Thursday, May 15, 2014

Dressing for Mother's Day Weekend- Life's A Beach (Club)

Happy belated Mother's Day to all the Mom's out there. My mom is swell and was up for spending her special weekend at my favorite place (plus, she has the Florida Resident ticket that expires on June 6th, and the Flower and Garden Festival ends this coming weekend, so this was the perfect excuse opportunity to go!). 

We secured a fairly decent Annual Passholder rate to stay at the Beach Club Resort, which was a win-win. It's practically in Epcot's backyard, and it's a resort I've never stayed at before. And isn't it every Disneyphile's goal to stay at each resort at least once? I think so...

Check-in was smooth; our room preferences were accommodated with a quiet area, high floor, and queen beds. Then only bummer was our tiny, barely walk-out balcony and our stellar view (note sarcasm). 

Ain't she a beaut?! So you know, request a full balcony if that's important to you. We like to sit out in the morning with our coffee and enjoy the view, and feel that a full balcony gives us almost an extra space to the room.



Top and shorts: Lilly Pulitzer

Sure Mickey, smile away, perched atop your little beach chair lamp. You don't have to look out the window...

We called down and asked if there was any availability in a room with a 'full' balcony, and were informed that we would be able to move to one the next day. Needless to say, we didn't unpack too much that first night. 

Instead, we went down to Hurricane Hannah's for a 'kick-the-weekend-off' cocktail, and to visit my good friend Disney Bill! If you're in the area, be sure to stop in and tell him Large Marge sent 'ya! (Pee Wee's Big Adventure reference... anyone. Anyone?!)


Hey DB! Mixing up the oh-so-tasty (and according to him, most popular pool drink at Disney) Mai Tai. 


Hurricane Reef Pilsner by Florida Beer Company. They're located practically in my back yard-- represent!

Mom's blouse: Lilly Pulitzer. This was a limited-edition print, but I LOVE these shirts in any color. They're releasing fan-favorite prints in the the Else with a different print every month, so be sure to check back for more. / Sunglasses: Versace 


From there, we drove over to the Grand Floridian to have a drink at Mizner's and listen to the Grand Floridian Lobby Society Orchestra. 

Cheers! Love me some sauvignon blanc. 

Earrings: CRISLU /Necklace: Dogeared 


Cross body mini-purse (similar here) : Coach/ Phone case: Disney D-Tech (limited edition and sold out- I hunted for this bad boy forEVER! Similar here). 

Haunted Mansion, baby! I've always said I'd like to wallpaper the baby's nursery in this one day... no, seriously. Maybe just one wall?!

I love the little balconies located to the left and right of the main staircase on the second floor of the Grand lobby- they're usually empty and have tables and chairs to enjoy the view. You can even carry your drink out with you! Here's a photo from there.


We stopped in Basin to pick up some bath bombs to enjoy later, then headed home to soak in a tub and get a good night's rest. 

The next morning greeted us bright and sunny. We walked down to the Beach Club Marketplace to get coffee, a bagel, and a yogurt parfait, then made our way out to the benches around Crescent Lake to enjoy our breakfast. Then we went back up to the room, got cleaned up, packed up and rang for a bellman to take our bags to storage. We were off to Epcot! 

See the garbage bags on the shoreline? They had a fella out picking up the seaweed/ lake grass from the sand. Gotta love that 'Disney look!'




I love going into Epcot via the International Gateway, especially before it opens at 11:00. It's very quiet and picturesque inside around the countries. 

This is my favorite seating area, right next to the Rose and Crown. I've found it to more often than not looks like this- empty! I think people assume it's part of the restaurant, and don't venture down the path. Fine with me! More space for us. 


Our Vera Bradley Disney bags. I've found mine to be the perfect park bag- holds just what I need, but not so much that it gets too heavy. 


We were sitting in this tranquil spot waiting for the Rose and Crown pub to open at 11:00 so we could eat a Scotch egg. 11:00 came and went, and they still weren't open, so I popped my head in and asked the barkeep what time they started serving-- 11:30! Yet another tidbit to help you plan your trip. You're welcome. With a lunch reservation set for 11:45, we cut our losses and headed up to Future World to see the butterfly garden and other gardens in the neck of the woods.

Mom on the boat to Italy.


Our lunch was at Via Napoli, home of heavenly pizza (and as we discovered, really great spaghetti! We asked for a children's portion and split it as an appetizer, along with a salad. The sauce was phenomenal- tangy, not overly sweet, and tasted homemade.)

Here's our pizza with pepperoni all over, artichokes and arugula on half.


Top(old) and shorts: Lilly Pulitzer

It was here that I called the Resort to see if our room was ready, and *ta-da*, it was! The heat was really building, so we headed back to get settled into our new digs (with a much better view and FULL balcony, hooray!).


We changed into our suits and went down to the awesome pool- Stormalong Bay- and read our books, had a pool drink, made a few circles around the lazy river, and relaxed for a few hours. Then it was time to clean up and go back to Epcot for dinner. 

Necklace: Azadouhi Jewelry

We went to Rose and Crown to finally get our Scotch egg, and also split an order of fish and chips. FYI, this is different than the fish and chips from the Yorkshire County Fish Shop just outside of the pub- this version is a nice fillet with crispy breading, rather than the 'fingers' from the outside stand. 


Look! Up in the sky! It's Petah Pan!


We closed out Epcot with The British Revolution and Illuminations, then moseyed back to the Resort to split a hot fudge sundae from Beach & Cream. Another tip- try to arrive right after Illuminations, or wait an hour or so to go to Beaches & Cream. We got there right at peak time about half an hour after Illuminations ended (when everyone else returned from Epcot) and waited at least 40 minutes in the counter service walk up line to get our ice cream. Even better, make a 9:30 reservation, sidle right in and enjoy your sundae in a cozy booth while the commoners wait in line. As it was, we ate our sundae poolside, which was very nice. 

We were lucky enough to get a late check out for 1:00 the next day (ask for one when you check in, to ensure you get one!), so we had our coffee on the porch and I suited up in my new New Balance Cinderella shoes to make a few laps around Crescent Lake. This was my first time using them, and they felt great. The details on them are awesome, too. 



After showering, we walked over to Kouzzina by Cat Cora for a late breakfast. It's too bad this isn't more popular, but it's convenient for people like us who don't often do 'set' reservations and can score a table any time. We arrived just before 11:00 (when they stop serving breakfast) and were seated at a table outside. We sipped on a Bloody Maia (details and ingredients on my Instagram photo @disneyfied_ash) and enjoyed our Greek-inspired breakfasts.  If you'd like to try it, do so before it closes for good in September. 


I had the Stacked Kouzzina Breakfast- Two Poached Eggs, Kalamata Olive Toast, Artichoke Spread, and Sweet Potato Hash with Chicken Sausage. It was yummy!


Mom had the Spinach, Tomato, and Feta Scrambled Eggs served with Breakfast Potatoes and Bacon. She really enjoyed it. 


After breakfast, we walked back to the Resort and packed up. After putting our luggage in the car, we went back in to take a few more pictures. Here I am with Gene. Hi Gene! 

Bag: Longchamp/ Sandals: Rainbow

I love the gorgeous flowers in the Deluxe Resorts. Just beautiful! 


What's better than a Friendship boat on Crescent Lake? THREE Friendship boats on Crescent Lake!!


Mom took this next picture- look how artsy she is with the camera tilt! 

Dress and sunglasses (similar here): Lilly Pulitzer


Alas, it was time to bid farewell to the beautiful Beach Club. We had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend.  Until next time, see ya real soon!


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