Don’t Get Stuck in Puerto Backyarda.
March 31, 2008
Filed under Lisa Ann Schreier
Have you read the papers lately? The economic outlook can cause a lot of stress. And the more stress you’re under, the more you need a vacation. During periods of economic troubles, the worst thing you can do is cancel your vacation. So what’s the cure for those of us who are fiscally concerned but still need a break from the rat race? Vacation smarter!
Lisa Ann Schreier, author of “Timeshare Vacations for Dummies”, recently listed four alternatives to the traditional vacation that could save you some money.
Read Lisa’s article to see why you shouldn’t think about depriving yourself of a vaction this year!
Other Travel Tips:
Tips for Saving Money on Your Timeshare Vacation
March 31, 2008
Filed under Timeshare & Travel Tips
If you’re feeling a pinch in your pocketbook, and would like to stretch your dollars on your next timeshare vacation, consider these hints:
Remember to pack toiletries and first-aid items
It’s a hassle, and it’s expensive, to pick up sunscreen, make-up and other toiletries once you’re on vacation. Make a check-list of all your personal items, medicines, band-aids and ointments that you don’t want to forget to pack before you leave home. Also, be sure to pack anything that might be confiscated at the airport in your luggage rather than your carry-on bag. It can be expensive to replace these items after you’ve reached your destination.
Use your timeshare’s kitchen
Stock your timeshare’s refrigerator to store milk and juice for cereal breakfasts. Same goes for sandwich fixings for lunch, beer for happy hour, and fruit for late-night snacks.
Eat like a local
In Europe, pack a picnic lunch of a baguette, cheese and ham. In the Caribbean, eat fresh fruit from roadside markets. Find neighborhood restaurants or pack lunches made from items picked up from local grocery stores, and you’ll save a bundle of money that you can then spend at a more upscale restaurant once or twice during your vacation.
Don’t use the phone in your timeshare unit
Buy a local phone card or purchase an international calling card before you leave home.
Explore on your own
In touristy locales like Mexico, there are plenty of outfitters offering snorkeling, ruins and other sightseeing tours–for a lot of money. Oftentimes, it’s cheaper just to rent a car or take a taxi to the sightseeing location or beach and enjoy it at your own pace. Ask the front desk or the concierge at your timeshare resort how to rent a car, take public transportation or otherwise get to where you want to go. Be sure to ask if the public transportation or the area you’d like to visit is safe for foreigners to check out on their own.
Bargain for souvenirs
Again, going off the beaten path will help you save money while you’re on vacation. Hit a touristy shopping area and you’ll spend much more than if you seek out less-traveled markets. In places like Asia, Mexico and the Caribbean don’t be afraid to bargain if you’re shopping at an open-air market. Bargaining for items it typically expected. Just don’t come down too low if you’ve found an item you really want to bring home!
Best Activities on Maui
March 14, 2008
Filed under Destinations
Shopping or snorkeling? Wine tasting or whale watching? Biking or boating? So much to do on a timeshare vacation on Maui! Squeeze it all in or sample a few fun activities on your trip to paradise. Here are five of the most popular things to do on “The Magic Isle.”
Mountain bike down Haleakala Crater. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. An outfitter picks you up from your hotel and drives you up to the top of Maui’s highest peak (10,000+ feet) and you take a guided mountain-bike tour down a paved road (20+ miles). Some outfitters, including Haleakala Bike Company, offer “unguided” itineraries, allowing you to bike down at your own pace.
Snorkel at Molokini. This extinct volcano is home to hundreds of species of fish, and the crystal-clear water makes for great snorkeling (or snuba or scuba diving). Again, several activity boats (such as Prince Kuhio and the Pride of Maui) offer snorkeling cruises, most leaving Maalaea Harbor, between Kihei and Lahaina. Whether permitting, some tours go to “Turtle Town,” where a number of green sea turtles make their home.
Watch Whales in the Winter. The same boat-tour companies that offer snorkel tours typically make trips to watch the whales making their annual migration from mid December to mid April. Again, boat crews want you to spot as many as possible, and the experts onboard will maneuver the boat to put you in the ideal position to snap perfect photos of the majestic animals as they crest the water. The Maui Princess, departing from Lahaina Harbor, guarantees whale sightings, or you can try on another day for free. The ship also has an underwater WhaleCam.
Visit the Tedeschi Winery. Rent a car for the scenic drive to Maui’s “upcountry,” where you’ll find this historic vineyard 2,000 feet above sea level. Pack a picnic lunch to enjoy on the scenic grounds, take a free tour of the winery and sample the pineapple wine. This is a nice alternative to spending a day at the beach-especially if it’s unusually hot, since the higher altitude at the vineyard brings pleasant, cooler temperatures.
Drive the Road to Hana. This road trip is not for the faint of heart-it’s a winding, 52-mile drive through amazing, breathtaking scenery you may see only once in lifetime. It takes a while to drive the road, so plan for a day-long adventure to enjoy the exquisite flora and fauna in the tropical rainforest.
For more vacation-planning help, visit the websites for the Hawaii and Maui visitors’ bureaus.
Destination Colorado: Summer on the Ski Slopes
March 10, 2008
Filed under Destinations
Schussing the ski slopes in the Rocky Mountains is heavenly-champagne powder, Technicolor-blue skies and plenty of sun make for awesome winter adventures. But it’s summertime when the mountains really shine as outdoor playgrounds for all ages.
Colorado timeshare resort areas offer plenty of mountainous hiking and biking trails, and opportunities for fun pursuits like river rafting, hot-air ballooning and horseback riding. The local ski mountains are morph into mini theme parks, with climbing walls, alpine slides and bungee trampolines.
Breckenridge
From mid-June to Labor Day in Breckenridge, the place to be for families is the Peak 8 Fun Park. Here, kids can jump in a Bounce House, fly across mountain terrain on ziplines, find their way through Colorado’s largest human maze and test their putting skills on the mini-golf course.
A ride up the scenic chairlift brings you to 11,059 feet and a wide network of hiking and mountain biking trails. Conveniently rent bikes at the base and load your gear right on the chairlift. For more thrills, ride a sled down the speedy alpine slalom course.
In Vail, an easy 100-mile drive on the interstate from Denver, you can enjoy a breathtaking gondola ride up Vail Mountain to Adventure Ridge at Eagle’s Nest, complete with views of magnificent peaks. Have fun playing a few rounds of disc golf, horseshoes or bocce. The kids will love to hunt for buried bones at the Dino Dig. Try the bouncing bungee harnessed trampoline or take off on a guided nature hike to learn more about the area’s flora and fauna.
For adrenaline addicts, take your mountain bike on the singletrack down the steep mountain, or if you’re up for a more leisurely ride, follow the paved bike path along the Colorado River, whose trail you can pick up in town. Also in town is the Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, which is a lovely place to stroll the grounds or sit on a park bench and admire the summertime blooms.
Nestled between the Gore Range and the Continental Divide, Winter Park Resort fills the summer season with activities galore. Summer on-mountain attractions include more than 50 miles of lift-accessible hiking and mountain biking trails. Plus, you’ll find Colorado’s longest alpine slide, a human maze, bungee jumping, a three-dimensional “gyro ride” and 18 holes of Frisbee golf.
More leisurely pursuits include taking the Zephyr Express chairlift to the top of the ski mountain and enjoying phenomenal mountain views while getting a bite to eat at the scenic high-altitude restaurant
My San Francisco Timeshare Trip
March 7, 2008
Filed under Timeshare Articles
An interview with Geoff Klein, Holiday’s Marketing Director,who recently stayed at the San Francisco Worldmark timeshare resort.
What are some fun things to do in San Francisco that you recommend? Take a stroll through Chinatown and sample some dim sum. Hop on a cable car around sunset. Visit the historic Presidio. Climb up Coit Tower for a great city view. Walk along Chrissy Field for a good view of the Golden Gate bridge. Take a cab down Lombard street, the famous crooked steet. Swing by Fisherman’s Wharf and grab an Irish Coffee at the Buena Vista.
Any tips that might make this trip more enjoyable? San Francisco has a great public transportation system, take advantage of it. I also recommend taking the BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) from the airports into San Francisco. Travel light, but come prepared, as you never know what to expect from this city’s weather. We started out on one end of the town and it was sunny and warm. By the time my wife and I wound up at the Presidio it was foggy and cool.
Any other recommendations? For a taste of old San Francisco, as well as a good drink, visit the Redwood Room at the Clift Hotel. Go to North Beach for great Italian food. The place is packed with excellent restaurants. We wound up at the US Restaurant. This area is also known for its Beatnik history, which includes City Lights books, San Francisco’s most famous literary landmark. The Andalu restaurant in the Mission district served great tapas, California style. And, for something different, try the Tonga Room, at the Fairmont Hotel, for a fun tiki-bar experience.
Last Word: The staff at the San Francisco Worldmark were fantastic - cheerful and helpful. And the location can’t be beat, right off of Union Square, in the center of the action. It’s a perfect home base from which to explore this magical town.
Other Resources:
Destination Branson: What’s New at the Missouri Entertainment Capital
March 6, 2008
Filed under Destinations
It’s no wonder Branson is an incredibly popular timeshare vacation destination. The entertainment capital boasts 52 live-performance venues with more than 100 different shows and more theater seats than New York’s Broadway! Listen to country music, gospel, Big Band, or rock n’ roll. Watch magicians, comedians, or exciting pyrotechnics.
Other family-friendly attractions include Silver Dollar City, the 1880s-style amusement park, and White Water, an outdoor water park. Plus, there are loads of activities to enjoy in the rolling Ozark Mountains: 12 area golf courses, fishing and swimming in three scenic lakes, and hiking, biking, and bird watching.
While Branson is a year-round destination, with fun fall festivals and holiday-themed extravaganzas, visits to the southwest Missouri vacation destination peak in the warm-weather summer months. Here’s a look just a few new attractions and activities in Branson this year:
Sight & Sound Theatre presents “Noah, The Musical,” opening May 24. This Bible-based show features more than 50 live animals and 50 animatronic animals, set on a four-story stage that is the Ark.
· Andy Williams and Ann-Margret perform together at the Moon River Theatre June 6 to July 26.
· The Oak Ridge Boys open in their new theatre on Shepherd of the Hills Expressway.
· Dick Clark’s American Bandstand Theatre welcomes Larry Gatlin & the Gatlin Brothers to the stage in a morning show.
· Great American Wild West Show opens in the fall with sharpshooters, trick ropers, hoop dancers and a star-spangled finale.
· At the Welk Resort Theatre, the Rankin Brothers Classic Music Revue debuts in March and runs through December with timeless, classic hits covering six decades of music.
· Butterflies at Branson is a community-wide art exhibit that decorates the Branson area from March 29 to October 10, 2008.
· Branson Landing Cruises offers daily excursions aboard a luxurious 100-foot yacht or authentic 100-foot paddlewheel riverboat in the midst of spectacular Branson Landing and Lake Taneycomo waterfront.
· The theme park Silver Dollar City launches its biggest festival year ever, with original stage productions, performing groups, and festival showcases. Featured events include Irish fire dancing, bluegrass music accompanied by barbecue foods, a new live Veggie Tales stage show, ice-skating performances, a “Southern Gospel Picnic,” autumn’s “National Harvest Festival,” and winter’s “Frosty,” an interactive show for kids, as well as “An Old Time Christmas,” with a dazzling light and sound show.
· Two new championship golf courses are open for the season: the Murder Rock Course at Branson Creek and the Payne Stewart Tribute Course at Branson Hills.
