Florida Destination Guide

Walt Disney World® Resort
Magic Kingdom® Park, with Cinderella Castle at its heart, is a place of fantasy where you can meet Disney characters and monsters, and watch amazing parades with spectacular fireworks. Disney’s Hollywood Studios® offers exciting live shows, thrilling attractions and backstage tours, while Epcot celebrates land and space – you can even explore the cultures of different countries. If you like wildlife, do visit Disney’s Animal Kingdom® Park – the largest animal-themed park in the world.

Universal Orlando® Resort
Amongst the attractions of the resort’s Universal Studios Florida® are rides with Shrek or The Simpsons™, Universal’s Superstar Parade and Universal’s Cinematic Spectacular, showcasing one-hundred years of memories of the movies. At Universal’s Islands of Adventure®, where you’re favourite films are brought to life, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter ™ offers a range of exciting Hogwarts-themed rides or you can take a thrilling jungle riverboat-ride at Jurassic Park River Adventure®, attempting to avoid the dinosaurs that have escaped from their enclosure.

Legoland
This stress free, laidback theme park is a brilliant day out for all the family as you don’t have to vigorously plan your day here unlike the other theme parks in Florida. This colourful and educational theme park hosts a brilliant interactive environment, including rides and attractions and even a water park. Don’t miss out on the main highlights, including the Flight School, which zips you around as your feet dangle free or visit Miniland, with its Lego re-creations of iconic American landmarks and cities. Visit the Imagination Zone for a wonderful interactive learning experience, where skilled Lego makers will help children of all ages craft fantastic creations with their blocks.

The Everglades
From Naples, take a tour of the Florida Everglades (referred to as the ‘River of Grass’ by Native American inhabitants) on a shallow-draft airboat to explore the wetlands and get up close to the indigenous birdlife and wildlife, including alligators, as you learn more about their natural habitat from your Captain. It's an excellent activity for families.

Water sports
Naples is an excellent place to enjoy some water-based activities including kayaking, fishing and sailing. The North Collier Regional Park is perfect for family fun; this park offers a state-of-the-art interactive playground and the Sun-N-Fun Lagoon water park with water slides, pools and a lazy river.

Kennedy Space Center
Release your inner sci-fi geek at the brilliant Kennedy Space Center for an awe inspiring experience. Start at the Early Space Exploration exhibit for a great introductory lesson, before embarking on the fascinating 90 minute bus tour to the Apollo/Saturn V Center and finish at the incredible Atlantis exhibit to see the impressive fuselage of a shuttle that travelled more than 126,000,000 miles through space on 33 missions. Naples Zoo at Caribbean Gardens
Developed around historic tropical gardens, the zoo provides visitors with the opportunity to see a range of trees, plants and animals - including honey badgers and cat-like fossa that are rarely seen in zoos, as well as specially presented shows.

Palm Beach
Established as a resort over one-hundred years ago by the oil tycoon, Henry Flager, Palm Beach offers natural beauty and miles of sands, as well as its long standing association with opulence and exclusivity, making it it one of South Florida’s most beautiful and sophisticated beach destinations – one of our featured properties The Breakers sparkles with glamour and offers guests five-hundred acres of tropical beachfront setting to play amongst.

Shopping
If you can tear yourself away from Orlando’s theme parks for a day, you’ll find everything from top department stores such as Bloomingdale’s to unique boutiques Downtown. Palm Beach’s Worth Avenue is renowned for its shopping; lined with legendary designer boutiques including Chanel, Hermes, Cartier and Jimmy Choo as well as a host of speciality stores. Meanwhile, the Waterside shops in Naples feature over sixty stores and restaurants along with personal shoppers and valet parking. The mall is particularly stylish, with a stunning design where water features and lighting are used to great effect.

Golf
In Orlando you can enjoy a round of golf at a range of great courses, including the 18-hole, par 72 Greg Norman Signature Golf Course at The Ritz-Carlton Grand Lakes; The Ritz-Carlton Sarasota’s Tom Fazio designed course also offers 18 holes whilst the Naples Grande Golf Club is accessible from the Waldorf Astoria Naples.

Travel Planning
To experience the best of Orlando, Elegant Resorts can assist with all your travel arrangments including pre-booking your tickets for the theme parks.  If you wish to extend your holiday, the Florida Keys works well with Orlando - as always our Travel Consultants would be happy to advise and recommend. 

Family Fun, Palm Beach
Your family might like to spend a day at Palm Beach Zoo or perhaps, if your little ones are budding scientists, a visit to the Science Museum would appeal - it features many hands-on exhibits, as well as freshwater and salt water aquariums, a star-gazing observatory and outdoor science trails. Alternatively, you could take an African-themed adventure at Lion Country Safari, a drive-through safari park, featuring animals including giraffes and zebras, and a walk-through amusement park with a selection of animals, amusements, restaurants and shops.

Tours, Palm Beach
Take an air boat tour of the Florida Everglades' wetlands and get up close to the indigenous bird life and wildlife (including alligators), as you learn more about their natural habitat from your Captain. Jungle Gardens, Sarasota Families may like to visit the ten-acre Sarasota Jungle gardens, where tropical trails lead to a variety of Florida's native and exotic wildlife, including parrots, birds of prey, crocodiles, butterflies and iguanas. There are special bird and reptile shows and it is one of the only places you can feed pink flamingos.

Palm Cottage, Naples
If you are interested in history and heritage, do visit the charming Palm Cottage, a treasured, wonderfully preserved home that is now a museum dedicated to Naples' past. Built in 1895, it is the oldest house in Naples and has five historic gardens - The Garden of the Senses, The Palm Collector's Garden, The Edible Garden, The Pioneer Garden and The Shade Garden. From here, Naples Historical Society leads tours o the Naples Historic District.

Flight Information
British Airways direct from London Gatwick and Virgin Atlantic from London Gatwick, Manchester and Glasgow to Orlando. British Airways, Virgin Atlantic and American Airlines direct from London Heathrow to Miami.

Flight Time
From London Gatwick to Orlando: 9 hours, 15 minutes. London Heathrow to Miami: 9 hours, 20 minutes.

Travelling With Children or Without an Adult

Children travelling without both parents should be aware that some countries require documentary evidence of parental responsibility before allowing lone parents to enter the country (for example, South Africa) or, in some cases, before permitting the children to leave the country. Please contact the relevant Embassy for the county you are travelling to for further information.

Visa and Advance Passenger Information

All passengers must ensure they have a valid, acceptable passport, any required visa and any other documentation for both the final destination and any stop-off points en route. Please make sure that Advance Passenger Information is submitted in advance to travel for all destinations. Failure to hold correct documentation or submitting incorrect details with Advance Passenger Information or Visa applications may result in refusal of carriage or entry into a country. Please check with the relevant Embassy regarding visa requirements well in advance of your travel date. Charges may apply for some visas.

Travel Advice Update
The FCO travel advice for the USA has been updated with an amendment to the Entry requirements section - on 18 December 2015, the US Congress passed a Bill updating the requirements for the Visa Waiver Programme (VWP); under the new rules, with effect from 1 April 2016 all travellers wishing to enter the US under the VWP will need to hold a passport with an integrated chip.

The web-based Electronic System for Travel Authorisation (ESTA) requires all passengers (including infants) travelling via or to the USA to apply for authority to travel a minimum of 72 hours prior to travel. You may be denied boarding or refused entry to the US if you have not registered and obtained authorisation. To apply visit the official website: https://esta.cbp.dhs.gov/esta/   A charge of UD$14 per person (subject to change) will apply and must be paid by either credit or debit card.

Customs and Border Protection programme Global Entry gets pre-approved travellers through border control faster at some US airports. If you’re a British citizen and a frequent visitor to the USA you can now register to get a UK background check on www.gov.uk/apply-faster-entry-usa. If you pass the background checks, you’ll be invited to apply for Global Entry.

Health facilities, hygiene and disease risks vary worldwide and you should take health advice about your specific needs from your general practitioner or a specialist clinic as early as possible before travel. Those planning to become pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider to assess their risk of infection with Zika. For information about Zika, other mosquito-borne diseases (such as Dengue fever and Chikungunya), Lyme Disease (caused by tick bites), and to receive advice on mosquito bite avoidance measures, please visit http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/insect-tick-bite-avoidance/

In addition, we highly recommend that you seek specialist advice from your doctor and, where recommended, obtain vaccinations or tablets for protection against, for example: Malaria, Hepatitis A, Polio and Typhoid. In some cases, treatments for Malaria should begin well in advance of travel. Travellers may also be required to show Yellow Fever Certificates on arrival in certain destinations ie, some African countries. Please note that you are strongly advised against scuba-diving for 24 hours before travelling by air. We would also like to draw your attention to the risk of DVT (Deep Vein Thrombosis) and recommend that you consult with your doctor before travelling.

Visit the FCO website and select your destination country for the very latest travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice. Additional sources of information include: www.hpa.org.uk, http://nathnac.net, www.fco.gov.uk, www.hpa.org.uk and www.nathnac.org, your General Practitioner or a specialised clinic.

The Foreign & Commonwealth Office (FCO) has updated its travel advice for Florida to reflect the health advice of The National Travel Health Network and Centre (NaTHNac) in relation to the Zika Virus.

ZIKV is a dengue-like virus that is transmitted by Aedes mosquitoes. The infection often occurs without symptoms but can also cause an illness similar to dengue. The condition is usually mild and short-lived; severe disease is uncommon and insect bite avoidance measures are recommended. http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/insect-tick-bite-avoidance/

Recently, a possible link between exposure to Zika virus (ZIKV) in pregnancy and microcephaly and other congenital malformations has been identified and investigations are ongoing. Whilst investigations continue, NaTHNaC advises that it is recommended that pregnant women should postpone non-essential travel to areas with active Zika transmission until after pregnancy. This is a change to the previous advice which encouraged pregnant women to consider avoiding travel and seek travel health advice.

In addition it is recommended that women should avoid becoming pregnant while travelling in an area with active Zika virus transmission, and for 28 days following return home. If a woman develops symptoms compatible with Zika virus infection on her return to the UK, it is recommended she avoids becoming pregnant for a further 28 days following recovery. If travel is unavoidable, or you live in areas where ZIKV is reported, you should take scrupulous insect bite avoidance measures, both during daytime and night time hours.

Symptoms of Zika virus infection may include fever, joint pain, rash, conjunctivitis/red eyes, headache, muscle pain and eye pain. No specific anti-viral treatment is available for Zika virus infection.

Elegant Resorts advises that pregnant women already booked to travel to any of the destinations affected, should seek medical advice from their GP and talk to their travel provider. Where it is necessary to change or cancel their holiday arrangements in light of the NaTHNaC advice, they should request that their GP provides them with a medical certificate in order to assist with them with any possible insurance claim.

Those planning to become pregnant should discuss their travel plans with their healthcare provider to assess their risk of infection with ZIKV and receive advice on mosquito bite avoidance measures. http://travelhealthpro.org.uk/insect-tick-bite-avoidance/

Visit the FCO website and select your destination country for the latest travel advice: https://www.gov.uk/foreign-travel-advice