Martha Stewart visits Merritt Island estate, calls Hacienda Del Sol 'fabulous, paradise'

When Martha Stewart has travel problems, what does she do? She spends "an extra day in Florida," specifically, Merritt Island.

So says an Instagram post to her roughly 2 million followers: "More travel problems gave us an extra day in Florida so we decided to drive to Merritt Island (home of Cape Canaveral and Kennedy Space Center) to visit @toddeberle and Richard Pandesio who just got an old Florida Hacienda that is historic and fabulous So many rooms - Such great giant trees A concrete lake - Birds - nature And lots of architectural interest Thank you guys for lunch and the tour we loved every minute And happy new year in your new found paradise."

The Florida home that the Food Network queen described as "historic and fabulous" is Hacienda Del Sol on Merritt Island, a riverfront 7.6 acre-property once owned by Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's fast-food restaurants. In her Instagram photo, Stewart has a drink in hand, sports a fedora and zip-up cozy sweater and poses at the bar with Eberle and Pandesio.

Here's what we know about Hacienda Del Sol, Martha Stewart's visit to Merritt Island and her most recent trip to Florida.

Who is Martha Stewart? Does Martha Stewart live in Florida?

Martha Stewart is a celebrity chef and cookbook author. In May 2023, Martha Stewart went viral for appearing on the cover of Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Issue − at 81 years old. She is the oldest cover model in the history of the magazine, which celebrates its 60th anniversary this year.

The TV personality has spent years vacationing in and around Palm Beach County, Florida. She's also frequently a headliner at the South Beach Wine and Food Festival.

Most recently, the 82-year-old Stewart spent the last week of 2023 in Florida and went viral while doing so.

On Friday, Dec. 29, Stewart made shock waves on social when she posted a "thirst trap" selfie or sexy photo from a Palm Beach County bathroom. She drew comparisons to Blanche Devereaux of "The Golden Girls" for striking a pose in a sexy, expensive nightgown, showing a hint of cleavage and posting the photo on Instagram: "After an eight hour plane trip from westchester (New York) to Palm Beach - horrible by the way - we went to bed early and wore my beautiful @sabbiarosa nightgown (linen with robe). I didn't look so bad when I got up at least not as bad as I did when I went to bed - it must be the $$$$$outfit!!"

Stewart then spent New Year's Eve at Club Colette in South Florida. In addition to her visit to Merritt Island, she went antique shopping in West Palm Beach, posting a photo Wednesday, Jan. 3, of a squirrel statue to her social feed.

What is Hacienda Del Sol on Merritt Island, Florida?

At $6 million, Hacienda Del Sol is tied for the most expensive home sold in Brevard County in 2023.

The riverfront estate at 205 Hacienda Drive, Merritt Island, features 22,000 square feet of living space, including 11 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms, pool, gym, sauna, pool house, guest cottage and tennis court.

The property is nicknamed the “White House of the South” because of its many prominent visitors — including presidents — over the years. Previous owners include Dave Thomas, the founder of Wendy's fast-food restaurants, and cruise line owner Bjornar Hermansen.

According to Stephanie Moss Dandridge of One Sotheby’s International, the agent who represented the buyer and seller in the March 2023 transaction, Hacienda Del Sol served as a venue for hundreds of private and charitable events.

Contributing: Lianna Norman, USA TODAY Network-Florida

Sangalang is a lead digital producer for USA TODAY Network-Florida. Follow her on Twitter or Instagram at @byjensangalang. Support local journalism. Consider subscribing to a Florida newspaper.

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Travel problems give Martha Stewart an 'extra day in Florida'