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| Holiday Destination Guide - Florida |
FLORIDA (USA)
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Vacation Rentals & Holiday Rentals in Florida. |
Hotels |
Flights to Florida. |
Car Hire/Rental |
Tickets & Attractions in Florida |
Brochure images of tanning flesh and Mickey Mouse give an inaccurate and incomplete picture of Florida. Although the aptly nicknamed "Sunshine State" is indeed devoted to the tourist trade, it's also among the least-understood parts of the US. Away from its overexposed resorts lie forests and rivers, deserted strands filled with wildlife, vibrant cities and primeval swamps.
Millions of pleasure-seekers can't be wrong! Florida is North America's favourite holiday destination and draws hordes of tourists all year round. The reason for the state's popularity as a vacation station is its sunny climate and situation. Consisting of a peninsula jutting out into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of the United States, Florida's uneven coastline is indented with estuaries, bays, inlets, lagoons and rivers, creating ideal enclaves for the location of holiday resorts.
The Intracoastal Waterway and the Barrier Islands, Florida (Ft. Meyers, Cape Coral, Sanibel Island, Captiva, North Captiva, Cayo Costa Island, Boco Grande, Pine Island) offer 100's of islands to explore - white sandy beaches for as far as the eye can see. Enter a world of tropical wildlife and sensational sunsets over sparkling waters. Right in the south the peninsula ends in an arc of islands resting on coral reefs, known as the Florida Keys, today joined and accessed via a highway ending in Key West, the southernmost point of the United States.
The state's biggest city, Miami, echoes the vibrancy of the rest of this holiday Mecca, with its soft white sandy beaches vying for attention with the city's numerous attractions and colourful neighbourhoods. Its famous Art Deco district and Latin American quarter are constantly thronged with visitors, many of them passengers from the hundreds of cruise ships that come and go in the bustling port. Within easy access from Miami are the Everglades, a marshy grass plain resonating with wildlife and filled with alligators.
Aptly named the 'Sunshine State', Florida can offer anything anyone seeks in a holiday, whether it be fine wining and dining, learning about space exploration, discovering endangered wildlife, riding a roller coaster or bronzing on one of its famous beaches.
In central Florida the terrain turns green, though it's no rural idyll: this is where you'll find Orlando and Walt Disney World , one of the world's leading tourist destinations.
Finally, although Florida has struggled with its reputation for crimes against (and even murders of) tourists, the state's been very successful in reducing such attacks. It's definitely no longer the den of "Miami Vice" it once was, but, as when visiting all big cities, it pays to be wary.
FLORIDA MAIN ATRRACTIONS
Ocean Drive, Miami
South Beach's finest Art Deco showpiece with cosmopolitan cafés, flashy vintage cars and wannabe models.
Mangrove Mama's , Sugarloaf Key
Quintessential Florida Keys food joint, serving super-fresh conch fritters and Key Lime pie.
Little Havana, Miami
Lunch on Cuban specialties and café con leche in this Hispanic enclave.
Key West
Funky, anything-goes town, which feels like it's at the end of the world.
St Augustine
Sixteenth century Spanish town packed with historic interest and a handful of lovely beaches.
Walt Disney World, Orlando
Pure entertainment, planned down to the last detail, yet irresistible all the same.
Everglades National Park
Bike or hike through the vast sawgrass plains of the legendary Everglades, or canoe through alligator-filled mangrove swamps.
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