We were in Florida in January 2012 staying at our villa and decided we would have a break from the usual homeowners holiday – lots of maintenance and replacing items – and get away from it all for a few days and take a ‘proper’ vacation.
About 8 years ago we flew into Miami and spent a few nights there rather than drive straight up the Turnpike to get to our villa. As we decided we would do some exploring around Miami before heading up to Orlando, and on one of the days we headed up the A1A Coast Road and ended up in Deerfield Beach.
We had a wonderful meal at a restaurant on the beach, and we all remember it fondly. At that time our children were teenagers so still accompanying us regularly. So when we booked to see Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band down at Sunrise, we immediately thought of staying in Deerfield Beach.
We were lucky enough to find somewhere overlooking the beach, and we had the most fantastic views overlooking the spotlessly clean white sands and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The sunsets and sunrises were just amazing; wondrous colours that the Florida sunsets are so famous for.
We ate out for every meal and made it a rule that we would up and down the promenade every evening after a meal just so we got some exercise after all the great food. After a tedious drive down the turnpike on the first day we had a simple but tasty meal at the Deerfield Patio & Grill Bar, accompanied by some great cocktails and friendly and warm service from the staff. Best of all we were eating outside in January as the temperatures were in the late 60’s in the evening and up in the 80’s during the day. The second night we were at the concert so stopped off on the way back for an omelette and salad at the IHOP. Our last night we ate at a speciality fish restaurant called Oceans. It’s very lively, buzzing with people and offers a huge selection of seafood, fish and some meat choices for those that don’t care for the fishy options!
There’s a lot to do in the area, from attending concerts at the Sunrise Center, which is adjacent to the Sawgrass Mill Shopping Plaza (think of the Premium Outlet at International Drive – only much bigger! ), to Butterfly World at Coconut Creek. Plus there is the Deerfield Beach Historical Museum, the nearby Boca Raton Museum of Art at Mizner Park which has an Andy Warhol silkscreen print on show among many other outstanding paintings, photographs, prints and sculpture. There are golf courses, the Pompano Harness Race Track, the Pompano Amphitheatre, a Children’s Theatre, and of course the Everglades and Miami are nearby.
Nearer to Deerfield you can still play golf or tennis, go parasailing, Jet Ski or snorkelling, as well as deep-sea fishing from Fort Lauderdale. Or you may just decide you want to take advantage of a balmy day and sit on the golden sand and watch the sea. We had spent a fairly hectic time in Orlando during the week before, so all we wanted to do was relax. It takes quite a lot of beating just chilling out on the beach when we had left freezing cold temperatures at home, and knew we would be returning to them within a week!
In case you’re wondering, Bob Seger was in great voice, a little slower and greyer than we remembered, but who isn’t from that generation! We didn’t manage to find the restaurant we ate at last time we were in the area. So we figured it’s best not go back, but enjoy new experiences!
About 8 years ago we flew into Miami and spent a few nights there rather than drive straight up the Turnpike to get to our villa. As we decided we would do some exploring around Miami before heading up to Orlando, and on one of the days we headed up the A1A Coast Road and ended up in Deerfield Beach.
We had a wonderful meal at a restaurant on the beach, and we all remember it fondly. At that time our children were teenagers so still accompanying us regularly. So when we booked to see Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band down at Sunrise, we immediately thought of staying in Deerfield Beach.
We were lucky enough to find somewhere overlooking the beach, and we had the most fantastic views overlooking the spotlessly clean white sands and the sparkling waters of the Atlantic Ocean. The sunsets and sunrises were just amazing; wondrous colours that the Florida sunsets are so famous for.
We ate out for every meal and made it a rule that we would up and down the promenade every evening after a meal just so we got some exercise after all the great food. After a tedious drive down the turnpike on the first day we had a simple but tasty meal at the Deerfield Patio & Grill Bar, accompanied by some great cocktails and friendly and warm service from the staff. Best of all we were eating outside in January as the temperatures were in the late 60’s in the evening and up in the 80’s during the day. The second night we were at the concert so stopped off on the way back for an omelette and salad at the IHOP. Our last night we ate at a speciality fish restaurant called Oceans. It’s very lively, buzzing with people and offers a huge selection of seafood, fish and some meat choices for those that don’t care for the fishy options!
There’s a lot to do in the area, from attending concerts at the Sunrise Center, which is adjacent to the Sawgrass Mill Shopping Plaza (think of the Premium Outlet at International Drive – only much bigger! ), to Butterfly World at Coconut Creek. Plus there is the Deerfield Beach Historical Museum, the nearby Boca Raton Museum of Art at Mizner Park which has an Andy Warhol silkscreen print on show among many other outstanding paintings, photographs, prints and sculpture. There are golf courses, the Pompano Harness Race Track, the Pompano Amphitheatre, a Children’s Theatre, and of course the Everglades and Miami are nearby.
Nearer to Deerfield you can still play golf or tennis, go parasailing, Jet Ski or snorkelling, as well as deep-sea fishing from Fort Lauderdale. Or you may just decide you want to take advantage of a balmy day and sit on the golden sand and watch the sea. We had spent a fairly hectic time in Orlando during the week before, so all we wanted to do was relax. It takes quite a lot of beating just chilling out on the beach when we had left freezing cold temperatures at home, and knew we would be returning to them within a week!
In case you’re wondering, Bob Seger was in great voice, a little slower and greyer than we remembered, but who isn’t from that generation! We didn’t manage to find the restaurant we ate at last time we were in the area. So we figured it’s best not go back, but enjoy new experiences!