Alternative Florida.com - Getting There

You will find many companies offering to organise flights for you when you book their accommodation, usually accompanied by claims that they will save you money. In our experience this is not always the case and often you could end up paying more than if you organised your own travel arrangements.

At alternativeflorida.com we believe you should be free to take advantage of all the great deals out there, we are not interested in raking in commission on flights at your expense.

It can be fun and extremely satisfying finding a really good deal. To start you on your search we have given some general information on major airports and direct flights from the London airports to Florida below. It is intended as a guide only.

Charter flights from the UK are available to Florida. However, these usually land at Sandford International (SFB) airport in Orlando.

Schedule flights to Orlando usually land at Orlando International airport (MCO)

You should also note there are flights available from airports outside London but usually these are indirect flights which will include at least one stop and/or change of aircraft. Your choice is often between a stopover in a USA city or a stopover in London.

To the best of our knowledge British Airways operates the only UK direct schedule service to Tampa, the US carriers usually fly to their main hubs in the USA and then onto Tampa.

Sometimes, although not always, it can be cheaper to book a flight with companies such as Travelbag [Website], or ebookers.com [Website], than to book through the airlines own web site.

To sum up, do your homework to ensure you are not paying anymore than you need to, and watch out for the ones that quote a low fare and add on a hefty amount for taxes. Even a small saving can add up if there are several people travelling

Remember all our properties can be reserved on-line for 24 hours to give you plenty of time to organise flights.

[Website]
From	To	Flight Time	Aircraft	Availability
London Gatwick	Tampa	10:00 Hours	Boeing 777	Daily (except Mon & Fri)
London Gatwick	Orlando	09:45 Hours	Boeing 777	Daily
London Heathrow	Miami	09:50 Hours	Boeing 747	Daily

[Website]
From	To	Flight Time	Aircraft	Availability
London Gatwick	Orlando	09:45 Hours	Boeing 747	Daily
London Gatwick	Miami	09:50 Hours	Boeing 747	Daily

[Website]
From	To	Flight Time	Aircraft	Availability
London Heathrow	Miami	09:50 Hours	Boeing 777	Daily

We recommend that you fly to Tampa as it is the closest major airport to the Venice/Englewood area. If you manage to book at the correct time, a return flight can cost as little as £250 per person. Situated on the edge of Tampa Bay, the Airport is just over an hours' drive to our villas.

There are two possible routes you could take, however the shortest and quickest is to take the Howard Franklin bridge (I-275) out of the West side of Tampa over the Bay, through the St Petersburg and Clearwater area and then south towards Sarasota. A perk of this route is the Sunshine Skyway bridge which offers magnificant views of Tampa Bay. There is a $1 toll to cross it. Once back on the mainland, I-275 joins with the I-75 (this is one of the longest roads in the US, starting in Miami and travelling up to the Canadian border!). Head South on the I-75 and after approximately 45 minutes you will reach Venice. [View Route Details]

Sarasota/Bradenton International is closer (25 miles), however it is a lot smaller and there are no direct flights from the UK. However it is possible to get a connection from and to other US cities which are served by flights from the UK

The easiest route to take from Sarasota Airport is down the I-75 straight to Venice. [View Route Details]

Another option is to fly to Orlando International. It is slightly further away from Venice/Englewood, approximately 2:35 hours driving time.

The quickest route is to take the I-4 West until you reach the south-east outskirts of Tampa, then head south on the I-75 to Venice. [View Route Details]

Miami International Airport is another option, however it is approximately 215 miles to Venice/Englewood.

It is probably the simplest route as you remain on the I-75 almost all the way to Venice. [View Route Details]

The first time UK visitor to the USA can quickly become dis-orientated and this can lead to some problems in finding both where to pick up the keys from and also find our homes.

Unlike the UK, roads are usually very wide and some areas have a very similar landscape or theme, leaving you with a feeling of deja vu and confusion.

Intersection signs are usually hanging from wires over the middle of the intersection (Junction/Crossroads) and have what to the UK resident may appear unusual names. Asking for directions could produce something like "Do a left at Alligator and Jacaranda onto I-75 leave at 14 and join US 41 for ..." and so it goes on. Minor road and street names are usually on green rectangular signs on top of poles and not low down or on buildings as in the UK.

When we write to confirm your booking we will include full directions of how to get to your villa and give you a contact phone number in case of any problems. Make sure you take a torch with you, buy a good map of Florida or better still if you are a first time visitor without a good sense of direction, we recommend you hire a vehicle with satellite navigation fitted.

We cannot stress enough the importance of planning your journey before leaving home. After a 10 hour flight it is surprising how quickly tempers flare.