Latest news with #HutchinsonIsland
Times
16-05-2025
- Times
The secret affordable coastline that in-the-know Floridians love
Only 30 minutes' drive from the mansions and skyscrapers of Palm Beach County — home, at last count, to 58 billionaires and one sitting president — is a quiet stretch of sand lined with wild grasses and seagrape bushes. Here, a sign at the low-key café in the dunes reads: 'No Tipping. Service is Our Pleasure'. This is Martin County, a 22-mile stretch of barrier islands and yacht-dotted lagoons north of Palm Beach that couldn't feel more different from its glitzy neighbour. I came to explore it while travelling between Miami and Orlando's Universal Studios last summer. I'd wanted to break the five-hour road trip midway (it's a two-hour drive from each) and had been drawn to this stretch of Florida's Atlantic coast by its similarity to the Florida Keys, 170 miles south. All fishing charters, quayside restaurants and pelicans perched on pilings, it has that laid-back charm for which Florida's southern island chain is famous but is much closer to Orlando's theme parks — and a lot cheaper too. Take the free turtle nest excavation I had on Hutchinson Island, one of the barrier islands, which made me feel as if I was on an Attenborough documentary and even involved getting eggshell under my fingernails. I had the privilege of seeing not just one tiny thumb-sized loggerhead sea turtle hatch but also eight newborn leatherbacks being released into the cold Atlantic swells. Like the 20 others watching the scientist Nell Brewer at work, I couldn't believe my luck that such an experience was entirely gratis (the county also lays on dolphin-spotting trips, beach kayaking sessions and nature walks for no charge whatsoever; Martin County is such a well-kept secret that, everywhere I went, I was the only foreigner. Even a model friend who lives in nearby Miami and was once invited to a party at Donald Trump's Palm Beach mansion Mar-a-Lago (and has the selfie with the president to prove it) hadn't heard of the place, let alone visited. He's been missing a trick. Martin County is theplace to go if you're trying to get yourself 'shoot ready'. It's all about embracing the outdoors, whether you're into surfing, sailing (practically a religion, as proved by the two dozen marinas along its bays and inlets), canoeing, cycling or walking. There's plenty of opportunity for the last of these at the Jonathan Dickinson State Park, a vast wilderness crisscrossed with paved bridleways, as well as rivers full of alligators and manatees, which visitors can spot on guided boat trips (£20pp for a 90-minute ride; Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus recently tried to build three golf courses in the park but were given short shrift. Martin County already has 28 public courses and you'll find even more just minutes north in neighbouring St Lucie County, including the PGA Golf Club's 54 Championship holes (18 holes from £60; Palm Beach, of course, has dozens of pay-and-play options, not to mention exclusive private members' clubs such as the Floridian National, where Trump and Woods used to play together. Its membership is said to include Barack Obama and George W Bush, while the basketball legend Michael Jordan was allegedly asked to leave for playing music too loud on his buggy. I'm not into golf but I did spy its fairways during a two-hour sundown sail from the city of Stuart with Treasure Coast Sailing Adventures, reclining on deck as our sleek six-man catamaran slipped along the tidal lagoon that separates Martin County from Palm Beach (£38; It was too late to spot any celebs on the greens so we focused instead on finding a more benign local — the area's resident bottlenose dolphin, which the captain Fred Newhart said he sees most days, nursing her foot-long calf. The bay is the perfect place for her to raise the youngster as the waters are teeming with shoals of fish. • Read our full guide to Florida Game fishing is also big business in this part of Florida and Stuart is known as the sailfish capital of the world. Quintessentially Floridian, the city is like Key West but without the spring breakers and Hemingway hordes. The 19th-century president Grover Cleveland loved it so much, he planned to build his own version of Mar-a-Lago here but died before he got the chance. Its downtown streets are great for browsers. They're lined with ice-cream parlours and boutiques selling everything from driftwood herons (at the Rare Earth Gallery) to barely there beachwear in crochet and macramé (at Vetu). Better still, in the courtyards behind the shops you'll find lively restaurants and bars such as Sneaki Tiki, which serves £1.50 tacos and £2 beers ( • The affordable way to see Florida's best bits — without a car I was staying on Hutchinson Island, a 15-minute drive north of Stuart, in the nautical-themed hotel Hutchinson Shores Resort & Spa. It's one of the pricier options in the area but does have an idyllic setting on Jensen Beach. I woke each morning to find figure-of-eight tracks on the sand beneath my balcony — signs that turtles had been nesting (room-only doubles from £242; Other intriguing tourist sights nearby include the House of Refuge Museum, a bizarre yet fascinating Victorian home built as a haven for potential shipwreck survivors along what was then a sparsely populated coastline (£8; Then there's the Elliott Museum, which has so many one-of-a-kind classic cars, they have to be lowered down on a giant jukebox-style lift for visitors to view (£16). Two minutes from the hotel is the lagoon-side neighbourhood of Jensen Beach, home to laid-back, Keys-style hangouts such as Conchy Joe's, with its musical bingo nights and topless mermaid mural (mains from £14; If you like prawns, oysters and crabs, you'll love this restaurant's neon-lit seafood bar. As a veggie, I was more at home at nearby Tako Tiki, an open-air eating spot specialising in street tacos and burritos, where couples slow-danced between the tables and diners whooped at the scruffy hippy playing the guitar (mains from £13; They were all locals but that might not be the case for long. The high-speed train that links Miami and Orlando will be stopping in Stuart from 2026. Whether the turtle-spotting will still be free once that happens is debatable. But you'll be more than happy to Edwards as a guest of America As You Like It, which has ten nights' room-only — five in Stuart and five in Orlando — from £1,825pp, including flights and car hire (
The Sun
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Olivia Dunne wears tiny leopard bikini on sun-kissed Florida vacation after wowing fans at Kentucky Derby
OLIVIA DUNNE's fans are beginning to join the dots on her fashion taste. The ex-gymnast showed she's always happy to be spotted - as she swapped a dress covered in black circles for the Kentucky Derby with a leopard-print bikini for the beach. 6 6 6 Just weeks ago, the influencer was in tears as she hung up her leotard. Thee Sports Illustrated model, 22, saw her LSU Tigers gymnastics team beaten in last month's NCAA semi-finals. But Dunne has continued to dazzle on the sporting front. She went for a white spotted outfit, complete with hat and handbag at the Kentucky Derby. Many compared that look to Julia Roberts 's title character in 1990 movie Pretty Woman. And now she's been enjoying a beach vacation with older sister Julz on Hutchinson Island South in Florida. Fans might think she's won A Ticket to Paradise - the name of her 2022 comedy film with George Clooney - as she glowed and grinned in the sun. Dunne shared the pictures on Instagram - labelling them "vacayyy". 6 6 And there could be a special reason for the trip - which might make the sandy shores a regular sight for the former artistic athlete. Dunne posted on TikTok: "First-semester grad school done, house hunting at the beach, bought a NYC apt, and walking to get a pina colada life is sweet like cinnamon." Olivia Dunne breaks down in tears after emotional life-changing decision leaves her future uncertain That could mean a massive change in pace after five seasons competing for the Tigers. The girlfriend of Pittsburgh Pirates star Paul Skenes confirmed her college departure with an emotional message on X two weeks ago. She wrote: "(Piece sign emoji) out gymnastics it's been real... and of course forever LSU! (purple heart emoji)." 6
Daily Mail
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Olivia Dunne enjoys her retirement from college gymnastics with beach day in Florida
shared snaps of herself in a leopard-print bikini as she enjoyed the end of her college gymnastics career with a beach vacation in Florida on Wednesday. The 22-year-old shared a clip as she posed with her older sister Julz, who wore a black two-piece as they strolled in the surf in Hutchinson Island South. The star is apparently also searching for somewhere to live, as she wrote on TikTok: 'First-semester grad school done, house hunting at the beach, bought a NYC apt, and walking to get a pina colada, life is sweet like cinnamon.' Fresh out of college, Livvy is starting off on her own after calling it a career on her time in gymnastics. An injury in her final season of college led to the fifth-year senior gymnast focusing more on her social media and modeling career than sports. At the weekend, Dunne was spotted at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. She appeared to have a bit of an awkward moment during her 'Riders Up' call - sounding confused and shooting a weird look off camera at the end. Dunne posted a TikTok showing off her wardrobe for the event and responded to a comment saying her version of the call 'was a tough watch'. 'I couldn't hear myself because of the echo of the microphone,' Dunne, 22, wrote, adding a crying emoji. In addition to horse racing, Dunne will be likely make many more appearances in Pittsburgh to watch boyfriend Paul Skenes pitch for the Pirates.
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Livvy Dunne stuns in leopard print bikini on vacation with her sister
After her college career has come to an end, social media influencer and swimsuit model Livvy Dunne is taking some time for herself with a little vacation. The Sports Illustrated model was seen on the beach and showing off her athletic figure in a leopard print bikini on the sands of Hutchinson Island South in Florida. She appeared to be enjoying herself as she lapped up the rays in south Florida as she was joined by her sister, Julz. Livvy shared a snap with her older sibling, who sported a black two-piece of her own, as they walked through the waves. It appears that Dunne is at the beach in order to find a second place to live, according to a post she made on TikTok. 'First-semester grad school done, house hunting at the beach, bought a NYC apt, and walking to get a piña colada life is sweet like cinnamon,' she captioned a video on the social media platform. Fresh out of college, Livvy is starting off on her own after calling it a career on her time in gymnastics. An injury sustained in her final season of college led to the fifth-year senior gymnast deciding to focus more on her social media and modeling career than sports. It doesn't mean we won't be seeing any less of Livvy around the world of sports though. Over the weekend, Dunne was spotted at Churchill Downs for the Kentucky Oaks on Friday and the Kentucky Derby on Saturday. She appeared to have a bit of an awkward moment during her 'Riders Up' call - sounding confused and shooting a weird look off camera at the end. Dunne posted a TikTok showing off her wardrobe for the event and responded to a comment saying her version of the call 'was a tough watch'. 'I couldn't hear myself because of the echo of the microphone,' Dunne, 22, wrote, adding a crying emoji. In addition to horse racing, Dunne will be likely make many more appearances in Pittsburgh to watch boyfriend Paul Skenes pitch for the Pirates.
