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By Jeanne Radcliffe, TTG (UK and Ireland), 9 February 2007
8am: – I sit by the pool and enjoy eggs benedict – my favourite breakfast and they always taste better in the US. I’m staying at the Longboat Key Club which is an island just off the neighbouring cities of Sarasota and Bradenton. Today is the first day of the Florida Huddle trade show and I have several appointments.
10am: – I arrive at the Huddle show and start my appointments. I have meetings with Monique McKenzie from the Ritz-Carlton Sarasota and Damian O’Grady from the Fort Lauderdale Convention and Visitors Bureau. Damian tells me about how Fort Lauderdale is aiming at the upmarket family market with the opening of a new W Hotel and St Regis resort. I also find out about the Villas of Grand Cypress Golf Resort in Orlando, which could be good for our high-end clients.
12:30pm: – After a short drive into the centre of Sarasota I have lunch with Susan Estler, from Florida’s Gulf Islands Convention and Visitors Bureau, and Virginia Hayley, from the Sarasota bureau. It’s a warm day so we sit outside and I get lots of information about the two areas. It’s interesting to find out that the regions have a big arts scene and lots of theatres.
1:30pm: – The very enthusiastic Bernie Gottschalk is our guide for the afternoon as we drive around Sarasota. After pointing out several local landmarks, Bernie takes us to Myakka River state park. It’s only a 30-minute drive from downtown. Bernie, who also works for the tourist board, is passionate about the park and even spots a couple of alligators – fortunately they weren’t too close to us.
3:45pm: – Head over to Siesta Key to see the beach and some boutique hotels. The beach is amazingly white with incredibly fine sand. We then look around three small hotels – my favourite is the charming Siesta Key Bungalows.
6pm: – It’s time for the beach party at the Ritz-Carlton Members Beach Club, which is located on Lido Key a few miles from the main hotel. I have a couple of drinks and chat to several people including Colin Brodie from Visit Florida and representatives from different hotels. We are told to watch out for a mysterious and elusive green flash that appears, all too rarely, when the sun goes down. None of us see it but the sunset is still beautiful.
8:15pm – As we leave the beach reception, I spot a strange little creature with a big snout running under one of the parked cars. I’ve no idea what it is and it narrowly misses being run over by a bus. I later learn from some locals that the creature was probably an armadillo.
9:30pm – After a quick stop at the hotel to get changed, we head to St Armands Circle, an attractive area of restaurants and shops. We stroll around looking for a place to eat before setting on an Italian restaurant.
11pm: – After a quick nightcap at the hotel bar it’s back to my room. It’s been a busy and interesting day.
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