Longboat Key, Florida - Day 2

For my birthday, I wanted to get out of town. I've always wanted to stay in Anna Maria Island about one hour south of Tampa. Florida's gulf islands were recently featured on Traveller Magazine and they are becoming more popular. I couldn't find a place in Anna maria but I found one in Longboat Key. This is just a few miles south and it has the same beautiful sand. I'm so happy that we found this place. We want to make it a family tradition. A weekend at the beach. The hotels in the area are not sophisticated and the area has more private condominiums than resorts. Since the snowbirds are not here yet, we felt like it was our own private beach. 

We went to the beach right after breakfast and walked back for lunch. My mom and my sister made my favorite lasagna the day before and it was amazing. This was a big surprise for me. 

After lunch, we returned to the beach. Emma didn't want to nap and I thought that it was going to be a difficult afternoon. Emma wanted to get back and play in the water as soon as we got back. I had extra clothes just in case and we had fun seeing her so happy. I didn't even try to put her bathing suit on again. 

This was definitely one of my best birthdays. I can't wait to return to this beautiful place. The following day we had to be out of the hotel by 11:00 AM. We went towards St. Armands Circle. This used to be one of my favorite places a few years ago. I got lunch for Emma but unfortunately we were not hungry and we decided to drive back and let Emma sleep in the car. Life with kids is planned around their naps. A kid without a nap is not a happy kid except when they are at the beach.

Sunset from Longboat Key, Florida

Last Friday, it was the first time that I watched a sunset from the beach in over 2 years. It was hard to go because Emma is usually eating dinner by 6:00 PM and in bed by 8:00 PM. That night, she ate dinner early that and we headed to the beach. This sunset was special because it was the last sunset before turning 33. I felt like it was a good bye to a good and also difficult year. 

Emma loved the sand and even the cold water. She started to eat the sand and after the air started to feel a little cool we took her out of the water and dressed her with dry clothes. She enjoyed every second. We left right after the sun came down. We had a hotel for 2 nights to celebrate my birthday. Our hotel was right across the street and we couldn't wait to spend the following day on this beautiful beach. 

Day Trip to Tarpon Springs, Fl

Last Saturday, my family insisted that we visited Tarpon Springs. They love going to this small town north of Tampa to spend the afternoon walking or at the beach. I used to visit this place often many years ago. I found an old post from 2011 where I mention that I want to go to Tarpon Springs more often. I never made it in the past 3 years because Andre said that he had never been to that beach and we had not been to the town together. 

We first made an improvised stop at the beach to let the kids be free before sitting them down to have dinner. They loved it. The water was calm and warm. We stayed for a couple of hours and then we drove to the Greek side of town. 

We walked around Dodecanese Boulevard looking at the shops and restaurants. A friend of mine dated a greek guy who loved to take us to a restaurant in town. At first, I couldn't remember where we used to eat. As soon as I walked into the bakery, I remember that was the place he loved. The name of the restaurant is Hellas and everything that we had was delicious. My parents and my sisters had not seen the flaming cheese so I quietly asked the waiter to get us some. It is delicious and fun when the whole place screams "OPA". We all enjoyed this night out.

Unfortunately, I was too full for dessert. I'm sure that we will be back to this place many times. Emma stayed up late and she was at her best behavior. This night showed me that she is not a little baby and that we can start having a semi "normal" life again.

First Beach Day of the Summer

Going to the beach with Emma reminds me that the best things in life are the most simple. She had a great time chasing the seagulls, touching the water, playing with the sand. She was too excited to nap or eat her lunch. I will take her more often. The only reason with don't do it is because we like to take a tent and it requires at least 4 people to put it together.  If we don't take a tent, we can't last in the heat and the sun.

We saw a family yesterday that had it all figured out. They used a wagon to carry the child and everything else that they needed. Their tent was a foldable one that was easy to assemble and they had a small umbrella to put near the water where the kid was making sand castles. We have a lot to learn and since we live less than an hour away from the beach I'm sure that we will learn fast. I took a few pictures of Emma yesterday that I love. Here are some of my favorites:

Winter in Florida

February and March are my favorite (weather) months in Tampa. It is sunny, warm and it doesn't rain. We have been lucky and our winter has been warm compared to the rest of the Country with their record low temperatures. This explains why it is impossible for Floridians to find an affordable hotel room to spend a weekend at the beach right now. I started my search when Valentines day was near and I wanted to get away for a few nights. I tried different weekends and I couldn't find anything for less that $250 to $300 per night for a room that I could easily get for $99 in the summer. I gave up on my weekend plans but I decided that we could still enjoy the beach like tourist and headed to the famous Don Cesar Hotel in St. Pete Beach. Our plan was to eat lunch and have drinks by the pool with a few friends. The pool was full of snowbirds who didn't mind the windy afternoon and the cold water. After a few mojitos and lunch, we walked towards the beach. It was a perfect Saturday afternoon with sunny skies and in the low 70s. Emma enjoyed every minute at the beach walking by the shore and crawling around chasing seagulls. We have been going for 3 weekends in a row to the beach.  The next time we go to the Don Cesar, I plan to make a stop at the spa while Emma and Andre spend time at the beach. 

**General info for those driving to the Don Cesar for the day: The hotel has 2 other restaurants where they will validate parking. The pool's restaurant/bar does not validate it. Self Parking is $15 and Valet is $25. Drinks were $12 each and most of the lunch items were about $15 each at the pool. Everything we ate was great.