Our last full day...

This morning we went out to Walmart as Mike wanted to get some American "candy" for his friends back home. The supermarket wasn't one of the huge Walmarts we've been in before, but he was able to get everything he wanted. From there we drove across the road to Target and Sophie went to Ulta again to have a look at the make-up.

We mooched about in Target and bought a pizza for lunch. We also had a look at the suitcases because if they had been reasonably priced, we would have bought a new one to take home. However, they were very expensive ($99 for a small case) so we quickly abandoned that idea!

Sophie wanted to go to the Tacos and Tequila clothing store but they didn't open until 11am so we drove over to the shopping complex and had a coffee in Starbucks. Keith sat outside and the man at the next table told him a storm was on its way. As we have a storm most days, this wasn't really hot news! There is still some activity out in the Atlantic which may affect Florida later in the week but we will be long gone by then!

After our coffees, we went to the store and were greeted by Pablo, a gorgeous Bulldog who took quite a liking to my feet! He was lovely and I could easily have taken him home with me! Sophie bought a tee-shirt and we left to go back to the villa to make the most of our remaining day.

By 4pm, the cloud cover had built up substantially so we called it a day and reluctantly left the pool. I started packing and was all done within half an hour. We will all miss this lovely villa - it needs a bit of TLC as the paintwork could do with a freshen up and the bathrooms are a bit old-fashioned - but the space and comfort have been wonderful and the views from the pool are stunning. Briarwood itself has been lovely and as it's a gated community, the security here is very good.

In the evening we decided to head to 5th Avenue and peruse the menus of all the different restaurants before choosing the one we wanted to go to. It was hot, humid evening and as we walked we felt a few drops of rain fall. Some of the restaurants were very expensive indeed with main courses between $30 and $60! We wanted a special restaurant for our last evening but we didn't want to feel ripped off!

Vergina restaurant

We walked back towards where we'd parked the car as we were ready to go to 3rd Street and maybe try the Italian restaurant again. Stopping outside the weirdly named Vergina, we had a look at their menu, closely watched by the front of house man who kept trying to tempt us in. By now, the sweat was pouring off me and the thought of a cool restaurant was too good to ignore so we all trooped in and sat by the window. Outside, a collapsed black umbrella looked like Darth Vadar!

Our server was extremely friendly and efficient but we felt the service this evening was a little too attentive. We skipped starters and I ordered the Chicken Picatta, Sophie ordered the Veal Scallopini, Keith had Chicken Milanese while Mike went for a pizza. We also ordered two glasses of wine, a bottle of sparkling water, beers for Keith and lemonade for Mike.

It took ages for our meals to arrive and when they did, mine and Sophie's were lukewarm. We both could have done with some vegetables - she had one asparagus spear - while my mashed potato was, I'm sure, out of a packet. I have to say I was disappointed. Although the food was tasty and well-presented, I felt we definitely didn't get value for money. Three of us ordered dessert: Tiramisu for Sophie and I, and Mike had a molten chocolate cake served with ice-cream. I have had better!

The biggest shock, though, was the bill, a record for us this holiday at $223. The restaurant had included a 20% gratuity and we had been charged $15 for each glass of wine, rather than the $9 we thought. Needless to say, it left a bitter taste in my mouth as I felt we'd been ripped off. The service had been very good, but at times I felt like they kept wanting to make us order more, such as another bottle of water (at $8 I don't think so!) and every time someone walked past our table they took something or fiddled with the plates. We weren't left to enjoy our meal in peace. Last night, we hadn't been given good service, and tonight it was too much! There is a fine line to getting it right!

We should really have said something, especially about the tip, which I always thought was up to us to decide, but we paid, almost to the cent, and left. Back at the villa we sat outside, our feet in the pool and relaxed. Tomorrow is going to be a long day!