I want to tell you a story about an amazing time with my amazing family at an amazing resort in an amazing location.
Last month we were invited to visit and stay at the South Seas Resort for a few days. I am pretty used to travelling and writing about resorts, experiencing amenities and the destination. But this was truly something special.
Special enough that my husband couldn’t stop talking about it and still often says to me ” You know what I really miss? Being at that resort” (he can never remember names lol). And every time he says that I know exactly which resort he means.
There was something so perfect about South Seas that could have never been depicted on their website, or through photos found online. It just took our breath away. I hope that the photos I took during our stay will work at least a little bit better at relaying just how magical that time was for us.
It started with a drive to Captiva Island , which in itself is a beautiful experience. All the islands in Florida seem to have this special vibe, the roads are surrounded by old trees creating archs overhead shading the drivers from the sun. No one is ever in a hurry….
As we drove in through the gates of the South Seas resort, we were met with the white buildings, blue sky and greenery all around. To this day when I conjure a mental picture of it, I think of white, green and ocean/sky blue. And sun – hot, bright and welcoming.
After checking in, getting our bands that would allow us to the resort’s amenities, we picked up a golf cart that was waiting for us at Best Boat Rentals right on site. It is the main mode of transportation at the resort. Little did we know that the golf cart was really necessary- the resort sprawls on 330 acres.
{Lexi’s romper is from my favorite Biscotti and Kate Mack a few seasons back. It’s on sale right now}
While I met with the resort marketing director, Andrew and Lexi went to the room to unpack and hang out waiting for me.
We got a two bedroom villa overlooking the ocean. I think I wrote about how I am completely sold on staying at condo style resorts with a kitchen, especially when travelling with a toddler, so this was a nice surprise.
High on tropical air and amazing surroundings, we started goofing around in the dinning room mirror with this cute result. We don’t have a lot of pictures together since Lexi was born, so every single one of them is always treasured.
At that point we were all starving, Lexi was obviously skipping a nap because she was too excited to be at a new place ( she LOOOOOOVES travelling), so we took our golf cart to Harbourside restaurant on the other side of the resort.
This is really hard for me to write, because I am starving right now, but the food was really impressive. In fact, we pretty much ate at Harborside for breakfast and dinner every day, and would have done lunch if they were open. Of course, Lexi never goes out without having to breastfeed at the restaurant, so we spent half the time waiting for food doing this:
{the red dress that is so flattering and so comfortable to nurse is by Isabella Oliver. It’s my most favorite dress of all times!}
Finally, our appetizers and then entrees came. We all got fish and Lexi was very happy to be chewing down on her broccolinis. She is so funny, she has a plate with mashed potatoes, fish and broccoli in front of her, so she eats broccoli first. I am so proud of her for her good taste palate, decent eating habits.
Absolutely satisfied, we decided to explore the resort more before we go back to the room for Lexi’s bedtime
We walked down the marina, past the Ship Store, towards the wedding lawn and the mini golf. And right there, was something I honestly was shocked by. A playroom of all playrooms.
Again, I have traveled enough with Lexi to have gone to maybe 30 different kids’ areas in hotels. Up until now I thought, Marriott’s vacation clubs really had it right. But this was the mother of all kids’ activity centers, which is honestly the best testament to how incredibly kid friendly South Seas is.
Just look at this:
It had every type of toy imaginable with the focus on imaginative play. Outside this massive playroom was an arcade center, so older kids could enjoy themselves too.
Needless to say, we knew we were going to stay there longer than we thought. So I sat back on a bean bag and Andrew went to get our golf cart.
After maybe an hour or so, the sun was starting to set and we went back to the room.
After such an experience-rich afternoon, Lexi feel asleep without any problems, and Andrew and I were left to relax on the balcony watching the sunset and enjoying our take-out desert we so brilliantly arranged for before leaving the restaurant.
The day was complete!
Looking back at our getaway, it seems almost unreal that we only had two nights at South Seas Resort. Our experience was so jam-packed with scheduled adventures, dining, beach trips, that we barely had time to ourselves and that was the best part. It felt that we spent a week there- there was so much we had done and seen.
I am going to continue with Day 2 of our getaway in the next few days. The following days were full of beach trips, waverunner tours, spa treatments, so there is a lot of beautiful photos to follow.
If you like that kind of thing 🙂