Linda and I spent parts of two days as "day visitors" last week and then the weekend as overnight guests at Cypress Cove resort south of Kissimmee, FL over Valentine's Day weekend. We greatly enjoyed our visit(s) and will return again.

Overall Impression: A very nice, upscale resort with staff and patrons who are friendly, yet laid back. Very similar to our experiences at Club Orient and at Avalon Resort.

Weather: February in Florida is "iffy" and last weekend was no exception. We arrived in Orlando on Wednesday evening, and I did not have to be at "work" at a trade show until noon Thursday. We drove to "the Cove" mid-morning Thursday and paid the $32 per couple AANR-rate day fee and checked in at the office to see what the facilities were, local rules, etc. Very impressed with the facilities (see below) we took a soak in the outdoor hot tub before I had to run back up to our hotel to change into a suit for work. As we left the sun came out and the temperature hovered in the mid-80s. Linda dropped me off and headed right back down to spend the afternoon in the sun by the two pools.

A stationary front was drifting north and south across Florida, and this was to be the only day with the front well north.

Friday afternoon we were able to return for a few hours and the front was just north, the temps in the high 70s and the sun was out in a hazy sky for about an hour or so. Saturday morning we checked out of the hotel and checked in at Cypress Cove - the front was south and the temps were in the mid 70s as we lay by the pool under cloudy skies. Saturday night it rained some and it was cloudy in the low 70s as we left for home Sunday morning.

Facilities: Beautiful and upscale. Well kept grounds with lots of trees and grass, a resort-owned lake for boating, a large area for RV and tent camping, a central recreational area with two large pools, one rectangular, one freeform...two hot tubs (one sheltered) and a snack bar / bar called "Cheeks". The "Lakeside Restaurant" was open for breakfast and for dinner and was also where the Saturday evening Valentines' Day dance was held.

There is also a large area of "permanent resident" homes, beautifully landscaped. Most are modular "double wides" with porches, Florida rooms, and a "look" of stick-built homes. We found out that the residents own their homes but lease the land form Cypress Cove.

Guest Lodging: There are four buildings with a mix of "motel room" and "apartment" accomodations. The apartments have separate bedroom and living rooms with kitchen and bath. The motel rooms have an in-room vanity and sink with a bathroom. For larger groups a connecting door can be opened between an apartment and the adjoining motel room to create a two-bedroom apartment with two baths. The rooms are clean, large and comfortable. Our motel room had two queen size beds.

Food: Cheeks serves burgers and sandwiches for lunch and supper. We can attest to the Philly Cheesesteak and the Ruben being very good and a good value. We dined at the Lakeside Restaurant Saturday night and they had a limited-selection menu for the Valentine's day party. We had prime rib and it was very good. Sunday morning's breakfast buffet was huge with a vast selection and included eggs and omlettes made to order right on the buffet line.

Tone and "feeling": A good "Family nudist resort" atmosphere. A mix of ages with a number of couples in their early 30s and ranging up to senior citizens in their 70's. Large number of couples in 40s and 50s. The central recreation complex (Pools, hot tubs and Cheeks) is a mandatory nude area, rest of the resort is c/o.

While the resort made a point of the Saturday evening festivities being c/o with "Nude is perfectly acceptable and welcome" we found 98% of the attendees were dressed. This may have been because the theme for the night was "famous couples" and a lot of patrons were costumed.

A number of small buildings surround the free-form pool, containing a massage room, the bathrooms and outdoor showers, a very well equipped fitness center (extra $5 charge), a beauty salon, a botique and a game room. Cheeks completes the ring of buildings around this pool. A nice artificial waterfall is at one end of the pool, but was turned off, probably to save heating costs for the pool water.

We'll definitely go back on our next trip to central Florida. Please feel free to ask questions.