The Don

Hey dear reader, I ALMOST forgot to tell you about the super duper crazy overnight trip we took to The Don CeSar, AKA the Pink Palace for my birthday.
The Don on the Horizon
  We snuck it in between the family reunion and my nieces wedding.  Cray cray I know!  Well, we didn't travel exactly on my birthday because it rained like the dickens that week.  Trust me. The beach is NO fun in the rain.  There are several distinct advantages of living so close to one of the most popular beach destinations in America though--if the weather looks janky then we.just.stay.home.  But the forecast for the next week was stellar so we did something we've never done before on a staycation--we hired a sitter for Dad to come WITH us for the first day of our stay.  Talk about awkward but freeing at the same time!  I wasn't used to delegating my care giving responsibilities at first so, at lunch I managed to trip over EVERYTHING she was there to do.  Then, I gradually relaxed and let go (whoosah) and allowed her time to sit with Dad while we took a history tour of this quirky gem of a hotel.  Originally built by, basically a madman, the Don CeSar has withstood hurricanes, economic down turns, mold and decay not to mention the wrecking ball all before being restored to better than its original self.  We learned all this while traipsing around the back hallways with a travel writer by the name of Alice.  Turns out she was in town to honor a veteran of WWII by bringing to his family a long lost footlocker she'd happened upon some decades ago.  It took her ingenuity and the courage of a local American Legion chapter to give honor where honor was due.  She was excited to know that we traveled with my WWII era Dad and happily shared knowledge and expertise about travel writing with me that I gobbled up.  Raymond and I actually got to relax on the beach and enjoy watching families frolick all while listening to Alice's wonderful stories.
Alice the Writer
A little later we got dressed for formal dinner on property and while we did so our sitter got a nice break to go shelling on the beach--this really turned out to be a win-win for everyone involved.  Dad didn't have to suffer our bouncing him around and was able to rest comfortably in our lovely room.
Birthday dinner magic
Dinner did not disappoint especially once the waite staff learned it was my birthday.  We got so many extra treats it really felt like an embarrassment of riches!  Once we got back to the room we'd tucked Dad in for the night and our wonderful sitter headed home.  Raymond snuck downstairs for some decadent chocolate gelato which I inhaled while falling peacefully to sleep.  What a day! The next morning of a brief stay-cation can often feel disappointing because you realize just how swiftly 11 am check out arrives.  But this time dear reader, we did not let the dreaded clock deter us.  We were bound and determined to enjoy The Don the rest of the afternoon and the staff seemed happy to accommodate us.  We meandered around on the fifth floor where the majority of conference rooms and spectacular views could be found. 
The 5th floor views
We checked out the high end shops on the ground floor pretending like everything simply HAD to be purchased.  Eventually we made our way to the Patio and had a really lovely lunch at yet another restaurant on property which featured views of the sand dunes and the bay.
Lunch Partner
By the time we asked the valet to bring our great white shark of an SUV around we'd felt like we'd truly inhabited the spirit of The Don which is one of refined elegance and comfort.  I would highly recommend a get-a-way at the famous Don CeSar for a special occasion or just because you can.

Comments

  1. GinaSeptember 13, 2019 at 9:13 PM

    As usual Sissy you have a gift for writing. I love reading, to were I can visually see what your writing about. Thanks for sharing
    Love you guys Dearly...

    ReplyDelete
  2. RVBSeptember 14, 2019 at 8:51 AM

    I could tell by your smiles...,that you enjoyed our brief, but enjoyable staycation. We must do it again!!!

    ReplyDelete

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