Staff Spotlight: Girls' Weekend in Florida

At the end of August, three of my friends and I went on a girls' trip to Fort Myers Beach, Florida. I was so excited to take my friends to one of my favorite places to visit. We spent a long weekend enjoying the area and spending quality time with each other. Keep reading to hear all about flying right now, having delicious food and drinks, enjoying a practically empty beach, and exploring the beautiful marina.

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The  Flights

We were very interested to see how flying would be with the enhanced health and safety protocols their airports and individual airlines have implemented. Our first flight was a direct flight from St. Louis Lambert International Airport to Southwest Florida International Airport in Fort Myers, Florida. We were impressed with the cleanliness of both airports, as well as our Southwest plane. In the airports, masks were mandatory and they promoted social distancing by blocking off every other seat at the gates and having distance markers on the floor. We flew Delta for our flight back with a layover in the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport. We were very impressed with Delta and their health and safety protocols. When boarding the plane, we received antibacterial wipes for personal use and they also insured us that the plane was thoroughly sanitized before boarding. The middle seats are currently blocked and they are flying with a reduced number of passengers. It felt like the cleanest airplane I've ever been on!

The Food

What we were looking forward to most was the food! My goal was to eat as much of the fresh seafood as I could. My favorite meal was either the shrimp and scallop po'boy from Junkanoo Beach or the shrimp alfredo from The Sandbar & Grille. We also loved trying rum buckets at many of the restaurants! The buckets from Junkanoo Beach and The Salty Crab Bar & Grill were the BEST! If I had to choose one restaurant to recommend, I would pick Junkanoo Beach! If you are going to Fort Myers Beach, you have to go there. Besides their great food, it is right on the beach with an area great for sipping on cocktails with your feet in the sand!

Day 1 Lunch: Shrimp & scallop po'boy from Junkanoo Beach
Day 1 Dinner: Coconut shrimp from The Salty Crab Bar & Grill (not pictured)
Day 2 Dinner: Shrimp alfredo from The Sandbar & Grille
Day 3 Brunch: French toast from Bayfront Bistro
​Day 3 Dinner: Grilled mahi mahi from Pinchers

French toast brunch from Bayfront Bistro

Chicken picatta from The Sandbar & Grille

Grilled Mahi Mahi from Pinchers

Shrimp Alfredo from The Sandbar & Grille

Rum Buckets from Junkanoo Beach

Shrimp & scallop po'boy from Junkanoo Beach

The Beach

As you can see from the photos below, we basically had the whole stretch of beach behind our condo to ourselves the entire trip! The condo we stayed at was basically empty, probably two or three other groups were staying there at the same time as us. We just got lucky, but it made us feel like we had a private house, pool, and beach! The ocean was beautiful, pretty clear, and still a good temperature. The weather was perfect the entire weekend! It never rained the whole trip and it stayed in the mid-80's to low-90's. I would love to be back sitting on the beach and listening to the waves right now.

The Bay

​Right across the street from our condo was a beautiful marina with stunning waters, boats, and nature. We explored this area on the third day of the trip starting with a beautiful waterfront brunch at Bayfront Bistro. Later on that day we returned to the area for a sunset dolphin cruise with Good Time Charters. We had such a great time on the dolphin cruise! They had a reduced capacity that gave us room to distance with the groups we came with. Check out some of the gorgeous views below!

Overall, we had an AMAZING time in Florida! We definitely wish we would have stayed an extra day or two to explore the area a little bit more, but it was still a relaxing and fun long weekend. The weather was absolutely perfect the entire trip, which made it even harder to leave. I would definitely recommend taking a girls' trip ASAP if you can! The Travel Experts at Brentwood Travel can help you plan a memorable girls' trip! Remember, if you choose to travel right now, be sure to practice social distancing, wear masks, and constantly wash your hands for the health and safety of yourself and others.

Interested in going on a girls' trip? Contact Brentwood Travel to start planning today. Call 314-439-5700 or email us!