Mar
2
The intartubes are all abuzz about this, that, and the other thing this morning, but in checking it all out I came across one of the most unique “resorts” in all of Florida: Jules’ Undersea Lodge
From the Fact Sheet:
Jules’ Undersea Lodge Fact Sheet Location: Jules’ Undersea Lodge is located at the bottom of the Emerald Lagoon in Key Largo Undersea Park, Key Largo, Florida. It is an hour and a half drive from the Miami International Airport to Key Largo Undersea Park. Turn on Transylvania Avenue at mile marker 103.2 Oceanside on the Overseas Highway. Background:
Jules’ Undersea Lodge was originally built as La Chalupa mobile undersea laboratory, the largest and most technically advanced in the world. The Lodge has been completely remodeled to provide guests with approximately 600 square feet of luxury living space for up to six people. Lay-out: The interior has two living chambers, each 20 feet long and 8 feet in diameter. One chamber is divided into two 8 x 10 foot bedrooms; the other is an 8 X 20 foot common room with dining and entertainment facilities. Between the two chambers is a 10 X 20 foot “wetroom” entrance area with a moon pool entrance (similar to a small swimming pool), a shower and bathroom facilities. Uses: Resort for recreation and adventure, weddings and honeymoons, retreats, meetings, seminars, corporate programs; site for film and video productions, and a merchandising showcase. The Lodge also continues to serve as a research lab for special projects.
It looks surprisingly affordable (well, relatively speaking, anyway) at $475/person per night. One of those once-in-a-lifetime experiences, but within the reach of most of us with a little scrimping and saving.
Dec
7
Florida Memorabilia
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Florida memorabilia and collectibles are hot right now.
Nov
30
Fab wrote a post about his regrets that brought back memories.
Many moons ago when I was a just an innocent lad, my friends and I decided to go camping in the Keys during Spring Break. Purely for the fishing, of course.
We hooked up a pop-up camper to my pickup, tied a canoe on top of the damper, and headed down the Florida Turnpike looking like the 1989 version of the Beverly Hillbillies. We made it in to Key West each night for a few hours of fellowship with other lonely tourists far from home. While enjoying a cool beverage at the world famous Sloppy Joe’s one evening, there was a stage show involving some nice young single mothers. Unfortunately, the young ladies managed to get their t-shirts wet during their dance performance. Of course, we cheered enthusiastically despite the mistakes, because we make a point of supporting single mothers whenever possible.
Once the nice young ladies came off the stage, one of my traveling companions decided to ask one of the nice young ladies to dance, hoping to cheer her up after error with the wet t-shirts. He did not realize, however, that her paramour was also in attendance, an older gentleman that must have been a salesman for Harley Davidson, given the number of Harley Davidson logos on his clothing. The paramour was a disagreeable sort, not willing to accept that my friend made an understandable error, and he shoved my friend down in the middle of the dance floor.
Of course, I rushed to aid my friend and clear up the misunderstanding. I raised my hand to show that I was no threat, but my elbow went backwards instead of vertical, for some reason. Unfortunately, my friend was just then picking himself up off the floor, and his face met my elbow with considerable force.
At this point in time, security personnel hired by Sloppy Joe’s had arrived and saw only that my friend was knocked down by my elbow. Sixe very large gentleman escorted me from the establishment, not even permitting my feet to touch the ground. When we reached the door, their collective grips must have slipped because I found myself face-down on the sidewalk on Duval Street.
Staring at a pair of shiny black shoes. On the feet of a Key West Police Officer.
The officer would not listen to my pleas to enter the establishment and arrest the paramour who assaulted my friend. Instead, he warned me to leave the city immediately. I believe he must have been friends with disagreeable paramour, otherwise why would he have not done his duty as a peace officer?
As my traveling companions exited the establishment, we decided it was time to return to our camper. As we turned the corner of the establishment, we found a number of Harley Davidson motorcycles abandoned in a neat row along the side of the street. Since they were abandoned, we decided to salvage parts from the engines, specifically the distributor wires.
A profitable evening after all.
Nov
19
Vacation rental homes in Florida (and other places too!): Easy money
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I have written before about my parents’ having a vacation home in North Carolina. They’re at a point in their lives where they are trying to decide if they are going to keep it or sell it due to retirement and health problems - they just can’t get away as much as they hoped.
I say, why not do both? Keep it AND sell it - or, rent it for a bit, that is. Did you know that you can list your vacation rental and reach 25 million travelers? They bought their North Carolina mountain vacation home many years ago and are fortunate enough to have a mortgage payment of $400, give or take. Do you realize what 2 bedroom mountain vacation rental cabins go for?
About $2,400 per month.
They’re leaving a lot of money on the table, aren’t they? When you advertise your vacation home rental, you get access to a worldwide market, the same way a hotel would. You can list on 4 vacation rental websites for one price and centrally manage your inquiries and listing,
ensuring you reach the maximum audience with your vacation home.
The Florida vacation rental market is especially attractive thanks to the abundance of attractions in this state. Disney World, Sea World, Universal Studios, and the rest that Orlando has to offer create built-in demand for Orlando and Disney vacation rentals. While the rent you charge as a homeowner will easily cover your mortgage AND provide a generous profit, in most cases it will be cheaper than hotels for tourists. And with 0% commissions on vacation rentals bookings, you really can’t go wrong.
Maybe you have a beachfront vacation rental property in Destin or Panama City? Perhaps you’re a snowbird with a vacation rental in St. Petersburg or Ft. Lauderdale? You should give it some thought, and if you decide the extra money will come in handy, join the world’s largest vacation rental network with over 100,000 vacation rentals.
Oct
24
Only in FLA: Underwater Pumpkin Carving
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I’ve seen some crazy contests down here, but this one is pretty tame. It’s just underwater pumpkin-carving,(Link broken) held down in the Florida Keys at the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. No animals appear to have been hurt in the process, and there are no reports of nude or topless scuba divers.
So, what’s the point?
