From this past Sunday’s New York Times
A Street for Adults in Orlando
On International Drive, the refurbished Pointe Orlando mall has a B. B. King’s Blues Club, theater and restaurants.
INTERNATIONAL DRIVE in Orlando, Fla., a shaded boulevard lined with inexpensive hotels, theme restaurants and sundry entertainments (most notably, SeaWorld), is already one of many areas in the city dedicated to keeping children happy. But to many adults traveling without kids – certainly a sizable chunk of the millions who attend events at the nearby Orange County Convention Center – the attraction of I-Drive, as it’s known, has been limited to a handful of bewilderingly large shopping malls.
Orlando Travel Guide
These days, a segment of I-Drive close to the convention center is beginning to hold more grown-up appeal, with upscale hotels, restaurants and entertainment that doesn’t involve leaping orcas.
In September, the Peabody Orlando hotel (9801 International Drive; 407-352-4000; peabodyorlando.com), popular with conventioneers since 1986, opened a $450 million wing, adding 750 rooms. The expansion, more than a decade in the making, gives the hotel some resort appeal: additions include a spa with 12 treatment rooms and a watsu pool, a restaurant serving California cuisine, and a three-acre recreation area, complete with a pool, a waterfall and cabanas.
Also nearby is the 1,400-room Hilton Orlando (6001 Destination Parkway; 407-313-4300; thehiltonorlando.com), which opened in late 2009. Amenities include a spa and fitness center, a putting green, tennis courts and a pool complex that features both a meandering 892-foot-long river (can’t forget the kids altogether) and a separate pool with cabanas geared toward adults looking for a little solitude.
Most of the area’s new entertainment options are concentrated in – surprise! – a mall. But the recently overhauled Pointe Orlando (9101 International Drive; 407-248-2838; pointeorlando.com), has a more sophisticated feel than most of its brethren, with some attractions devoted to decidedly adult pursuits.
Travelers see live performances at B. B. King’s Blues Club (407-370-4550; orlando.bbkingclubs.com), watch stand-up comedians at the 21-and-over Orlando Improv Comedy Club & Dinner Theater (407-480-5233; theimprovorlando.com), or take in a play for only $20 at the Pointe Performing Arts Center (407-374-3587; pointearts.org), a small theater run by a production company that set up shop in Orlando this summer after three years in Jersey City, N.J.
Some of the Pointe’s restaurants offer their own entertainment. Dancing on tables is encouraged at the Taverna Opa (407-351-8660; opaorlando.com), where authentic Greek cuisine takes a backseat to a raucous atmosphere of belly dancers and shouting waiters flinging stacks of cocktail napkins. Arrive after 8:30 p.m. on a Friday or Saturday for maximum spectacle.
The Funky Monkey Wine Company (407-418-9463; funkymonkeywine.com), which opened last year, perhaps comes closest to achieving a truly cosmopolitan vibe. The restaurant serves creative sushi appetizers (the stuffed avocado, brimming with cubes of juicy raw tuna, is a must; $13) and Asian-inflected American entrees, and has an estimable wine list. On Friday nights, a talented drag troupe led by Danielle Hunter, a blond transsexual, descends on the restaurant for a scandalous musical show.
It’s an experience that seems far afield from the typical central Florida offerings, and yet, in closing a recent show, a scantily clad Ms. Hunter asked the audience, “Where else can you get this stuff?” Winking, she purred her answer: “Only in Orlando.”
Wow – is Mickey growing up!So why not own your very own place in the sun – at up to 70% off?There’s never been a better time to invest in Florida property – for children of all ages!
But act soon as the best deals will not last long.
One British Homes’ customers, Paula Hughes from Brentwood in Essex, actually flew over to Orlando for 24 hours last month (!) to make sure she got the home of her dreams – at the right price ………………. and she did!
As Paula said after her whirlwind holiday-home buying trip to Orlando:
“The reason I came so quickly was because it was such a good deal, and as I was going away, I was worried if I didn’t come I would lose out and it worked for me, as our house came back on the market that day and it was a nicer house than the one I came to buy. So we are very pleased about that and about the care and service you gave me on my short trip. Nothing was too much trouble and you provided me with all the information we needed to buy here and you have continued that service even after we bought. We thank you very much.”
And thank you, too, Paula – and welcome to our rapidly growing family of happy Florida property investors (now well over 1,000 UK families)!
So why not arrange your own “mini-holiday” to Orlando, like Paula Hughes, while Orlando’s “Buyer’s Market” is in full swing – and we will do the rest.
Your savings will more than pay for the trip – and provide a very pleasant 2-3 day Florida “warm-up” at the same time!
Sincerely,
Bill Cowie
President
www.britishhomesgroup.com
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