beautiful...….although there are people milling around, mainly security on bikes and one walking...…..

I got back into bed and thought I`d be awake for hours, but I did fall over and didn't wake up till after seven.

Tom was still asleep when I got up and was showered, hair dried, straightened and dressed before he did wake up...….we turned the tv on as the Russian F1 GP was on, so we were watching that as we tried to decide where to go for breakfast...…..we again opted not to go to the Club Lounge.....they would be wondering where we were :D......but, I said to Tom...why don't we just get a pastry from downstairs and we`d eat up here...

And it meant we wouldn't miss much of the GP.....although wish we hadn't bothered...…

Tom went down and was quite a time......there had been an awful long line for breakfast items......but he had brought up pastries, a donut and coffee...…and he also brought up a portion of the breakfast potatoes for us to try...




i-K7bTFZF-XL.jpg






i-QrC4TFB-XL.jpg




We like the coffee from this place......it`s not too strong and is very nice...…..the potatoes were the same as the ones from the buffet downstairs, I picked out the onion and did enjoy the ones I tried......couldn't finish them though as we did enjoy the pastries.....and I do love a good glazed donut.

It was so lovely sitting here and enjoying our little breakfast in what was like our own little condo...….and nice view to boot!!!

After the race we facetimed Kyle and we had the same impressions of the race as he did. Our connection again wasn't the best but we did do better today, but we would go and mention there was no improvement in the connection.

Kyle was looking forward to us coming home I think.....and he was keen to have us see the bathroom all finished.....so were we!!! We chatted some more and asked him what he was doing for the rest of the day....he had plans all sorted, so we didn't keep him long...…..we did miss him!! But, said our goodbyes and went to get ready to head out for a few hours...….we were meeting our friends from the UK who were here to visit their daughter who has a full time job at Disney. She is a manager at one of their hotels, and was enjoying it...…

We planned to go to Lake Eola where our friend had told us about the Farmers Market there, and thought we`d enjoy it...…

Only problem was.....today was to be hotter than any day so far.....and we would be out in the open with not much shade!!!

 
We tidied up our breakfast things and placed them in the trash...….we never like to leave any kind of mess for housekeeping...….although we did have a full bag of trash we sat by the door and a thank you as it was a lot.....we had cleared a few things that we needn't take home......and some trash in general......but we didn't leave things laying around...….

I grabbed my bag and we went downstairs to the lobby and I spoke to someone on the front desk and explained we had upgraded to the premium internet, but there was no difference...….so he checked the computer and we weren't being charged for it...…. he did take a note to have the service checked out for us...….

So, off out for the car and they were busy, a young guy came over and asked if we wanted our car we said yes please and Tom handed him the paper and off he ran.....towards the garage...…..it is written on the card "ramp" to show it is out front and not in the main valet area of the garage...…..we saw Michael and told him the young man had gone to the garage.....at that he came running back......he had realized......poor guy.....no wonder they are all so fit and healthy.…….all the running about they do in a shift...…...at that he appeared with the car....although you can hear it before you see it.....loved the sound of the engine!!!
We had entered an address into the satnav where we thought there was a car park...…..we had never actually been to this part.....well, not for years...….and last time we had arrived in a cab. So this was new to us....and at times we could get lost in our own room!!!

It`s not far to Downtown Orlando.....and as soon as we are off the I4 we get lost......the satnav wants to go down a one way street......twice...…..we go round the one way system three times...……then missed the way we were supposed to be going......twice!!!!

Anyone remember this.....European Vacation.....gotta be the Griswolds……..this was us today.







We could see where we wanted to be...….but how to get to it...….and some of the car parks were marked no entry...…..but eventually we accidentally stumbled across a decent multi storey about 7 blocks away from the entrance...….anywhere you could park on the road was already gone.....

As we entered the car park was showing certain areas sectioned off.....but it was showing public parking level 2......that would do us....….as we got out of the car we were approached by another couple asking if it was alright to park here......we said we sure hoped so!!! Now we had been once, we knew exactly where we should be and would manage next time...….

We walked out onto the street and jeez......this was heat like we hadn't felt before...….it was like a wall surrounding you and as you walked you felt as though you were having to fight your way through it......of course it may not have been as bad as that......but it felt like it at the time...….

The walk down to Lake Eola was interesting. And quite sad. We immediately saw an incredible amount of homeless people just on the benches and street corners...…..I have to say they weren't in the least bit threatening in any way.....but never nice to see people like that. We did however notice a good car park a good bit closer to the entrance, we would opt to park there next time.....and we wrote down the address as I knew we`d forget!!!!!






So, onward to the Farmers Market...…...and again the entrance area had a whole lot of homeless folks just hanging around...…...I`m never scared with people like that but it`s horrible to see human beings living in such a way...…..

This side isn't as busy with stalls as the other side...….and most were still setting up...…….but it looked like a few nice places to see.......

The lake itself is gorgeous...…..and despite being lakeside......it wasn't any cooler.....no friendly cool breeze whispering in towards us.…….but still a beautiful day...….




i-NsXtrf5-XL.jpg






i-3h3W5Qm-XL.jpg





Most of the stalls were open and they were all pretty cool.....apart from the pet stand...….never have any interest in seeing a million and five things you can buy for a cat or dog!!! So we bypass those stalls...…and have a good look at one that has unique belts and little gift ideas......another was selling candles that were slightly different.....a little too different for me....Yankee Candle they weren't....




i-q8fNptc-XL.jpg




They also have some food trucks that are at the same spot every week......and they do get fabulous reviews.....but it was too early for lunch anyway...……………




i-dtLk4wG-XL.jpg






i-bmSvHL9-XL.jpg





I did think I`d love to have a look in those condo`s...….although if we ever do buy over here, it would be a villa......but condo living had a certain appeal.....although I think we`d prefer a garden of sorts...….but this looked lovely...….





i-Xw4Xb8x-XL.jpg



Have to go take friends dog for a quick outside visit...…….yes, doggy sitting again!!


 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!










Top