Southern Dunes Villas - Florida

Southern Dunes Villas – Florida

When I first visited Florida I decided to splash out and opt for a villa (plus we got a good deal on it as part of a package).




The villa we stayed in was located in Southern Dunes golf and country club. Was gorgeous. It is a peaceful and gated community so each time we entered we had to show a car badge which we were given upon our arrival so it was very safe and secure. 


The villa was amazing! It was huge with 3 bedrooms so would be ideal for families of several couples sharing. We had our own private pool so didn’t have to deal with other peoples kids of being constantly splashed/hit by other people carrying on.


There were 2 ensuite toilets and one main bathroom so no queuing or fighting. There was a garage and a drive way so 2 cars could have easily fitted (but we only had the one so we just left it outside on the driveway). In the garage there was a washing machine/tumble dryer so we were able to wash our clothes throughout the holiday until having a mountain to do after we got home.


In the kitchen there was a full size fridge which came in very useful for all the junk and juice we bought. There was also a cooker, microwave etc so a couple of times instead of going out for dinner we just bought stuff in and cooked for ourselves. The location was pretty good but only if driving!! We had a rental car and could not have stayed here without it! It is about a 25minute drive to Disney world (some of the parks take a little longer since they are located apart). There is a Walmart right at the entrance to the golf course so was very convenient for shopping.

Driving times (roughly) from villa to some of the notable attractions

To Universal – 40 mins

To Disney – 25 mins

Sea World – 30 mins

Gatorland – 35 mins

Busch Gardens (Tampa) – 1 hour 15 mins

Oak Ridge Shopping Centre (Cheesecake Factory) – 45 mins

Downtown Disney – 35 mins

Lake Buena Vista Factory Stores – 35 Mins

Tolls

Basically for most places just get on the I-4 E and you can reach the majority of places. It is the fastest but it is a toll road so you will be required to pay at each toll point so if you are going to use this road make sure you have change! We used it from the airport and thankfully from reading online reviews we knew to get change before leaving the airport. And make sure you drive on the RIGHT unlike a certain individual I won’t name for legal reasons :P

Sat Nav

I cannot recommend sat nav heavily enough! We got lost several times and that was with the sat nav. If we hadn’t had it we may still be lost there now. The roads can be very confusing and like here a lot of roads just have names like the I-4E.

Tips for Travelling to America 1 – An Esta

Tips for Travelling to America 1 – An Esta

America is a great place to visit but there are various things that need to be considered before you travel. This first blog post covers one of the most important items anyone travelling to America must consider.
 

An ESTA

Most travel agents will ensure you are aware of this as part of your preparation to travel to USA.

An ESTA acts as a Visa waiver (when visiting the USA always one or the other is required) but only under the conditions that you are:

• Visiting for less than 90 days,
• You are travelling to the United States for business or pleasure,
• You are a citizen or eligible national of a Visa waiver program country e.g. UK,
• You are currently not in possession of a visitor’s visa,
• You want to apply for a new authorization for one person or a group of applications for two or more persons.

The website address to apply for an ESTA is supplied below and I have also supplied a picture of the website. This is the official website and is the cheapest at $14 per application.

https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/

U.S. Customs and Border Website for ESTA Application

When applying for an ESTA make sure you use the above site as this is the cheapest.

Other sites will appear e.g. if you search via Google but these other sites charge extra. Other sites charge you a fee for processing when all they do is take the details you have supplied and then complete the same steps you can do yourself via the official site. Don’t waste your money, do it direct yourself.

It is recommended you apply for your ESTA at least 72 hours prior to travel and your ESTA is valid for 2 years starting from the date that you are approved.

When applying for your ESTA you must supply standard details like length of your trip, were you will be staying (hotel name and address) and your passport information but it is very easy to complete.