The Sunshine State has some stunning beaches that are perfect for spending relaxing days in gorgeous weather. There is nothing better than laying on a beach with a good book and a cocktail in hand – just make sure you wear sunscreen! The day does not end there. Sure a day in the sun is fantastic but when the sun goes down the party really kicks off! Do not worry if you aren’t the Spring Break partier there are lots of different options for you no matter what generation you are in. If you’re staying in Orlando villas, you may be tempted to stick to the city for your nights out – but the beaches of Florida have plenty of nightclubs and parties going on all year round. What’s better than a holiday with some fun by the beach, you definitely should not miss out. Whether it’s the star-studded glamour of Miami Beach or the more laid-back Siesta Key, there’s something for all tastes on Florida’s coast.

You may think you need to travel somewhere exotic like Thailand but great beaches are in your own backyard. Miami Beach is one of the hottest nightspots in the state, offering everything from fine dining to cocktail bars and clubs – some of the top spots include Cameo on South Beach, Mynt Lounge and the enormous party venue LIV. You should be prepared to splurge a bit here as Miami Beach comes with a price and often it is a hefty entrance fee to a club or bar. But this is your holiday so it is not the time to cheap out on good night life. This is a world class party and a night out in Miami Beach doesn’t come cheap, but you’re guaranteed an unforgettable time!

Maybe you aren’t looking for the biggest party in the planet and prefer something a little bit more low key or perhaps with a small entrance fee. Naples is the beach to visit for a more relaxed night out. While there are nightclubs to go to, they’re mixed in with theatres, open-til-late art galleries and night-time cruises.  It is a much different scene that Miami Beach so it is a good alternative if you still want to enjoy a night out but are not into the club scene. Try an evening at the Philharmonic Center for the Arts if you’re in the mood for some culture, or the Dinner Theatre for great food and entertainment. Florida is the home to gourmet cuisine with an intense Latin influence paired with a great love of seafood. You should not miss out on dining when you are here as you are sure to have many memorable meals.

Smathers Beach is a great place for those who love a spectacle – the Sunset Celebration, which takes place every night, features performance artists of all sorts. Fire jugglers, tightrope walkers, unicyclists and all manner of musicians and magicians mingle together for a unique show. Local specialties for the hungry include conch fritters and key limeade.

For an insight into how Americans like to party, forget about heading to Mexico,  try hitting Panama City Beach during Spring Break. As well as being home to Club LaVela, the largest nightclub in the US, the beach is known as the location where MTV records its annual coverage of the holiday, which draws thousands of thrill-seeking teens every year.

As you can see there are so many things to do in Florida. It is not only where people retire or Canadian snow birds flock in the winter but offers a thriving culture and night life for all.

Image (c) MathewIngram

Brits have for many years now flocked to the sun for the summer. In the past the Mediterranean was the favourite of many, featuring sun, sand and sea. Though the Med is still popular with many British Tourists, destinations a little further afield have also grown in popularity. Florida has been increasingly popular for many years, and despite the recession still is high on the list with many families. Independent tour operators like Ocean Florida can book flights with Virgin Atlantic and Thomas Cook, which offer excellent value for money when it comes to their deals for Florida holidays 2012 – and Florida has to be one of the most family-friendly destinations on offer.

Themed Holidays
Theme Parks: well we can’t mention Florida without talking about them. Florida’s theme parks offer a chance to master that most difficult of the Dark Arts – keeping the kids entertained and having some fun yourself. Talking of Dark Arts, the “Wizarding World of Harry Potter” is a recent addition to Universal Studios, close to Orlando. If the kids haven’t heard about it yet (as if) then let’s hope they aren’t looking over your shoulder, if they are then visit Ocean Florida to find some of the better deals on Florida holidays for 2012. Other theme parks include the original (and the best?), Walt Disney World® Resort. With decades of experience in entertainment, Walt Disney World® Resort offers some of the most memorable experiences a child could ask for!

Natural destination
Florida Villas are varied and nearly always high quality. With its sub-tropical climate, massive number of theme parks, National Parks and State Parks, the whole region is naturally geared to tourists, making it the perfect holiday location. The National and State Parks offer a different theme for those who would like to wean the kids away from the better known kind. Theme parks are great, but you can’t beat coming face to face with a real, live alligator when it comes to excitement! While the National Parks focus particularly on conservation the state parks combine conservation and recreation; fishing, hiking, kayaking and surfing are common activities and most offer camping facilities to allow you to experience the wild side of life in Florida at first hand. The east coast of Florida is well known as the best surfing coast on the whole of the US eastern coastline – and the warm waters make it an ideal place to learn to surf for kids and really big kids alike.

Getting there
Most major airlines and tour operator offer excellent services direct to Florida. Last-minute deals offer amazing savings and cheap Florida holidays are real bargains. Florida offers a range of options for those looking for anything from a simple theme park based holiday right through to a cruise and stay option. The Sunshine State is the gateway to the Caribbean and beyond, with major cruise lines embarking from Miami or Port Canaveral. Other options include twin centre holidays – allowing for time at theme parks and time away from them! Getting there couldn’t be simpler with direct flights from major UK airports direct to Orlando – the theme park capital of the world!

When most people think of holidays to Florida, the first thing that pops into mind is Disneyland. However, Florida has so many more attractions to offer without forgetting the beautiful landscapes, baking sun and golden beaches.

Florida seems to seduce visitors into returning again and again making it one of Britain’s most popular holiday destinations. So what is it that gives this holiday destination the edge?

I’ve selected the five most interesting and captivating experiences that cheap holidays in Florida have to offer which are sure to appeal to the whole family. Of course, Disneyland had to be included, but I didn’t stop there, from Busch Gardens to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter, it’s all here. All you have to do is read on.

1. Walt Disney Resort

It is almost impossible on your Florida holidays to go without viewing such an iconic place with, especially with world famous characters like Mickey Mouse. This single destination is full to the brim of enchanting attractions which will have not only the children among us under a spell. The resort completely captivates the magic of Disney and the fairy tales we grew up with, providing us with the chance to create a truly memorable experience. The resort is also home to two water parks, Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon featuring one of the world’s tallest and fastest free-falling waterslides.

2. Universal Orlando Resort

The resort is home to some of Florida’s most famous attractions beginning with Universal Studios. Here, you can be the star of your favourite movies and discover what goes on behind the scenes of the best selling films of all time. Universal’s Islands of adventure now include the brand new Wizarding World of Harry Potter where not only can you venture through the majestic Hogwarts gates, but you can also visit the Hogsmeade shops and purchase some of the classic products. Honeydukes is the star attraction whose shelves are lined with brightly coloured sugar snacks including acid pops and the legendary chocolate frogs, guaranteed to leave you bursting at the seams.

3. Busch Gardens

As close to Africa that you can get without even stepping onto the continent, Busch Gardens is a paradise near to Florida’s magnificent Gulf coast. It offers safaris which put you face-to-face with exotic animals such as hippos, hyenas and crocodiles. Although if you’d prefer to get your heart pounding, there are plenty of nerve testing rides for the thrill seekers out there. If you fancy a challenge why not tackle SheiKra, the 200ft high vertical drop?

4. Kennedy Space Centre

Every year, millions of people come from all over the world to visit this centre which is renowned for its NASA missions. You can gain an insight into the remarkable history of space discovery and NASA’s Shuttle Launch Experience brings to life the real astronaut experience. If you plan your trip well, you might even be able to witness a shuttle launch first hand, a once in a lifetime experience.

5. Everglades National Park

This park is the largest subtropical wilderness in the United States, offering an ultimate outdoor experience in the heart of the sunshine state. The pleasant climate makes outdoor activities a must and whether you’re in touch with the environment or not, there’s bound to be an activity for you from the selection of hiking, fishing, canoeing, camping and more. If you’re feeling adventurous, backcountry camping is for you. A real outdoor experience and a chance to feel at home with the outdoors, most sites are only accessible by kayak or canoe, leaving you in peace to relax and enjoy the sun set over the beautiful beaches.

Las Vegas is an exciting, vibrant place to visit and to most people the main reason for travelling here is to visit the casino’s and all they have to offer. The Las Vegas strip which is the most famous part of Las Vegas is home to many casinos where you can gamble and enjoy yourself.
Many people think of a casino as just somewhere to gamble, but of course there’s a lot more to the casinos of Vegas than just gambling. Most are hotel complexes where you can enjoy an evening show of dancing ladies (or men), musicals, magic shows, and broadway style shows too.

They all want to draw you in, and so if you walk down the strip you can see spectacular shows designed to entertain you like at the Bellagio where they have a fountain which through the evening at regular intervals has a show of water, music and lights, or at the Mirage where they have an artificial volcano that ‘erupts’ through the evening spilling pina colada scented smoke out into the vicinity.

Las Vegas is home to the tallest free standing observation tower in America. Stratosphere towers (a regular casino and hotel on its lower levels), has a high up observation tower where you can see far out over Vegas and the surrounding area. There’s also a revolving restaurant up there called ‘Top of the World’ where you can eat whilst slowly revolving round to enjoy the views of city, desert and mountains, as well as several rides – The Big shot, a reverse bungee jump shooting you 160 feet up in the air at 45 miles per hour. Sky jump which is a controlled descent bungee jump style ride that plummets down 855 feet before landing you safely at the bottom, and Insanity, where you’re dangled off the edge of the tower and then spun in a circle while the ground revolves waaaay below you.

Although most of the activity is on the Las Vegas Strip, there are other places in and around Las Vegas worth visiting. There’s Madame Tussauds with its famous waxworks. The Shark Reef Aquarium with 15 different types of shark as well as many other animals. And away from the buzz of the city, out in the dessert, you can visit the El Dorado Canyon Mine where you can take a tour of a real gold mine and find out what it was like back when mining was the main industry for the area. If you’ve got the money to spend, or have a big win at the casinos, you could also take a Las Vegas Space flight. It’s not quite a space ship, but the Boeing 727’s that go up here, go high enough that they can perform a series of moves that give passengers the chance to experience true weightlessness, even if it’s only for a very brief period.

I have always dreamed of going to New York….the thought of walking around one of the most famous cities in the world and seeing where my favouite series ‘Friends’ was filmed is just a dream come true.

When I managed to find cheap flights to New York, I obviously jumped at the chance and booked straight away….and so I was halfway to fulfilling my dream. The time went by and I found myself at the airport waiting to board my United Airlines flight to New York JFK. I don’t like flying very much and it was my first long haul journey, but it wasn‘t that bad. The flight took about 8 hours and I was impressed with the service. I wore flight socks and went well prepared with earplugs and a sleeping mask…so I managed to sleep during the whole trip. Arrival at JFK International Airport was quite daunting, but after all the immigration procedures I was loose in New York. Yellow cabs, bright lights and skyscrapers surrounded me. I loved it. It was just like what you see at the cinema.

I stayed in a hostel, Hotel The Pod, and it wasn’t bad at all. The location is excellent and I had my own private room, but had to share a bathroom. I would highly recommend it to anyone travelling to New York on a budget. The rooms are spotless, comfortable and the hostel is within walking distance of the Rockefeller Center, St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Central Park, Madison Avenue Shops and the Empire State Building.

I had planned my trip well and read up on the city, transport, restaurants and nightlife before I left. I think that it is really important because it helped me make best use of my time in the city. Some of the highlights during my stay in New York were taking a free ride on the Staten Island Ferry and seeing the Statue of Liberty, and going for an early morning run around Central Park.

I really felt the need for a little relaxation and had heard some really good things about a long weekend in the Bahamas. The price for round-trip airline travel from our home to the Bahamas, coupled with the hotel and tour costs once we go there, turned out to be just a little too much strain on our family budget. I thought I’d have to settle for a weekend at a beach motel, until I found out that cruises to the Bahamas were available out of Charleston, South Carolina. I had never before taken a cruise, and were a bit apprehensive. As it turned out, the cost of the cruise was cheaper than the round trip airline flight to the Bahamas and the hotel accommodations.

I got to Charleston, and the boat, sorry ship, was my home for the trip, and all the food I could eat was included in the cost of the cruise. It turned out to be one of the best vacations I had. After only one full day and night on the cruise ship, a separate but delightful story, we arrived refreshed to experience our Bahamian adventure.

Freeport, our first stop, is a paradise for golfers with one of the most truly impressive golf courses in the world. Freeport is a pit of temptation for shoppers interested in electronics and fine jewelry. Fortunately, our ship’s departure warning whistle saved us from spending too much before we resumed our cruise to Nassau.

Nassau became my home base for two days of strolling, shopping, eating, and touring. I took a horse drawn carriage tour of the city and its suburbs, visited an old Spanish fortress. A stopover on the highest hill on the island offered a spectacular view of the integration of lush beauty of the land and its white sandy beaches with the crystal blue water that embraced it. During the second day of my visit we toured the adjacent waters in a glass bottomed boat to enjoy watching the colorful and exotic sea life.

Despite the abundance of food available on the ship, I managed to spend considerable time enjoying my hobby of sampling new foods. It was only the short duration of our trip that saved me from a lifetime of obesity. The cruise back to Charleston was an enjoyable mirror of the trip to the Bahamas, but flavored with the sadness or returning instead of the anticipated joy of arrival. In memory, the cruise and visit to the Bahamas was a delight which we hope to someday repeat.

After 50 years of marriage my life had settled into a comfortable groove. Iíve been lucky enough to find a person who craves the peace and security I love. Unfortunately, our lifestyle has stagnated a little recently and I got the impression that my wife needed a break from the monotony of everyday life. What she hadn’t realized was that for years I’ve been sneaking money into a holiday fund and planned on surprising her on the anniversary of our first date. I’d even chosen our destination: New York.

When you imagine New York you see lights, glamor and shopping. Living the Sex and City high life was exactly what my wife needed to bring a bit of spark back. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive about the costs of flights as my experience with transatlantic travel was pretty limited and I wanted a good price. To my surprise the flight deals were reasonable and very easy to book and when we were actually on the plane we were made very comfortable.

We explored Downtown and Midtown Manhattan for awhile then hopped into a world famous yellow cab and experienced some of the world famous New York gridlock. The driver was friendly though and actually ended up giving us an unofficial tour on our way to the hotel. Now, having worked in hotels for many years I know that it can be a bit of a lottery finding a decent hotel abroad and especially in large cities. We had booked into a hotel opposite Madison square gardens as it was cheap and we wanted to save our money for shopping, after all we didn’t plan on spending time there except for sleeping. I was pretty shocked by the standard of the hotel. We were expecting a Holiday Inn style place but the hotels in New York are renowned for grandeur and this was no exception!

I was a little nervous arriving in the room. This was the most vital part of my plan. I had secretly stuffed 2 of our suitcases with shredded newspaper and hidden a present in each. My wife’s passion (except for me of course) is the theater. We regularly go to the West End in London to see our favorite plays and musicals. So she was thrilled at the theatre tickets she found in the first case. It took her longer to find the other present but when she opened the box to find a diamond ring she had tears in her eyes. Now I’m no writer but I’d like to see Sex and the City top that!

-From my work friend John

1. New York City: I wanted to leave it off the list in order to not be stereotypical but I can’t. I love New York. The frenetic energy, the amazing restaurants, excellent museums, interesting history and diverse population. It can’t be missed. As a history geek, my two favorite stops are the Tenement Museum and Ellis Island.

2. Chicago: Another bustling metropolis and the hometown (sort of) of President Obama. Chicago has great music clubs, fabulous deep-dish pizza and is situated on beautiful Lake Michigan. Don’t miss Navy Pier or the lovely Grant Park. A secret for the vegetarians and vegans- be sure to make a stop at Soul Vegetarian Restaurant you will not regret it.

3. Minneapolis: You should visit this surprisingly diverse and cosmopolitan city but only in the summer, fall or spring. Winter, for the uninitiated, could hurt. Minneapolis is the home of the artist Prince. Occasionally he will go to the club he owns, First Avenue, and invite everyone back to his mansion for a dance party. For some more musical history have a drink at the Purple Onion in Dinkytown, Bob Dylan used to perform there.

4. Boston: Boston is a lovely city full of revolutionary history. Try to visit in the autumn to take in the breathtaking fall colors. Wander around the grounds of famous Harvard University and don’t forget to make a few stops along the Freedom Trail to catch up on your US history.

5. Seattle: This rainy west coast city makes up for it’s perpetual gray skies with excellent coffee shops, organic restaurants and plenty of well-stocked bookstores. Don’t miss a trip to the lovely Bainbridge Island.

6. Austin: The capital of Texas is known as “the live music capital of the world.” No matter what time of year you visit there is sure to be live music leaking out the doors of local bars and cafes in the music districts.

7. Milwaukee: This rust-belt city does not make it into many top ten lists but for those looking to go off the beaten path it makes for a great stop. The city is located along Lake Michigan and hosts festivals on the lake front festival grounds almost every summer weekend. Harley-Davidson motorcycles are built here and H.O.G. members from all over the world make pilgrimages to the Harley museum and factories.

8. Atlanta: Don’t miss a stop to the booming capital city of the ‘new south.’ Hometown to Martin Luther King Jr., Atlanta has plenty of museums to satisfy the history fanatic and plenty of clubs for the tourist in search of a party.

9. San Diego: This California city is known for it’s lovely weather and it’s resort like feel. It’s a great place spend time at the beach or take a long run. Don’t miss the lovely Balboa Park.

10. Washington DC: No top ten list would be complete without Washington D.C., the busy capital of the US. Make sure to hit all the usual stops- the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, the National Mall and the moving Vietnam Memorial. They are more impressive in real life than in the movies.