I posted a poll on my Instagram story asking whether you guys wanted 2 separate blog posts for each week I was on holiday or one post. One post won,which I was thankful for because it's a whole lot easier. Today I thought I would share with you some pictures and some of my highlights from the 2 weeks. If you are heading to Orlando soon then maybe it will inspire you and get you excited for that experience.
Theme Park
Usually when you think Orlando, people think DISNEY but honestly Universal Studios is so much fun. Lots of people forget it exists and it's one of my favourite places ever! Whether you enjoy thriller rides or not, it's such an amazing place to go. There are so many 4D and stimulating rides that younger children can go on or even adults that just don't enjoy massive rollercoasters. They're just as entertaining as the bigger rides.
I love how much effort was put into universal and the whole atmosphere. There are so many details in the parks that just bring the films to life. My personal favourites were Beverly Hills with the Hollywood star walk and Harry Potter world. I honestly felt like I was back in the UK! Everything is so accurate and really does resemble London.
Water Park
If you get the chance to go to Volcano Bay, GO! It is the best water park I have ever been to and the whole vibe is so positive. You don't feel uncomfortable there and the staff are so friendly. The theme of the park is Hawaii and they have definitely done well sticking with that. They have bands that allow you to get into a virtual line called a 'Tapu Tapu'. My mum and I found it hilarious. Some of the ques are really long but the time goes so quickly. We had to wait 120 minutes for the water coaster but it honestly felt like we waited half the time. You can chill in the wave pool, lazy river or just tan while you wait. One thing I really appreciated was that they have free water available at the food courts. In the Florida heat, it really is important you put your health first so I was so thankful to have access to water whenever.
City Walk
City Walk is the part of universal where anyone can have access. You don't need to have a ticket. They have a bunch of restaurants and cocktail bars with live music. We went to the Bob Marley restaurant, which as you can guess was a Caribbean cuisine. The food was really lovely and so were the staff. They have an indoor and outdoor section for customers and a live reggae band. Unfortunately we only got to see one set of the band because it began to storm really heavily and their set up was all outdoor.
It was the only night we didn't bring our waterproof jackets and it was the heaviest storm we had ever seen! I had to run through puddles of water (which felt like the ocean), in just flip flops. You can imagine my thoughts when my mum screamed for me to hurry. Somehow, despite the pouring rain, thunder and lightening it was still so warm!
Carlos Bakery
My mum is obsessed with Cake Boss, so every time we visit Florida we have to go to one of his bake shops. It's located in the Food Court of Florida Mall. She secretly prays that Buddy is there, literally every time. We got 6 delicious cupcakes and it actually wasn't too badly priced from what I remember. The photo really doesn't do them justice, and it is times like this that I wish my photography skills were better.
Ramada Plaza Hotel
I stayed at Ramada Plaza Hotel on International Drive. This is the second time I have stayed here. The staff are all so helpful and it's such a well kept hotel. It was always so clean and whenever anything needed repairing, such as the lift they were right on it. We stayed on the club levels which are floor 9-12. Being on club level allows you to have access to the roof top. On the roof top you get all inclusive drinks until 8pm, beautiful seating, snacks, a pool and hot tub. It was such a lovely location and being on the roof top showed the beautiful city.
Treating Myself Post Results Day
Results day wasn't really the best. If you didn't already know, I received my A-level results whilst on holiday. I wasn't very happy with my grades and it took me A WHILE to process them but a few days later I decided to treat myself. I worked EXTREMELY hard all year and to see that the work didn't pay off was heartbreaking but after talking to my parents and realising how well I did, considering I practically had to teach myself for 5 months, I was able to get past the disappointment and did a little retail therapy. I BOUGHT MY FIRST DESIGNER BAG! I was never that girl who got a designer bag for Christmas whilst in school. This was such a big deal and it really did bring my mood right up. I worked loads of shifts before my holiday and thought, you know what, I'm going to reward myself regardless of my results. I got myself a Michael Kors Backpack for University. It is so beautiful and I can see it lasting a long time.
Luxury items have never been something I have focused on getting but this purchase meant a lot. I was able to make a splurge for the hard work I put in all year. Although the journey was long and tedious, I learnt so much about myself and it made me appreciate the people in my life so much more. The final destination may not have looked like the picture I hoped for but maybe this isn't the final destination. This is just another service station. I'll be heading to university in the next 2 weeks and I can't wait to prove to myself that hard work is never overlooked.
I had such a great time with my family. Florida is like our second home.
If you've been to Orlando before, let me know in the comments what your favourite place to eat is. Mine was definitely Del Taco.
Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x
I love how much effort was put into universal and the whole atmosphere. There are so many details in the parks that just bring the films to life. My personal favourites were Beverly Hills with the Hollywood star walk and Harry Potter world. I honestly felt like I was back in the UK! Everything is so accurate and really does resemble London.
Water Park
If you get the chance to go to Volcano Bay, GO! It is the best water park I have ever been to and the whole vibe is so positive. You don't feel uncomfortable there and the staff are so friendly. The theme of the park is Hawaii and they have definitely done well sticking with that. They have bands that allow you to get into a virtual line called a 'Tapu Tapu'. My mum and I found it hilarious. Some of the ques are really long but the time goes so quickly. We had to wait 120 minutes for the water coaster but it honestly felt like we waited half the time. You can chill in the wave pool, lazy river or just tan while you wait. One thing I really appreciated was that they have free water available at the food courts. In the Florida heat, it really is important you put your health first so I was so thankful to have access to water whenever.
City Walk
City Walk is the part of universal where anyone can have access. You don't need to have a ticket. They have a bunch of restaurants and cocktail bars with live music. We went to the Bob Marley restaurant, which as you can guess was a Caribbean cuisine. The food was really lovely and so were the staff. They have an indoor and outdoor section for customers and a live reggae band. Unfortunately we only got to see one set of the band because it began to storm really heavily and their set up was all outdoor.
It was the only night we didn't bring our waterproof jackets and it was the heaviest storm we had ever seen! I had to run through puddles of water (which felt like the ocean), in just flip flops. You can imagine my thoughts when my mum screamed for me to hurry. Somehow, despite the pouring rain, thunder and lightening it was still so warm!
Carlos Bakery
My mum is obsessed with Cake Boss, so every time we visit Florida we have to go to one of his bake shops. It's located in the Food Court of Florida Mall. She secretly prays that Buddy is there, literally every time. We got 6 delicious cupcakes and it actually wasn't too badly priced from what I remember. The photo really doesn't do them justice, and it is times like this that I wish my photography skills were better.
Ramada Plaza Hotel
I stayed at Ramada Plaza Hotel on International Drive. This is the second time I have stayed here. The staff are all so helpful and it's such a well kept hotel. It was always so clean and whenever anything needed repairing, such as the lift they were right on it. We stayed on the club levels which are floor 9-12. Being on club level allows you to have access to the roof top. On the roof top you get all inclusive drinks until 8pm, beautiful seating, snacks, a pool and hot tub. It was such a lovely location and being on the roof top showed the beautiful city.
Results day wasn't really the best. If you didn't already know, I received my A-level results whilst on holiday. I wasn't very happy with my grades and it took me A WHILE to process them but a few days later I decided to treat myself. I worked EXTREMELY hard all year and to see that the work didn't pay off was heartbreaking but after talking to my parents and realising how well I did, considering I practically had to teach myself for 5 months, I was able to get past the disappointment and did a little retail therapy. I BOUGHT MY FIRST DESIGNER BAG! I was never that girl who got a designer bag for Christmas whilst in school. This was such a big deal and it really did bring my mood right up. I worked loads of shifts before my holiday and thought, you know what, I'm going to reward myself regardless of my results. I got myself a Michael Kors Backpack for University. It is so beautiful and I can see it lasting a long time.
Luxury items have never been something I have focused on getting but this purchase meant a lot. I was able to make a splurge for the hard work I put in all year. Although the journey was long and tedious, I learnt so much about myself and it made me appreciate the people in my life so much more. The final destination may not have looked like the picture I hoped for but maybe this isn't the final destination. This is just another service station. I'll be heading to university in the next 2 weeks and I can't wait to prove to myself that hard work is never overlooked.
I had such a great time with my family. Florida is like our second home.
If you've been to Orlando before, let me know in the comments what your favourite place to eat is. Mine was definitely Del Taco.
Thanks for reading,
Have a great day x
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