We wanted to get away from the cold midwest winter so this year we headed to Florida for 3 weeks to enjoy some sunshine. (See our dining page for where we ate during our stay.)

We started the trip in Sarasota doing a 2 day golf clinic with Florida Golf School. https://www.floridagolfschoolvacations.com/. The classes are small with groups of 4 or less per instructor. As it turned out we were the only two so we got lots of individual attention. In the mornings we worked on various parts of the game - chipping, pitching, sand, hitting drivers and irons. In the afternoon we played 9 holes with the instructor and Jeff gave us tips and help throughout the round. Very informative and helpful and a great way to “warm up” our games while it is too cold to play at home.

By recommendation we made a stop at the Ringling Brothers Museum and Ca’d’Zan - John and Mable Ringling’s home and gardens. This visit was worthwhile, beautiful and very informative about not only their family but the history of the circus. It takes a couple hours to go through it all but it is fascinating.

Sunset Villas Condo - Redington Shores

We then headed to our condo in Redington Shores on the gulf side. This was a beautiful 4 unit condo right on the beach with 2 bed/2 baths, large kitchen and living area, as well as a deck right on the beach. At the bottom of the condo is a community area for sitting, dining, and grilling, as well as a pool which is especially nice for kids. The beach is right on the property and is beautiful and not crowded as it is private. Our suggestion is if you have kids reserve the 1st floor, and adults only the 2nd floor. Also there was a park right across the street for the kids to play at.

The location of this condo ended up to be perfect. It's in a little quieter area with restaurants within walking distance. For a short drive north or south you can find even more restaurants, and the drive to Clearwater or St. Pete’s or John’s Pass is not far either.This area does not have a lot of shopping but again, those shops are not far away.

Biking -

We brought our bikes and spent 4 trips biking the Pinnellas Trail. The trail is over 40 miles long and we took it in pieces. It's nicely paved, is mostly flat but has some hills up the overpasses. There is some street crossing but there are lights and the cars are very nice about stopping. It was not too busy but we went during the week which was probably better.

While biking we parked near the town of Dunedin. We really didn’t know anything about this city and it was a huge surprise. There are 4-5 blocks of independently owned shops, a variety of restaurants and coffee shops, 4-5 microbreweries (including the oldest brewery in Florida), and a beautiful marina looking over the bay. There are evidently lots of art festivals, farmers markets, and other events. We visited again on Mardi Gras and there was music in the street, people shopping and eating, and a parade that started at 7:00 PM in the dark with lights. It was a family-friendly atmosphere. We loved this area and would definitely go back again.

Golf -

We golfed 4 times - 2 in the morning and 2 in the afternoon. Each course was very different with how busy they were, etc. Evidently golf is very popular this time of year with the snowbirds and also the cooler than the hot summer weather. Our 2 favorites were:

Bardmoor - beautiful course, very busy but pace is kept. Lots of water. Was extremely busy first thing in the morning (like people were running to get their carts and were teeing off before the sun was even up). They also had a nice driving range which we used a couple times.

Cove Cay - nice course and women friendly but also challenging. It was not busy early but was definitely crowded by the time we were done. This course had some fun holes, had some beautiful views of the bay, and was kept up well. All in all this was our favorite.

The highlight of the trip (besides catching up with some friends while we were there), was the beach and the beautiful sunsets. We hope you enjoy these pictures. Let us know your thoughts or if you have any questions.