Destination Fly4free: Florida

The Sunshine State is home to beautiful sugar-sand beaches, theme parks, extremely diverse wildlife, and lots of adventurous activities. Enjoy sunny weather, welcoming warm sea and vibrant nightlife!

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Miami and Key West

Miami has been shaped by many cultural influences, particularly Cuban. This bustling party city is home to incredible beaches. Go to the South Beach and try the Cuban sandwich. Stroll around the Art Deco district along Ocean Drive. Then head south to the beautiful Florida Keys - a string of coral cays. You can drive a highway through the ocean and see the Atlantic on one side and the Gulf of Mexico on the other!

Ernest Hemingway fell in love with Key West and he lived and wrote here for more than ten years. Step back in time and visit the rooms and gardens that witnessed the most prolific period of this Nobel Prize winner’s writing career. Eclectic Old Town is full of distinctive wooden buildings. Take a picture with the buoy marking the southernmost point in the continental United States. Cuba is just 90 miles away from there.

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How to get there:
Take a look at the flight deals to Florida:

• Late summer: Non-stop from UK cities to Orlando, Florida from £271 >>
• Late Summer: Many UK cities to Miami from only £251 >>
• Fly from Vienna to USA or Cuba from €339 >>
• Fly from Germany to many US cities from €307 >>
• Non-stop from Manchester to the East Coast USA from £272 or California from £310 >>
• Miami and Cayman Islands in one trip from Germany from €460 >>
• Jersey to New York, Miami or San Francisco returning to London from £188 >>
• Berlin to New York or Miami from €261 >>
• Amsterdam to Miami, New York, Minneapolis or Salt Lake City for only €319 >>
• Brussels to Miami or New York from €287 >>
• Germany to Florida & either Barbados or Puerto Rico in one trip from €429 >>
• Philadelphia to Orlando or vice versa for $85 >>
• Non-stop from Los Angeles to Orlando and vice versa for $176 >>
• Summer flights between Chicago and Orlando, Florida for $56 >>
• Non-stop from New York to Miami or vice versa for $107 >>

Where to stay:
In Kissimee we encourage you to stay at 3* Seralago Hotel and Suites with good reviews. This property is adjacent to Old Town amusement park off US Highway 192. Features include 2 heated outdoor pools with 2 hot tubs, 2 restaurants, and a cinema. A flat-screen cable TV, microwave, and dining area are standard in each room along with a refrigerator. Suites at Seralago Hotel and Suites Main Gate East have a sofa bed. A tennis court and a fitness centre are available to guests throughout their stay. Kids can enjoy the games room, and the on-site ticket service can help guests decide which local attractions to visit. The hotel is 6.8 km from the Walt Disney World Resort and 4.2 km from Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. Orlando International Airport is 23 minutes’ drive away.

In Miami we recommend you to book 3* Oceanside Hotel with excellent reviews. Offering an outdoor pool and views of the city, this property is just 2-minute walk from the beach. Every room at this hotel is air conditioned and features a flat-screen TV. Certain rooms have a seating area for your convenience. For comfort, there are free toiletries and a hairdryer. There is a 24-hour front desk at the property. Miami Beach Convention Center is 6 km from Oceanside Hotel, while Jackie Gleason Theater of the Performing Arts is 6 km from the property. The nearest airport is Miami International Airport, which is 17 km from Oceanside Hotel.

What to do:
Florida is a hot spot for water parks and adventure parks. Family-friendly theme parks, from the Walt Disney World and Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon complexes in Orlando to Busch Gardens in Tampa, are complemented by zoos and botanical gardens. Gatorland features thousands of alligators and crocodiles. Universal Studios have eight different themed areas; each one has different live shows, rides and attractions. There is enough to see and do here for at least a couple of days.

You can also go to Weeki Wachee Springs, a waterpark located about an hour north of Tampa. In this underwater theatre you can watch beautiful mermaids who swim in the clear spring waters. The legendary sirens perform there a synchronized swimming. Dancers do not rise to the surface during the show – they hold their breath for a long time, and from time to time acquire air pumped through tubes arranged on an underwater scene.

But there’s so much more to the state than just theme parks. Florida has a wide array of activities that it’s famous for. Obviously water sports like sailing, surfing, snorkelling, swimming, offshore fishing, kayaking, canoeing, paddle boarding and jet skiing. Enjoy tropical fish, dolphins jumping out of water, crocodiles, alligators and pelicans. Swim in the world’s largest freshwater swimming pool, the Venetian Pool in Coral Gables. Explore a 19th century fort and snorkel crystal clear water in the remote Dry Tortugas National Park. You can also scuba dive in Morrison Spring Park and Devil’s Den Natural Springs or swim with manatees in the springs of Crystal River.

If water-based activities aren’t really your thing, you can just dip your toes in the sand and relax. Siesta Key has three wonderful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico. Clearwater Beach offers long stretches of sparkling white sand.

Explore Ed Leedskalnin’s Coral Castle, a sculpture garden secretly carved in over 1,100 tons of coral rock. You can also go to Bok Tower Gardens and enjoy the concert from the 60-bell Singing Tower (at 1 and 3 p.m.). This neo-Gothic and Art Deco building set atop Iron Mountain houses one of the world’s finest carillons.

The Space Coast is perfect for bike riding. Some 20 state parks are a draw for campers and hikers to diverse locations around the state. Daytona Beach, located between Jacksonville and Orlando on the east coast of Florida, is known for motorsports and Daytona International Speedway. It’s famous as the world centre of racing and home of NASCAR. Racing fans can take part in Biketoberfest, held every year in October.

Art enthusiasts should visit the Salvador Dali Museum and see the giant replica of artist’s famous moustache.

Exploring Thomas Edison and Henry Ford Winter Estates is a must-do if you’re visiting Florida. These two American business icons were close friends and owned winter houses next to each other. The great inventor has set up laboratories and worked out of here on many of his inventions.

You can also pay a visit to the National Naval Aviation Museum.

If you’re looking for one-of-a-kind diving sites, you can explore the Neptune Memorial Reef, located about 3 miles east of Key Biscayne. The largest man-made reef ever created was built as an underwater mausoleum at a depth of 12 meters. Initially the idea was that people could have their loved one’s cremated remains mixed with cement to create statues or have their ashes melded in the shape of a shell or starfish. However, eventually the submarine cemetery, which occupies a half-acre space, has been abandoned and nature has reclaimed the underwater graveyard.

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