It was 30 years ago this week that Simon’s first book was published, and led to a career in Orlando travel-writing that continues to this day. The Brit Guide to Orlando & Walt Disney World was unique in that it was aimed purely at the UK market to Central Florida, which no-one (surprisingly) had tried before. Our “little project” has since led to half a lifetime in the travel world, with book sales in excess of half a million, and counting!
There have been other travel adventures, to be sure, including trips to Alaska, Hawaii, Chile and Slovenia, plus our epic Year On The Road RV adventure, which this blog is named for. But Orlando has always been the abiding driving force, a constant in our world of regular globe-trotting.
The Brit Guide was always Simon’s specialty, though, an ever-evolving collection of user-friendly content, images and style that owed a lot to his newspaper background, but added his own personal experiences as a holiday-maker to the overall mix. In 2004, it led to him moving from the UK to Florida, to continue his love affair with the destination (and meet the love of his life!), which branched out into coverage for a wide range of media, including the BBC, the Telegraph, Independent and Sky Travel.
There were more books, online content aplenty and, of course, social media. Simon has appeared on TV, radio and various podcasts, and continues to write for a number of different outlets, despite now being in his Medicare years (which he hates!). Happily, there is also a new Orlando book in the offing, picking up where the Brit Guide left off in 2024. We’ll have more about that in due course, but, in the meantime, our new book – 111 Places in Orlando That You Must Not Miss – continues to be another major strand to the Veness Travel Media output, and something that has been really well received here in The City Beautiful.
All in all, it has been an action-packed 30 years of Orlando and much, much more, and we hope to bring even more to you in the next decade or so (God willing). So, just because the Brit Guide faded away last year, that doesn’t mean the end of our relationship with British visitors. It will just be re-born in a whole new package. Just like Orlando does every year!
We are rarely smitten by relatively simple rides in our theme parks, but we have to admit to being bowled over by the Constellation Carousel at Universal Orlando’s new Epic Universe park. It’s hard to imagine anyone could come up with anything new or really compelling for such an “old-fashioned” ride, but Universal’s designers have really reinvigorated this formula with their take on a classic carousel. Check out our video of the ride here:
While there’s no Brit Guide for 2025 (scroll back to January’s entry for those sad details), we can use the blog to update a few things that we think are worth highlighting this year, and here’s something for the repeat-visitor factor…
Orlando is all about amazing experiences. From the theme parks to the supermarkets, everything is larger than life and twice as exciting. So it makes sense that anything new is going to grab our attention and demand we check it out. Things like the new Apéro Bar at the glorious Conrad Hotel just outside Walt Disney World.
You know you’ve arr5ived somewhere special when you drive up to the swish Conrad Orlando hotel, which is part of the mammoth Evermore Resort, with its Crystal Lagoon
It’s no real surprise that a fancy hotel will have a just-as-fancy feature bar or restaurant, whether it’s a classic Disney hotel restaurant like Citricos at the Grand Floridian or the fabulous steaks of A Land Remembered restaurant at the Rosen Shingle Creek Resort on Universal Boulevard (still the best steaks we’ve had in Orlando).
Funnily enough, the bars at some of these hotels have tended to be something of the Cinderella of their food and beverage line-up, with far less attention paid to an elegant pre or post-dinner beverage experience than the dinner itself. That has changed a bit in recent years with the advent of eye-catching venues like Universal’s rooftop Bar 17 Bistro and the fantastic AC Sky Bar at the AC Hotel in downtown Orlando, but it is still a bit unusual for hotels to lavish their full decorative might on the lobby bar, or similar.
The rooftop vibe at Universal Orlando’s magnificent Bar 17 Bistro
Applause for Apéro
The Apéro Bar absolutely smashes that failing into little tiny pieces. Not only does it provide the kind of chic, eye-catching venue that wouldn’t be out of place in a James Bond film, it goes the extra mile in providing drinks and food items that are as good as the setting itself, which evokes a blissful Italian Riviera ambiance by day and by night.
We’re no strangers to the occasional cocktail or two; it’s an Orlando speciality that goes back almost to the opening of the theme parks themselves. But Apéro goes much further in offering an all-round icon of high style for that special evening out. Even the glassware is a distinct cut above the usual martini and rocks glasses that we’re used to seeing.
To start with, it occupies an ideal location within the Conrad, on the lower level looking out over the spectacular crystal lagoon at the heart of the resort, a seeming ocean of brilliant blue that disappears into the distance. (For the record, the lagoon covers a whopping eight acres and is the brainchild of a South American company that uses proprietary technology to create super-size pools. This one is big enough to accommodate paddle-boarders!).
The fabulous view from the Apero Bar’s lagoon-view location
The airy space that Apéro occupies is also designed to invoke an al fresco style while keeping everyone super-cool in its cosy air-conditioned confines. The venue features warm woods and gold accents, notably in the unusual lamps that range across the marbled bar top and the moody ceiling lighting that casts a particularly golden glow over proceedings. The rectangular bar has seating on all four sides, with a lowered section at one end that encourages casual dining.
What’s on the menu?
Ah yes, the menu. It probably comes as no revelation to find excellent cuisine at a five-star hotel, but the Apéro menu is carefully curated to provide some of the best tastes – in both drinks and dishes – that the hotel offers, without going to the formality of the main dining room. We find holidays are more conducive to the laid-back vibe of upscale bar food, and we especially enjoy small-plate bar dining when accompanied by delectable drinks.
A setting fitting for 007 himself – the super-chic bar-lounge of the Conrad Orlando’s Apero Bar
And the hotel’s chefs really know how to turn on the style when it comes to some magnificent mixology and Mediterranean-inspired dishes that hit all the right notes for flavour without overdoing the bulk.
We’ll start with the drinks (as you do!), and freely admit that we were treated to some real highlights. The cocktails are divided into five sections for Negroni (four notable variations), Sbagliati (or unusual mixes of Negroni that would be considered “happy accidents” by most mixologists), Spritz (all with sparkling elements of some kind), Americani (a quartet of classics) and Spirit-Free. The Svegliato is a delicious coffee negroni, while the Banana Splitz is just outright fun! There is also a notable Italian wine selection that is sure to appeal to connoisseurs.
Ready for a cocktail? The Apero Bar boasts fab Italian-influenced concoctions, like their Birra Americano – a mix of Nardini Bitter, Mancino Vermouth Chinato, Alchermes, Cardamon and Lager Foam
There are just 11 food menu items, and three desserts, but they run the gamut of relatively simple salads, pizza, chicken wings and a signature burger (albeit all with a stylish touch) to fab burrata, arancini, Italian tuna poke and a superb cheese charcuterie board. We found the chicken wings, burrata and tuna poke absolutely delicious, while nearby fellow diners sang the praises of the arancini and charcuterie.
For dessert, we were tempted by both the Bread Pudding and Tahitian Vanilla Crème Brulee, but our barman, Francisco, insisted we try the Rocher, and boy was he ever right! This outrageously decadent over-sized ball of chocolate Frangelico semifreddo, salted caramel, chocolate cake, chocolate fudge sauce and macadamia nuts is simply our new favourite dessert anywhere in Orlando, and there’s a fair bit of competition for that.
The highlight dessert – that outrageously delicious, chocolate sensation Rocher
The Deets
Apéro Bar is open from 2pm to midnight Monday-Thursday and 1pm to midnight Friday to Sunday, with food served from 2.30pm to midnight every day. There is only valet parking at the hotel, but the rate is reduced to $10 for guests dining at Apéro.
In summary, this is far and away one of the most elegant – and downright tasty – bars we have sampled in Florida, or anywhere else for that matter. It has masses of style, and the tastes to match. And, for that special occasion or anniversary celebration, it takes some beating.
It is with sadness that we announce, officially, that we have severed ties with our publisher of the Brit Guide to Orlando, which we have written for the last 29 years. It has been a while in the works after some deep disappointments in the past few years, concluding with the publication of the 2024 edition in black and white, against our knowledge or even consultation.
It has been a good run, though. For much of the 29 years we have been the best-selling travel guide of any kind in the UK, and we have sold in excess of 250,000 copies in all. We have been a big part of many visitors’ Orlando holidays and have had some wonderful feedback and made lifelong friends as a result.
We will still be happy to meet up with people when they’re here, and we will continue to post on various social media about our work here in the Theme Park Capital of the World. And our work definitely won’t stop. As the old saying goes, as one door closes, another opens, and that will certainly be our intention going forward.
So, stay tuned to us here on the Veness Travel Media blog, and Follow us on Instagram, BlueSky Social and YouTube. You never know where we will turn up next!
As we come to the end of another year in the life of two weary-but-happy travel writers, we are able to look back on a truly remarkable 12 months, culminating in the launch of our latest book, 111 Places In Orlando That You Must Not Miss.
Making sure our local Barnes & Noble store has a signed copy of the book!
Back in January, we were holed up in Donna, Texas, at the beginning of the homeward leg of our grand A Year On The Road RV adventure across the USA, taking a breather as we figured out the final four-and-a-half months of the trip. In the end, we continued with Plan B (our re-routed itinerary after discovering New Mexico gets a fair bit of ice and snow!) to travel the full length of the Texas coast and then hop through each of Louisiana, Mississippi and Alabama before returning to Florida. It all worked out well, albeit, we lost our beloved Ruthie the Rescue to an ongoing medical condition (and old age) in May.
A happy dog – Ruthie did so well on our big RV trip, but then faded quickly on our return home
The rest of the year has been devoted to getting our Orlando lives back in shape, catching up with work back in The Theme Park Capital of the World – and launching our new book. The 111 Places guidebook was a happy coincidence of a contact on LinkedIn flagging up an opportunity for us, and we were delighted to dive into a different side of Orlando, the non-theme-park side, for what is now our 52nd book. While part of an existing – and highly popular – book series by German publisher Emons, it gave us the opportunity to spread our wings and delve into a completely different side of The City Beautiful, one which doesn’t get a lot of publicity.
The 111 Places in Orlando team – us with photographer Kayla L. Smith
The simple fact is, there is more to this huge tourist destination than meets the eye – much more, in fact. There is a wealth of history, art and culture, as well as a thriving downtown district scene, and some unique restaurants. All of this, plus some of the quirky and offbeat places that most cities can boast, and more can be found between the pages of the new book, studded as it is with wonderful photography by Orlando photographer Kayla L. Smith. This is a book we are immensely proud of, and we hope everyone who buys it discovers something new, exciting and captivating about the city we call home. There are 111 stories just waiting to be discovered (along with another 111 that are linked to the main Places!).
How our epic Year On The Road adventure started – with driving lessons!
And that’s our (basic) story of 2024, at least for now. There will be more new adventures in 2025, although we don’t know what they will be yet. We are probably going to take a step away from our Brit Guide work for the immediate future, but there will be another edition in Susan’s Hidden Magic of Walt Disney World series in the not-too-distant future, plus more about our Year On The Road adventure. We’re hoping to get back to Europe for some (long) overdue travels there, and we also want to see more of the USA’s east coast. We do plan more RVing at some stage, but we might need an extended break first! In the meantime, we’d like to wish all our family, friends and followers the happiest of Holidays, and a peaceful and prosperous New Year –
May 22, 2025 is shaping up as THE big date in next year’s calendar here in Orlando as we look ahead to the opening of Universal Orlando’s brand new theme park, Epic Universe. We were tasked with providing a preview for the New Zealand Herald recently, and it is now online, with a full run-down of what this super-exciting new park will offer come next May:
There is a LOT to look forward to, and we will have more news and insights about this astounding new park in the weeks and months ahead. Stay tuned, now…!
The eye-catching PBR Cowboy Bar, one of the six new venues at Live! at Pointe Orlando
There’s a whole new look and vibe to the bustling Pointe Orlando entertainment center on Orlando’s International Drive these days, and much of it is due to the imminent completion of the fabulous Live! at Pointe Orlando development, which has been taking place in the past two months. Last weekend (Nov 8-10) saw the debut of one of the signature elements of this major revitalization program, the dazzling new Palm Beach Club – the brainchild of DJ Kygo – and it served as the inspiration for our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com, looking at the full collection of dining, drinking, dancing, and sheer fun of this major regeneration. Here’s the link: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/pointe-orlando-goes-live.
The super-chic new Palm Beach Club at the heart of the Live! at Pointe Orlando development
Orlando boasts just about every kind of resort and vacation accommodation you can think of, but one thing it didn’t have – until this year – was a Crystal Lagoon. That all changed with the opening of the astounding $1.5billion Evermore Resort, and it made a suitable subject for our latest blog for AttractionTickets.com. This 500-acre stunner sits just outside Disney’s eastern border and consists of a luxury Conrad Hotel, vacation villas and flats, plus two championship-quality golf courses. And it is all set around the stunning 20-acre Evermore Bay, which provides for all manner of seaside recreation – without being anywhere near the coast! Read all about it on this link: https://www.attractiontickets.com/en/latest-news/orlando/orlandos-evermore-resort-beach-marvel
The fabulous ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Palms Resort
We always say there is a lot more to Orlando than just the theme parks, as good as they are. And that is especially true for the Holiday season here in Central Florida. There are several dozen Christmas celebrations that all offer wonderful experiences that owe nothing to Mickey and Co, hence we made it the subject for our latest blog for AttractionsTickets.com:
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