It was time to hop in the car and get away from it all again. Mental health retreats I call them. I need them from time to time…..ok maybe weekly or sometimes two or three times a week depending on how bad it is. Fortunately I live in an area where within 45 minutes to 2 hours I can be at some of the best beaches in the world. Yes even Key West, if I take a super fast catamaran ride that only runs when the weather is good. This time I needed to go somewhere that many of my friends and even my own daughters had been to without me. It was time to Hit Boca Grande and see for myself why everyone seems to love this beach.
Tag Archives: key west vacation
Happy Tropical Mothers Day!
Happy Mothers Day to all the LongWeekendLife.com mom’s out there. Today is your day to relax and we have a few ideas how you can make this a relax and tropical mothers day.
Some of our favorite places to visit are places that carry tropical housewares and relaxing clothing. So in order to help you relax this mothers day we have compiled a list of things you may enjoy to help make your home more relaxing, comfortable and tropical.
Tropical Weddings – Things to consider
If you are like us (and we are guessing you wouldn’t be reading this if you weren’t) tropical beach weddings seem like a dream wedding. For those of you who have had a tropical beach wedding this can be true with a little planning. There is nothing like saying “I do” with a little sand between your toes. Since there are an abundance of articles on the net about beach weddings we thought we would offer some helpful tips and things to think about when planning your tropical beach wedding to ensure that everything is “perfect”.
Summer Vacation Ideas – Part 2 The Keys
Summer break is coming up quick.If you are like most you have saved for months for that all important summer vacation. That break from work with the family or wife or alone where you do some all important bonding with the beach or take off on an adventure. If you are enjoying your long weekend life this means looking for great places to dig your toes into the sand, get some great pictures to add to memory books or hang on your walls, or collect thos important souvenirs that remind you of the tropics to put around your house. In part two of our summer break ideas series we head to the east coast of Florida. But first after heading across Alligator Alley we head south past Miami to the keys for a visit.
The florida keys are made up of five islands Key Largo, Islamorada, Marathon, Big Pine Key and Key West. All offer a different adventure, beautiful beaches and great places to just relax.
Summer Vacation Ideas – Part 1 Florida’s Gulf Coast
It is almost time for the summer thaw. That time when you pack up the wife and kids (or go it alone or as a couple) and head out for the annual summer vacation. But where do you go this year? Let’s first start with where not to go. International travel is becoming more and more of a hassle and dangerous even next to our own boarders for US citizens. Popular spots like Cancun, Cabo and Acapulco are becoming increasingly dangerous with the drug wars in Mexico. With struggling economies in Greece, France and Europe in general and riots and protests breaking out in the region, your favorite spots may not be accessible. There is South America but countries like Brazil and Argentina are becoming increasingly dangerous to US tourists as well because of anti english sentiments growing.
One theme many styles……tropical
The tropical lifestyle means many things to many people.Tell someone you love to live the tropical lifestyle and how they think you live may be nothing like the actual experience you have created for yourself. Each niche has its own vibe, feeling and “flavor” as well as some regional differences. Like differences in dialect of a language each one has it’s own uniqueness. We will outline just some of what we mean here. If you are looking to live the tropical lifestyle use this however you like to guide your adventure.
Tropical Treasure and free souvenirs
Finding those free souvenirs is part of the fun of a tropical vacation. At the right beach you can find tons of treasures from the sea or still in the sea. Bermuda and South West Florida, Sanibel Island in particular seem to be the best places to find sea shells and other treasures along the shore. Though shells and other treasures can be found just about anywhere there is a beach.
Key West …with Kids? Yes!
Before anyone thinks I’m crazy please read this all the way through. It is possible if you are one of those families who has no one to watch the kids while you vacation, to take them with you to the keys and have a good time……..yes specifically Key West. Also I do mean young kids also.
No it is not like Walt Disney World, but it is possible to do some fun and educational things in the Key’s with the kids while still having fun. It will be a different kind of fun, but still possible and fun.
If you blew out your flip flop read this…..
The weather is turning warmer earlier everywhere. It’s time to stretch those toes and get that flip flop tan line…….but wait! Before you do that and slip on those old flip flops that hurt your calves or shins or the soul of your feet every year, it’s time to end the pain. Not all sandals, flip flops, flats…whatever you call them….are created equal. Sure you knew this and sure you are willing to settle for the $4.99 special at Walgreens. Why would you do that and go through 5, 10 maybe even 15 pair of those by the end of the year? Why would you buy something that causes you pain in your legs, feet and back every year if you have to do any sustained walking from parking the car to the beach? This year should be different because you have worked hard for this vacation and earned it.
More Great Apps for Awesome Vacation Videos & Photos
Vacation videos and photos, they bring the fun back to life after the vacation. Because of this we want to make sure you have the best apps for your phone to shoot them. Once again, we have run across a few extremely fun apps to add to your arsenal.
First is a way to get rid of those annoying shakes. Whether they are from walking around while shooting or that pesky hangover from a wild night in Key West, shaking videos are annoying and almost unusable. How do you combat that? You use a handy little app called Luma by Midnox. Luma is simple and straightforward to use. Best of all it not only have the stabilization feature but also includes a great black and white filter and zoom. You can also set manual focus, manual exposure and manual white balance if you really want to get creative.
