adventure – Veness Travel Media

OK, it’s Magical Dining season in Orlando right now, and that means a chance to sample a lot of restaurants we might not normally visit thanks to the special 3-course prix-fixe menu that is the fundamental part of this annual dining extravaganza.

This year’s Magical Dining program (Aug 14-Sept 30) features a record-breaking 180+ restaurants all offering their own MD menus, which make for a genuine cut-price treat when it comes to dining out during this 48-day period. In the course of the last 20 years, it has become a genuine local highlight, and a great reason to sample restaurants that might not normally feature in our budget. The restaurants come in two categories, those at a $40 fixed menu and a $60 group that offers a more rarefied experience.

Every meal served during this Visit Orlando-inspired event, presented by Orlando Health, also benefits a variety of deserving local nonprofits. Since 2009, this initiative has raised nearly $3.3 million for various charities, and this year sees OCA (Opportunity, Community, Ability) as the main beneficiary. It empowers individuals with autism and other developmental differences — from as early as 18 months through adulthood — while also supporting their families, many of whom face financial barriers to care and long-term services. OCA partners with organizations like Special Olympics, United States Tennis Association, A Gift for Teaching, Orlando Family Stage and Central Florida Vocal Arts. Proceeds from Magical Dining ($1 from every $40 meal and $2 from every $60 meal) will go toward therapy scholarships, helping increase access to critical services and support, as well as programs that guide adults with special needs in defining life after high school with purpose, independence, and meaningful connection.

So, we have every reason to feel good about all our dining out for this extensive six-week period!

Now, our latest venture into Magical Dining territory is well worth recording, as it provided the perfect excuse to head out and sample a place we have been meaning to try for years, but have never quite got round to (mainly because it is quite a drive from the main Orlando tourist area). But, as we soon discovered, the Mission Resort + Club is well worth seeking out, notably for a special occasion. We didn’t have special reason to seek it out, but we decided it was just well past time to visit!

Now, it should be pointed out that you do need to make a significant effort to get there. It is nearly 40 miles and a 45-minute drive from Walt Disney World, into neighboring Lake County, where you’ll find the pretty town of Howey-in-the-Hills (and yes, there ARE some hills in Florida!). The Mission Resort is just to the north of this lovely lakeside location, set in more than 500 acres of private, landscaped grounds that include two championship-quality golf courses and a blissful Spa.

As the photos immediately suggest, this is a resort beautifully styled in classic Mission style, redolent of its Spanish Mediterranean roots and the Colonial style popular in southern California in the 18th and 19th centuries. Its graceful colonnades, tiled roofs and elegant architecture are a treat for the eyes, while the hotel part of the resort includes 176 rooms and two restaurants (plus an extra one, Grove House, in the golf clubhouse). It is also officially one of the Historic Hotels of America.

In the midst of this low-key grandeur lies the Conquistador Bar + Restaurant, which is brand new on the Magical Dining list for 2026. This was originally La Margarita Restaurant and El Conquistador, now consolidated into one with a super-chic bar and separate dining section, overlooking one of the pleasant courtyards around the property. There is a lovely outdoor terrace and then the main building, on the second floor, with the bar area immediately evident from the terrace.

Step inside, and there is a light, airy dining room, incorporating an unusual mix of cowhides, warm wood cabinetry and vibrant greenery. The bar boasts hand-crafted intricate tilework accents and surrounding architectural details, with a doubled back bar displaying high-end tequilas. Overall, the open, flowing floor plan includes pleasant, intimate nooks and a contemporary feel that still pays homage to the resort’s heritage.

You’ll notice we’re providing a LOT of specific detail about the restaurant as it’s definitely the kind of place you’ll want to sit and admire the decor and the ambiance. We were one of only four tables dining on this particular evening, hence it was pretty quiet and subdued, but we can easily imagine this being quite a lively room at peak periods as there are only about 15 tables in all, plus the terrace and the separate bar area. It has all the charm of communal dining for large families and groups, plus a more intimate arrangement for couples.

When it comes to the food, at least for Magical Dining, their menu covers a wide variety of bases, so it shouldn’t be hard to find something you like. The appetizer choice includes Caesar Salad (baby romaine, parmigiano and brioche croutons), Chorizo & Asparagus Bisque (aged manchego with a creamy finish), the Hunter & Gatherer (a vegetarian salad of spiraled beets, goat cheese, crispy pancetta, pickled onion and balsamic vinaigrette) and French Onion Soup. We chose the Hunter & Gatherer and the Bisque, albeit without the goat cheese for the veggie dish, as it’s not one of Susan’s favorite tastes. There was also a mini baguette for the table, which went extremely well with the soup. The salad was virtually an entree-sized portion, which immediately showed that we weren’t being short-changed on the prix fixe menu!

For our main courses, Simon had the Piquillo Salmon (piquillo pepper cream and sauteed spinach on a parmesan risotto) while Susan opted for Chicken Rigatoni (seared chicken in a shitake garlic cream with dry sherry and herb oil), while we could also have ordered the vegetarian Paella Jardin (saffron rice, peas, garbanzo beans, asparagus, pepper medley, capers and olives) or the Heritage Pork Chop (in a sweet potato puree with apple-bacon jam and brussels sprouts). Susan really liked the garlic cream, as well as the spiced rub on the chicken and generous size of the portion, while the salmon really hit the jackpot for Simon with its charred top layer, succulent fish underneath and the wonderfully tasty pepper cream.

For both of us, there was just slightly too much for one sitting, but we will enjoy the other half of the rigatoni for lunch at some stage this week! There was a short wait between the appetizers and entrees, but that suited the surroundings and the occasion. Finally, the dessert selection was possibly the hardest of them all – but the most memorable. From the choice of Peach Compote (orange sponge, melba syrup and vanilla ice cream), Seasonal Gelato & Sorbet (a rotating Chef’s selection), Creme Brulee (Madagascar vanilla bean with a caramelized sugar crust) and Seasonal Bread Pudding, we selected the latter duo and were richly rewarded by some of the best flavors of the evening.

Susan went so far as to say it was the best creme brulee she has ever had (and we’ve enjoyed some pretty fancy versions over the years), while the classic bread pudding hit all the high notes for Simon, who is a genuine aficionado of this traditional dish. He’d rate it alongside that at Raglan Road at Disney Springs, which has been his gold standard for bread pudding ever since the authentic Irish bar/restaurant opened in 2005. We each enjoyed a coffee with our desserts, while we also had a mocktail and glass of chardonnay to start with, bringing our total bill to $113. However, in full disclosure, we did have Visit Orlando vouchers for the meal, hence our outlay ultimately was $33, plus tip.

Dinner took a fraction under a leisurely two hours, which suited us perfectly, and we had the benefit of seeing the courtyard below us light up for the evening to complete a totally refined dining experience. All in all, we would definitely go back at some stage in future, perhaps for a wedding anniversary or birthday, and we’d be highly tempted to book a room for the night as well, to make it a really special occasion.

That’s the full review for now, but expect more restaurant reports from us soon! And, for YOUR Magical Dining experience, be sure to look up https://www.magicaldining.com/.

Simon’s problem is that he rarely sees the problematic side of anything. Susan’s problem is that she sees the problematic side of most things, but hates to squash Simon’s natural enthusiasm. It gets us into trouble sometimes, and our visit to Cattail Marsh in Beaumont, Texas was one of those times.

It all started so well. A lovely little boardwalk led out to viewings of interesting waterfowl, and we’d become exceptionally good at identifying birds, meaning, we could see them and say, “There’s a bird! There’s another bird!”

But we were up for a longer wander, and there were two gravel paths along the marsh-front to choose from. Our walk began with the following conversation:

Simon: Let’s head over to the far side and see what’s there.

Susan: You know it’s at least an hour to make the full circuit, probably more, right?

Simon: Nah, it’s not an hour.

Susan: Well…okay. It is, but, okay.

*That tree line in the background is the boundary of the reserve. Less than an hour, or more? You decide.*

One-quarter of the way around, it occurred to Simon it was at least an hour to make the full circuit, probably more, and it wasn’t easy to pull Ruthie in her wagon over the gravely path. What happened next was this:

Simon: Let’s take the short-cut through the middle.

Susan: You know that isn’t a walking path, right?

Simon: Sure it is! See? It’s flat and grassy.

Susan: It isn’t. It’s a maintenance road. But, okay.

Now, those among you who have ever been in a wetland in the South know what’s going to happen next. And sure enough, not quite half-way into it, we were met by a 10-foot-long alligator sunbathing on the bank. Even Ruthie could see the “problematic” situation we were in, so she sat quietly in her wagon as we slowly, non-threateningly walked past the gator, with the wagon between it and us.

There’s a great big gator in this photo, laying just in front of that small mound of reeds in the center of the photo. You probably can’t see it, just as we couldn’t really see it until we were nearly on it.

*Here. This actual blow-up of said gator will help.*

Long, “problematic” story made short, after several huge gators, lots of sweat, plenty of bugs, a horrible sewage smell, and more than an hour pulling that damned wagon over gravely ground we stumbled back to the car, where Simon grudgingly admitted we “probably shouldn’t have done that.”

The rest of our time in Beaumont was tame and enjoyable. We had taken the ferry over from Galveston, which in itself is a novel adventure, and were camped out at the wonderful Grand Pines of Texas, with a lovely pond, nature walk, and (unbelievably!) free laundry. Clean and quiet, it was the perfect base for Fati while we toured the area.

*Simon’s view. Susan was further up, in Nippy.*

There was a big Mural Fest going on, so we headed into downtown Beaumont for a look. Some of the murals had been created previously, but many were being worked on, and it was nice to see how many locals came out to support the artists.

*There were quite a few artists contributing to the mural count on four-sided blocks like this one.*

*In the same park as the four-sided blocks (and a bunch of vendors, bounce-houses, food trucks, etc), one big building was getting a make-over, with three massive paintings. This is one of them.*

Downtown Beaumont also boasts the World’s Largest Fire Hydrant, and even if we didn’t have a dog with us, that’s something we had to see. Honoring firefighters everywhere, the park includes a memorial to the heroes who lost their lives trying to save others during the horrendous September 11 tragedy.

Another local event we stumbled on was a cowgirl pageant at the Beaumont Botanical Gardens. Girls of all ages could sign up for the pageant, which isn’t based on anything particularly “cowgirly,” and certainly isn’t a typical “beauty contest,” but is meant to build self-confidence and, I think, offers some sort of scholarship to winners.

*Ruthie wishing she could join the cowgirl pageant. Instead, she did a butt-scoot on the grass right in front of these potential cowgirl queens. We’re so proud (no, we’re not).*

We also took a day-trip down to Port Arthur, aiming for the McFadden National Wildlife Refuge, which sounds like a big deal, and maybe it is at other, better times of year, but we only saw a small handful of standard-issue birds, and not a whole lot else.

On the way back we detoured off the main road, where massive amounts of construction were going on, having to do with some sort of refinery. Drawn in by the sight of a structure we couldn’t quite work out, we discovered the Sabine Pass Area Artificial Reefs program, where sunken structures were being turned into reefs.

*The main road went right through a processing plant.*

*Whatever this is, it’s becoming a reef.*

A day or two later, Big Thicket National Preserve offered the chance for a walk in the woods to a genuine cypress slough, with a paved path and boardwalks that would make pulling Ruthie in her wagon quite easy. And it did, for the first few minutes. Once we were committed to the journey, though, the path turned to off-roading.

*The slough reminded us a little bit of Florida.*

But we persisted, which was a good thing since it would be the last exercise we’d have for the next few weeks. Unbeknownst to either of us, and after four years of diligently avoiding it, Susan was brewing up a hefty case of Covid. Little did we know her face would really look like this a couple of days from now:

Tag: adventure

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