Orlando, Florida: January 9 - 16, 2011

Where we rode out a stormy week by eating gator and grits,  visiting Harry Potter World, catching great live music, gawking at the tackiest - and possibly largest gift stores - in the universe, attending an international builder's show  and, in general, witnessing the sad, slow decay of American excess. 

Following the Christmas holidays, we were in Orlando, Florida for a week on business. My husband was attending the International Builder's Show, the largest conference of its type in the world, and I tagged along hoping for a story.

Despite a tight schedule, our goals were:

1. Universal Studios

2. Snorkel with mantees in a wildlife park

3. Astronaut training at NASA, Cape Canaveral

4. Soak in sun and swim in pool. Repeat.

We managed one of four. Should you be looking for a dream trip in Florida, I say stick to that schedule. If you've got business to attend to and a tornado on the horizon ... well, I feel for you. 

Walking from the local iHop (delicious!),
past the empty wet n' wild theme park,
to our hotel in the pouring rain

Good weather is vital for a trip to Florida and during the first few days we were out of luck. A torrential downpour and chilly winds meant two full days of watching movies and bad food. Good company is also vital on a Florida trip. Lucky us!

Orlando has been hit hard by the recession. Empty theme parks, unhappy taxi drivers and bankrupt hotels seem to be the norm. I was struck by how many Brits and Aussies were around; a reminder that Disney World prevails in the imaginations and budgets of families around the world.

Live gators at the mini golf course

So what did we do?

Here are the basics:

 1. We stayed at the Best Western Gateway. It was cheap, centrally located and has a nice pool. You can book tours and buy theme park tickets in the hotel lobby. There is a free shuttle to Universal Studios. There's also a convenience store in the hotel, a computer centre and a noisy, mediocre Tex-Mex restaurant. The room was huge for the two of us. I also loved the cable TV .... it's an obessession of mine in hotel rooms. But ithis hotel is not close to the conference centre or the downtown core. So if you want a clean and basic room close to wet n' wild or indoor skydiving, or maybe several live gator mini golf places, this is your hotel. If you're in Orlando to work or shop, or to be pampered, it's not a great place for you.

2. We walked around and gaped at the tacky, tacky gift shops.

3. We ate a great meal at the Funky Monkey Wine Company! I know that sounds weird and their website is not great, but trust me: the stuffed avacado starter is to die for. YUM. Plus, it's really close to a few live music venues and bars, so it made for a fun night out.

4. We went to Universal Studios! So Fun! And so expensive! My favourite rides were the Spider-Man rollercoaster, Harry Potter world (or whatever you call it ... it is immersive, totally charming and the butter beer is delish), JAWS and the old-time Hollywood Blvd.  

Hogwarts at Universal Studios

Outside the JAWS boat ride
at Universal Studios

5. Aside from that, and the conference, we swam in our hotel pool, lounged in the two outdoor hot tubs and stayed up late watching cable TV. It was a nice, easy escape.