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| The view from our patio. |
At any rate, it was a nice 2 1/2 days in the sun and sand and not having any commitments or alarm clocks. And, as usual, I over-packed even though I took everything in my briefcase. I only needed two pair of running shorts, running shoes and socks, another pair of shorts and a couple shirts, my flip flops, and toothbrush. Everything else was totally unnecessary.
TRAVEL
We flew Allegiant Airlines direct from Fort Wayne to the St. Pete/Clearwater Airport. It's about a 2-hour flight. Allegiant may not have the best reputation, but it is at least convenient and cheap.
Of course we were delayed leaving Fort Wayne because there was an issue with the plane. They had to call a mechanic in, and we were then a couple hours behind schedule. It was at least a very smooth flight. We also didn't have anyone in the seat next to us, or the three seats in front of us! We arrived early afternoon in St. Pete and took a Lyft the 1/2-hour ride from the airport to our hotel (10 miles).
Coming home was about the same. You'd think when you have the first flight of the day at 6:10 am that it wouldn't be late. However, our plane apparently wasn't ready, or wasn't there or something, so we had to wait to board until the crew could clean the plane we ended up using. When we finally did get to board, it was just starting to drizzle rain, and we had to walk outside like 50 yards from the building to the plane. It was the most bizarre thing, and probably the most hectic loading of a plane I can remember. Anyway, once again, it was a nice flight. We even knew one of the flight attendants who was from our hometown!
As for Lyft... we had never used it before. It worked out okay, but I thought it quite confusing to figure out - especially when I had to schedule a ride for our trip from the hotel to the airport at 4 am. I was never entirely sure anyone was going to show up. However, both our drivers were older guys - probably my age - and both were very nice rides in nice cars. It was about $20 for each ride, plus an additional tip of around $4.
THE HOTEL
We stayed at the Shoreline Island Resort along the Gulf of Mexico. I would say they might be stretching the word "resort," but it was quite nice anyway. Madeira Beach seems to be a fairly laid back area compared to some of the more popular places like St. Pete and Clearwater. The beach barely had any people on it at all, and there seemed to be a fairly good mix of old people around the grounds (both younger than us and older than us). It was never crowded anywhere.
The office isn't open around the clock, but everyone we talked to that worked there was very nice and helpful. There was a free continental breakfast of coffee, fruit, and individual pastry-type stuff, and the pool was right there. The beach out front had plenty of availability in the reasonably-priced beach chairs and umbrellas ($25/day).
The rooms were by no means fancy, but they were quite nice. I liked that the floors were vinyl instead of carpet. There didn't seem to be the dampness, nor the sand everywhere in the room. We had a little kitchenette, king bed, table and chairs, and two recliners. I was pleasantly surprised with the room. And, of course, the view of the ocean off the balcony... how could you not like that?
NEARBY
Fortunately there was a Speedway gas station right across from our hotel. We got our water and beer/wine there. There were several restaurants within a 1/2 mile walk, and a grocery store about 1 mile up the street. John's Pass Village & Boardwalk was about a mile south of the hotel. We went there one morning on our walk, but didn't shop or anything.
We were also just down the street from the Church By The Sea. It was about 1/4 mile away, and I almost puked when I saw it! I'd actually just seen someone post something about this place on Facebook recently, and had no idea we would be right by it. We discovered it on Sunday morning, actually, and I couldn't resist taking some pics. I will likely write a separate post about it later.
FOOD AND FUN
About all we did during our brief visit was have morning coffee and then take a walk or jog up/down the beach, then we'd load up our cooler and head down to the beach and snag a couple beach chairs and an umbrella in the sand. Jane got in the water more than I did, but we both got wet, and a little tan. We also both read and rested. In the evening we would walk to one of the local places and grab our one meal of the day - something fried with french fries. I guess we just tried two places. Screwies was our favorite (we went there twice), and Dockside Dave's. We ate outside for all three meals and walked to and from.
All in all this was the perfect vacation for the two of us - nothing but laying on the beach and reading - it just wasn't quite long enough for me to call it a real vacation though. Even now, I want more. But, it was better than nothing. I will close with this pic of the sunset Sunday night. Yeah...
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