At the beginning of this month, my boyfriend, Sam, and I headed to Florida for a much-needed long weekend. We spent the trip visiting his grandparents, who live on the south end of Naples, just a short drive from the downtown area and the beach on Marco Island.

On Thursday after work, we met each other at the airport with enough time to grab some dinner before boarding our short flight to Fort Myers. We arrived late, and once we got in, we showered off the airport germs and went right to bed. Friday we enjoyed a nice breakfast and sunny weather while we both worked remotely to finish out the work week. That night we went out to a nice dinner and called it an early night after a few glasses of wine. We had a long weekend ahead of us.

On Saturday morning we woke up early to head to Marco Island and set up at the beach club. We enjoyed piña coladas and perfect, sunny, 80-degree weather for the whole day, making it home with just enough time to shower and head into downtown Naples for dinner.

Now I am probably the worst blogger because his grandparents took us to an Italian restaurant that was probably my favorite meal of the weekend. We shared arancini and I had this amazing salmon dish, and I cannot for the life of me remember what the restaurant was called. After a fantastic dinner, we drove around town and stopped for a drink on the way home.

Sunday was the only day with a cloud in the sky. In typical Florida fashion, we got a few spots of rain throughout the day, but this ended up aligning perfectly with our weekend away, as we had planned on spending the day at home and making dinner. While it was clear, we hopped in the pool before I started working on homemade pasta and sauce. As Sam and I did this, his grandfather was responsible for cooking the meat and salad. It was really nice, as we enjoyed music and drinks while we cooked together. After a delicious dinner, Sam and I went to watch the sunset and then headed home to enjoy a movie night.

Monday was our last full day in town, so we enjoyed another beach day filled with drinks and lunch from the beach bar. It was stunning weather once again, with a cool breeze and the water at a perfect temperature to cool us down amidst the heat and sunny skies. After we wrapped up at the beach, we went home to get ready for a nice dinner at Sale e Pepe on Marco Island, where we caught a perfect sunset. After dinner, his grandparents’ favorite performer was playing a show nearby, so we stopped by and enjoyed our last night out with them.

On Tuesday we packed up our bags before planning to go for a nice lunch with them before our flight. I, unfortunately, had to miss out because I wasn’t feeling well, but they, thankfully, got to enjoy the end of the trip together. That afternoon, we headed back to Fort Myers to catch our flight home to Philadelphia.

I am glad Sam and I were able to find time in both of our schedules to make the trip down to see them, as it’s always nice to spend time with family. It was lovely to enjoy a break from the cold we’re used to at this time of year, as well. I am really looking forward to the warm weather and more trips together!

— Aly Evans, business development and events coordinator