Review of Captain Hiram's Resort

Vacationing in Florida in August is sort of like taking a holiday in a broiler while wearing a fur coat. Normally I am not so foolish as to leave my sweltering Pocono residence in the heat of the summer for a trip to Florida. However, it had been so long since I saw this particular branch of the Oliver Clan that I decided I had to bite the bullet. After digging out the flowered shirt and my panama hat, I caught a flight to visit the family homestead in Orlando. Once there, it was decided that my family in the Sunshine State also deserved to get away. So we packed our bags for Captain Hiram's Resort in Sebastian, Florida.

Located two hours away from Orlando, we passed by many-a-fine beach as we traveled through Cocoa Beach and Melbourne. Arriving in Sebastian around noon we found ourselves just north of Vero Beach and just south of Melbourne Beach, located conveniently near nothing at all. If getting away was our goal, we had certainly succeeded. The question now was whether the Captain would meet our expectations.

Another family tradition of ours was kept alive and well when we arrived without a reservation. We managed to book one of the few rooms that wasn't occupied. Located across the street from the main Inn building, our room overlooked the river and the tiki bar area. With a shady second floor balcony and comfy chairs, that alone was worth the $139 (10% discount for AAA members) per night. The room came equipped with a mini-fridge and a flat screen TV, everything we needed to relax when not enjoying the amenities Captain Hiram had to offer.

Our next stop was the hotel pool. Located on the side of the main Inn (AKA, across the street from our little beach house paradise) was the kidney shaped pool where we worked on our base tan and let the cares of work just melt away. After we got fully into "vacation mode" it was time for a bite to eat where we subjected Captain Hiram's Restaurant to our rigid evaluation process. When a bunch of New Yorkers go out for seafood, only the best survive. Captain Hiram's met and exceeded our expectations. The Calamari was fried to perfection and with a spicy marinara, made the perfect snack as we sat in the open air dining area overlooking the water. The clams casino reminded us of Mama's own, a quality clam dish that we hadn't experienced outside of some of the best clam houses in New York. Lastly, the Lobster Bites were tasty (though a bit heavy) and went perfectly with my Mai Tai.

As night time fell, we went out to the Tiki Bar area. Feel free to kick off your sandals as you walk through the sandy bar area and get a cold drink at one of the two bars. Before partying island style, we decided to have a little snack. We learned that wings were on special, 10 for $5. Not only were the wings the tastiest I've had in a very long time, but they were huge!

With two bars, great wings and a band called the Sonic Molechasers rocking through the night, our stay at Captain Hiram's was an experience to remember. Before coming down on vacation, I never heard of Captain Hiram's Resort. Definitely one of Florida's best kept secrets.