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.

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.

Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa-Scheduled to open the summer of 2009!

Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will mark the newest phase of what has become the largest Disney Vacation Club resort. This new phase will revive Walt Disney World "treehouse living," a cherished tradition from 1975-2002. While crews are replacing villas of the '70s with brand-new vacation homes, Imagineers took special care to honor the original octagonal design. As a result of replacing the old villas, 5,178 tons, or 65.22 percent, of materials from demolition were recycled, including concrete and metals.
Each stand-alone Treehouse Villa will come together like a giant 3-D puzzle to ensure both superior quality and environmental sensitivity making this phase unique as respects its contruction process. Great "lengths" have been taken to ensure every vacation home runs smoothly. Consequently, there are 87,858 lineal feet, or 16.6 miles, of wire for fiber optics, copper, telephones and CATV.
The Treehouse Villas at Disney’s Saratoga Springs Resort & Spa will give guests the opportunity to experience "glamping" or "glamorous camping" with stand-alone vacation villas. All of this is just around the corner from Disney Downtown. Highlights are as follows:

• 60 three-bedroom homes, elevated 10 feet off the ground on pedestals and beams.


• Offer modern luxeries such as cathedral ceilings, a full kitchen, granite countertops, flat screen TVs, and even a whirlpool tub.


• Will sleep nine.


• Three bedrooms and two baths.


• Master bedroom-queen. Second bedroom-queen. Third bedroom-bunk. Living room-queen size sleeper sofa and sleeper chair.


• Interesting fact: Disney Vacation Club has doubled its membership since 2004 to include more than 350,000 individual members from each U.S. state and approximately 100 different countries.