travel

FOllOWINg THE ANNOUNCEMENT FROM QATAR AIRWAYS THAT jUNE 2014 WIll BRINg NON STOP FlIgHTS TO THE BEAUTIFUl AND TROPICAl CITY OF MIAMI. BY FRANCESCA CRUZ

Please fasten your seat belts, make sure

your trays are in an upright position, store

all carry-ons, and enjoy the flight: This

paradisiacal peninsula offers an opportunity

for adventure, enchantment and history—

what more could a traveler ask for? While

most jet to Europe or Asia as the collective

fad du jour; Florida captures it all in an ideal

vacation destination. Great nightlife? Check!

A collection of theme parks and National

Wildlife preserve? Check! Great dining,

shopping, beautiful beaches, year-round

sunshine—check, check, check! It doesn’t

take much convincing, does it?

Key West

We start off on the southernmost point: Key

West. The natives, or the Conchs—as they

are called, are an impassioned assemblage

of merry rogues that know how to celebrate

life and sunsets like nobody’s business. It is

no wonder Hemingway was so enamoured

of this Eden. With its history of haunted

happenings you’d be a silly ghoul not to

enjoy the Ghost & Gravestone’s trolley tour

(it’s even been featured in both the Sci-fi and

Travel Channel), plenty of cozy restaurants,

loads of options for live music and some of

the best seafood in the world.

Heading north past Key West and about 25

miles from Key Largo you’ll find the second

oldest city in South Florida: Homestead.

The drive there is all about letting the wind

blow through your hair and seeing the

vegetation in this part of town. It’s a major

agricultural area and the first stop is the

Fruit and Spice Park. It is the only tropical

botanical garden of its kind in the United

States. The Park showcases 150 varieties

of mango, 75 different kinds of bananas, in

total over 500 varieties of fruits, vegetables,

spices, herbs and nuts, all in its unique 37-

acre public facility where visitors are invited

to take part in tastings.

While on the eco kick, and just a mere

40-minute drive from Homestead, jump

at the opportunity to venture into ‘the

river of grass’, as it was once referred to.

Witness the largest subtropical wilderness

in the United States: Everglades National

Park. With its unbelievable array of exotic

birds—over 1000 species of plants and

wildlife that roam free, it’s a unique trip into

the wetlands. Pitch a tent, go air boating:

this is your chance to connect with Mother

Nature.

Once you’ve filled your cup to the rim

with nature exploits, your attire soaked in

neXt stoP: THE SUN SWEPT SHORES OF FlORIDA

Kennedy Space Center

South Beach, Miami Florida

Miami, Florida

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travelmud and your hair gleaming with natural

highlights from the great outdoors, it is time

to rejoin civilization with a 50-minute car ride

north to Miami.

Miami

You will find great shopping in the Dolphin

Mall Outlet in the city of Doral, as well

as high-end shopping in the Village of

Merrick Park, and Bal Harbour Shops, or

head northeast to South Beach for a full

kaleidoscope of activities: shopping, dining,

beaches and nightlife. Enjoy dinner at the

Delano, the SLS or the W hotel if fine dining

is what appeals most to you. For a meal

that won’t break the bank and a great place

to people watch, stroll to famous Lincoln

Road. It’s an 8-block long pedestrian

walkway bustling with cafes, coffee shops,

restaurants and retail stores.

Don’t forget to splash around in the famous

beaches, go rollerblading down the lined

pathway adjacent to the water, or join a

volleyball game just a hop and skip away

from Ocean Drive. South Beach is just as

exciting as you’ve imagined it to be, and the

pastel art deco buildings cast the perfect

backdrop for some fun in the sun.

The Palm Beaches

From Miami to a city of history and glamour,

while F. Scott and Zelda caroused the

Long Island Gold Coast in the roaring 20s

attending lavish parties in search of fodder

for the Beautiful & the Damned and so many

of Fitzgerald’s literary treasures, Florida had

its version of the place where the lovely

and the advantageous frolicked: The Palm

Beaches.

A grand staple and haven for the ‘who’s who’

of American aristocracy, is and has always

been, the Breakers Hotel. It’s been a stop

for patrons of the likes of the Rockefellers,

the Vanderbilts, the Astors, Andre Carnegie,

J.P. Morgan, heads of state, and later the

Duke and Duchess of Windsor, dined

alfresco while enjoying the Atlantic Coast,

relaxing at the Mediterranean style beach

club reminiscent of St. Tropez, and simply

immersing themselves in the lavishness that

is such a vestige.

Palm Beach is all about luxury, relaxation,

and the crème de la crème in refined

shopping. Visit Worth Avenue for antiques,

exquisite gifts and a gourmet lunch or dinner,

then take a bicycle tour through the city,

visiting the old Kennedy family compound. If

leisure and opulence is your cup of tea, this

is the place to highlight on your itinerary.

Orlando and Kissimmee

We change scenery from the grandiose, to

the thrills and theme parks of Orlando. From

the Magic Kingdom, to an assortment of

water parks—Orlando and the Kissimmee

area is all about family fun. Head to the

Kennedy Space Center for an out of this

world experience—no really, like out of this

world and into space, kind of adventure.

It truly is mankind’s ultimate journey. The

centre is the only place in the world where

you can tour launch areas, see giant space

rocks, take part in spaceflight simulation and

view a launch.

Weeki Wachee Springs

From the void that is space we venture to

the depths of the sea visiting Neptune’s

fair maidens—Mermaids. Only an hour’s

drive north and you arrive at Weeki Wachee

Springs: the City of Live Mermaids. Take a

boat down the crystalline river and enter the

mysterious underwater world of mermaids,

manatees, turtles and of course blue

bubbles. Visitors can pose with mermaids,

and even swim in the spring with the new

Sea Diver program.

Here is your opportunity to experience

Florida by taking part in adventures that

integrate the beautiful terrain, native wildlife,

historical places, and of course fantastic lore

of this unique peninsula.

neXt stoP: THE SUN SWEPT SHORES OF FlORIDA

Miami Beach, Florida

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