Hotel versus Vacation Home

We have recently come back from a 3 day break at the Sandpearl Resort in Clearwater Beach. While the resort was great, the staff friendly, attentive and had a sense of humor, the 3 night stay, in comparison to what we offer, was a little expensive.

Admittedly, the resort had a great pool, was on the beach, had a fitness centre and a spa, however, at over $200 per night, all that was included was the use of the fitness centre and the pool.

Parking was valet parking only, at an additional cost of $16 per day, plus gratuities each time the car was delivered to you, then returned to the car park. Neither myself or Brian uses a fitness centre, I prefer walking, Brian prefers doing nothing, and, even though I paid $130 for a massage in the spa, Brian could not use the spa hot tub or steam shower, unless he paid $25 for access. Then there was the additional resort fee, another $15 per day, plus tax! We did ask for this to be removed, as we had not been told about this at the time of booking.

Which makes me ask myself "Why do our guests think that paying over a $100 per night, for a vacation home with 4 separate bedrooms, a private pool, a full size kitchen, a large family room and often Internet access and or a game room, is really expensive?"

Guys, come on. We have just paid almost $300 a night, for one bedroom, with a king bed, a writing desk, a TV, a small balcony, a very small fridge, a small bathroom and a small closet. Give the owners of our vacation homes a break, pleeeeaaaase, stop trying to bring the rates down.

When you compare what you get in a vacation home, to what you get in a hotel, you would certainly get a bigger bang for your buck, even if the rates were $300 a night! Luckily, you won't pay anything near $300 a night for 4 bedrooms!

Even in this tough economy, you can still afford that family vacation. Just look at our website: www.disneyfloridaholidays.com and check out the space you get, and compare the value!

Another Day In Paradise

The weather here in Florida is back to more normal temperatures. Mid to high 90's. Managing vacation homes we see many things. One of the most upsetting, is to see young children and babies cranky due to the hot weather, while having to stand in line at the parks.

My tip: Bring an umbrella. Not only will you have shelter from the mid afternoon rain, but you will also have shade while walking, (or standing) in the hot sun.

Wish I had taken my own advice while at our friend's 4th July BBQ. I wouldn't have had to spend so much time searching for shade!

Another Day In Paradise

Yesterday was our 36th wedding anniversary. To celebrate, we decided to take a day off from work and the kids, well the teenager still living at home, and spend some time to ourselves.

Our plans for a long lie were disrupted by the arrival of the contractors who arrived to get an early start on building the retaining wall around our soon to be pool. However, this turned out to be a good thing.

We had planned to spend the day in the small town of Winter Park. Get a spot of lunch, visit the wine bar and sample some wine, and view some condos with a view to planning our retirement, which seems forever away. I had forgotten to pull off the MLS, some available condos to view, and as every Realtor knows, the MLS works at its own pace, slower than molasses going up hill, as our superwoman office manager often says. So, the early awakening gave me the time to pull off the information I required, with no hassle from my other half!

It was lunch time before we actually set off. Winter Park is my idea of a little piece of heaven amidst the hustle and bustle of the "mouse house". A small old world town, with unusual stores, as well as famous names. Give me a good shoe store, a well stocked cook store and an unusual cheese store, and I am in heaven. Add to this good restaurants and I have all the attractions I personally need.

After walking in the heat for an hour, we went into the little wine bar, where you can purchase a card, and sample all the wines they have in stock. For me, the choice is very narrow, I like a sweet fruity wine, for others, it is a good idea to leave the car at home, or designate a driver, as the choice is vast, and it is easy to get carried away.

We purchased the wine we liked, and continued on our way. Our last couple of condos to view, so far, nothing had tempted us. Then we wanted to have our anniversary meal. Coming into the main street, I had spied a little courtyard tucked away behind the main row of stores. We decided to check it out. We found The Bistro nestled in an idyllic setting.

http://www.bistroonparkavenue.com

We were met by proprietor Randy Parsons, who allowed us to sit and view the menu, before we decided that this was the place we wanted to dine. We chose to sit in the sun room, a large glass dining room overlooking the courtyard. The food was excellent, as was the service, and very reasonably priced.

We discovered that our server, Emma Marie, was also a photographer, specializing in Wedding Photography.

http://www.emmamariephotography.com/

All in all, we had a wonderful day, in a place close to all the attractions, yet worlds apart. A place where guests in our vacation homes can visit and enjoy a different side of Orlando.

http://www.disneyfloridaholidays.com/

http://www.chooseyournewhome.com/