Tuesday, December 30, 2008

A visit to Weston just outside of Fort Lauderdale, FL

Vacation Rick sends his greetings once again. Saturday we left the beautiful white sand beach of Fort Meyers Beach. We had a good time and enjoyed the week at the Lahainna Inn Resort. The water was beautiful, the weather was warm and pleasant, very low key, and a time of reflection and connection. The only complaint was voiced by Wendy, it had to do with my smelly watershoes I used to stand in the water as I surf fished. It was a legitimate complaint. Salty wet shoes have a unique disgusting smell about them. Enough said about that.
The drive across Florida to Weston(declared the best kept secret of South Florida, or at least that is what we were told), just outside of Fort Lauderdale, on the edge of the Everglades, was pleasant. It took about an hour and forty-five minutes. On arriving we looked for a place to eat lunch. We pulled into a beautiful shopping center called The Weston Town Center. Very classy upscale stores. We found this Italian ristorante and pizzeria called Tarantella's. The pizza was very good and Wendy’s salad was excellent. She gave the dressing high marks. The service was equal to the food. If you are ever in the area it is worth a visit.
Time to check into the Vacation Village, a time share resort on Racquet Club Rd. just off of Bonaventure Blvd. Typical check in. Welcome you, explanation of the amenities and offers, solicit an appointment for a free breakfast and time share tour with a gift offering for a down payment of twenty dollars, your choice of either tickets to a restaurant or a dinner cruise or a seventy-five dollar gift card. A few other offers and discounts and enough of this, finally on our way to our condo. Settled in and went to Publix for the weeks groceries. Checked out the pools and where things were located in the resort.
Sunday was a day of relaxation. Warm and sunny, a good day to spend at the pool and surfing the internet. In between caught some quarters of the NFL football games for the day. New England, what a blowout. Great game for the Titans. The Browns, nothing to cheer about there.
Monday morning we went to Everglades Holiday Park for an airboat guided tour of the everglades. Typical tourist trap, the airboat ride was nice and somewhat informative, we did see one alligator and plenty of iguana, which I did think was unusual. The iguana were as big as the alligator. We skipped the alligator show, not interested in seeing someone annoy the alligators. The rest of the day we spent at the pool and played cards.
Tuesday arrived and the dreaded time share tour. The breakfast was okay and then, the torcher began and lasted for over three hours. We wanted to be polite but, wanted the gift card even more. The sales person went on and on. I told Wendy, "It comes to the point where a person can talk themselves out of a deal and that is where this salesperson has arrived." We looked around us, the room was filled with people in agony as their personal salesperson barraged them with their presentations. The moment arrived for the heavy handed representative to move in. We had enough and before they could speak I said, "We have been here for over three hours, we have to go, our answer is no." "You don’t want to hear the excellent offer we have for you, just two thousand dollars?" "No we don’t!" It finally ended and we got the gift card. Lunch at Pineras, played cards, read books, and watched television. It was basically cloudy and cooler so, it wasn’t a good pool day.
Wednesday it rained off and on. We took a drive to Fort Lauderdale Beach. The surf was rough, a lot of wind. We had lunch at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co. by the Boardwalk. Beautiful view of the beach. Spent some money at the stores nearby. Returned to the resort and played cards, surfed the net, and whatever else to fill the time. Hopefully tomorrow the rain will clear out.
Thursday the sun finally made its appearance. Played "Spite and Malice" in the morning and then went to the pool for a farewell dip and final rays of sun before seeing the movie "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" around 4:00 pm. Thoroughly enjoyed the movie and we could tell the audience enjoyed it too. An older woman sitting next to me at the end asked me if that was a true story or just story from a book. If it was a true story it certainly would be a curious case. I told her it was a story from a book. Tomorrow we will be leaving early in the morning returning to our home in Charleston, SC.
Have a great day!!!-Vacation Rick
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Monday, December 22, 2008

Lahaina Inn Resort-Fort Meyers Beach, FL

Aloha from Vacation Rick at Fort Meyers Beach, Estero Island, FL. We are staying at the Lahaina Inn Resort for this week. Beautiful location, right on the beach, can see dolphins swimming by right from the porch of the condo. The resort could use some upgrades, but you can't beat the location if you like the sun, the beach, and fishing. Excellent for beach walkers and joggers. The pools are small, just good for a quick dip to cool off from the hot sun.
The first night we were here, Friday, we ate at the Fish House in the Fishtale Marina with the Jones'. The drinks were good, they didn’t skimp on the alcohol like some places do. The food was, read between the lines, very pricy. Although, my wife said her steamed oysters were very good. Wish I could say the same for the grouper. The evening progressed into cards and conversation. Since the Fish House, it has been just good old condo cooked meals and a couple of barbecues.
Saturday and Sunday there were showers off and on. Our check in on Saturday wasn’t until 3:00 in the afternoon so, to kill some time, we took a walk in a new park and saw the local wildlife, aligators and such. On Sunday, we went and saw the movie "The Day the Earth Stood Still". What a mistake. I liked the old movie. They should have stuck with the original story line. The weather has been beautiful since.
Every Monday morning the resort prepares a breakfast for all the guests, nothing big, just scrambled eggs, ham, pastries, and juice. Wednesday we went to The Olive Garden. I always enjoy their Belini peach iced tea. Good service and descent food.
Fishing has been good. I have caught a variety of fish. The tan is well on its way. All in all, it has been mainly sitting in the sun, dips in the pool to cool off, walks in the surf, sudokus, and fishing. Throw in there a couple of rented DVD movies from Blockbuster. Side note, waiting on Wendy hand and foot. Ha! Ha!
That's all for now. Our next stop is Weston, Fl. We will be staying at the Vacation Village at Weston. We will catch you later!
Do you have vacation plans, check out Vacation Rick's travel site.

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Group RCI, Disney Vacation Club Announce Multi-Year Affiliation Relationship!

Group RCI, part of the Wyndham Worldwide family of companies, and Disney Vacation Club, a vacation ownership program that helps families with flexibility and savings on vacations, have announced a new multi-year affiliation relationship. This new agreement allows subscribing members access to several vacation opportunities.
Effective January 1, 2009, RCI will become the third-party exchange provider for Disney Vacation Club, enrolling Disney Vacation Club’s member families into RCI's global exchange network. RCI is considered within the timeshare industry as the global leader in vacation exchange.
Disney Vacation Club members will be able to take vacations at a variety of destinations across six continents and 25 countries, and will have access to more all-inclusive options as well as more nightly exchanges and a selection of high-end fractional properties.
RCI’s members will now also enjoy the opportunity to exchange into Disney Vacation Club resorts and may rent at Disney Vacation Club resorts throughout the year. RCI has more than three million members worldwide, who enjoy dream vacations at RCI's over 3,700 affiliated resorts.
Go to Disney Vacation Club for more information on what it has to offer.
Go to Group RCI for more information on what it has to offer.
For information on travel options and travel packages go to Charleston Travel-Vacation Rick.

Monday, December 1, 2008

Disney Magical Places-Win 1,000,000 Instantly!!!

In these uncertain economic times winning $1,000,000 would boost your spirits and add security to your bank account. Disney is offering you the chance to win that $1,000,000 security. If you buy Disney DVD's or Blue-ray Disc's, the chance to win instantly comes with it.
All you have to do is buy one of the selected Disney movies and inside the cover you will find a Magic code. Enter the Magic code at DisneyMovieRewards.com and continue your journey to magical places.
Magic codes on these selected movies may be worth an instant $1,000,000 in the Disney Magical Places One Million Dollar Sweepstakes. Every eligible Magic code entered between October 1, 2008 and January 31, 2009 gives you a chance to win instantly. The more codes you enter the more chances you have to win.
Want more information, go to DisneyMovieRewards.com. The Selected Disney Movies here.