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If you’ve read my blog for a few years, you know that Marco Island is one of my favorite places in the world. As it had been almost 2 years since I had last been there, I was really excited when my cousin and I booked flights down there (Even better was that I found my flight for under $300!). While I love sitting on the beach or next to the pool reading, we both like to be active on vacation as well, so we found a happy balance of both.
Every day looked fairly similar, with minor variations:
The mornings kicked off usually with me on my own, as my cousin often got up about 30 minutes later. I would have coffee and/or fresh squeezed orange juice out by the pool while reading.
Once she got up we ate breakfast, put on sunscreen application 1 for the day, and went off kayaking. Our distance was different every day, from anywhere from about 1.8 miles to 3.8 miles. I love kayaking as I’m close to the water, you get to feel some waves, and of course there are dolphins occasionally around!
view from the kayak
Then we’d come back and read by the pool or in the pool to cool down for a bit before lunch and sunscreen application 2. Then if was off to the beach!
We took chairs down to the ocean and read for awhile before walking slowly on the beach for about an hour. I love people watching and strolling the beach as the waves hit my feet. When I think of going to Marco, those daily walks on the beach are what I think about. Along the way to cool down we’d get in the water and bob around. Getting back in was pretty nerve-wracking for me since I got caught in that rip current two months ago in Cancun.
Then we’d head back to the pool for sunscreen application #3 or 4 (depending on how sunny it was), a snack, and more pool time to end the day.
We only went out for dinner once, to my favorite restaurant on the island: Mangos! It’s right on the water, and we ate at sunset which was beautiful.
Seriously- how beautiful is that?
Most nights we ate dinner quickly and then headed back to the beach for sunset! I love that time because it’s a slowing down, intentional time to focus on the present moment.
And then it was time for dessert, maybe a bit of TV, and off to bed so we could do it all again the next day. We also enjoyed random things like the 5k run in Naples, biking around the island with other extended family, the boating adventure I’ll talk about tomorrow, and other little things.
This trip was totally unexpected. We only booked it about 3 weeks before we went, and I had a great time. I could do this same thing for WEEKS and not get bored, but I try to bring little pieces of this schedule and vacation lifestyle home with me (like going outside at home to enjoy sunset).
Now it’s your turn to share: What’s one of your favorite vacation places? Do you enjoy a completely active vacation, restful vacation, or a combination of both?
