Being a villa owner and having been to Florida a considerable number of times, we are always looking for different things to do. We would agree that its very exiting going to all the theme parks but as many regular Florida visitors will tell you, there are plenty of other things to do and places to visit.
This time we thought we would combine a trip to Clearwater beach and a visit to Busch Gardens over a two day period. So before we left the UK we booked an afternoon sea fishing trip at John’s Pass and a hotel on Clearwater beach.
The morning of the trip to the gulf coast arrived, we had an early breakfast in the villa so we didn’t loose any time on the road as it was about a two hour drive. As we got into our massive Dodge Durango it was like loading the human version of Noah’s ark, we climbed aboard two by two, two grandparents, two parents and two children.
We arrived at John’s Pass, which is between Madeira Beach and St. Pete’s beach, around mid morning. John’s Pass is on an inlet from the gulf, it has a boardwalk area with shops and restaurants and a small marina. We had a wander around the boardwalk and shops and before we new it, it was time for the two men in the party to join the fishing boat at Hubbard’s marina for our 1. 00pm booking. We set of on our fishing trip and waived goodbye to the girls as they set off for the beach, which is a 5 minute walk away, and some retail therapy.
The fishing trip was fantastic, we went out about 7 to 8 miles and had dolphins following us for most of the time. Everyone on the boat caught fish whether they were novices or experienced, in fact this was the first time I had fished with a rod.
We arrived back at the marina at 6. 00pm and took our catch into Hubbard’s restaurant were they cooked them and served it up to us, it was a great sense of achievement to eat your own catch. After our meal we drove up to our hotel at Clearwater and quickly checked in as we didn’t want to miss the sunset. As we walked from our hotel to Pier 60 where there are street performers, buskers and all sorts of free entertainment going on we watched the most glorious sunset. The entertainment at Pier 60, which was only 2 blocks walking distance from our hotel, starts 2 hours before to 2 hours after sunset. They say that some of the best sunsets on the gulf coast can be seen from Clearwater beach.
After the long and most enjoyable day we headed back to our hotel for a swim in the pool and then a good nights sleep, ready for our early morning start and a day at Busch Gardens.
This time we thought we would combine a trip to Clearwater beach and a visit to Busch Gardens over a two day period. So before we left the UK we booked an afternoon sea fishing trip at John’s Pass and a hotel on Clearwater beach.
The morning of the trip to the gulf coast arrived, we had an early breakfast in the villa so we didn’t loose any time on the road as it was about a two hour drive. As we got into our massive Dodge Durango it was like loading the human version of Noah’s ark, we climbed aboard two by two, two grandparents, two parents and two children.
We arrived at John’s Pass, which is between Madeira Beach and St. Pete’s beach, around mid morning. John’s Pass is on an inlet from the gulf, it has a boardwalk area with shops and restaurants and a small marina. We had a wander around the boardwalk and shops and before we new it, it was time for the two men in the party to join the fishing boat at Hubbard’s marina for our 1. 00pm booking. We set of on our fishing trip and waived goodbye to the girls as they set off for the beach, which is a 5 minute walk away, and some retail therapy.
The fishing trip was fantastic, we went out about 7 to 8 miles and had dolphins following us for most of the time. Everyone on the boat caught fish whether they were novices or experienced, in fact this was the first time I had fished with a rod.
We arrived back at the marina at 6. 00pm and took our catch into Hubbard’s restaurant were they cooked them and served it up to us, it was a great sense of achievement to eat your own catch. After our meal we drove up to our hotel at Clearwater and quickly checked in as we didn’t want to miss the sunset. As we walked from our hotel to Pier 60 where there are street performers, buskers and all sorts of free entertainment going on we watched the most glorious sunset. The entertainment at Pier 60, which was only 2 blocks walking distance from our hotel, starts 2 hours before to 2 hours after sunset. They say that some of the best sunsets on the gulf coast can be seen from Clearwater beach.
After the long and most enjoyable day we headed back to our hotel for a swim in the pool and then a good nights sleep, ready for our early morning start and a day at Busch Gardens.