DESTINATION: ORLANDO By Donna Kahwaty
STAY:
The Grand Bohemian Hotel
If you want to impress your friends, stay at the Grand Bohemian, a luxury hotel that attracts all visiting celebrities (sports teams included). With live entertainment nightly and a Starbucks for the morning after, the Bohemian has it all, including an on-site art gallery, the perfect impromptu date for the girl you just met on Church Street.
The Peabody Orlando Hotel
A premier convention hotel, the Peabody is all business except when it’s time to play. You could swim laps or take tennis lessons, but why not rent a poolside cabana complete with wireless Internet, television and lounge chairs? Room service and a diner serve 24 hours a day for late-night partiers, and if you’re still hazy at 11 a.m., don’t worry… those really are the Peabody ducks making their daily march to the fountain.
Gaylord Palms Resort Hotel
and Convention Center
It looks like a big old Florida mansion but there’s nothing stuffy about it. Party poolside at a sports bar with 12 screens or drink up oversized rum cocktails on a 60-foot sailboat. Sunset is celebrated nightly and late-nighters can continue the festivities at a lively piano bar. The lounge life is just the beginning of what this resort has to offer.
EAT:
Dandelion Communitea Cafe
A hip place offering food and drink you can feel good about, Dandelion is a casual eatery featuring healthy, organic and vegetarian fare using local ingredients whenever possible. More than food, Dandelion is a community hangout and offers regular live music, art shows, poetry readings and more. Check out the green drinks on Thursdays.
Café Tu Tu Tango
Eating at Tu Tu Tango, is more an experience than a meal, though the food – served in appetizer sizes so you can share and sample is top-notch. The Tu Tu celebrates the Bohemian lifestyle with all manners of live artistry that can be as unpredictable as it is entertaining. Start the night here and you might not leave.
Manuel’s on the 28th
Floor that is. Located atop the Bank of America Building in downtown Orlando, go to Manuel’s when you want tocelebrate in style or just impress a date – dude, no jeans allowed. Floor-to-ceiling glass windows provide a jaw-dropping view worth the trip, but an international wine list and exotic seasonal menus don’t hurt.
DRINK:
Casey’s
If you want to party with the locals, go to Casey’s on Central, where there’s no cover and the drinks are cheap and stiff (seriously, the locals warn not to order a double unless you’re walking). And if the drinks don’t put you right at ease, nightly acoustic music and a friendly crowd will.
23
If you’re about style, service and a good single malt scotch, then spend the night at 23, where the powerful and prestigious go to be pampered. If you’re visiting, you won’t have time to let the staff know your preferences (so that next time, you need only order “the usual”), but as you relax in your plush leather chair, their attention will still make you feel like you’re in a private club.
The Globe
Sushi specials, martini specials, acoustic music and a fabulous patio make The Globe’s happy hour a contender for best in Orlando. After work, go to grab a bite from their funky, eclectic menu, then settle back for the mix-and-mingle to follow.
PARTY:
Church Street Dragon Room Cocktail Boutique/Antigua, Church Street
One of the many clubs on Church Street, which is nearly Disney-like in its intensity, Dragon Room is all about looking good, from the ocean blue illuminated bar to the young singles who are known to frequent the place. Ladies drink free on Friday until midnight. Antigua, on the same street, delivers the same good time.
Wall Street
It’s a weekends-only party, but it’s worth the wait. Pay one cover charge, enjoy live music, dance and hop among eight different bar/restaurants, each with a different flavor, and, more importantly, different drink specials.
Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville
If clubbing or crazy street crowds aren’t your thing, try wasting away in Margaritaville, where you can get a taste of the tropics and listen to live Caribbean/rock/pop music every night. There’s a happy hour every night so hit at least one and don’t miss the giant exploding margarita volcano.
GO:
International Drive
If you want overstimulation but can’t stomach the mouse, head to International Drive, where you can eat, sing, drink, shop, dance, water slide, wine taste, rent a helicopter hell, just about anything. But don’t drink too much… there’s also a wedding chapel!
Cocoa Beach
An hour’s drive from downtown, Cocoa Beach is the closest beach to Orlando. We don’t need to tell you how to spend a day at the beach, but if you’re interested in some edification (you know, learning), the Kennedy Space Center is there, too.
Rock Springs
Run
State Reserve
Sweat out your hangovers by biking, canoeing, kayaking, horseback riding or hiking through this state park just 30 miles from Orlando. And if you can’t manage any of the above, the wildlife viewing is pretty good (but be prepared to run, there are bears!) The park closes at six so you’ll be home in time for happy hour.
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