Plex and Lettripp's Epic Honeymoon! Part 1 - Vero Beach

[lettripp]

After long last: let the report begin!

Cast:

Plex - Paul - DH (Who will post his take on this part of the trip in this thread soon )
Lettripp - Lauryn - Wife!

Since our time at Vero involved a lot of the same thing (swim, sleep, eat, swim, eat, sleep etc), I'm going to limit this part of the report to one entry...

We left Bradley International Airport around 9:30 and arrived at Orlando International Airport around noon on Saturday, July 31st. We were anything but rested, because our wedding extravaganza ended late the night before! The day had been everything we hoped for and more. We were on a happy-high and an energy low, so we were grateful to be starting our honeymoon relaxing at Vero Beach.

We got our car (what in my very dazed state called a "wedding hearse" lol) and headed for Vero. When we got there, the first thing I noticed when I opened the door was the music!! It felt like Disney from the moment we stepped out of the car and were met by the crocodile topiary. Walked in and checked in with a lovely woman at concierge, who turned out to be a familiar face almost every day... who remembered our names each time! Now THAT is the personal service that I love from Disney.

We were exhausted so we pretty much entered our room and took a nap. This was a frequent occurrence over the course of our trip. Planning and executing a wedding is tiring (but gratifying) work! We also spent a lot of time at the pool. The waterside was AWESOME and we both enjoyed the hot tub (although we got a lot of strange looks for using it in the hot weather). Checked out the sauna and loved it the first time, but the second time we tried it I think I sat on a nail or something because I got a burn and never went back.

The ocean was the best part of this resort, in my opinion. The water was warm and blue. The waves were the perfect size (until the last day as tropical storm Emily came in). We loved being able to rent a jet ski and although I was a little nervous, it was a really fun time. The coolest part was stopping and realizing we were surrounded by manatee! Another day we rented ocean kayaks, and although that was a lot of fun, Paul decided to play with fire (er, water) and got burned (eh... wet). Basically, he crashed on the shore because he played where the waves were breaking.

One of our first days at the resort, we decided it was time to treat ourselves to some spa treatments. Paul got his first massage ever and liked it so much he went back for more later in the week! I got my first full spa pedicure and it was 90 minutes of bliss (and resulted in a really cute nail polish purchase). I can’t remember the lady’s name who did my nails but we talked the entire time because she is getting married very soon and wanted some advice. Turns out our “stories” are very similar (met our men online, had a bit of long distance at some point etc.) It was a great time.

We ate in every restaurant on property and Sonya’s was by far our favorite. We each had the rib eye with the bolognaise sauce and were in heaven. We ate breakfast and two dinners at Shutters (one dinner was the all you can eat seafood buffet). All the meals were good… comparable to a table service restaurant in the parks. My only complaint was that the crab legs were a little overcooked… but then again we are from New England so I am a bit of a seafood snob. The shrimp was AWESOME (a recurring theme on our trip) as were the mussels and steamers. I would recommend Shutters to any seafood fan.

We really enjoyed the resort itself and found it hard to leave. However, we did manage to venture out to Sebastian and ate at Captain Hiram’s one afternoon. The highlight of this lunch was definitely the moment a manta ray swam by our table! The food was tasty as well. We also ate at Mulligan’s Beach House Bar and Grill in Vero Beach because my parents highly recommended it. This place was SO COOL. It was way too hot but if it had been milder we would have eaten outside… in Adirondack chairs… looking over the ocean. Yea, I would go back in a heartbeat.

When we left the resort for a day, we left in style. One day we decided to drive to Miami and try and find fun things to do along the way. We took a detour and stopped at Lion Country Safari which, in my opinion, was a better animal experience than you get at Animal Kingdom. It wasn’t themed as well but you saw more animals. For those who don’t know, it is a drive-through zoo. We had to stop for ostriches and yield to rhinos. And actually, on that note, we saw the oddest thing. One of the rhinos got out of his section and tried to join the camels. The “rangers” had to herd the poor thing with Ford pick-up trucks pained like ZEBRAS. It was quite a site to see and once I can figure out how to post pictures to a thread, I will show you what I mean.

Although we didn’t make it to Miami, we had an awesome meal on the beach in Ft. Lauderdale and then took back roads back, admiring the mansions across the street from their respective yachts all along rt. A1A. We stopped for ice cream in Palm Beach but boy was it difficult to find ice cream in Florida. Seriously… it is everywhere in New England and we had to drive for miles before we found our first shop!
Another highlight of this portion of the trip was most definitely the airboat tour with Captain Bob. Although it first it seemed a little sketch (Meet us in an unmarked parking lot. You won’t see any signs or see the boat, just turn in to the driveway 5 miles after the stop sign :-/) it was an UNBELIEVABLE experience. Captain Bob knew the Indian River like the back of his hand. We saw probably a dozen gators and dozens more birds. I would highly recommend anyone who goes to Vero Beach take one of his tours!

On the last day, we were sad to leave. Vero had far exceeded our expectations and we can’t wait to go back!!

Next up – WALT DISNEY WORLD!!

[faline]

Good to hear such a positive review of this resort! Sounds like it was a nice, relaxed way to start your honeymoon!

[nfrustaci]

CONGRATS !!!! Sounds like a really nice and relaxing HONEYMOON.

as my brother in laws toast at our wedding went:

MAY ALL YOUR MOONS BE HONEYMOONS.....

[KylesMom]

I've been looking forward to your reports - how strange that you're now a Mrs., heh Lauryn?!

Lovely time at Vero - sounds like you really needed the R&R after all the planning that your wedding required.

I'm looking forward to more. And by the way - congratulations!

[MississippiDisneyFreak]

Sounds like an amazing Honeymoon trip

[Disneymom4ever]

Sounds like a wonderful honeymoon so far! My mom is going to Florida for the winter this year, and this is on her bucket list, to do an airboat tour. I will definitely let her know of the one you took. Sounds fabulous! Can't wait to read more!

[Plex]

We got our car (what in my very dazed state called a "wedding hearse" lol) and headed for Vero.

I'd like to point out that it was a Chevy HHR - those things really DO look like hearses...

When we got there, the first thing I noticed when I opened the door was the music!! It felt like Disney from the moment we stepped out of the car and were met by the crocodile topiary. Walked in and checked in with a lovely woman at concierge, who turned out to be a familiar face almost every day... who remembered our names each time! Now THAT is the personal service that I love from Disney.

And it wasn't just the concierge either! Since the resort is so small we ended up being really familiar with just about the whole staff - front desk, wait staff, lifeguards, etc. I would argue that the CMs at Vero are even more friendly than at WDW on average.

We loved being able to rent a jet ski and although I was a little nervous, it was a really fun time. The coolest part was stopping and realizing we were surrounded by manatee! Another day we rented ocean kayaks, and although that was a lot of fun, Paul decided to play with fire (er, water) and got burned (eh... wet). Basically, he crashed on the shore because he played where the waves were breaking.

Having an ocean kayak and not playing in the waves is like trying not to hit anyone when you're riding bumper cars. Despite the spill and the bleeding that was a whole lot of fun

We really enjoyed the resort itself and found it hard to leave. However, we did manage to venture out to Sebastian and ate at Captain Hiram’s one afternoon. The highlight of this lunch was definitely the moment a manta ray swam by our table! The food was tasty as well. We also ate at Mulligan’s Beach House Bar and Grill in Vero Beach because my parents highly recommended it. This place was SO COOL. It was way too hot but if it had been milder we would have eaten outside… in Adirondack chairs… looking over the ocean. Yea, I would go back in a heartbeat.

There's definitely plenty to do in this area in general. We barely explored the downtown Vero area, which seems to have a lot to do. I definitely want to head back and check it all out.

When we left the resort for a day, we left in style. One day we decided to drive to Miami and try and find fun things to do along the way. We took a detour and stopped at Lion Country Safari which, in my opinion, was a better animal experience than you get at Animal Kingdom. It wasn’t themed as well but you saw more animals. For those who don’t know, it is a drive-through zoo. We had to stop for ostriches and yield to rhinos. And actually, on that note, we saw the oddest thing. One of the rhinos got out of his section and tried to join the camels. The “rangers” had to herd the poor thing with Ford pick-up trucks pained like ZEBRAS. It was quite a site to see and once I can figure out how to post pictures to a thread, I will show you what I mean.

In some ways this was actually better than the Safari at AK. It didn't have all of the Disney magic, but it definitely seemed much larger and had a better variety of animals. It also didn't have the completely unnecessary story

We stopped for ice cream in Palm Beach but boy was it difficult to find ice cream in Florida. Seriously… it is everywhere in New England and we had to drive for miles before we found our first shop!

According to the guy behind the counter, he's the only shop in the Palm Beach area. Totally makes me want to go open up some competition

Overall, I was really impressed with Vero Beach. It's definitely Disney quality outside of WDW. I would definitely go back, especially tagged on to a WDW vacation as a way to relax after several days of aggressive park touring.

[Christine]

Congratulations!!

And I wholeheartedly agree!! I LOVE vero beach! It is so small not only do the CMs recognize you, you keep seeing the same guests everywhere!!

Sounds like a super start!

[MinnieMommie]

Congratulations on your wedding! Can't think of nicer honeymoon plans and your report of the first installment sounds like you had an amazing time at Vero. Can't wait to read your next post.

[pdrlkr]

Thanks for the Report!

[January-2007]

and thanks so much for sharing! Sounds wonderful!

[dtootsie42]

Congrats!!! Sounds like it was a great start to a wonderful life together!

[Jennifer_and_Chris]

Can't wait to read more...

Now I really want to try Vero Beach. We are DVC owners to and hope to one day make it there! We would need more points though...

[vizsla]

Thanks for the report.

[SBETigg]

Weddings are tiring, but lovely. Congratulations and best wishes. Vero and your driving adventures sound fun. Great start.