- 2 weeks ago
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00:00Woo-hoo!
00:02The Hammonds are here!
00:05Travel is in my blood.
00:07Let's go!
00:08This is the best!
00:09For years I worked as a tour rep,
00:11following in the footsteps of my dear lovely mob,
00:14a hard-working, no-nonsense travel agent.
00:17Thanks to our money-saving tips,
00:19we managed to budget our way to a place that totally captured our hearts.
00:23Look at this! Look at this!
00:25Florida!
00:26I love it!
00:27I was born for Little Havana.
00:30And now the Sunshine State is a big draw for me...
00:33Sorry, I stood on your foot.
00:35...and my son, Aidan.
00:37Good job, y'all.
00:38You see you, mate?
00:39Yeah.
00:41But with holiday prices rising...
00:43Oh, my goodness. I'm in heaven.
00:46Can you do Florida...
00:48...without breaking the bank?
00:50$4.99 for these.
00:52Oh, yes, Aidan!
00:55Help you, Mum. Otherwise, just get out.
00:58It's the best day of my life.
01:07Every year, Florida welcomes around 130 million visitors.
01:11It's one of the most visited states in the whole of the U.S. of Aang.
01:15And Orlando, the theme park capital of the world, is Florida's most visited city.
01:21It consistently pulls in around 900,000 Brits every year.
01:26And this year, it's 900,000 and two.
01:30Because the Hammonds are back in town.
01:32Why is that not working?
01:37I think the seat is too far up from what it was before.
01:42But before we can do anything, there's just the small issue of getting the hire car to work.
01:48What do you mean?
01:49No, it's not going out.
01:52No.
01:54OK.
01:55And we're off, bub.
01:56But we're not heading to the usual hotspots.
01:58We want to show you a different side to Orlando.
02:01And find out if there's more to this city than fairy tales and magic spells.
02:06So we need to get planning.
02:08Because as me old mum would say, plans are nothing.
02:11Planning is everything.
02:13Do you know, you've been to Orlando every year of your life, since you were five years old, since you were this age.
02:21How cute is that?
02:22So that was the first time that you went to Disney.
02:25That's crazy.
02:26The very first time.
02:27Look at that.
02:28That's me and you.
02:29Look at that smile.
02:30That hasn't changed, does it?
02:31No.
02:32There we go.
02:33It's my baby, everyone.
02:34It's my baby.
02:35It's my baby.
02:36It's my baby.
02:40If you think about it, every single year we go, we do Disney Universal,
02:42all the parks.
02:43We've been there so many times.
02:45I want to see other parks, really.
02:47So the big question is, is there more to Orlando than theme parks?
02:52It's gotta be.
02:53It's gotta be.
02:54It's gotta be.
02:55The only thing is, I like to do things on a budget.
02:58You know what I mean?
02:59I don't want to be spending loads and loads of work.
03:01But I want to do something that's affordable.
03:03Yeah.
03:04You can't take the girl out of Birmingham and not still be from it.
03:06I need a parking.
03:07I agree.
03:08How's everything been so far?
03:10Amazing.
03:11We wanted to ask you because we just decided we're not going to do the parks this time.
03:14We want to kind of go beyond the parks.
03:17What would you suggest?
03:18Oh my gosh.
03:19There's so many things to do.
03:20Our beaches, our lakes.
03:22It's just amazing.
03:24There's a lot that's right on Orlando's doorstep.
03:27In under an hour, you can reach the Atlantic coast and the Kennedy Space Center.
03:32But before we explore the surroundings, we want to get more of a feel of downtown Orlando.
03:37The city itself.
03:38But I've got a feeling I know what Trina is going to recommend.
03:43Orlando just has this emerging, booming food scene here.
03:47I mean, you could just eat your way through Orlando as well.
03:51We could do that.
03:52And there's that.
03:53Thanks very much for the food.
03:54Thank you so much.
03:55Enjoy Orlando.
03:56I'm excited.
03:58My mum would be so proud of me.
04:00We are O for Organised and all systems go for Orlando.
04:05We've got a plan.
04:08We've got a trip with a difference, which is so exciting because normally every single
04:12time we come here, we do the parks.
04:14This time, we're going to do something completely different.
04:16And Aidan's totally up for it.
04:17I mean, I'm very happy.
04:18The fact that he's now paying for the bill.
04:21I mean, I'm quidsy.
04:22It's the best day of my life.
04:25That was good, wasn't it?
04:26It was.
04:27So what are we doing now?
04:28Well, I've got a bit of a surprise for you because I've organised transport.
04:31Now, some of my mates at school would call me a practical joker.
04:35But I like to think of myself more of a surprise surpriser, as Scylla would say.
04:40And right now, Aidan has no idea what's in store.
04:44You can pay nearly $100 a person for a sightseeing tour in Orlando.
04:49But we're going on a special guided tour with the Orlando Fire Department.
04:56That's pretty cool.
04:58That's pretty good.
04:59I'll give you that.
05:00You're going to love this.
05:01You're excited?
05:02Yeah, I'm excited.
05:03Let's do it.
05:04Come on, let's go.
05:05Oh, wow.
05:06It's so high.
05:07Oh, yeah.
05:08This is awesome.
05:09They offer locals and tourists the chance to ride along on a call out and see the city
05:16from a firefighter's point of view.
05:18Let's go.
05:19Yeah.
05:20Ready.
05:21To get a flavour of it, I've arranged a special guided tour from fire officer Lorenzo Edwards.
05:27What does it feel like to drive Lorenzo? Is it really hard?
05:29It takes something to get used to.
05:30This truck weighs approximately 43,000 pounds.
05:33Wow.
05:34Without water.
05:35Oh, without water?
05:36Yes.
05:37Oh my gosh.
05:38It holds approximately 750 gallons.
05:40It's crazy.
05:41You know, you used to have a fire truck when you were a kid.
05:44Did I?
05:45Yeah.
05:46A massive fire truck.
05:47Well, when I say fast, it wasn't as massive as this.
05:49You used to love it.
05:50The Orlando Fire Department began allowing the public to ride along with them a few years
05:55ago.
05:56And anyone can book it.
05:57Yeah.
05:58Anyone.
05:59For free.
06:00So if people would like to come down and visit the fire station or even do a ride along,
06:05all you have to do is fill out a form online and then, you know, we schedule a day and you
06:09come in and...
06:10That's it.
06:11This really is a different way to see the city.
06:14Like most Brits who come here, we'd always head straight to the big parts in the southwest.
06:20But Lorenzo wants to show us there's a lot more to Orlando.
06:24It's actually a very beautiful city.
06:26There's a lot more to do than just, you know, Disney.
06:29And he's got some real surprises up his firefighter's sleeve.
06:33Orlando is taking a huge interest in street art.
06:38So we hire a lot of local artists to do, let's say, murals.
06:42Yeah.
06:43We're actually coming up on one here.
06:45To encourage more people to visit, the city has turned over hundreds of public spaces
06:52to local artists.
06:54It's like a giant outdoor art gallery.
06:58Again, there's another mural right there.
07:03Each artist was asked to capture what they think of Florida.
07:07And the result is that the whole city is filled with colour.
07:11Never seen anything like it.
07:15And as we're going around, like, that's something to keep an eye on.
07:20The other thing you don't realise is how old parts of Orlando are.
07:24Apparently, some of these roads date back to the late 1800s.
07:29So, if you notice, we're travelling on these beautiful brick roads.
07:33They aren't gorgeous.
07:34Yes.
07:35Back in 1913, they had the prisoners work on it.
07:40It was connecting dirt roads because all of this used to be dirt roads.
07:43What, and they laid every single brick, the prisoners?
07:45Every single brick.
07:46Wow.
07:47Yeah, it's pretty incredible when you think about it.
07:49It's amazing that all the years we've been coming,
07:52we never knew this was here.
07:55Well, you can keep your magic kingdom.
07:57Give me Lorenzo and a fire truck any day.
08:01So, this is downtown.
08:02Downtown.
08:03Yeah, there's a lot of life down here, especially on the weekends.
08:05Yeah, you can tell.
08:06And just when we thought it couldn't get any better...
08:09Look at this lovely lake, is that lake over there?
08:11Yes, it's beautiful.
08:12It is a very lovely lake.
08:14Bang smack in the middle of downtown is Lake Eola.
08:19Originally designed to give local workers a place to escape the heat,
08:23it's almost one mile all the way around.
08:26So, if you're up for a jog, it's easy to keep track of your distance.
08:30Or you can always head onto the water in a swan-shaped pedalo.
08:34Oh, my gosh, this is the best tour ever.
08:36Yeah, no worries.
08:37We're really getting to see Orlando.
08:38I'm loving this.
08:39But there is one more freebie that Lorenzo has to show us.
08:43We also get for free a look around City of Orlando Fire Station One.
08:49So, this is Station One.
08:50There you are.
08:51Wow.
08:52Oh, I'm going to go with the truck.
08:53How do I get out of this thing?
08:54If my son can get out of the truck.
08:55There we go, did it.
08:56With space for 11 trucks and 70 firefighters, it's the biggest station in the whole city,
09:11which is why, I'm guessing, they call it The Big House.
09:15Hey, guys.
09:16Hey.
09:17Hello.
09:18Alison, this is Brittany.
09:19Lovely to meet you.
09:20Lovely to meet you.
09:21Lovely to meet you.
09:22So, if someone's on a tour, you would literally, I'll be able to come in here and meet all
09:25the guys.
09:26Oh, yeah, absolutely.
09:27And it's so lovely to see a woman firefighter.
09:28Oh, yeah.
09:29Why, thank you.
09:30I'm loving this glimpse behind the scenes.
09:32Rescue One, first aid and known, at South Orange Avenue and Sturdivant Street.
09:37And before you know it, we're in the middle of a code red emergency.
09:41What's that?
09:42This is a fire car going out.
09:45That's a power line.
09:46It's actually quite frightening, isn't it, hearing it?
09:49It's the door.
09:50Luckily for me, my personal tour guide, Brittany, hasn't been called out this time.
09:55So, it tells us which units and which personnel are going.
09:58In America, the fire service are often the first responders to an emergency.
10:03And the Orlando fire department responds to about 60,000 incidents a year.
10:08So, they need to keep their strength up.
10:10So, this is our kitchen for station one.
10:12That's quite big.
10:13Do you have a chef?
10:14No.
10:15So, you all just do your own cooking?
10:16Yep.
10:17At least know how to cook one good meal.
10:18Mine would have been spaghetti bolognese.
10:19Ooh.
10:20That sounds delicious.
10:21Or maybe burgers.
10:22Yeah.
10:23On average, calls to the big house come in every 30 minutes.
10:27And whatever time of day or night, the teams have to be ready to go.
10:32So, this is where you stay?
10:33That's right, Aidan.
10:34One of the department's newest recruits, Eduardo Ramaz Lopez.
10:38He's given Aidan a taste of what it's like when you're on shift.
10:42So, this is me.
10:43This is you.
10:44This is my bed.
10:45Nice.
10:46When it's night time, we try to get some sleep.
10:47As much as you can.
10:48As much as I can.
10:49Some days, it's a little too busy.
10:50He'll wake up four times, five times a night.
10:51I'm going to try out your bed.
10:52Is that all right?
10:53Go ahead.
10:54All yours.
10:55Let's see what it's like.
10:56This is what you guys are...
10:57Ooh, it's quite nice.
10:58It's comfortable.
10:59It's actually...
11:00I like it.
11:01That's what I think.
11:02I could be a firefighter, I reckon, with this bed.
11:03You could, sir.
11:05Sorry, babes.
11:06Being a firefighter's not that easy.
11:08So, what are you going to get me to do today, then?
11:10So, we're actually going to give you a taste of what the fire service is like.
11:13OK.
11:14We've got our little course set up downstairs.
11:16I'm excited.
11:17Let's go do it.
11:18Yes, sir.
11:19Let's go.
11:20Let's take the pole.
11:21Ever since I saw him as a little boy with a fire truck, I wondered what Aidan would be like
11:26as a firefighter.
11:27So, over here, we have some training equipment.
11:29Right.
11:30Oh, wow.
11:31We can simulate some fire ground activities.
11:33And now's my chance.
11:34Go, Aidan!
11:35Yes, Aidan!
11:36You all right, guys?
11:37Let's get dressed.
11:38Let's go.
11:39As part of their training, all recruits have to show they can rescue a person from a building
11:48in as short a time as possible.
11:50So, the boots are in the pants, always ready to come on right away.
11:53So cool.
11:54Come on, Aidan.
11:55Firefighter Ramo's ready to go.
11:56You're going too slow.
11:57And if that's not enough, do it in a fireproof suit that weighs over 20 kilograms.
12:03So, this is just the bare minimum of protective gear they're putting on.
12:08Time to find out if my boy's got what it takes.
12:11All right.
12:12So, right now, that's...
12:13What's he doing now?
12:14That's the halligan.
12:15It's one of our tools that we use.
12:16He's going to force the...
12:17Come on, Aidan.
12:18Get it in there!
12:19You got this!
12:20Yes, Aidan.
12:21Come on.
12:22Honestly.
12:23Yes, Aidan!
12:24Yes!
12:25Yes!
12:26Come on, Aidan.
12:27Be careful with him.
12:28So, firefighter Ramo's has the patient.
12:31Well done.
12:32Now patient care starts.
12:34Well done, babe.
12:35Thank you very much.
12:36That was so good.
12:37Great work.
12:38All right.
12:39I need a drink.
12:40All right.
12:41See you in a bit.
12:42This has been the best day ever.
12:43It's been the best day.
12:44Well...
12:45Glad you've enjoyed it.
12:46I really have.
12:47Thank you for giving us a taste.
12:48It's been the best day.
12:49Well...
12:50Glad you've enjoyed it.
12:51I really have.
12:52Thank you for giving us a taste.
12:54The best day ever.
12:56Share with my boy and it didn't cost me a dime.
12:59Well, how was it?
13:00It was good.
13:01It was hard opening that door.
13:02Was it?
13:03It was actually quite hard.
13:04And is it hot?
13:05Yeah, I'm roasting.
13:06Do you know what?
13:07I'm not being funny.
13:08Seeing you do that.
13:09Yeah.
13:10That's the first time I thought,
13:11I haven't got a baby anymore.
13:13You look like a proper man.
13:14I'm a 19-year-old.
13:16What a great start to our Orlando trip.
13:19And it's free.
13:20Exactly!
13:21It's been brilliant.
13:22Right.
13:23I'm sweating, so I'm going.
13:24I'll give to it.
13:25Alright, see you later.
13:26I'm getting out of this.
13:27Better get off of this before there's an emergency.
13:32For many years it's been just me and Aidan.
13:35A two-person family unit.
13:37And I love the fact that in that time we become not just mum and son, but great friends as well.
13:43Do you know what's so lovely?
13:46What's so lovely?
13:47Is the fact that you even want to spend time with me still.
13:49Honestly.
13:50So many 19-year-olds do not want to be spending time with their mum.
13:54I do enjoy it.
13:55It's so lovely.
13:56I like to think Aidan just enjoys being with me.
13:59But there is another explanation.
14:01And he's not shy about admitting it.
14:03You pay for a lot of my food.
14:05And don't I know it.
14:08Eating out can be a massive expense when you come to Florida.
14:12Just like the UK, the US has seen a big bulge in food prices.
14:17But you don't want to miss out on the food scene here.
14:20A recent survey named Orlando the number one food city in America.
14:26But the trick to keeping the cost down is to go where the locals go.
14:30And take advantage of America's humongous portion sizes.
14:36After you, sir.
14:37Thank you very much.
14:39Oh, this is lovely.
14:41With our bellies rumbling like a Florida thunderstorm,
14:44we've come to meet Maria Palo and her family.
14:47We heard that a meal for one here is more than enough for two.
14:51And that it's proper Italian cooking.
14:54Hello, I'm Alison.
14:55Hi, Alison. Hi, I'm Maria.
14:57My mum was called Maria.
14:59So you won't forget me?
15:00I'll never forget that name.
15:01So who works here?
15:02Is it like friends and family?
15:04The whole family, six days a week.
15:06And on Sunday they say, Ma, what are you cooking?
15:09And I say, go home.
15:10But yes, the whole family.
15:12So you're with your family all the time?
15:13Yes.
15:14And how do you find that, Maria?
15:16Great.
15:18It's like me and him at the moment.
15:21We're with each other 24-7.
15:23There's a lot of love and a lot of fighting.
15:25But as long as there's love, you can make it.
15:27Oh, I love that.
15:28You can make it.
15:29I make a great spag bol.
15:31But you can't go far wrong with Italian food, can you?
15:34And it looks like the locals agree.
15:36Ordering another steak, sir.
15:38Ordering another steak, sir.
15:39It's Maria's husband, Lou, who turns authentic Italian dishes into mega sandwich fillings here.
15:45Order up.
15:46Alongside their sub-making supremo son, Al.
15:49Ordering two stascio.
15:51Sosie, jade, no cheese.
15:53So let's hope Aidan isn't about to spoil this Italian family affair as he brings his West Midlands sandwich-making skills to the party to make the next order a ribeye steak sub-sandwich.
16:06Hey there, Al.
16:07Nice to meet you, Aidan.
16:08Aidan, how are you?
16:09Nice to meet you.
16:10Nice to meet you.
16:12I've been sent to make some sandwiches with you.
16:13Let's do it.
16:14Yeah, that sounds good.
16:15Let's do it.
16:16What do we start off with?
16:17Aidan doing some actual cooking.
16:19Get your cameras out.
16:20This is a first.
16:22Take the steak.
16:23Okay.
16:24Play it right on top of the onion.
16:25Amazing.
16:26So roughly how many sandwiches are you making a day?
16:27Eight to nine hundred.
16:28Eight to nine hundred sandwiches a day.
16:30Wow.
16:31That is incredible.
16:32Yes, sir.
16:33I'm beginning to think Aidan might actually be able to make something edible here.
16:37It's amazing what can happen when you've got the right people around you.
16:41And while Al and Aidan cook away, I'm catching up with another important member of the family.
16:47This is my daughter Deanna and co-owner.
16:49Nice to meet you.
16:50She does all the buying.
16:52If she can't get something, she'll go to New York or somewhere and get pallets in.
16:56You'll find it.
16:57I'm finding it.
16:58So what's it like working with your family then?
17:01Awesome.
17:02Do you enjoy it?
17:03No.
17:04But it's awesome.
17:05You don't enjoy it, but it's awesome.
17:07Yeah.
17:08How did this all come about?
17:09Because you don't really see many Italian stores in Orlando.
17:13Louis, my husband, he wanted to be his own boss.
17:16So we came down here and started to, we opened our first restaurant.
17:19A lot of arguing or no?
17:20A lot of arguing.
17:21A lot of arguing.
17:22Because me and my mom, my mom sometimes when I'm DJing, she sometimes comes on the mic.
17:25So I understand what it's like working with your family.
17:28Leave me alone.
17:29Let me do my thing.
17:30And then the kids all said, we need to open a deli.
17:32We don't have any delis here.
17:33And I said no.
17:34Please.
17:35I didn't want to work anymore.
17:36I had 35 years in the restaurant.
17:38I said no.
17:39Really?
17:40They said yes.
17:41And this is it.
17:42Six years later.
17:43We're gonna scoop it in.
17:44We're gonna put it right inside the bread.
17:45Okay.
17:46Like so?
17:47Yeah.
17:48Put it right inside that bread.
17:49You're a big boy.
17:50You can handle it.
17:51I can handle it.
17:52Get it all in there.
17:53You like spicy?
17:54I love a bit of spice.
17:55I hope the customer who ordered this likes a bit of spice.
17:58I certainly do.
17:59And something particularly spicy has caught my eye.
18:02And I have noticed.
18:03Is that your husband up there?
18:04Yes, it is.
18:05Fine specimen of a man.
18:07Lou in Speedos.
18:09Talk about an Italian beefcake.
18:11Hey Louie.
18:12Louie.
18:13Louie, where are you?
18:14I'm here.
18:15Hello Louie.
18:16Hi Louie.
18:17I've been looking at your naked body.
18:18Oh jeez.
18:19I know.
18:20They did that.
18:21I did.
18:22I think you should do a new picture.
18:23Oh I don't know about that.
18:24Oh yeah.
18:25There we go.
18:26They tried to move it.
18:27Three or four times.
18:28And I said oh no.
18:29Next time you move it.
18:30I'll put it on the back of the menu.
18:32So it's staying there.
18:33Lou must have been clocking up the miles.
18:35Jogging around Lake Yola.
18:37Because he's still in good shape.
18:39And he's in a good mood too.
18:41But is that about to change?
18:42Has Aidan delivered?
18:44The sandwich looks good to me.
18:46At least it's a step up from the cheese and onion crisp butter he makes me back home.
18:51So I've made one sandwich.
18:52How employable do you think I am?
18:53You can start today.
18:54Yeah?
18:55I can start with a family?
18:56When you work here you're family that's it.
18:57Okay I like that though.
18:58Everyone's family.
18:59Everyone's around making sandwiches.
19:00Yeah.
19:01I love that.
19:02It's really nice.
19:03Really nice.
19:04That's my boy.
19:06He's earned his lunch now.
19:08So I've ordered us the D.
19:10Named after Diana.
19:11I mean you've got a little spice.
19:13You've got a little...
19:14It's perfect.
19:15Who assures me it's big on Italian flavour and portion size.
19:19Mr Alison.
19:20Oh.
19:21I love how you call me Miss Alison.
19:23Oh no?
19:24I love it.
19:25And it's actually quite heavy.
19:26We're Italian.
19:27We like good food and a lot of it.
19:29Look at the size of that Aidan.
19:31There you go.
19:32That's yours.
19:33Thank you very much.
19:34Right I'm getting involved.
19:35I'm getting stuck here.
19:37Mmm that is lovely.
19:38You taste a little hot.
19:39A little bit of spice.
19:40A little spice.
19:41Yeah.
19:42Mmm it's so nice.
19:43The sauté.
19:44Chicken's beautiful.
19:45Right.
19:46And it's even nicer when you realise it's half the price of a usual meal.
19:51But the nicest thing of all has been meeting Maria, Lou, Al and Diana.
19:57They might get on each other's nerves sometimes.
20:00But if you've got love, sandwiches and a good sense of humour, I reckon that's a recipe for
20:05a really happy family.
20:07It's road trip time.
20:08Alright, here we go.
20:09Let's go.
20:10Downtown Orlando is packed with big hotels, catering for tens of millions of tourists who come
20:27here every year for the theme parks, the outdoor spaces, the cultural centres and all
20:34that shopping and eating.
20:36If you're not careful, you could spend a fortune here.
20:39Just on your accommodation.
20:41But Aidan's heard we can get a much better deal on the outskirts of the city.
20:48Oh look at that fly in here bro.
20:49Just get it out of somewhere.
20:50Where?
20:51Oh.
20:52It's horrible.
20:53You are?
20:54Yeah.
20:55Sorry.
20:57So I'm driving us 30 miles north west to a quaint little town on a lake.
21:02Do you remember when you used to watch that show?
21:05Dora the Explorer.
21:06You used to love it.
21:07Yes I do.
21:08This is called Mount Dora.
21:10Mount Dora the Explorer.
21:11Yes.
21:12Welcome to Mount Dora darling.
21:14And what about the accommodation Aidan?
21:16Just you wait until you see what we've got.
21:18Is it nice and tranquil, quiet, you know peaceful?
21:21I think you'll enjoy it.
21:22I think you'll enjoy it.
21:23Mount Dora, as the name suggests, is high.
21:27About 184 feet above sea level.
21:30That's pretty high for Florida.
21:32One of the flattest states in America.
21:35Where most of the land is less than 10 feet above sea level.
21:39This makes Florida one of the places on the planet most at risk from climate change.
21:44So this elevated little town with its historic buildings feels totally different from the Florida we know.
21:52Do you believe mum that this is literally 45 minutes away from Orlando?
21:56How many times have we been to Florida?
21:58I've never been to Mount Dora.
22:00I've never seen lovely little houses like this.
22:02Beautiful.
22:03I feel like we've gone back in time to the 1930s.
22:06You've always liked that.
22:07Something like this.
22:08Well, I wasn't there.
22:09Mount Dora, we like you.
22:13It's a big lake.
22:14You've got a beautiful lake.
22:15How many alligators do you reckon are in there, Bob?
22:18Only like two or three.
22:19Two or three?
22:20Yeah.
22:21I'm not worried about the alligators.
22:23I'm more concerned about the accommodation that Aidan's booked.
22:26Because there's nothing more important for a growing lad and his mum
22:29than a really good night's sleep.
22:34Are you tired, Bob?
22:35A little bit.
22:37But I've got a funny feeling in the pit of my stomach.
22:40And I don't know why.
22:42Here we are, Mum.
22:43The lake's hiding.
22:44Because this is where we're staying.
22:47The oldest working hotel in Florida.
22:50We're saving around $40 each per night compared to the hotels back in Orlando.
22:55Lovely.
22:56Let's get out.
22:57It's exciting, isn't it?
22:58Yeah.
22:59And it's like stepping into a period drama.
23:04Oh, wow.
23:05It's a good check-in.
23:06It's a bit posh, isn't it?
23:07It's lovely.
23:08Hopefully a drama without any nasty shocks at the end.
23:11Alison, Aidan, welcome.
23:13Oh, thank you.
23:14What's your name?
23:15Sebastian.
23:16Welcome, welcome.
23:17We've got the hotel, established in 1883.
23:19Originally, the lady Dora owned the hotel.
23:22Built it.
23:23They named the lake after her.
23:24The view's great, isn't it?
23:25And the view's absolutely gorgeous.
23:26Then check in and then walk right into downtown, which is amazing.
23:30Here we have different restaurants, from fine dining to just local pubs and bars.
23:34Mount Dora is kind of that step back into what I like to call real Florida.
23:38Right?
23:39Small town, quaint.
23:40Feel like I've stepped back in time.
23:41Exactly.
23:42And that's what we try to capture here.
23:44Mount Dora is an artsy place.
23:47There are galleries and little boutiques and indie coffee shops all over.
23:51There are boat companies that will take you out on the lake and into the canals.
23:56And there's a nature trail to explore as well, along a boardwalk that takes you into the swamps.
24:02The perfect habitat for gators.
24:04There's about one and a half million gators in Florida.
24:08And Mount Dora is a great place to get a snap.
24:11So are you going to show us the view today?
24:13Absolutely.
24:14If you want to follow me, we'll walk down to the dock here.
24:16All right.
24:17Can I keep the pen?
24:18Absolutely, you can.
24:19Cheers.
24:20Another top tip if you're booking a family-owned hotel like this, is if you contact the owners
24:26direct, you can often strike up a much better deal than if you're booking through a website.
24:31How nice is this?
24:33It is lovely.
24:34What a view.
24:35I bet you have some weddings down there, don't you?
24:38Oh, we do.
24:39And then we're ranked in Lake County and in Central Florida, the number one sunset.
24:43Really?
24:44Wow.
24:45I can see why.
24:46And not a theme parking site.
24:49Back in the 1930s, President Calvin Coolidge stayed here for a month in a room overlooking
24:56this very view.
24:57I can't imagine a more tranquil spot in the whole of Florida.
25:02But just when I was thinking I'm in for a perfect night's sleep, Sebastian drops a bombshell.
25:08The twist in our period drama that I've been dreading.
25:11We do have some haunted rooms.
25:14Oh, great.
25:15Are you actually joking?
25:18No, no.
25:19So, one of my favourite stories to tell, this is about ten years ago, and my father had
25:24called me late at night and said, hey, look, the Donnelly room, the lights are still on,
25:30I need you to go turn them off.
25:32I walk out, I go to turn off the lights, I have to turn the key and it's not open.
25:3730 minutes, I'm at this door fighting it.
25:41What's going on?
25:42It's ridiculous.
25:43Absolutely ridiculous.
25:44I call my supervisor and she tells me, look, Sebastian, it's really easy.
25:49You just need to go up to the door and say, girls, please stop playing.
25:54I want to get inside.
25:57Are you joking?
25:58I'm laughing on the phone.
26:00You're kidding me.
26:01This is ridiculous.
26:02I'm not going to say that.
26:03Sebastian, go to the door and just tell him this.
26:05I walk over.
26:06I'm all nervous.
26:08All right.
26:09Girls, please stop playing.
26:12I want to open the door.
26:14Door literally, I mean, I barely touched it and the door just creaks open.
26:19Please don't give me that room.
26:20I hope we can get out the door without anybody locking us in.
26:24Here's the keys to your room.
26:26Thank you so much.
26:27You both enjoy your stay with us, all right?
26:28Brilliant, we will do.
26:29You're welcome.
26:30We're going to have a look at the view.
26:31Have a great one.
26:33Right.
26:34I'm not going to lie.
26:35I'm a bit scared.
26:36I don't know if I want to stay.
26:40So, the big question is, did anything go bump in the night?
26:50How did you sleep last night, Bob?
26:51Do you know what?
26:52I slept well.
26:53However, there were, like, a few, like, rattling noises on my door and it was like someone's
27:01taking the mickey.
27:02Was that you?
27:03No, that wasn't me.
27:04Yeah, why are you laughing then?
27:05That wasn't me.
27:06It was the two girls.
27:07Did you not say, girls, please leave me alone?
27:09No, I didn't say that.
27:11Time for me to ask Aidan a question now.
27:14The all-important one that we set out to answer when we started this trip.
27:18So, is there more to Orlando than just the theme parks like what we used to do?
27:25I think there is more to Orlando.
27:26I mean, look at what we did yesterday.
27:27We got a ride from a fire truck, going down the fire pole.
27:32We've had an adventure ride.
27:34We've learned new skills, we've made new friends, and we've saved money.
27:39Instead of standing in queues and mixing with big crowds, we got under the skin of Orlando
27:44with the people who live and work here.
27:47And then this place, McDora.
27:48Lovely.
27:49Look at the view.
27:50Beautiful.
27:51And look at us.
27:52We're smiling.
27:53We're loving being together.
27:55And he's not costing me a bomb.
27:57This was fun.
27:58I enjoyed this hotel, but I feel like this is a bit more mature.
28:01Okay.
28:02Whereas, I think, like, the roller coasters and stuff, I do enjoy.
28:05Well, maybe on our next journey, I might change that.
28:09That's a bit more fun.
28:10Oh!
28:11Yeah.
28:12Yeah.
28:13I'll see you next time.
28:14That was fun.
28:15Bye.
28:16Bye.
28:17Bye.
28:18Bye.
28:19Bye-bye.
28:21Bye.
28:23Bye.
28:25Bye.
28:29Bye.
28:30Bye.
28:31Bye.
28:32Bye.
28:33Bye.
28:34Bye.
28:35Bye.
28:36Bye.
28:38Bye.
28:39You
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