I managed a good first night’s sleep, not waking fully until around 6:30 a.m. — not bad at all considering the time difference.
By 8:30 we were in the breakfast room, which was surprisingly quiet, and surveying the usual Holiday Inn Express offerings. Today’s “egg” option was the cheese omelette — not exactly gourmet, but never mind. I made up for it by trying out the pancake machine with sugar-free syrup, which went down a treat.
Karen was delighted to discover that the drinks machines served Costa Coffee, while I was simply pleased to find a decent supply of proper decaffeinated tea bags.
After sitting a while, we returned to our room before heading out. I spent a few minutes fiddling with the car settings before we set off toward Anna Maria Island — always a highlight of our trips to Florida’s west coast.
We decided to start at the pier, which turned out to be easier said than done. The back-to-back hurricanes of 2024 had destroyed it, leaving only the restaurant marooned on a small wooden island. The good news: a $4.6 million rebuilding project has just been approved.
The first thing that hit us, though, was the temperature. It was decidedly cool — possibly the coldest we’ve ever known in Florida. Admittedly, it was as forecast, and it should warm up in a few days, but still, it was a shock to the system. It didn’t help that I had left my light fleece behind at the hotel.
We reminisced about our last visit, when we’d been hiding from the blazing sun, watching dolphins play in turquoise waters beneath the pier. Today, the same sea looked grey, choppy, and uninviting.
We drove down the main street and parked in the City Hall car park — which sounds grander than it is, but it’s free and, crucially, right opposite The Sandbar restaurant. We knew it wouldn’t be open yet but were delighted to find a little café window serving drinks. We bought a couple and found a bench on the beach, the white sand dazzling as ever. Thanks to the wind direction, it actually felt much warmer there.
Then it was time for a walk along the beach. The sun was beginning to shine, and for Karen it was now the perfect temperature. This stretch of coast is famous for its shell-strewn beaches, and I was, as ever, hopeful of finding a complete sand dollar. Sadly, it wasn’t to be — though I did find four large fragments. Karen wondered if they might fit together; unsurprisingly, they didn’t.
By now it was lunchtime, and we grabbed a lovely table right on the edge of the beach at The Sandbar. Karen started with a fruity raspberry-vodka cocktail, while I stuck with water. For lunch, I had a small but superb bowl of clam chowder, and Karen enjoyed a generous chicken Caesar salad. We probably outstayed our welcome a bit, soaking up the view, the weather, and the general sense of being exactly where we wanted to be.
After lunch, the plan was to drive to St. Armands Circle in Sarasota, as Karen wanted to visit a flip-flop shop there. On the way, we made a quick stop at Dollar Tree to pick up a few items from our shopping list.
Parking at St. Armands was, as always, a challenge, but I found a surface lot and paid for two hours via an app — which turned out to be 90 minutes too much. The once-bustling shopping circle felt a little sad, with several closed shops and a definite decline in its former “posh” charm. To Karen’s dismay, not only was the flip-flop shop long gone, but so was the Starbucks. “Someone needs to make St. Armands Circle great again,” she declared.
We completed a full circuit, admired the impressively early Christmas tree in the centre, and then headed back toward Bradenton. Almost at the hotel, we pulled into a Starbucks to top up the current Mrs. Clare’s caffeine levels for the day. As we were so close to the hotel, I decided to skip the usual challenge of trying to order tea in an American Starbucks.
Back at the hotel, it was time for Karen’s daily pool walk to help with her hip. I went down with her but was quietly relieved I wasn’t getting in — the water was freezing. She was very brave, marching across the pool for a good half hour, including through a brief five-minute shower that appeared out of nowhere before clearing to blue skies again.
After a quick turnaround in the room, we headed out for dinner — conveniently, to the Outback Steakhouse diagonally across the road. We were seated in the bar area and ordered our usual. Karen sent her steak back — even I had to admit it was more “rare” than “well done,” her preferred state — but once corrected, both meals were excellent.
The evening’s entertainment was a trip to Walmart, always a highlight for me. We weren’t long getting what we came for — plus a few extras, naturally. Karen was particularly enthusiastic, adding items to the basket that we’d already pre-ordered for delivery to the villa from Amazon.
Back in the room, Karen wanted to catch up on The Traitors, so I fired up the VPN and got iPlayer working for her. Personally, I think The Traitors is the emperor’s new clothes of television. After three episodes (at Karen’s insistence), I remain convinced it’s a load of huffle-puffle nonsense. It might just about pass as a five-minute sketch — but stretched to an hour, it defies all logic and reason.
By 9:30 p.m., we were both ready for lights out. Another full day done — and despite the cool breeze, it felt good to be back in Florida.
