Much was sure to be different there since Hurricane Irma took it apart the morning of Sept. 10, 2017. I hadn’t been to the resort off Little Torch Key since February 2015, long before the storm passed through.

Back then, after my wife and I had spent a day and a night there, I wrote this about Little Palm Island:

“We wore ourselves out that day, trying to do everything before the sun set. We’d jump into an ocean kayak and take a few sharp turns into the mysterious mangroves around nearby Big Munson Island, or escape to SpaTerre for an 80-minute massage. We walked the crushed seashell paths around the island, playing the giant chess board, lounging by the pool, sampling Gumby Slumbers (Capt. Morgan spiced rum, Malibu coconut rum, fresh squeezed orange juice, pineapple juice, cranberry juice and rum-soaked coconut), swinging in hammocks, watching the Key deer run, till the sun began to set and we got hungry.

New issue of ‘Explore Florida & the Caribbean’ is going places

“Then we followed the footpaths, raked to Zen-garden like perfection (no leaf blowers to disturb our peace here), past the thatch-roof bungalows to the Dining Room. We took a table down on the white-sand beach as the sun began to sizzle into the west. Our own personal Mallory Square (without the fire jugglers).

“We were both worn out by the time we were holding hands again on the launch back to Little Torch Key.”

I was sure about one thing, after my last trip to Little Palm Island. It was the best place I knew.

‘Even the birds were gone’

Since then, Irma had come ashore with wrecking 130 mph winds. And everybody else on Little Palm Island was somewhere else that day.

Inga from the concierge desk was in Pennsylvania. Rolando at the beach cabana was on Florida’s west coast. Sandi at the spa was miles away in Central Florida.

“Everything you see here now was all rebuilt,’’ Inga says, greeting us at the dock for a tour of the 4.5-acre island that used to be five acres before Hurricane Irma. All of it, from the wooden floors of the dining room that buckled under as much as eight feet of seawater to the thatched roofs of the 30 bungalows that blew away in the Cat. 4 force winds.

“The boutique over here used to be on the [other] side of the island,” she says, along with the white-sand beach where we’d had dinner the last time we were here. “The tree that used to overhang the pool is gone now. The bar over there was rebuilt. The piano survived – not even Irma could move that. The giant chess board you remember from your last visit did not – it’s been replaced by a reflection pond. Somehow, the Truman outhouse – built in the 1920s – survived. It survived! They knew how to build stuff back then.”

But almost everywhere else she sweeps her hand, you hear about trees knocked flat, or the Great Room that used to be on the ground floor that’s on top of a new building that houses the dining room now; or about how they found the beloved portraits of Bess and Harry S. Truman standing up to their pastel knees in seawater in the drowned remnants of the library.

“All those old books were washed out to sea,’’ Inga says, moving on to the beach cabana where they keep the ocean kayaks, paddleboards and Boston whalers. “But, as you can see, Irma did not take Rolando – he’s still here.”

“Were you like this, hanging on by your fingernails?” I ask Rolando, in his little cabana pressed between the sea and the pool.

“Oh yeah,” he says, smiling. “Kind of.’’

No, not really. No one was here for that.

“Thank goodness,” I say.

“Thank goodness,’’ he says.

Rolando had thought about staying, but he decided in the last hours to evacuate with everyone else. He waited in Naples until Irma let go of the Keys, then picked his way back through the debris field that was Monroe County.

“I came back two days after the storm,” says Rolando, one of the first employees to return. “It was a wreck. There was no place left with a roof, so I slept under the stars on a couple of porches. I was a couple of years living like that. No power – the undersea line had been cut, and they were afraid to turn the power back on until everything was repaired.”

There were changes everywhere, he says, big and small.

Before the storm, for example, there’d been life all over Little Palm Island. Squadrons of frigate birds riding currents high above the bungalows. Pelicans splashing after fish in the bay. Key deer swimming over from the mangroves of the National Key Deer Refuge – so many they put up signs to remind guests the 30-inch tall animals are protected by law.

“[But] there was no wildlife here after the storm,” Rolando says. “Even the birds were gone.”

It was two months before he even saw anything else alive. Heard it, actually, over the din of the mini dozer clearing debris across the island.

“The first back were the mourning doves,” he says. “You know, that coocooing song, singing every morning, calling for their mates. That was awesome. Life coming back.”

But there were questions whether the resort would be coming back. Whether Little Palm Island had taken too big a hit this time. Whether it was worth rebuilding in this beautiful but vulnerable place.

But it happened, a few weeks after the storm. He was here the day he got the news Noble House Hotels & Resorts and the insurers had resolved to rebuild. “A happy day,” he says.

And he was here the day Little Palm Island reopened, on March 1, 2020, almost two and a half years after Irma. The last resort in the Keys to reopen. “Now, if a storm like Irma happened again, I’d stay,” he says. “That big building [housing the Dining Hall, Monkey Hut bar, Great Room and Boutique], is set forever. The foundation goes 90 feet down in the rock.”

People started coming again almost as soon as it reopened, he says. The way they’d been coming to Little Munson Island since it was a fishing camp in the 1920s; and as a resort since 1988.

“We wanted it to stay the same as they left it,” he says, looking over the calm ocean where Irma had come ashore. “And it happened.”

The best place

A bottle of Laurent Perrier champagne was chilling in the bucket in our bungalow, the last time we stayed on Little Palm Island. This time, a bottle of Nicolas Feuillant.

That was about the only difference.

We wore ourselves out again, trying to do everything before the sun set. We could jump into an ocean kayak and take a few sharp turns into the mangroves around nearby Munson Island, still battered from Irma but still there. We could escape to the rebuilt SpaTerre for an 80-minute deep-tissue massage or 50 minute rose quartz facial with Sandi. We walked around the island, lounging by the new pool, sipping Butterfly Bees (Butterfly pea flower-infused Bombay Sapphire gin, honey, lemon juice and Rocky’s Botanical), swinging in hammocks, watching the frigate birds soar over the thatched roofs and the pelicans dive on fish in the bay, till the sun began to set and we got hungry.

Then we followed the crushed seashell footpaths, raked to Zen-garden like perfection (still no leaf blowers to disturb the peace here), past the rebuilt bungalows to the new dining room. It was too chilly for a table on the white-sand beach, back where it belongs on the Atlantic side of the island; so we took a table on the new deck as the sun began to set. The man at the piano Irma couldn’t budge began to play an old song.

“God bless the child that got his own.”

We were worn out by the time we were holding hands again on the launch to Little Torch Key the next day.

I didn’t know what to expect on Little Palm Island, seven years after the storm. But it’s still the best place I know.

IF YOU GO

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, 28500 Overseas Highway, Little Torch Key, Fla. 33042, 800-343-8567, littlepalmisland.com.

The ultra-luxe private island resort, where suites start at $2,800 per night, has 30 thatched-roof rooms – with new interiors – for never more than 60 guests at a time set amid ocean views, some with private sundecks with copper soaking tubs; tropical foliage and sandy beaches re-nourished since Hurricane Irma’s devastating winds in 2017. The one time “Munson Island Fishing Camp,” which hosted President and Mrs. Harry S. Truman, also features crushed seashell paths to the pool, new fitness center, docks for watercraft recreation, beach cabana and two-story SpaTerre, Noble House Hotels & Resorts’ signature spa. The resort’s private motor yachts depart to the island hourly (9:30 a.m.- 9:30 p.m.) from a new dock at the Welcome Station, just off U.S. 1 on Little Torch Key. The crossing takes 15-20 minutes, and is especially delightful at sunset with a Gumby Slumber – the island’s signature cocktail – in hand.

About the Key deer

The resort’s long been famous for visits from the endangered Key deer, which swim in from the nearby National Key Deer Refuge and other Keys. The 30-inch-tall animals delight guests with sightings (and, of course, selfies) at the dock, along the beach and foraging among the mangroves. (Many are such regular visitors they’ve been given names.) Feeding the deer, however, is illegal and can result in a $250 fine. Their numbers are still recovering from Irma.

We were not the first to fall under the charms of Little Palm Island

When actor Cliff Robertson came here to make the 1963 film “P.T. 109,” with Little Munson Island and the Keys standing in for the Solomon Islands in President John F. Kennedy’s Pacific wartime biopic, he apparently went a little island happy. He left a publicity still of himself at the helm of the P.T. boat, in full command of his role as President Kennedy, which hung on a wall in the dining room before Hurricane Irma.

“To my good friends of Little Island (Palm),’’ he signed. “Unposed and unclothed. My favorite beachhead.” The record, like the fading ink on the photo, was not clear on what prompted Robertson to write the dedication. Maybe it was the splendid isolation, the sunsets, the starry nights – or the Bacardi 151-spiked Shipwrecks. Sadly, Irma swept away the framed autographed photo. Rolando in the beach cabana, however, salvaged one souvenir: a faded poster from the movie that somehow survived.

“Despite various inflationary pressures, Americans are still willing to budget for travel,” Debbie Haas, vice president of travel for AAA, said.

Haas advised people to finalize plans early in anticipation of longer-than-usual lines. “Seemingly every year around this time we hear about winter weather that causes widespread cancellations or delays,” Haas said. “That’s another reason why we encourage travelers to get travel insurance, which offers protection for covered expenses associated with flight cancellations, lost luggage and on flights with delays of as little as three hours.”

Florida travel is projected to be 3.4% higher than last year. Nationally, 115.2 million people are projected to travel 50 miles or more, up 2.5 million from last year, but still below the record year of 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The holiday period is considered Dec. 23 to Jan. 1, with the busiest days on Dec. 23, Dec. 28 and Dec. 30.

Of course, our celebrations — packed with racing wiener dogs, Jägermeister on the New River and unlimited craft beer in a food hall — are a different vibe from the authentic fests you’ll find in, say, Munich, Germany. For those pining for tradition, there are live webcams galore offering bird’s-eye views of the beer tents and lederhosen parades at the legendary festival.

Still, we happen to think Broward and Palm Beach counties are bastions of good Bavarian taste. Raise a hefty stein for these local bashes of brats and beer — many authentic, some not very — scattered across bars, breweries and German-American clubs.

And remember, revelers, that a rideshare is your best “freund.”

Oktoberfest at the German American Society of Hollywood

Oct. 7 and Oct. 21 at 6401 Washington St., Hollywood; 954-322-6227; GermanAmericanClubHollywood.org

This family-friendly bash will unspool over three weekends, with entertainment including music by accordionist Bob Houston, Bavarian folk dancing by the Original Auerhahn Schuhplattlers, plus a fall dance by the German-American School of Ft. Lauderdale. There will also be cocktails, wines and games. Admission: $12 at the door.

Funky Buddha Brewery presents Oakland Park Oktoberfest

6-10 p.m. Oct. 6, 1-10 p.m. Oct. 7 and 1-7 p.m. Oct. 8 at Jaco Pastorius Park, 4000 N. Dixie Highway, Oakland Park; 954-630-4507; OaklandParkFl.gov

What makes Oakland Park, of all cities, the authority on Oktoberfest? The answer is a compelling story of … oh, look, a dachshund wearing an alpine hat and dirndl! Holy hefeweizen, that’s adorable. But where were we? Right: The city’s annual Bavarian celebration will return for three days at Jaco Pastorius Park alongside its centerpiece event, the Dachshund Dash, the annual running of costumed weenies to the finish line. There are also apple strudel-eating contests, stein and beer barrel races, and live music from Sepp Diepolder, Alpine Express and the ubiquitous Auerhahn Schuhplattlers. Next-door bierhaus Funky Buddha will handle the food and suds, which include Floridian Hefeweizen, Buddhafest (a caramel-accented amber marzen) and Saaz Matters (an earthy, herbal and crisp pilsner). Cost is $5 for general admission and free for children younger than 12.

Oktoberfest at Mathews Brewing Co.

2 p.m. Oct. 7 at 130 S. H St., Lake Worth Beach; 561-812-3738; MathewsBrewingCompany.com

Owner Dave Mathews’ 117-seat taproom in Lake Worth Beach is throwing a free-to-enter, daylong Oktoberfest bash in its dog-friendly beer garden with live bands, including power trio Maximum Friction (5-7:30 p.m.) and West Palm Beach country-rockers 56 Ace Band (8-11:30 p.m.) The brewery’s hefeweizens, Vienna and German lagers will cost $6.25 a pint, and Tightlines food truck will be on hand.

Oktoberfest at American German Club of the Palm Beaches

Oct. 13-15 and Oct. 20-22 at American German Club of the Palm Beaches, 5111 Lantana Road, Lake Worth Beach; 561-967-6464; OktoberfestFlorida.com

Over the course of two weekends, South Florida’s largest and most-authentic German bash draws north of 35,000 visitors. That’s a lot of bratwurst. The oompah band-playing, lederhosen-sporting, black forest cake-serving celebration returns with another round of family-friendly carnival rides. The American German Club of the Palm Beaches’ 49th annual event will also have live music from AGC Volkstanzgruppe, Black Thorne Pipe & Drum Band and Germany-based crowd-pleasers Heldensteiner HeuBodnBlosn, along with flag parades, Bavarian folk dancers — and no shortage of savory German cuisine. Cost is $7 to $10 (free for children younger than 7), plus $20 for clubhouse parking and $25 for optional unlimited rides, via Eventbrite.com.

Fort Lauderdale Firefighters’ 11th annual Oktoberfest

2-6 p.m. Oct. 14 at 309 SW 26th St., Fort Lauderdale; 954-761-1532; Facebook.com/FLFireBA

Raising money for sick and injured firefighters is the ambitious goal behind this fundraising bash, which will pit five to 10 home brewers in a competition judged by beer experts. Proceeds from the $25 admission benefit the Fort Lauderdale Firefighters Benevolent Association. “This is a fund that we grow in case, god forbid, something happens around the corner and firefighters need help,” says organizer Aaron Caja, a driver-engineer at Station 29 in east Fort Lauderdale. “When that need arises, the money will be there.” Pompano Beach restaurant Checkers Old Munchen will donate the food and ticketbuyers can taste unlimited beer samples. Home brews will be assayed by Julian Siegel (Tarpon River Brewing), Jimmy DiFrisco of LauderAle, and certified beer cicerone Gary Fuller.

The higher-speed rail line, which currently serves South Florida, had sold tickets for rides starting over the Labor Day weekend between West Palm Beach and its new station at Orlando International Airport.

“We’re working through the final stages of certification and crew testing but it’s apparent that we won’t hit our opening weekend as planned (Sept 1-5),” Brightline said in a statement. “Knowing it’s a holiday weekend, we want to give guests as much time as possible to adjust their travel plans.”

An unspecified number of customers have been told by text and email that they’ll have to wait a little longer as the railroad is still working on certifications and crew testing.

“Your trip is canceled and we want to provide you with as much notice as possible so you can adjust your plans,” the message says.

“We’re working hard to launch service for Brightline Orlando station but will not be operating September 1 as planned,” the notice says. “We’re in the final stages of certification and will announce a confirmed opening date soon.”

Brightline’s online schedule now shows that no trips are being sold until at least Sept. 15.

According to the notice, the company is taking three steps to ease customer inconvenience:

• Full refunds for the rides that are canceled.
• The “gifting” of premium level service for future use that is the “equivalent to the party size of your original purchase.”
• Discount car rentals of up to 35% with Avis.

Brightline has two classes of service. They include Smart, a business class section; and Premium, a “first-class experience with added amenities.” For the rides between Miami and Orlando, the Smart fare is $79; Premium is $149.

Information from the Orlando Sentinel was used to supplement this news article.

WHAT:

Patio power is a real thing with South Florida restaurants.

And yet OpenTable.com diners have given just three of our eateries props for al fresco fabulousness this year.

The online dining reservation site released the 2023 edition of the “100 Most Popular Restaurants for Outdoor Dining in America,” with two spots in Fort Lauderdale and one in Miami.

 THE WINNERS:

• Louie Bossi’s Ristorante Bar Pizzeria in Fort Lauderdale, a popular traditional Italian restaurant with a made-from-scratch kitchen. Co-owner Todd Herbst says, “Although there are many fabulous restaurants that offer outdoor dining in Florida, what we’ve done with what we call the Piazza at Louie Bossi’s is just very, very special, and we lucked out that we were able to get a location where the outdoor space was available to create this Italian piazza masterpiece.” 1032 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-356-6699; louiebossi.com/fortlauderdale

• Takato on Fort Lauderdale beach, a Japanese and Korean fusion concept in the Conrad Hotel. Takato can accommodate 60 guests indoors and 100 outdoors at tables and chairs sprawled around two waterfront terraces. General manager Paul-Antoine Fabre says, “Takato is the perfect location for an al fresco dining experience. Beyond a beautiful view, we’ve worked hard to make sure the atmosphere is welcoming and trendy, the curated music is upbeat and fun, the service is extremely attentive, and the cocktails and food are delicious. Every touch point has been carefully thought of, and we’re proud to have created a special outdoor ambiance that’s only enhanced by our view.” 551 N. Fort Lauderdale Beach Blvd., Fort Lauderdale; 954-414-5160; takatorestaurant.com

• Doya in the Wynwood neighborhood in Miami, billed as a modern Aegean restaurant that embodies the food, lifestyle and experiences of Greece and Turkey. That’s the region where executive chef/partner Erhan Kostepen grew up and had Doya’s design embody, including, “An expansive covered patio decorated with lush greenery,” according to its website. 347 NW 24th St., Miami; 305-501-2848; doyarestaurant.com

HOW DID THEY DO IT?

OpenTable says it analyzed more than 13 million diner reviews on the platform. If you look beyond SoFlo, the state took second place with 17 restaurants in the ranking, behind California with their 31 mentions

INFORMATION:

For the entire list, go to opentable.com/lists/most-popular-outdoor-dining-us-2023.

But beaches have an assortment of weird rules that sand lovers could unknowingly violate. No tables allowed next to your beach chairs? No business transactions in the sand? Cigars are OK, but not cigarettes? Who thinks of these things?

South Florida has so many cities on the beach, each with a different set of rules. Here’s a selection to help you out. Some are important for the everyday beachgoer, while others you may never need but are good to know, just in case you attend a wedding on the beach and want to sit in a chair (not allowed in Delray Beach).

CITY-BY-CITY RULES

Fort Lauderdale

No swimming in long pants or shoes. Fort Lauderdale Ocean Rescue Chief Alexandre Bagwell explains the rule this way: “Neighbors and visitors are advised not to swim fully clothed or in long pants and/or shoes because it doesn’t allow for efficient swimming, especially during strong rip currents. Swimming in the water can be a hazard. Ocean Rescue will politely whistle swimmers out of the water if they are wearing pants and/or shoes, and the Fort Lauderdale Police Department will be contacted only if necessary.”

No drying your clothes on trees, bushes, tables or in/around restrooms. According to Bagwell, “This can cause blind spots for Ocean Rescue, which is a matter of public safety. Also, the Fort Lauderdale Police Department’s homeless outreach officers and/or park rangers will be contacted if warranted.”

Hollywood

No tables allowed on the beach. “Generally speaking, because a table is hard to anchor down on a sandy beach, and it can block sight lines for lifeguards, posing a public safety risk, tables are only allowed in the designated picnic area of the sandy beach and parks,” Hollywood spokeswoman Joann Hussey said. “That said, they can be used via a special event permit that is applied for and approved by the city prior to an event.”

No food on the Broadwalk wall. This is the wall that separates the promenade from the beach. “I am told the Broadwalk wall rule came about after repeated issues,” Hussey said. “Pedestrians were being prevented from sitting/or stopping to rest, which is one of the original purposes for the wall, in addition to holding the sand back on the beach, etc. The wall apparently was repeatedly being used as a large table or storage area by individual families, thereby preventing others from enjoying this public amenity.”

Pompano Beach

No conducting business on the beach. The city doesn’t allow people to “sell, peddle, or carry on any business on or within 50 feet of the municipal public beach and any park recreational or cultural facility. This provision shall not apply to persons having express permission to do so from the City Commission or its authorized agents or personnel.”

Pompano Beach spokeswoman Sandra King said the law was initially implemented in 1959 and amended in 1991 and 2022 with safety and competitive concerns in mind, including “the potential for unlicensed vendors setting up at city facilities, such as food, bounce houses, dive cages, etc. (The city has a public event permitting process which multiple disciplines review including risk management, police and fire).” The city also has an agreement with its beachside Fishing Village that includes a no-compete clause so vendors don’t sell items similar to those sold in the village.

No changing of clothes unless you’re younger than 6. You may not “dress or undress, either by changing from ordinary street clothes into bathing or beach attire, or from beach attire into ordinary street clothes, on the municipal beach or municipal swimming pools or while riding in a motor vehicle on any public street or park in the city. This provision shall not apply to children under the age of six years, nor to restrooms or locker rooms provided for that purpose by the city.”

Delray Beach

No sitting down at weddings. According to the city’s website, “you can have a wedding on the beach, however you are not allowed to set up any chairs, tents, arches, tables, etc. The wedding must be between the hours of 8:00 a.m. and sunset, with no more than 25 in attendance and you will have to contend with the beach being open to the public.”

Lynda Wieland, Delray Beach’s business operations administrator, said the city tries to balance public access with giving residents room to enjoy private ceremonies. “This rule has been in effect since prior to my starting (in 2017), so not sure as to the when/why, but I imagine it is so the public can enjoy without having to give up space for special events.”

RULES THAT APPLY IN MANY CITIES

Smoking: There’s no cigarette smoking allowed on the beach in many cities, including Pompano Beach, Delray Beach, Boca Raton and Fort Lauderdale. Thanks to a new Florida law, cities have been approving beach cigarette bans in the past year, and there’s been little controversy. Cigar-lovers, however, caught a break: Cigar smoking is allowed due to an exemption in the state law.

Nudity: This is not allowed on public beaches anywhere in Broward or Palm Beach counties.

Sea turtle nests: Steer clear! It’s against federal and state laws to touch or disturb sea turtles or their nests. These nests are easy to find along South Florida beaches this summer and often have markings around them to ensure humans stay away. However, you can participate in organized sea turtle walks, which are a special treat; for a list of tours, click here.

Dogs: Dog policies are confusing as each city has its own rules. Some do not allow dogs at all, others on select days, others every day. And some — such as Boca Raton, which has a dog beach open only Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays — require permits. Boynton Beach’s Oceanfront Park beach allows dogs on some Saturdays in fall and winter. Fort Lauderdale has a permit-required Canine Beach that’s open daily, but only from 6 to 9 a.m. and 5 to 7 p.m. In Hollywood, dogs are allowed any day sunrise to sunset but only between Pershing and Custer streets, no permit needed. Dogs are not allowed on the beach in Delray Beach and Deerfield Beach.

Swimming: In Fort Lauderdale, Deerfield Beach, Hollywood and Pompano Beach, swimmers must stay within 50 yards of the shore. Lifeguards are on duty at many beaches from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m., but they stay as late as 7 p.m. at others. Some cities, such as Boynton Beach, Delray Beach and Pompano Beach, have designated surfing areas. In Fort Lauderdale, divers have to be accompanied by another diver. All beaches can be closed for lightning or other dangerous conditions.

Customers, however, will not immediately know when the trains will start operating on the new route that runs north along the Florida East Coast Railway to Cocoa, then hooks west on a newly constructed rail bed to a station at Orlando International Airport. It’s along that 35-mile segment that Brightline’s test trains in March reached 130 mph. The current top in-service speed has been limited to 79 mph.

“Once we have an opening date, we will make that announcement as well, and then guests can book for the inaugural ride,” said director of media relations Vanessa Alfonso.

Orlando ticket sales are open for trips starting Sept. 1.

Management believes there is significant enthusiasm among members of the traveling public to start sales now for a service expected to start in the latter part of this summer.

“Brightline guests and the travel market have spoken loudly, and we want to respond by opening ticket sales from late summer through the beginning of next year,” Patrick Goddard, president of Brightline, said in a statement distributed to the media Tuesday. “While we are finalizing an official launch date, guests can now book travel for Labor Day, Halloween and holidays through the new year.”

16 daily round-trips

“The service will include 16 daily round trips with hourly departures between Miami and Orlando,” the statement said. “Regular service from Orlando to Miami will stop at all Brightline stations including West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Fort Lauderdale and Aventura.”

Commuters in South Florida will continue to be served between Miami and West Palm Beach with early morning departures at 5 a.m. from West Palm Beach and late night departures until 12:45 a.m. out of Miami.

According to the statement, Brightline is offering “limited one-way SMART fares starting at $79 for adults and $39 for kids.”

Groups of four or more people can “automatically” save an additional 25% on SMART fares.

The service under the SMART category “offers a comfortable business-class option onboard in hand-stitched leather seats, complimentary Starlink WiFi, multiple power and USB outlets and an array of food and beverages available for purchase.”

One-way PREMIUM fares start at $149, the company said. It constitutes “a first class experience with added amenities” including a dedicated lounge, priority boarding, checked luggage, and complimentary snacks and beverages.

New terminus, new WiFi

The company introduced Starlink aboard its trains earlier this month. The service is a satellite network developed by Elon Musk’s SpaceX to provide low-cost internet to remote locations. Kevin T. McAuliffe, chief technology and digital innovation officer at Brightline, said the company is the first train service in the world to use the Starlink system.

The railroad formally unveiled its Orlando station last month. The 37,350-square-foot terminus is located adjacent to the airport’s Terminal C.

A parking garage offers more than 350 spaces designated for Brightline customers.

Local ground transportation choices at Orlando will include Brightline+ products including shuttles, Uber rideshare and car rentals. When booked, guests will receive confirmation email and instructions on how to add other services closer to their trip dates such as parking, checked baggage and Brightline+ mobility options.

The Florida Resident Disney Summer Magic Ticket offers a four-day ticket for $229 or a three-day ticket for $209. These tickets are valid May 16-Sept. 29, although there are 12 blockout dates leading into Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. Date-specific theme-park reservations are required with this ticket. The theme-park outings do not have to be on consecutive days with this package.

Proof of Florida residency is required.

This offer includes a park-hopper option (for $40) that allows visits to more than one park per day. There’s also a water park and sports option for $35, which permits visits to a Disney World water park (only Typhoon Lagoon is open currently) as well as a golf course or miniature golf course. A “park hopper plus” option lumps both of those together for $55 per ticket.

The resort’s 4-Park Magic Ticket, which becomes available May 23, has different restrictions. It’s valid between June 1 and Sept. 23 with eight blockout dates in July and September. It allows admission to each of the four theme parks on four different days. Those tickets expire within seven days of the first use (or on Sept. 29, whichever comes first).

The ticket may not be used to enter the same theme park more than once, and there is no park-hopper option. But this ticket deal does not require theme-park reservations.

Since last summer, Tron Lightcycle / Run has debuted at Magic Kingdom and “Fantasmic” has returned to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Two nighttime spectaculars — “Epcot Forever” at Epcot and “Happily Ever After” at Magic Kingdom — are back in the daily lineup as well.

For more details and the fine print, go to disneyworld.com.

Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com. Subscribe to the Theme Park Rangers newsletter at orlandosentinel.com/newsletters.

Westgate River Ranch Resort, located about 90 minutes south of Orlando, was chosen by voters as number one on a list of the Top 10 glamping spots in the U.S. The Florida dude ranch and luxury glamping resort sits on 1,700 acres overlooking the Kissimmee River with options to sleep in a Conestoga wagon, glamping tents, teepees, rail cars, cabins, cottages, and lodge suites. Overnight stays start around $49 per night for primitive tent sites and go up to $799 per night for a Conestoga wagon (check the Westgate website for up-to-date prices).

“Glamping” is an emerging trend for people who want to dip their toes into the world of camping without the hassle of roughing it and setting up their own tent. The term was added to the Oxford dictionary in 2016, defined as “a type of camping, using tents and other kinds of accommodation, facilities, etc. that are more comfortable and expensive than those usually used for camping.”

The Florida destination placed ahead of glamping getaways in Ohio, Michigan, Utah, Alabama, Wisconsin, New York, Maine and Tennessee.

Westgate River Ranch Resort, the largest dude ranch east of the Mississippi, offers families the chance to embark on an airboat or swamp buggy ride, experience a petting farm, take a river cruise or a horseback ride and make s’mores on the fire. Ambitious adventurers can try trap shooting, skeet shooting or riding the mechanical bull, but there are more laid-back activities such as mini golf and fishing.

One of the ranch’s biggest draws is the Saturday night rodeo, where visitors can see bull riding, barrel racing and trick riding.

“Our team members at River Ranch work diligently to provide once-in-a-lifetime experiences for our guests,” said Ray Duncan, the resort’s general manager, in a news release. “To see their efforts being rewarded by USA Today and its readers is phenomenal, and we are thrilled to be representing Central Florida with such a high distinction.”

To learn more, visit 10best.com or westgateresorts.com.

READ MORE:

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“It’s given to a sommelier, wine director or beverage director for showing notable effort devoted to the beverage service — wine specifically, but at Soseki, sake, too — that adds to the dining experience,” an anonymous chief inspector for the Michelin Guide in North America told the Orlando Sentinel.

It’s a formidable addition to chef Michael Collantes’ Winter Park omakase, which was awarded a Michelin star in Florida’s inaugural year.

Coutts, said the inspector, demonstrated outstanding proficiency in recommending wines that added depth to the meal during the Michelin visits.

“His knowledge, confidence and approachability make Soseki guests feel comfortable when ordering wine. The inspectors were impressed by the thoughtful pairings and suggestions offered to accompany the unique cuisine.”

Awards like this one, said Gwendal Poullennec, international director of the Michelin Guides, “create awareness around the entirety of the restaurant team and salute those whose efforts might sometimes be overlooked. We want to spotlight these important roles, so they attract talented professionals — for a healthy future of the dining industry and a positive dining experience for guests.”

New Orlando additions to the Guide this year: AVA MediterrAegean, Doshi, Edoboy. Juju, Kaya, Toledo, Twenty Pho Hour, Victoria & Albert’s, and YH Seafood Club, with four — Isan Zaap, Otto’s High Dive, Norigami, and Taste of Chengdu — receiving the Bib Gourmand distinction, which recognizes great food at a great value (restaurants where one can have two courses and a glass of wine or dessert for about $50).

Each of the restaurants selected in 2022, the Michelin Guide’s inaugural year in Florida, retained their place in the Guide save Miami’s Buya Izakaya, which has since closed its doors.

Tampa debuted on the star map this year, with three restaurants — Koya (Japanese), Lilac (contemporary) and Rocca (Italian) — earning one each. Additional Bibs in Orlando’s neighbor to the west went to Gorkhali Kitchen and Psomi. In Miami, the Tambourine Room by Tristan Brandt, serving contemporary cuisine inside the Carillon Miami Wellness Resort, was awarded a star as well, with restaurants Jaguar and Rosie’s joining the ranks of the Bib Gourmand-awarded.

In all, the inspectors awarded stars to 19 Florida restaurants. These include those from 2022 and 2023. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon Miami tops the list as the only two-starred venue.

“As we typically see in Year 2 of a new Michelin Guide destination, the culinary scene is evolving,” said Poullennec. “Orlando chefs and restaurant teams are inspired to take their craft to the next level for their guests, which is the right motivation.”

Anonymous inspectors, he noted, revisit all the restaurants in the selection each year to re-evaluate the cuisine.

“They’re also doing research, visiting other restaurants for the first time and adding to the selection as they see fit — as part of the Michelin Guide’s ‘new additions’ installments throughout the year,” said Poullennec.

“I’m so extremely proud of David Tsan for his work at Norigami and the new Bib Gourmand,” said an elated Johnny Tung, who attended with his partners in Bento Group, noting that Miami and the venue made for a beautiful event location. “The people from Isan Zaap are super nice and so excited to be here, Chef Tiger (Tang, from Taste of Chengdu) is here and everyone who came is just so excited to be here representing Orlando.”

All of Florida’s Michelin-recommended restaurants can be found at guide.michelin.com and on the free Michelin Guide app.

Want to reach out? Find me on Facebook, Twitter or Instagram or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. For more fun, join the Let’s Eat, Orlando Facebook group or follow @fun.things.orlando on Instagram, Facebook and Twitter.