Orlando and Fort Lauderdale

Wife and I will be in Florida for a week next month.
Ill have 4 days on my own in Orlando while my wife is attending a conference. What should I do?
Enchanted tiki room. and??

And while we're in Fort Lauderdale should we get a hotel closer to the Mai Kai or The Wreck bar (beach good)?

Thanks for any tips/advise
Darren

I've never been to Orlando so I'd want to tour the Polynesian Resort at WDW and get a drink or bite to eat one of the restaurants in the hotel.

there is a tiki bar in downtown orlando; never been though.
http://wallstplaza.net/venues/waitiki/

it has a 6.1 rating on critiki.
http://critiki.com/location/?loc_id=490

cool, thanks guys :)

The tiki bar in downtown Orlando is tiki in name only. Has some nice decorations, but it pretty much ends there. Orlando does have an improving cocktail scene, though. If you are in downtown Orlando, check out The Courtesy, The Lodge and Hansen's Shoe Repair. Nearby Winter Park has some great restaurant/bars: The Ravenous Pig, Cask and Larder, and Prato among them. Lorna Lambey is also reviving her act at The Red Fox in Winter Park as well.

And if you play your cards right and can make it over to the coast, the crotchety owner of The Storm Shelter might even make you a Mai Tai or two...

Shoot him (me) a PM and I can give you more advise about things to do while you're here. There's much more than the theme parks!

On 2013-06-28 05:03, TikiHardBop wrote:
The tiki bar in downtown Orlando is tiki in name only. Has some nice decorations, but it pretty much ends there.

Ill probably pass on that one.

Orlando does have an improving cocktail scene, though. If you are in downtown Orlando, check out The Courtesy, The Lodge and Hansen's Shoe Repair. Nearby Winter Park has some great restaurant/bars: The Ravenous Pig, Cask and Larder, and Prato among them. Lorna Lambey is also reviving her act at The Red Fox in Winter Park as well.

We are staying at the Peabody across the street from the convention center. Ill do some google map research and check these places out THANKS!

And if you play your cards right and can make it over to the coast, the crotchety owner of The Storm Shelter might even make you a Mai Tai or two...

Shoot him (me) a PM and I can give you more advise about things to do while you're here. There's much more than the theme parks!

Very kind of you! We wont be renting a car so I doubt that I could make the 55 mile trip to Rockledge. But I just checked out your bar, looks AWESOME. :drink:

Thanks SO much for the tips/ideas.
Darren

[ Edited by: Dagg 2013-06-28 10:19 ]

So it looks like you are trapped in I-drive hell for a while. There used to be a couple of good places to get some cocktails in the Sand Lake Road area, just a little bit north of where you are staying. Looks like Seasons 52 is the only one that's still open. I will ping some of the local bartenders and see what I can come up with. I will PM you.

Sounds like this is your best Orlando option:

http://megayummo.com/2013/02/08/the-table-orlando-expands-into-libations/

They also recommend Vines Wines and Spirits for booze.

As for the Ft. Lauderdale portion, it depends on what you plan to do with the rest of your day. Obviously, the closer you get to the beach, the more expensive the hotels are going to be. You could also always just split the difference and get someplace halfway in between.

On 2013-07-01 13:32, TikiHardBop wrote:
Sounds like this is your best Orlando option:

http://megayummo.com/2013/02/08/the-table-orlando-expands-into-libations/

They also recommend Vines Wines and Spirits for booze.

Very cool! Thanks again.
I will totally check these places out!

Mahalo!

On 2013-07-01 13:32, TikiHardBop wrote:

As for the Ft. Lauderdale portion, it depends on what you plan to do with the rest of your day. Obviously, the closer you get to the beach, the more expensive the hotels are going to be. You could also always just split the difference and get someplace halfway in between.

We booked the weekend at the Yankee Clipper. I know we are a month late for the party... But what the heck should still be fun! :drink:

Mornings on the beach, afternoon/evenings at the Mai Kai, night cap at the Wreck Bar. Repeat as necessary.
I wonder how much cab fare will be to the Mai Kai??...

[ Edited by: Dagg 2013-07-10 15:47 ]

On 2013-07-10 10:18, Dagg wrote:

On 2013-07-01 13:32, TikiHardBop wrote:

As for the Ft. Lauderdale portion, it depends on what you plan to do with the rest of your day. Obviously, the closer you get to the beach, the more expensive the hotels are going to be. You could also always just split the difference and get someplace halfway in between.

We booked the weekend at the Yankee Clipper. I know we are a month late for the party... But what the heck should still be fun! :drink:

Mornings on the beach, afternoon/evenings at the Mai Kai, night cap at the Wreck Bar. Repeat as necessary.
I wonder how much cab fare will be to the Mai Kai??...

[ Edited by: Dagg 2013-07-10 15:47 ]

About $20-$25 dollars each way.

On 2013-07-11 12:26, El Jefe wrote:

About $20-$25 dollars each way.

Mahalo :tiki:

Hopefully you'll see this before your trip, sorry, I just joined the forum today or I would have told you this much earlier. I don't know a lot about Ft. Lauderdale aside from the Mai Kai (a Tiki Mecca that I'm sure needs no mention). I'm local to Orlando though, so I'll tell you about the Disney area. In Disney, you have to see Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, but that's not the only Tiki thing in WDW. Across from Aladdin's Flying Carpets, you will find a set of Tiki statues that play music and spray water at guests. These are updated versions of the Marc Davis originals (once made of wood, these are now fiberglass, much more suitable to Florida humidity). Also check out the Jungle Cruise (left of Tiki Room if you're facing it directly). This is another classic attraction that has a great exotica vibe and a few Tiki carvings along the way. There are also Tiki masks and carvings scattered all over Adventureland, so spend some time looking around there.
When you are done at Magic Kingdom, take the Resort Monorail to the Polynesian resort. Grab a Mai Tai at the upstairs bar, Try the 'Ohana buffet (pricey, but wonderful) there are also some great Tiki carvings there and some Modern Hawaiian artworks to be seen in the lobby. The giftshop also sells the same Tiki mug that they serve their Pina Colada in. After browsing the lobby, (be sure to see the colorful Tikis playing hide and seek in the front window of the giftshop) go out the back door and stroll down to the pool. Here you will see several Tiki carvings hidden in the bushes and forming the base of the pool showers, even more Tikis await if you venture over to the quiet pool area to the right of the main pool if you are facing it from the back door. These are the same Tikis that you see in the Enchanted Garden show at the Tiki Room in Disneyland. After passing the quiet pool, follow the path toward the Neverland Club. Just before you reach the club (which is basically a daycare for small kids), you will see a giant Tiki carving in front of the area known as "Tongaroa Terrace" there is nothing in this building now, however it is occasionally used for wedding receptions. If you wander to the left of the main pool (facing it from the back door) that will take you toward the Luau show and a giant Tiki head carving set beside the pathway. There are other carvings to see all around the resort, and the beach area is a great place to watch the evening fireworks without the massive crowds at the park. Enjoy.

On 2013-07-24 19:58, tikijim30 wrote:
Hopefully you'll see this before your trip, sorry, I just joined the forum today or I would have told you this much earlier. I don't know a lot about Ft. Lauderdale aside from the Mai Kai (a Tiki Mecca that I'm sure needs no mention). I'm local to Orlando though, so I'll tell you about the Disney area. In Disney, you have to see Walt Disney's Enchanted Tiki Room, but that's not the only Tiki thing in WDW. Across from Aladdin's Flying Carpets, you will find a set of Tiki statues that play music and spray water at guests. These are updated versions of the Marc Davis originals (once made of wood, these are now fiberglass, much more suitable to Florida humidity). Also check out the Jungle Cruise (left of Tiki Room if you're facing it directly). This is another classic attraction that has a great exotica vibe and a few Tiki carvings along the way. There are also Tiki masks and carvings scattered all over Adventureland, so spend some time looking around there.
When you are done at Magic Kingdom, take the Resort Monorail to the Polynesian resort. Grab a Mai Tai at the upstairs bar, Try the 'Ohana buffet (pricey, but wonderful) there are also some great Tiki carvings there and some Modern Hawaiian artworks to be seen in the lobby. The giftshop also sells the same Tiki mug that they serve their Pina Colada in. After browsing the lobby, (be sure to see the colorful Tikis playing hide and seek in the front window of the giftshop) go out the back door and stroll down to the pool. Here you will see several Tiki carvings hidden in the bushes and forming the base of the pool showers, even more Tikis await if you venture over to the quiet pool area to the right of the main pool if you are facing it from the back door. These are the same Tikis that you see in the Enchanted Garden show at the Tiki Room in Disneyland. After passing the quiet pool, follow the path toward the Neverland Club. Just before you reach the club (which is basically a daycare for small kids), you will see a giant Tiki carving in front of the area known as "Tongaroa Terrace" there is nothing in this building now, however it is occasionally used for wedding receptions. If you wander to the left of the main pool (facing it from the back door) that will take you toward the Luau show and a giant Tiki head carving set beside the pathway. There are other carvings to see all around the resort, and the beach area is a great place to watch the evening fireworks without the massive crowds at the park. Enjoy.

Thanks Jim
Yes we got back home on Monday. However we did do almost everything you mentioned. We didn't have reservations for Ohana so had to settle for the other restaurant. and instead of the monorail we took a boat across the lake.

fun stuff

MAI KAI WAS AWESOME!!!!!!!!!
Also had some great conversations and cocktails with Marina at the wreck bar.

cheers
Darren