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August16th

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Hurricane Tracking Site

Posted in: Weather

Over the past couple of days, we’ve seen the tropical storm activity heat up in the Atlantic basin. While the Pacific has already been active this year – with hits to Hawaii and the eastern Pacific, these new storms mark the first for the Atlantic.

So, I wanted to pass along a site that I use that does a very good job at hurricane tracking – Stormpulse.

While they do offer a premium membership, the main site is FREE to use. For most people that will be sufficient for checking the latest with the storms. It also covers storms in the Atlantic and Pacific.

So, if you have travels planned, please be vigilant and keep up to date on these tropical storms.
August9th

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Sure Hope Their Drinks are Good – Their Food Sucked

Posted in: North Carolina, Restaurants

This week we decided to go out for lunch and since our son informed us he wanted to stay home, we decided to try somewhere new so we went to The Tavern at J.R. Crickets – what a mouthful! It is a shopping center that gets a ton of foot traffic as it is accross the street from the Huntersville Presbyterian Hospital and the adjacent medical offices plus a bunch of other businesses including Joe Gibbs’ NASCAR shop.

We went there and were suprised at how empty it was, but it was early so we figured that it was not an issue. I was not really all that hungry so I ordered their appetizer trio so we could taste them and my husband ordered a Buffalo Chicken sandwich. As we ordered two very large groups came in and sat down.

They gave us these HUGE sodas, afterwards when I saw they cost almost $3.00 I wished that I had gotten water – yikes! First I don’t drink that much so it is wasteful plus at $3.00 I could have run across the street to the grocery store and bought a 6 pack.

The way I was sitting I could see the guys in the kitchen and strangely they were talking to the bartender casually. I thought this was strange as they had our order plus a 16 person table and a 10 person table. In my years as a waitress during college I would call that slammed.

When our food got to the table I understood why.

While I was at the store getting my Diet Coke I should have also gone in the frozen food section and brought my own food. They did not “cook” anything it was all frozen and heated/fried. My mozerella sticks were greasy and when I dipped them in the marinara it was not just cold it was ice cold – like it had been in a refridgerator. It was disgusting.

The onion rings were over-fried, breaded to death and with absolutely no taste. The potato skins were bland and undercooked. Seriously how hard is it to HEAT things, it is not like ANY of the items were made by them. I literally had a few bites of each one and decided to suck down my ginormous Diet Coke barrel and dream of Gordon Ramsey doing a Kitchen Nightmares segment there.

My husband’s Buffalo Chicken sandwich was bland – strange, since he asked for it to have their hottest buffalo sauce. After seeing their hot, I would hate to see mild. He ate about half and said enough.

I was so disappointed as bar food is usually my weakness, I love the ooey gooey tastes although pay for it later. This was just a nightmare – and expensive nightmare as it cost us about $25.00 and I could have made it at home for probably 10.

They have a website and I found out they are a chain in Atlanta. I sure hope the food is better in Atlanta because in Huntersville it sure sucked. Their website was awful too – here are some hints for them, shut off the music it sounds like a bad porn movie or the Weather Channel. And if you are going to have most of your pages be Flash (which I personally hate) then finish it that way. People notice when you throw in some other pages and for goodness sake FINISH IT. Don’t have a section on comments that shows fake comment text. I will not even comment on the fact their url says the restaurant is in Charlotte, yet they are in Huntersville – Sheesh!

Not only that but my husband will not let me pick another place for a while. If you happen to be on Gilead Road in Huntersville go to Five Guys next door – your pocket will be fuller and so will your stomach.
August4th

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Need a Pet Friendly Hotel?

Posted in: Discounts, Hotels and Resorts

I just found out about this company. They actually gather information on hotels all over the world and verify their pet friendly policies. For those of you who travel with their pets this sure sounds great. Check them out Official Pet Hotels – Pet Friendly Hotels
August4th

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Best Thai Restaurant Anywhere – Sawasdee Thai Restaurant

Posted in: Aruba, Restaurants

On our recent trip to Aruba my son was all excited to see a Wendy’s on our way to our timeshare. I was more intrigued by a brightly colored restaurant located right next door Sawasdee Thai Restaurant. When we got to the Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club, I asked about it and was told it was very good.

We decided to give it a try. Like most Palm Beach Restaurants it was an easy walk from the high rise resorts so we chose to walk. After that try we went again. In fact I think we would have gone their every night. WOW.

There are so many great things about Sawasdee Thai Restaurant that I am unsure how to even start. You know how you look at a menu and something reads like it should taste good and the picture looks great and then when you get it you wonder if you got what you ordered? Kind of like the Big Mac on the menu looks nothing like the squashed sideways looking burger with globs of goo? Well Sawasdee Thai Restaurant is one of those restaurants where I felt the chef took presentation to heart.

I found the service to be refreshingly simple. Meaning it was a feeling of being a guest versus waited on. Probably not the most prompt but that added to the charm. One of our orders was taking a long time so they thoughtfully brought us out an order of spring rolls.

My husband looked at them suspiciously then took a tentative bite. My acting skill are not up to par because his eyes widened and he grabbed his second one. They were absolutely delightful. They were crisply cooked and just the perfect size and when accompanied by their sauce they were heaven.

I ordered the Red Curry Adventure and Steve order the Garlic Chicken while our son ate fried rice. The Curry was spectacular – I am a huge curry fan and it was spicy and flavorful and the meat tender – it was definitely worth the wait. Steve’s Garlic Chicken was fantastic as well. well cooked, spicy and great cuts of meat.

We had enough left over for lunch the next morning are our bill was only around $50 with tip. It was the cheapest sit down meal we had in Aruba and we had leftovers. I will say that the next day the spices were even better as they had really soaked in.

A few days later we went again because my uncle had joined us and he loves Thai. He lives in Manhatten and eats at some really great Thai restaurants and wanted to get his take on it.

We had the spring rolls again – and again they were perfect. My son and husband did not deviate (they are like that!) but I ordered the Thai Pepper Chicken and my uncle ordered Pad Thai with prawns. All were at two of three stars in the heat department.

I am not a prawns lover so I have to take my uncles word for them but he said they were fabulous. My chicken was spicy hot but in a good way. Luckily they kept the water glasses full because it was hot. If you are not into burning spicy food stick with one star. I grew up in California on real Mexican food and love spicy so it worked for me.

After our meal I asked my uncle how it stacked up to the New York Thai places and he said it was better. In fact I think all three of us agreed that if we could find cheap airfaire we would fly to Aruba just to eat at Sawasdee Thai Restaurant.

Hey isn’t Jet Blue having a special? Hmmmmm The JetBlue Fall Fare Sale – fares for as little as $29 each way! Hurry, sale ends 8/5 11:59pm MT. Better get clicking!
August4th

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A Few More Deals

Posted in: Uncategorized

It must be a great week to put things on sale because I woke up this morning to these offers in my inbox.

From All Inclusive Outlet:

Book Between: 08/01/2009 – 09/30/2009
Travel Between: 08/01/2009 – 12/23/2009

Use this link as it has the promo code embedded in it Excellence Playa Mujeres – Luxurious, All Inclusive w/ Air from $786* when you book at All Inclusive Outlet!

From Lonely Planet:

They are also having some sort of Buy 2 books get a third free. I have not gone to look at it yet. I do love their books as they are really filled with great information.
August3rd

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More Discounts In My Inbox

Posted in: Airlines, Car Rental, Discounts, Hotels and Resorts

These discounts just were made public today so I am passing them along to anyone interested. Looks to me like some of them are pretty good – they are tempting to me!

Cheap O’Air

Use CheapOair’s Exclusive Coupon Code SCHOOL10 and get $10 off instantly on all Flights booked on CheapOair.com. Book now!

Use CheapOair’s exclusive coupon code CARIB10 and take $10 off at any destination in the Caribbean or Mexico when you book your flight with CheapOair.com Coupon Expires: 31st Dec 09

Get cheap airfare deals from CheapOair.com and save up to 65% on all flights. Book Now !

Priceline

$20 off Weekly Car Rentals with Avis! Book before the 8/12. Enter promotion code: MUWA007

Flights Under $200 Round-Trip — No Booking Fees on Priceline.com. Valid until 8/7

Round-Trip Flight + Mid Size Rental Car from $264 on Priceline.com! Valid until 8/12

Virgin America U.S. Flights from $49 OW*! (ends 8/11)

Delta U.S. airfare sale from $98 RT*! (ends 8/14)

Travelocity

Take $25 Off San Antonio Hotel Stays of 3+ Nights! Use Promo Code SAN25 at Checkout!

Take $50 off 3-Night Flight + Hotel Vacations to Disney World! Use Promo Code WDW50 at Checkout!

Summer Savings to Europe! Fly Round-Trip from $440 on American Airlines! > Expires 8/5/09

Have an Awesome Orlando Vacation: Book a Flight + 4-Night Hotel Stay from $473!

Dollar Car Rental

Book with your AMEX card and receive 10% off your Dollar Car Rental reservation. To get this offer, book online using promo code AX10. 24 hour advanced notice required. Valid now through January 31, 2010.

Thrifty Car Rental

Save 5% at Thrifty Car Rental on your travel reservations! Enter Promo code AU11.
August3rd

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Buy DVC: Disney Raises Ticket Prices Again

Posted in: Discounts, Disney, Florida, Hotels and Resorts

In the ultimate carrot and stick move, days after extending Free Dining, Disney has significantly raised the prices of their tickets. I have to say I am astounded that in these economic times Disney thinks that a one day one park pass is worth $84.14 – that is correct one park only. If you want to park hop it is $139.52.

I am sure the folks down the street at Universal are dancing with glee. Universal is $99.00 for a season pass.

We had planned to purchase park hoppers for our Walt Disney World Trip in October. We usually buy Annual Passes but only planned this four day trip. Well guess what the 4 Day Park Hopper is an outrageous $350.39 per person but our Disney Vacation Club Annual Pass Renewal is just $366.36.

It is amazing.

Probably another great reason to join DVC. Okay let’s say you are a family of four and you normally stay at a moderate resort and go for a week. You buy an annual pass for each person at $478.19, the DVC Discount is about $127 a person or roughly $500.

But you say timeshares are expensive. Well they are in most cases but what about this. In DVC it is not week-based system but points. The minimum points you can buy is 25 points. So I went over to a timeshare reseller and found an Old Key West 25 point contract for sale for sale for $1850.

If you bought that contract you could either stay 2 nights at Old Key West at no cost on each trip, not use the points and offer them to another member is a transfer (worth about $250 per year for the 25 points or do what we call bank and borrow and every three years get a 6 day value season trip for free. Rack rate for an Old Key West Studio is $325 per night.

The cost of maintenance for 25 points so let’s break down the various options:

Do Nothing With the Points (Worst Choice):

Maintenance Fee $100
Annual Pass Savings <$500>
Years to Break Even – Four

Use The Points For Two Nights Per Year

Maintenance Fee $100
Annual Pass Savings <$500>
Two Nights Moderate <$300>
Years To Break Even – Three

Transfer Points Yearly

Maintenance Fee $100
Annual Pass Savings <$500>
Transfer Points Sale <$250>
Years To Break Even – Three

You could even do what is called “Bank and Borrow” and turn those points into a 6 night value season trip every three years. And the best part is when you are done with your membership and want to sell, you still will have value and could probably sell them for the same or maybe even more as small contracts are premium.

You do have to purchase small contracts on the resale market. If you are interested feel free to e-mail me and I will refer you to one of the better resellers. Or hey, I am about to put two Animal Kingdom Villas contracts up for sale, both are for 50 points. If I do not have to put them out with a reseller they can go pretty cheap. Let me know.
August2nd

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Timeshares: Are They For You?

Posted in: Articles, Timeshares

Trying to decide if a timeshare is for you? Everyone hears the horror stories of people being beaten down by unsavory timeshare salesman and stuck with an over-priced flea infested rat trap. Does it happen? Yes. But on the flip side a tremendous amount of people are happy timeshare owners who find owning a wonderful way to vacation. It really is up to you to determine if owning is for you.

Here are some facts to assist you in that decision.

Timeshare ownership is not for everyone. You need to either be a compulsive planner and able to plan your vacations out months (and sometimes over a year) in advance or have incredible flexibility to make a choice within weeks of travel. Do you like to have suite-like rooms and don’t care about daily maid service? If any of these situations sound like you then continue to read.

If you rarely plan even 4-5 months ahead of time and like to vacation at peak times at popular destinations and little flexibility, you will more than likely be unhappy with timeshares. If you are perfectly happy in a hotel room and live for daily maid service, timeshares may not be for you.

We actually enjoy not having housekeeping, when we stay in regular hotels, I actually get annoyed at the daily intrusion. We love the fact we can throw our towels in the wash before we head out for the day, but for some people that is not their idea of fun. We also love 1400+ square feet versus the shoe box of a hotel room and save money by eating breakfast and lunch in the room. It is also fun to bake cookies for the crew or pop popcorn. Our timeshares literally are our second homes.

For my family, timeshares allow us to stop doing commando vacations and actually slow down and enjoy the trip. We bring family and friends with us to share the fun. Most of the time it is great and when it is not, well that is why we have a two bedroom villa!

It also forces us to vacation. Before we owned timeshares I could always justify not vacationing. The costs add up. Now we can really budget all year long and much of the stress is gone.

So, if after all of these warnings you still think timeshares may be for you then let’s discuss costs.

There is an original buy in cost as well as yearly maintenance. Here is a good rule of thumb. Review the cost for a hotel room in the destination your are interested in and time you usually like to vacation and determine the cost. Chart out how long it will take until you break even and see if that number works for you. Also make sure that the maintenance fees are not outrageous. A good rule of thumb is to look at what other owners are renting their unit for, if your maintenance fees are higher than the rental rate that is not a good buy.

Many people get nervous about purchasing a timeshare, there are horror stories of manipulation and lies and some of them are true. Many more are exaggerated. My recommendation is for you to do research prior to going to any presentation. I highly suggest TUG – Timeshare Users Group. This group has the best information on all of the timeshares available and the members are friendly and will assist you in your decisions.

Usually resale is the best route to purchase, many timeshares can be purchased for a fraction of the cost from the timeshare company so be informed before you buy. In our case, our last purchase was straight through Marriott Vacation Club, we researched the available options on the resale market and in the end the timeshare company had a better deal.

There are many rules of thought on what to purchase. Many people say buy a “trader” and then trade in to where you want to stay. This works for many people and many times can be very affordable. If you go that route it is imperative that you buy a property with enough property “muscle” to get good trades. Don’t buy a cheap property in a ski destination that gives you a week in May and assume you can trade for Maui. You may get lucky, but more than likely you will be disappointed.

We believe in the mantra “buy where you do not mind staying.” This way if you cannot get a trade you want, you still have a great vacation scheduled. We own at Disney Vacation Club’s Hilton Head and Bay Lake Towers at Contemporary Resort as well as Marriott Vacation Club’s Marriott’s Aruba Surf Club and Marriott St. Kitts Royal Beach Resort & Spa. I really don’t mind staying ANY of those places!

Whatever you choose, it is important to make an informed, logical deal and not an impulsive emotional purchase. Do your homework and make your own choice. Do not let anyone make the decision for you. We are so happy to be Disney and Marriott Vacation Club owners and do not regret our purchase but that does not mean they are for everyone.
August1st

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Some more Travelocity Deals

Posted in: Discounts

Got the email from Travelocity on these – they just came out today:

Save $25 on 3+ Night Hotel Stays! Use Code 25STAY at Checkout! (Minimum $400 Spend)

Take $100 Off 5+ Night All-Inclusive Vacations! Use Code 100AI at Checkout! (Minimum $1800 Spend)

Both of these deals are good through 10/31/2009.
August1st

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Reed Gold Mine: The Place History Forgot

Posted in: Historical Sites, North Carolina

When you think of the first discovery of gold in the United States you think of 1848 and Sutter’s Mill in California, right.

Wrong. It happened in 1799 on John Reed’s Farm right here in North Carolina.

The actual real first gold rush happened in Cabarrus County North Carolina in 1799. John Reed was born in 1757, 1758 or 1759 in what is now Germany. He was in the British Army and the illiterate Hessien mercenary deserted somewhere around Savannah and finally settled down on Meadow Creek, married and had a family.

One Sunday, Conrad Reed, John’s 12 year old son, was fishing with his siblings and found a 17 pound shiny yellow rock. He picked it up and brought it home. For three years the rock was used as a doorstop. They had brought it to the local blacksmith but he was not sure what it was, it was not until a trip to Fayetteville that he discovered it was gold.

In Fayetteville, he took the rock to a jewelry who realized it was raw gold. The jeweler offered to purchase it and asked Reed to name his price. Reed thought about it and came up with what he thought was an outrageous amount $3.50. The jeweler paid him the money quickly as the true value was about $3,600. Can you imagine it’s price now? Later on the jeweler did end up paying him another $1,000 after Reed learned the value of gold.

Soon Reed began Reed Gold Mine and started a flurry of activity in North Carolina as people flocked to make their own discoveries. In fact over one million dollars in gold was found in North Carolina per year and gold mining was second only to farming in number of North Carolinians it employed. Both placer mining (panning in creeks) as well as underground mining occurred on the site of Reed’s property as well as many other areas in the state.

Until 1848 North Carolina led the nation in gold production, then gold was discovered in California and the California Gold Rush started and Reed Gold Mine and it’s discoveries faded and even faded from our American History books.

Today many of the underground tunnels have been restored for you to explore and you an pan for gold. About one of every six pans will include some gold. The visitor center has gold and silver exhibits, a movie on the history of gold at Reed Gold Mine and a tour of a restored ore-crushing stamp mill. There are picnic areas and trails as well.

It is well worth seeing. I am passionate about American History and our textbooks are losing important pieces. If you asked 100 Americans about the first Gold Rush the few that would have an answer would say California – heck until I moved here I would have too. If you come to North Carolina, visit Reed Gold Mine.