Ask any experienced traveller to Orlando and they will tell you that in order to “stay the course”, you need to plan some relaxing days in and between those hectic park days.
So what exactly does a “relaxing day” entail?
Well, especially if you are staying in a villa, the choices are endless!
Have a lie in! ! No having to get up and out before maid service descends on your room, if the kids are early risers there is usually plenty to keep them entertained, and compulsory pool safety features mean there is no danger of them being able to creep into the pool without you being aware.
If you are an early riser take a cup of freshly brewed coffee or orange juice out on to the lanai and watch the sun rise or just enjoy the warmth of the early morning sunshine.
Personally I don’t think you can beat an early morning dip……. . in the winter roll back the pool blanket and watch the steam rise from the water into the cooler morning air, before submerging yourself into a pool as warm as your bathwater.
Breakfast in or out? Depends on your plans for the rest of the day.
You can’t beat breakfast al fresco on your very own pool deck, and for us that means cereal and English muffins, but for those who prefer you have the facilities to cook a full US breakfast, just remember always to use the crockery provided for outdoors.
Now this is meant to be a relaxing day, and food preparation of any sort may not be on the cards, so why not chose breakfast out?
On a relaxing day I would never choose somewhere like Denny’s or Golden Corral, too rushed, too pressured. Unless, of course, you choose to go much later, when all the theme park goers are long gone.
Our favourite place for a relaxing breakfast is The Market St Café in Celebration. Rollup a little later when all the locals will have left, if you do have to wait for a table, grab a pager and sit on a rocker overlooking the lake……. . soooooooo relaxing.
After breakfast take a leisurely stroll around one, two or even three of Celebrations’ lakes, see if you can spy a resident alligator sunning himself on the bank, or admire the houses on “millionaire’s row”.
If even that is too much then take a short stroll around the shops and grab yourself a salad or sarnie from the deli to take back to the villa for lunch, will you really be hungry at lunch time?
Spend the rest of the day chilling by the pool with your book, if you’ve forgotten to bring one there is usually a selection to be found in your home from home.
Plug yourself in to your ipod and snooze or put on some background music ……just not too loud to disturb the neighbours. When you’ve had enough of swimming and sunbathing, cool off indoors with a long, cold drink tinkling with ice straight from the ice maker.
After such a lazy day you may be suffering from Disney withdrawal symptoms, so perhaps head off to Disney’s Boardwalk or Downtown Disney for a stroll and a meal, or maybe enjoy an evening at the cinema.
If you opted for breakfast at the villa you may have had enough sun by mid afternoon, so maybe try afternoon tea at Sherlock’s in Celebration, or go the whole hog and try high tea at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. A gentle stroll around the shops or the resort and then back to the villa for an evening dip in the pool, then later perhaps a take away pizza or carryout from one of the excellent local chain restaurants.
Maybe round off the evening with a DVD from the collection at your villa or rent one of your favourite films locally. The beauty of an evening in for you, might be that everyone can enjoy a beer or a cocktail……no designated driver required!
These are just a few suggestions for that lazy day and there are many other things to choose from. Whatever you choose to do, a couple of “lazy days” will leave you refreshed and ready for a fresh onslaught on the shops or the theme parks.
So what exactly does a “relaxing day” entail?
Well, especially if you are staying in a villa, the choices are endless!
Have a lie in! ! No having to get up and out before maid service descends on your room, if the kids are early risers there is usually plenty to keep them entertained, and compulsory pool safety features mean there is no danger of them being able to creep into the pool without you being aware.
If you are an early riser take a cup of freshly brewed coffee or orange juice out on to the lanai and watch the sun rise or just enjoy the warmth of the early morning sunshine.
Personally I don’t think you can beat an early morning dip……. . in the winter roll back the pool blanket and watch the steam rise from the water into the cooler morning air, before submerging yourself into a pool as warm as your bathwater.
Breakfast in or out? Depends on your plans for the rest of the day.
You can’t beat breakfast al fresco on your very own pool deck, and for us that means cereal and English muffins, but for those who prefer you have the facilities to cook a full US breakfast, just remember always to use the crockery provided for outdoors.
Now this is meant to be a relaxing day, and food preparation of any sort may not be on the cards, so why not chose breakfast out?
On a relaxing day I would never choose somewhere like Denny’s or Golden Corral, too rushed, too pressured. Unless, of course, you choose to go much later, when all the theme park goers are long gone.
Our favourite place for a relaxing breakfast is The Market St Café in Celebration. Rollup a little later when all the locals will have left, if you do have to wait for a table, grab a pager and sit on a rocker overlooking the lake……. . soooooooo relaxing.
After breakfast take a leisurely stroll around one, two or even three of Celebrations’ lakes, see if you can spy a resident alligator sunning himself on the bank, or admire the houses on “millionaire’s row”.
If even that is too much then take a short stroll around the shops and grab yourself a salad or sarnie from the deli to take back to the villa for lunch, will you really be hungry at lunch time?
Spend the rest of the day chilling by the pool with your book, if you’ve forgotten to bring one there is usually a selection to be found in your home from home.
Plug yourself in to your ipod and snooze or put on some background music ……just not too loud to disturb the neighbours. When you’ve had enough of swimming and sunbathing, cool off indoors with a long, cold drink tinkling with ice straight from the ice maker.
After such a lazy day you may be suffering from Disney withdrawal symptoms, so perhaps head off to Disney’s Boardwalk or Downtown Disney for a stroll and a meal, or maybe enjoy an evening at the cinema.
If you opted for breakfast at the villa you may have had enough sun by mid afternoon, so maybe try afternoon tea at Sherlock’s in Celebration, or go the whole hog and try high tea at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort. A gentle stroll around the shops or the resort and then back to the villa for an evening dip in the pool, then later perhaps a take away pizza or carryout from one of the excellent local chain restaurants.
Maybe round off the evening with a DVD from the collection at your villa or rent one of your favourite films locally. The beauty of an evening in for you, might be that everyone can enjoy a beer or a cocktail……no designated driver required!
These are just a few suggestions for that lazy day and there are many other things to choose from. Whatever you choose to do, a couple of “lazy days” will leave you refreshed and ready for a fresh onslaught on the shops or the theme parks.