Leamington and Warwick Living Mar - Apr 2022

Winter Park
Scenic Boat Tour
One of the classic symbols of Florida is
the manatee - the gentle giants of the sea
and the rivers. You might be surprised you
can see manatees only 40 minutes north
of Orlando, in the pristine waters of Blue
Spring State Park. From mid-November to
March, hundreds of manatees congregate
in the spring run to seek shelter from the
cold. It’s a truly unforgettable sight to see
so many of these iconic animals in one
place. If you’re visiting out of this season,
you can instead swim or tube in these
crystalline waters.
was conceived to change the quality
of city living - being purpose-built with
aspirational lifestyle in mind. Think lots
of outdoor areas, a buzzing restaurant
and night-life scene and wide, expansive
spaces. We were staying in the newlybuilt
JW Marriott Tampa Water Street - it
has everything you’d expect from a 5 star
city hotel, but with some amazing resort
amenities too - like the resort-style sixthfloor
rooftop pool. It’s the perfect base to
explore the rest of this vibrant city from.
St Pete Pier
Naples Grande Beach Resort
Ybor City
12 | www.minervamagazines.co.uk
T A M P A B A Y
Tampa Bay has the buzz of a metropolitan
city, mixed in with a neighbourhood feel in
its community Ybor City. Built on former
swamps in the late 1800s by wealthy cigar
maker Vicente Martinez-Ybor, this enclave
of Tampa Bay became a cigar-producing
powerhouse - with over 200 factories and
producing a staggering 500 million cigars a
year in the early 20th century. For context,
today, 300 million cigars are produced
worldwide - in Ybor City, every family was
involved in production and immigrant
workers could buy into a slice of the
American dream thanks to the philanthropy
of Vicente Martinez-Ybor, who created
social housing that workers could buy
using a portion of their wages each week.
It’s well-worth a visit to the last remaining
cigar factory still producing products in the
city - the J.C. Newman factory underwent
huge refurbishment last year and how offers
some incredible behind-the-scenes tours
of their cigar production. Whether or not
you’re an aficionado, it’s really something
to be able to see products being made
using the same machinery as the 1930s
and to learn about the city built around this
flourishing empire.
I’d highly recommend a walking
tour to help get your bearings
and learn about the rich history
of this pocket of Tampa Bay.
Then, once you’ve worked
up an appetite, head to The
Columbia Restaurant for lunch.
The Columbia restaurant is a
local institution - this historic
restaurant resides over a whole
block and is the oldest in the
state. It is run by the fifthgeneration
owners and is the
kind of place you wish you
had in your own hometown.
The food is amazing, the
atmosphere unlike anything
you’ll experience in the UK - if
you like to eat where the locals
eat, this is the place. You must
try the Cuban sandwich and the
iconic 1905 salad - and don’t
forget to leave room for the
white chocolate bread pudding.
Home for the night was only
a few streets away, in Water
Street. This newly-built area
S T P E T E R S B U R G
Just a hop over a bridge from buzzing
Tampa is a special city within a peninsula,
St Petersburg. Known to locals as St Pete,
this beautiful area its warm weather and
for holding the title of ‘most consecutive
days with sunshine’ at 768 days and thus
the other name - sunshine city. It makes it
an absolute paradise for beach-goers,
We always love to try and eat in places
the locals enjoy, and Frenchy’s Rockaway
Grill is no exception. Open-air dining
on the Gulf of Mexico, this is a fun and
vibrant place to enjoy a long lunch, before
a stroll along Clearwater beach. Both St
Pete and Clearwater have been winners
of America’s best beach for a number of
years - and with powdery white sand, clear
waters and amazing amenities, it’s easy to
see why they are enduringly popular.
A must visit whilst in the area is Clearwater
Marine Aquarium - it cares for sick sea-life,
and houses those that are not suitable for
re-release, like its resident dolphins and
soon-to-open manatee section.
It’s important to get out on the beach
during your stay here and our hotel offered
that opportunity steps from the door. The
Hilton Garden
ST PETE MUST VISIT:
• Head to downtown St Pete’s for amazing cafés,
craft breweries and art.
• If you like learning about marine life, book a behind
the scenes tour of Clearwater Marine Aquarium and
learn about the important conservation work they
undertake. cmaquarium.org
• Grab an iconic grouper sandwich at Frenchy’s,
washed down with margaritas.
frenchysonline.com
• If you’d like some fine dining during your visit,
there are two musts on the list. Within The Saint
Hotel, 82 Degrees is the perfect spot for coastal
fare, craft cocktails and breathtaking views. The
Key Lime pie was the best we tasted during our
trip. thesainthotel.com
• Then, for a truly unique experience, head to
Spinners Rooftop Grille - as the name suggests,
the restaurant floor rotates to reveal a stunning
360° view of the area. Make sure to have the catch
of the day whilst you soak in miles of pristine views
in every direction. spinnersrooftopgrille.com
• Stay: Hilton Garden Inn St. Pete Beach
hilton.com/en/hotels