When we visited our villa in March 2011 we were delighted to experience great weather particularly hot for that time of year. Having been to various Theme parks during the first week of our stay we decided Orlando was getting very warm and we decided to head for the Cocoa Beach area for a day.
We decided to go on the 192 as this goes directly into Melbourne but we were unfortunate to encounter red lights at every traffic signal so our journey took us well over an hour and a half. If you do go on this road you need to be aware that once you leave the commercialised part of the 192 there are hardly any eating facilities until you reach Melbourne. We had disregarded the likes of McDonalds for breakfast so were really hungry when we reached the Melbourne Shopping Mall and by then breakfast was over. However there were several places to eat here and we decided on Toojays as we had eaten in one of their branches at Dr Phillips in Orlando. We were not disappointed with the food as they have a fabulous selection of salads and soups as well as great coffee.
This Mall is in the same group as the Florida Mall and we were not allowed to leave it without the girls having a quick visit to the Teddy Bear Shop. However my Father said this was to be a beach day and no more shopping was allowed!
No longer hungry we initially headed for the beach area stopping off first at Starbucks which was next to the Cold Stone Creamery. Here we bought cold dinks with plenty of ice.
There is plenty of parking in this area, it is on meters so be sure to take change with you although it is less expensive to park here than nearby Cocoa Beach. Access from the car parking is really easy straight onto a vast beach where there was loads of space for everyone. We always take our own beach seats not just because it saves hiring them but also saves us time having to search for rented ones.
We then spent a few hours relaxing reading our books and enjoying the sun with a welcome breeze off the sea we were all happy to have got away from the Orlando heat for a day.
Late afternoon we decided it was time to head towards Cocoa Beach itself in search of a meal before we headed back to the villa. More of this in Part 2.
We decided to go on the 192 as this goes directly into Melbourne but we were unfortunate to encounter red lights at every traffic signal so our journey took us well over an hour and a half. If you do go on this road you need to be aware that once you leave the commercialised part of the 192 there are hardly any eating facilities until you reach Melbourne. We had disregarded the likes of McDonalds for breakfast so were really hungry when we reached the Melbourne Shopping Mall and by then breakfast was over. However there were several places to eat here and we decided on Toojays as we had eaten in one of their branches at Dr Phillips in Orlando. We were not disappointed with the food as they have a fabulous selection of salads and soups as well as great coffee.
This Mall is in the same group as the Florida Mall and we were not allowed to leave it without the girls having a quick visit to the Teddy Bear Shop. However my Father said this was to be a beach day and no more shopping was allowed!
No longer hungry we initially headed for the beach area stopping off first at Starbucks which was next to the Cold Stone Creamery. Here we bought cold dinks with plenty of ice.
There is plenty of parking in this area, it is on meters so be sure to take change with you although it is less expensive to park here than nearby Cocoa Beach. Access from the car parking is really easy straight onto a vast beach where there was loads of space for everyone. We always take our own beach seats not just because it saves hiring them but also saves us time having to search for rented ones.
We then spent a few hours relaxing reading our books and enjoying the sun with a welcome breeze off the sea we were all happy to have got away from the Orlando heat for a day.
Late afternoon we decided it was time to head towards Cocoa Beach itself in search of a meal before we headed back to the villa. More of this in Part 2.