We returned from my August birthday trip to Florida and got the crazy idea to look for a second home in Orlando. The idea quickly picked up steam, and within a few weeks, we returned to Orlando for a two-week trip. This time our focus was not on vacationing. We kept our regular work schedules and during the weekends/evenings, we looked at homes with our realtor.

The Tampa International Airport has become a new favorite, so we opted to fly into Tampa, rather than Orlando. The airport experience was still great with low crowds and stringent covid precautions. A hiccup came from our timing. We screwed up and had to drive during rush hour, which took about three hours, especially due to a heavy summer rainstorm.

The traffic was so terrible, that we stopped off at a Burger King for dinner. I thought this covid sign was hilarious. I know marketing is playing with the whole idea of “Kings,” but thrones are usually a bathroom reference, not for tables.

As we were trying to simulate “real life” in Florida, we decided to rent a house on Airbnb. I’m not a fan of house rentals. Generally, I find them to be a bit creepy. Being in a stranger’s home feels to personal, even if the home is strictly a rental property. I also worry that the cleanliness standards might not be to my liking. Dan was really keen to have a private pool, which I can’t deny, was awesome. A rental home also seemed like the safer bet during Covid and it gave us room to spread out while we had to work. I used the desk in the master bedroom, while Dan worked from the dining table.

Our rental was a bit off-the-beaten path in the suburbs of Kissimmee. We were surrounded by actual people living in the neighborhood, rather than other renters. At our last home in Big Bear Lake, California, we were the only full-timers in a neighborhood full of rentals! It was a quiet neighborhood that was about 15-20 minutes from restaurants and grocery stores, maybe 25-30 min from Disney. It suited our needs, but I wouldn’t want to stay here for a theme park vacation. It’s a little too far from the action.

We were in a subdivision called Orchid Edge on a street called Violet Lane. Lovely.

We only had written communication with our host, but she was quick to respond. We were given a code to enter the property and the house had everything we needed to make our stay comfortable. The house was clean, well-appointed, and fun. Also, it had speedy internet, which was very important for us!

A few of the special touches included a mini pool table/air hockey combo, two slot machines, and a bubble swing. The swing had a crack in the plastic, so I very gingerly sat on it for a quick picture. I think it’s a bit of a liability issue, but a cute touch nevertheless. I imagine kids loving it.

I got a kick out of the eclectic book collection, including a Swedish offering!

The kitchen had all of the gear that we needed and we cooked a majority of our meals at “home.” Dan even made a full-english breakfast! We learned that Florida has quite a huge British community and it is easy to find British import products in the stores. We might need to start making regular trips to Orlando for our Cadbury and Heinz fixes.

I love doing laundry.

Seriously. Zero sarcasm.

I get a huge amount of satisfaction from clean clothes and folded laundry. A two-week trip means we need the ability to do the wash and having a laundry room was a big bonus.

In addition to our master, the home had two additional bedrooms with a shared bathroom. One room had a queen bed, and the other was set up for kids with a twin over full bunk. The house would be perfect for two small families traveling together, with privacy for two sets of parents and a room for three kids.

Our master had a slider for direct pool access, a walk-in closet, and en suite bathroom. It was tastefully decorated in shades of purple.

The pool was definitely the best part of the house. It had beautiful lake views and we even saw neighbors fishing in the lake. A family of birds ( cranes?) visited daily and the patio was filled with adorable lizards. We used the pool nearly every day of our trip, sometimes more than once a day.

Our rental on Violet Lane was perfect for these two weeks, but I’m still a hotel girl. I like the escape from reality and spoiling that happens at hotels. I don’t want to cook or clean on vacation!

We nearly purchased our own rental property, but the deal fell through after the inspection. Honestly, I’m relieved that we set the idea aside, but I hope that we have many Florida vacations in our near future.