Florida Villa to Rent

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Five Bedrooms/Four Bathrooms, Private Pool, Lake View, Free WiFi + Fantastic Resort Facilities!

Our new luxury townhome with 5 bedrooms & 4 bathrooms (2x Masters with en-suites) will sleep 10 people in superb comfort. There is a well-equipped kitchen located adjacent to the dining area, with seating for 10. Flat screen TVs in every room, a multi-region DVD player and an Xbox are provided for your home entertainment. Free WiFi is also available. The property has its own private heated pool and patio area with a covered Lanai.

Located in one of Florida’s premier resorts, Paradise Palms is a gated community offering all the amenities you’d expect in a 5-star facility, including a pool, game room, fitness room and movie theatre. The grounds are beautifully landscaped and there is a poolside Tiki Bar and shop. The resort also offers a shuttle service to many of Orlando’s attractions at an additional fee.

Paradise Palms resort is just minutes away from Orlando’s main attractions. Walt Disney World is just a 10 minute drive and Universal Studios, Seaworld, Wet ‘n Wild, Legoland and other attractions are easily accessible. Highway 192 is just a couple of minutes away and here you will find an amazing range of grocery stores, other retailers, restaurants and bars.

If you are looking for a florida villa to rent, look no further. Check our booking calendar to see if your dates are available and give us a call to confirm your booking.

Selected Articles

Florida Villas - Free Attractions

This is the sixth and last article considering some activities in the Central Florida area, alternatives to the main theme parks. This feature covers activities which are free, a couple of which I have covered in previous articles.

Old Town shopping and entertainment is free to get into and has a full range of activities from shopping and dining to a number of rides in two amusement ride areas (although most of these you have to pay for). Old Town has developed into a magnet for car enthusiasts, with parades of classic cars taking place on both Friday and Saturday nights, alongside free live music, creating a carnival feel.

Another cost free option is to head to some of the older districts in the area, with Kissimmee, St Cloud and Celebration all providing interesting and in some cases historic sights, while at the same time oozing charm. Kissimmee boasts the oldest Floridian Courthouse, continuously used. Kissimmee also hosts the Sculpture Experience where work by a dozen selected artists is displayed downtown.

As well as all the usual tourist attractions Osceola County has a wide array of wildlife including the largest bald-eagle population in America and is the home of a program to re-introduce the endangered Whooping Crane. There are a number of nature reserves in the area to enjoy these and other animals and a good place to start is the Lake Lizzie Nature Reserve.

If fishing is your thing then there is plenty of opportunity in the Kissimmee region, particularly with the abundance of lakes. Lake Tohopekaliga can be found in downtown Kissimmee and is a fantastic place for fishing as well as picnicking and has a renown in fishing circles stretching well beyond the Florida area. East Lake Toho, located in St Cloud really does have everything for the family including a beautiful beach and dedicated play area, as well as a handful of great fishing spots.

For a broader perspective on what to do in Florida try our article What is there to do in Florida?

10 Things to do in Fort Lauderdale

Following on from our previous article on alternative towns and cities to visit while in Florida (we previously looked at Miami), we now take a look at Fort Lauderdale which is situated 24 miles from Miami on Florida’s Atlantic Coast. Fort Lauderdale hosts in excess of 10 million tourist visitors every year, attracted by the pleasant climate (which averages around 75 degrees Fahrenheit with over 3,000 hours of sunshine) as well as the wide range of activities open to tourists. Fort Lauderdale’s name derives from a series of forts built during the Second Seminole War, by Major William Lauderdale, although the city itself did not did not begin to develop until several decades after the conflict finished.

Fort Lauderdale experiences a tropical rainforest climate with a summer ‘wet season’ and a winter ‘dry season’. The ‘wet season’ runs from May through to October and is very hot and humid with average high temperatures approaching 90 degrees Fahrenheit, and just about every day will bringing afternoon rain bursts. The ‘dry season’ runs from November through to April and although warm experiences average high temperatures of around 75 degrees Fahrenheit.

Ten things to do in Fort Lauderdale, in no particular order;

#1 – Fort Lauderdale Beach

One of the top tourist attractions in the area, this is a lovely beach. Life guards patrol part of the beach and there is a selection of shops and restaurants to be found at the intersection of Las Olas Boulevard.

#2 – Fort Lauderdale Sun Trolley

Similar to the trolleys to be found in Miami, this is a great way of getting around and they will take you to just about anywhere in Fort Lauderdale for a very reasonable fare.

#3 – Nightclubbing

There are in effect, four areas of Fort Lauderdale to head to if you want to experience the nightlife. These are Los Olas Boulevard, The Beach, The River Front and The New Hard Rock Seminole Hotel. The Beach tends to cater for a younger crowd and can get quite lively, whereas Los Olas Boulevard attracts an older clientele and is considerably more relaxed.

#4 – Riverfront Cruise

This is a fantastic way to spend a couple of hours, meandering past luxury villas, accompanied by the crews amusing tales of the occupants, some of which may actually be true!

#5 – South Florida Jazz Festival

This is a series of Jazz concerts showcasing a mix of jazz legends, current stars and up and coming talent. All concerts take place at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center at Nova University.

#6 – Shopping

Try the Sawgrass Mills Mall, under half an hour from mid-town Fort Lauderdale in Sunrise Florida, this is a huge mall with an equally huge range of shops and restaurants to suit all tastes and desires.

#7 – Sightseeing Cruises

Take a sightseeing cruise on the Carrie B, sitting on the sun deck or making use of the air-conditioned splendour of the Main Deck. There are 3 cruises per day at 11am, 1pm and 3pm and the boat is large enough to accommodate all who want to get on board.

#8 Performing Arts

Take in a performing art show at the Broward Center for the Performing Arts which is located in the entertainment center in down-town Fort Lauderdale

#9 More Jazz

The first Sunday of every month the Riverwalk is the venue for a lunchtime spent listening to some great local jazz musicians and best of all its is free!

#10 – Budget Dining

There are plenty of cheap places to eat in the Fort Lauderdale area and these include The Floridian Restaurant (Los Olas Boulevard and 15^th Avenue), Mi Casa Su Casa (Mexican on Griffin Road West) and Greek Island Taverna (near Oakland Boulevard)

If you are looking for something to more widely in Florida try our article What is there to do in Florida?

Florida Wildife - The Florida manatee

The Florida manatee, considered an endangered species, is a sub-species of the West Indian manatee and is an aquatic relative of the elephant. They are large, lumbering creatures, grey-brown in appearance with small front flippers to help both steer and crawl through shallow waters as well as a powerful tail to propel them through their aquatic environment.

Habitat

The manatee has a very low metabolic rate and little in-built insulation to retain body heat and these factors combine to confine the species to tropical and sub-tropical climates, with Florida being at the extreme northern reaches of its range. Manatees are found in rivers and estuaries as well as the coastal waters of Florida’s Atlantic and Gulf of Mexico coast and they can be found in large numbers in the Crystal River and Blue Spring areas. The greatest threat to the continued health of the species is the destruction of their warm water environment while boat strikes continue to impact on population numbers. The best current estimate of their population is around 5,000, which is much too small for comfort.

Diet and Behaviour

Like their elephant cousins, manatees are predominantly herbivores and they feed mainly on sea grasses and aquatic vegetation, with the occasional supplement of small fish and invertebrates. In this way they contribute to the health and maintenance of the rivers and estuaries they call home, providing a vital housekeeping service. Although superficially appearing to be gentle, slow-moving creatures the manatee comes into its own when in the water, displaying a surprising agility and a natural playfulness often to be seen rolling and executing somersaults.

Reproduction

Generally speaking female manatees are natural loners but they will congregate with other females during mating periods. They are capable of successful breeding from as young as four years old although first births usually occur around eight years of age. The pregnancy will last from 12 to 14 months with a single calf being born, and mother and calf will remain together for around 2 years.

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