Caliente Florida: Tam & Rudy - March, 2014
Rudy and I went to Caliente, Tampa, on March 24-26, 2014. Some of our friends from Hedo told us about Caliente and that it was a nice short trip from our Central Florida home. We decided to give it a try. I chose not to go through the time share talk and booked their regular rate for a Casita (1 bedroom park model mobile home). Add a hundred bucks a day because we are not members of the resort. We brought our own groceries/drinks to have at the Casita; it had a full kitchen. We were glad we brought our own beach towels even though the resort provided each of us with one (theirs were not as soft).
The resort had very few visitors. We met some nice folks on the first day who told us a few things to do around the resort. We found the hot tub and conversation pool on the upper deck. It was really nice. The conversation pool is heated to a comfortable temperature; it’s long and only about 6-8 feet wide with seats all the way around. Hence, the name, as you can easily talk to lots of folks who might be sitting next to and across from you. All the pools were nice, the large main pool is not heated and almost nobody stayed around it because of the weather.
The weather was not optimal – cold and cloudy on day one, then cloudy/rainy /cold on the morning of day two…day two the sun came out and it was gorgeous! Still chilly in the shade and wind, but lovely. The hot tub and conversation pool had lots of folks around them.
Because there were few guests (it being early in the week), the night club was closed and the fine dining restaurant had no diners that we saw. The Sports Bar was the place to be and also where we had to go to purchase drinks and food while in the pool area. The resort does not allow anyone to bring their own food or drink into the pool complex area. We knew this and had budgeted for it; we know it is one of the ways the resort stays open because it must be a large source of income especially on the weekends and busy weeks.
Short and Sweet ~ the Pros & Cons
Pros
· Drinks YUMMY and strong
· Sports Bar Food was pretty good
· People friendly
· Staff knowledgeable and helpful
· Walking path around the resort was nice to stroll through all areas (Casitas, Condos, Homes)
· Casita had little porch that caught the afternoon sun and we sat out nekkid the second afternoon having a few beers
· You can be nekkid everywhere on the resort; the resort takes great pains to protect guest privacy
Cons
· Extra expense of the food and drinks as most of one’s day is spent around the pool
· Queen bed in Casita was hard and noisy when one got up or rolled over
· Only 2 pillows and bath towels in Casita, no extra blanket (for the money, I’d like at least the amenities of a standard hotel room)
· Low occupancy causing little of the pool complex to be open
All in all, we think that we would love to return to Caliente with friends. It would be nice to get one of the 2 or 3 bedroom condos or villas.
Cheers,