Siesta Key, Florida – Day One (Travel Day)

Activities: Siesta Sands Condo, Sunset from Crescent Beach, Dinner at Spearfish Grille
Date: February 18th, 2023

My parents were nice enough to give us some money for a Christmas gift so Jill and I decided to take that and invest it in our relationship by taking a trip to paradise together. After finding out that we could get a pair of plane tickets from Cedar Rapids, Iowa to Sarasota, Florida for $300, we set our sites on Siesta Key. Jill found a condo on VRBO at the Siesta Sands Beach Resort. Our condo wasn’t luxurious or grand but it provided us with exactly what we needed to have a great week relaxing in a beach town. Because it is a time share property, there were virtually no condiments, spices, or some of those fringe amenities that you get when staying at some other VRBOs. But that was easily overlooked by the fact that we had direct access to the beach and access to two different heated pools.

The first thing we did after dropping our bags off in our room was head to the beach. We went for a short walk along the coast and couldn’t believe how soft the sand was. It was like warm, soft white snow that crunched under our feet as we walked barefoot towards the crashing waves. Near the shore were piles of countless seashells that glimmered in the sun. It was difficult to decide whether to wear sandals to make sure you didn’t die a death of 1000 cuts from the broken sea shells, or go barefoot so you could feel the soft sand between your toes. In addition to dodging sea shells and sea urchins we also had to dodge an abundance of random dead fish along the coastline. We later found out this was from the Florida red tide, an algae in the water that causes some fish to die and makes humans cough and sneeze similar to how people with allergies react to a lot of pollen in the air.

After a short walk, we parked our butts on the sand and watched a yellow sun slowly sink into the ocean surrounded by an orange sky. We try to never miss a sunset while on vacation, especially if we have a view from the west. We saw a group that looked like they could use some help with a picture so we offered to help by taking it for them. They kindly returned the favor.

When we started to get hungry we headed out on foot to the southern village of Siesta Key and found the Spearfish Grille. There was a guy using a Big Green Egg in the parking to grill up appetizers lot like oysters, prawns, and crab. It smelled amazing but since we got a table right away, we didn’t partake in any apps. Typically, Jill and I will order two different items off the menu so we can get a taste of the other’s meal and try more than one entrée, but we both really wanted fish tacos so we got the blackened hogfish tacos to avoid any order envy. The food was great and the vibe was perfected by an acoustic duo playing their versions of some classic rock. We stayed and listened to them play for a while before making our way back to our condo.

On the walk back, we passed a liquor store and decided to pop in for a six pack of local key lime wheat beers and some seltzers. After the short walk, we cracked open some drinks and stuck our feet in the pool. To our surprise, the group that we had helped take pictures on the beach were staying in the same condo complex as us. We talked to them for a bit and Jill quizzed them on fun things to do in the area as they were regulars. After soaking our feet for a bit, we headed into our condo and created an Instacart order (groceries) to be delivered the next morning.