If you follow me on Instagram or Facebook, you probably saw that I was on vacation last week in Marco Island, Florida. One of my mom’s best friends called me a couple of weeks ago and asked me if I wanted to get the heck out of Hendersonville and join her for a trip to the beach. I mean, who can say no to that? It was totally last minute, but so needed and perfect. We had the absolute best time! While we did not get to do everything, we did relax and didn’t follow a schedule or any type of itinerary at all, and for a planner like me, it can be hard to for me to just let go and go with the flow.
Food is a big deal when you are on vacation. I love to eat at new places and try new things. Luckily, I have a good friend that gave me the lowdown on some places to try while we were there. She recommended Snook Inn, which is a fun little waterfront restaurant. You can eat inside and still see the water, which is great because it is so hot. Terry and I split the Snook Inn Platter which was grouper, mahi mahi, scallops, shrimp crab cake, veggies and rice pilaf. It was a lot for one person to eat! I did not really ask but I assumed some would be fried and maybe some grilled, but all the fish was broiled with a creamy sauce over it. It was really good, but I am not gonna lie, something about grouper makes me want it fried. I am sure it is the southern girl in me. That and my Daddy says that water would be better if it was fried. LOL!
As you can imagine, since I was still craving some fried fish, I had to scope us out another restaurant. One evening we went to Naples to shop and I found a hole in the wall with great reviews called Grouper and Chips. I was really hoping that since it was their name, they would do it right. And oh my word, it was so good! Terry and I split the order of hushpuppies and discussed how they were crunchy on the outside like my Mama’s. They were so close to being as good as hers, but no one can surpass her. Then we shared the fried grouper and french fries. If I was going fried, I was going all out. Ha! The grouper was amazing. The breading was fantastic and everything was so fresh and fantastic. We loved this place and even though we couldn’t eat everything, we took the rest back to the room and had it for lunch the next day.
On one hand, I wish I could tell you more things to do while you are visiting here, but to be honest, I needed time away that did not include a lot of entertainment. I felt like I just needed to relax and let things go for a bit. It was the first time I can remember not having to do a lot and I throughly enjoyed it. I am the typical overly prepared, planner that probably takes the fun out of vacation with my itinerary. It was nice to just do whatever without a plan. I highly recommend it.
I was able to grab some photos of this fun polka dot dress from the Dressbarn while I was at the Inn one evening. I love how comfortable this dress is and polka dots have always been a favorite of mine. The dress is navy but I love pairing polka dots with red, so red block heels were perfect. It feels very retro to me. I actually had a red belt too, but it was too big. And of course, I love a red lip. This is Lipsense in Blue/Red that my sister gave me.
In conclusion, if you are looking for a beautiful vacation destination, I would visit Marco Island again in a heartbeat. Thanks for stopping by and reading about my travels, I have some pictures from the trip below too. I hope you all have a great week!
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Marco Island Lakeside Inn |
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Marco Island Lakeside Inn |
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Marco Island Lakeside Inn |
Chairs and Umbrellas from Pauls Beach Rentals |
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Marco Island Lakeside Inn |
Sunset in Port Royal, FL |
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Marco Island, South Beach |
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Marco Island, South Beach |
Snook Inn Platter |
Grouper and Chips-Hushpuppies |
Grouper and Chips |
Working Cow Ice Cream, Punta Gorda |

Loving this beautiful polka dot dress and your travel review!
Hope you have a lovely weekend, Laura!
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