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Orlando

Orlando

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Orlando has a bad reputation for being a landlocked strip mall for the elderly. But look deeper and you’ll find that its entertainment value extends beyond seedy chain restaurants and miniature golf warrens. It’s an ideal spot for families or couples that want to lay back and enjoy entertainment hot spots like SeaWorld.

Shopping here is also something of a cultural tradition, riddled as Orlando’s landscape is with top-notch shopping outlets populated with brands like Barneys and Keihls.

Of course Orlando is wildly famous for tourist destinations like Disney World and Epcot Center, but it is also increasingly being used as a base for exploring the greater reaches of northern Florida, like the foodie scene in Jacksonville or the sports and beach culture in Tampa Bay and Clear Water.

Families looking for the ideal resort for pool side relaxing, with extra-curriculars like golfing and spas will feel right at home at resorts like Waldorf Astoria Bonnet Creek Resort or the Royal Pacific Resort which is famous for its kid-friendly programs like interactive pool playgrounds and sport facilities.

Travel Tips

  1. Because Orlando’s cultural scene is fairly thin, you ought to book into a hotel that offers excellent distractions to help enrich your vacation. Try out the Ritz Carlton for its luxurious spa, or stay at the popular family spot, the Reunion Resort and Club for its golf course and small water park for the kids.
  2. Flat and landlocked, Orlando is primed for golf course and strip malls to thrive. Shopping options are endless and even themed here, like the shopping outlet, Festival Bay, a sprawling indoor mall with small ponds, fountains and anchor tenants like Ron Jon Surf Shop. Premium Outlets International has upmarket shops like Barneys, and outdoor shopping centre Pointe Orlando is home to boutiques like Keihls and Victoria’s Secret.
  3. Orlando’s main attraction is Disney World, which is typically packed out with families in the summer and over the Christmas holiday. A second good option is SeaWorld, where you’ll find enough wildlife shows and exhibits, restaurants and shops, and amusement rides and games to occupy an entire day.
  4. The City Arts Factory in downtown Orlando is a collective of five art galleries specialising in local and international painting and sculpture. Entrance is free and events here draw crowds from all over Florida and the southern United States, like the annual Neu America Fine Art Festival.
  5. One thing Orlando is not short on are chain restaurants, like TGIF and Applebees. Avoid the temptation of processed food in garish venues and check out places like the soul food institution, Johnson’s Diner, or check out one of the many dinner theatre locals here, like Capone’s Dinner and Show, serving up Prohibition-themed entertainment set in Chicago.

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