1/27/10--Into Florida

Well, I stayed on Hilton Head Island last night and tonight I am on Amelia Island. The results are in. Hilton Head. Thumbs down. Amelia Island. Thumbs up. Why the difference? Both are resort islands. But Hilton Head is Rodeo Drive and Amelia Island is Route One. Does that make sense? Hilton Head wasn't helped by the fact that I never saw the beach. Not once. And I wasn't on Amelia Island more than 5 minutes before Wallie and I were cavorting on a beautiful white sand beach.

Hilton Head is really built up, with exclusive golf resorts with gates and guards,or huge mansions blocking the way to the beach. Yes, there are public access ways every so often to the beach, but no place to park, with signs on these narrow roadways saying no parking. Obviously the access points are only meant for those residents only able to spend a mil or two for non-ocean front property. Not for peons like me staying inland at a Red Roof Inn. Now, I know there must be public beaches somewhere, but I never found them.

And the Red Roof Inn was the first place I've stayed where there was no complimentary breakfast. So I programmed the closest Piggly Wiggly into my GPS. It takes me to one of these chic little malls they have, not like we know a mall, but one story, tree lined, no large signs for the stores, all boutiques style places, not TJ Maxx or Walmarts. Now, there is a sign at entrance to the mall saying "Piggly Wiggly". But I drove around that mall for an hour and couldn't find it. It's like a rabbit warren. I even asked this nice old lady where it was, and she said "Oh, go around this corner and that corner,and there it is". Well, no it wasn't.

So finally I go to a grocery store called BI LO. The guys in the store are all wearing $100 golf shirts and gold rolexes. Me in my $19.95 polo shirt and Seiko watch. I was just uncomfortable the whole time.

Amelia Island is different. I'm staying at a Days Inn literally a hundred feet from the ocean. Picture above. The kind of place I have been staying. Not posh,but adequate. Not on the ocean, but across the street. For $49. You wouldn't find that on Hilton Head. So it's a keeper.

Tomorrow I go to St. Augustine Beach, on the beach, for $49.