Leaving for Florida

We had planned to leave for the Cincinnati airport at 4:30 on Monday morning, but an afternoon of freezing rain followed by a forecast of several inches of snow on Sunday night encouraged us to get a room in Northern Kentucky near CVG. Since we would only be there long enough to sleep in order to arrive at our parking by 6:30 am, we selected an inexpensive Super 8 at Florence, Kentucky that had mediocre ratings. The drive to Florence on Sunday evening was slow but uneventful, and we checked into the Florence Super 8 quickly. While going to the room, we were put off by the trash that littered the outdoor hallways. The room had peeling plaster and holes in the furniture and bedding. Considering the bad weather, we decided to stay.

Trash at hotel

We woke at 5 am and got dressed for our 8:45 flight from Cincinnati to Punta Gorda, Florida. While getting dressed, I saw several bedbugs crawling on our bed. We decided to get out of the room as soon as possible and to be certain to sanitize any of our things that had come into contact with the bed. We also resolved to file a report with Wyndham Hotels regarding the condition of the hotel.

We arrived at the Florence Hilton to park for the trip through the OneStopParking that we had reserved. We were pleased to make the 6:30 shuttle and to have the van to ourselves. The driver dropped us off at the Allegiant terminal, and we checked our shared suitcase quickly. We had checked in on Sunday and had boarding passes on our phones already. Security was a breeze thanks to our Global Entry status. We didn’t have to remove shoes or jackets, and all of our electronics could stay in our carry-on bags. Getting the Global Entry cards was something of a process a couple of years ago, but with the international and domestic travel that we do, it has paid off many times.

The two hour flight from CVG to PGD was easy, and we both read and snoozed on the flight. We were at Punta Gorda before we knew it. There was a humorous incident at the gate while deplaning. Passengers at the front of the plane had disembarked, and those of us in the aircraft’s rear were eagerly awaiting our chance to stretch and make our way to baggage claim. The flight attendants stopped passengers from leaving the aircraft and looked concerned. We assumed that one of the many elderly passengers with limited mobility had fallen on the ramp. To our confusion, the flight attendants asked that all passengers move toward the front of the aircraft and out into the first rows of seats. After a while the captain came on the PA to explain that the cargo in the aircraft’s forward section had been removed prematurely and when passengers in the front of the plane had deplaned, the aircraft was tail-heavy and had began tipping backward. Moving passengers to the front brought the airplane back into balance, so we could eventually leave the cabin.

The short walk from the ramp to the terminal felt great. We left Cincinnati in cold and snow and arrived to a sunny 75 degree day in southwestern Florida. Our bag was at the baggage claim as we arrived at the carousal in the small Punta Gorda airport. We walked outside to find Mark and Cindy waiting on us in an electric blue Genesis G70. We had rented a larger Genesis several years ago while traveling in Oregon and liked it very much. The G70 was very nice and a little sporty, but a little more room in the back seat and trunk would be welcome.

We couldn’t check in at our AirBnB until 4 pm, so we decided to go for a walk at Lover’s Key State Park. There are hiking trails as well as a long beach area. We enjoyed the warm Florida air on our walk and waded on the beach.

Walking on the Lover's Key Beach

We stopped at Walmart to get groceries that we expected to use along with sunscreen and an inexpensive styrofoam cooler. Of course, we always have a case of water bottles with us when we travel.

We found the Perpon Residency in Naples quite easily. It is conveniently located in a quiet residential neighborhood on a cul-de-sac. The house has a large sitting room and dining area with a well appointed kitchen that included all of the dishes, cookware and appliances that we could need. The four bedrooms were not huge but were certainly more than adequate. Mark and Cindy had the master bedroom, while we took a smaller room. We also used the smallest bedroom to stash our suitcase and gear. It would be hard to beat the rate that Mary and Cindy got on the house. They were able to get the house for $154 per night, which is less than we would have paid for one motel room much less two rooms. It is also so convenient to have a kitchen so we can cook breakfast and prepare packed lunches. That saved a good deal of money too. There were flat screen televisions in each of the bedrooms as well as in the sitting room. The screen porch had a kitchen leading to a large yard.

After moving in and unpacking, we looked for a place to get dinner. The Peruvian restaurant nearby sounded good to everyone, but we were disappointed to learn that they were closed after we arrived. We planned to try another day. We found a Lebanese restaurant, Kareem’s Lebanese Kitchen, that sounded good. We were seated quickly and ordered our meals. Mary had Ouzi with Grape Leaves, which is roast lamb with gravy, stuffed grape leaves and seasoned rice that she reported to be very good, and I had Chicken Farroui which is a boneless seasoned half chicken with roasted vegetables and potatoes. Everyone enjoyed the meal. We drove back to the rental house where Mary and Cindy played cribbage while Mark and I caught up.