The Weekender

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!

About The Author:

Jodie is the owner and operator of the Aruba Travel Site which is dedicated to Aruba Travel including Resorts, Hotels, General Information, Restaurants and more as well as Travel Advisor Blog which is a discussion of all things travel.

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.

About The Author:

Jodie is the owner and operator of the Aruba Travel Site which is dedicated to Aruba Travel including Resorts, Hotels, General Information, Restaurants and more as well as Travel Advisor Blog which is a discussion of all things travel.

I just got hooked up with this company. They actually have a search for pet-friendly hotels and actually verify them too. They say that they have verification on over 10,000 hotels. Check them out.

OfficialPetHotels.com – Pet Friendly Hotels

Found these deals online and wanted to pass them on to anyone who may be interested.

From PetSmart

Free Shipping on over 100 non-prescription health care products

PetSmart PetPerks Sale – the place for up to 25% off

Receive FREE SHIPPING on orders of $75 or more

And some others:

$5 Flat Rate Shipping on all orders at Fish.com

$5 Flat Rate Shipping on all orders at Bird.com

$5 Flat Rate Shipping on all orders at Dog.com

$15 Off All Orders of $100 or More at Horse.com (some restrictions apply)

StateLineTack.com $1 Flat Rate Shipping on Orders Over $100

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.

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.

Just found these pictures uploaded that are the best and most comprehensive so far for the new WDW Bay Lake Towers.  For those of you unfamiliar with Disney World, Bay Lake Towers is the newest Disney Vacation Club resort.  Disney Vacation Club is the Disney version of a timeshare.  You purchase points, not weeks and can stay at your “home resort” or one of the other WDW DVC resorts or trade your points for other timeshares.

Bay Lake Towers was Disney’s worst kept secret.  As they demolished the North Garden Wing of Contemporary they did so without any mention of what was going in there.  Kind of hard to ignore A BIG CRESCENT SHAPED BUILDING but they did there best “Building…what building?”

Due to the economy it has not sold out as quick as expected but it is very popular with many of the people clamoring for monorail access.  Because of slower sales it is a wonderful opportunity for non-DVC member to try it out.

A few things though different about BLT (I know it is a sandwich too!) first is that the pool area is for BLT only.  Unlike the other properties (BoardWalk, Beach Club and Animal Kingdom) where the DVC resort and the regular WDW resort share amenities, if you are staying at Contemporary you cannot use the pool at BLT.  This is because of the lake of real estate to build a large pool.  If the Contemporary folks were allowed in there would be crowding issues and let’s face it the Contemporary pool is not too exciting.

Here is the tricky part, DVC members CAN pool hop so a DVC person staying at BLT can pool hop to Contemporary but a non-DVC member cannot, nor a Contemporary non-DVC pool hop to BLT.  Clear as mud?

The other point is the bridge between the two resorts- that is simply a walkway from the fourth floor of Bay Lake Towers to Contemporary.  They actually frosted the glass and did not put in air conditioning to keep people from using it as a fireworks viewing area.  You will need to use your Bay Lake Tower room key to access it.  If you want to go over to Bay Lake Towers you will need to use the front entrance.

The biggest controversy is the new Top of the World Lounge.  It is built on top of Bay Lake Towers and will probably have the best views of Magic Kingdom around.  This lounge is for DVC members and their guests only.  There is a ton of unhappiness over this by non-DVC people but think of it as the Airline Club rooms at the airport, sure you are flying that airline but just because you have a ticket does not mean you have access.  The Top of The Wolrd Lounge is the same for DVC – all of us who purchased Bay Lake Towers (yes me included) paid a huge premium for that resort.  Because of this DVC gave us a few perks.

I am not sure how long it will continue like this, DVC and WDW have said they may change this at any times and DVCers remember the viewing area at Boardwalk Villas that was taken away and is now used for private function.  Anyone want to guess how long Top of The World will be open to anyone?  My guess is it will become a huge money maker for Disney and can only imagine what it will rent out for on New Year’s Eve.

Before I forget West Marine has a special on Nuvi’s if you are interested.  We just bought one (Doh!) and they are super cheap. New Low Price on Garmin Nuvi 200W – Only $119.99!

Just got these in from Expedia and wanted to pass them along if you are interested.

Intercontinental Hotel Codes

Book a qualifying flight + 3 nights at participating Intercontinental, Holiday Inn or Crowne Plaza hotels and get $200 off! Enter code 200IHG at checkout. Expires 8/31/09

Las Vegas Specials

Las Vegas Hotel Special: The Venetian from $129 + $150 in resort credits Expires 8/31/09

Barbados

Best of Barbados vacation packages: Up to $600* in Airfare Credits, Free Nights, Free Breakfast & More! Expires 8/15/09

Canadian Hotels

Book 3+ nights at participating Canadian hotels and save 30%! Expires 8/15/09

Last Minute Car Rental Rates
Last Minute Car Rental Deals: Rates from $15 a day! Expires 8/11/09

European Cruises

Europe Cruises from $549 + up to $100 to spend onboard! Expires 8/31/09

I guess reservations must really be down because Free Dining is now ongoing through 11/24/2009 then star up after Thanksgiving and run through 12/17/2009. If you stay in a Value you get the Quick Serve Dining Plan which includes two Quick Service Meals and two snacks per day).  Moderates, Deluxe and Deluxe Villas will all get the regular Dining Plan (one quick service meal, one sit down meal and one snack).  It looks like the only Deluxe resorts in this are Wilderness Lodge and Animal Kingdom and the two Deluxe Villa Resorts are Old Key West and Saratoga Springs.

All sounds great huh?  Well here is the fine print.  There are some blackout dates and you have to stay at RACK rate.  You also have to buy a park pass too.  For some people it works out, if you have an annual pass it is not so good.  Run the numbers for yourself and decide.

Here is another option:

Fall Discount Rates are also up for Disney Visa holders, Annual Pass Holders (code JYF)  and anyone who has the codes (use KHP).  35% off selected resorts with availability.  No dining plan or tickets included in this one.  They do not say anywhere the list of hotels involved but I am going to guess the list is similar to the Free Dining Hotels.

I hate the WDW reservation system, all of the codes are given to Expedia so I use them Book your dream Disney vacation at Expedia.com!

Personally I would choose Saratoga Springs – one of my favorite resorts at WDW.  We are going for Food and Wine and staying at the new Bay Lake Towers.  I am so excited, we have been waiting for that Magic Kingdom view for a long time. No Free Dining or Discouts for us – DVC members are not eligible but hey I will be sitting on my balcony watching Wishes so it is a great trade off!

People always are asking me about trips to Walt Disney World.  In my circle of friends I am considered a Disney Genius – okay maybe because we go there at least twice a year and some people think that is a bit over the top.

Repeat after me – there is never too much Disney – got it?

For first time travelers it is imperative to put your best foot forward.  Your first trip will either be great or something that your feet will never forgive you for – ever.

Our trip was the latter; Steve and I would collapse at the end of the day and whimper in pain and literally crawl into the bathroom when we just had to go.  I still have flashbacks to one particular Epcot Death March where we took turns carrying our son on our shoulders.

So here is some advice for the first time Disney traveler.

Pick an off-season time of year – I highly suggest the fall.  Anytime between Labor Day and the first two weeks of December.  The weather is great and the crowds are manageable.  Do NOT choose a major holiday or the summer.  We love to go during Epcot’s Food and Wine Festival (the best choice for the adults!!!!)  You will be miserable, the crowds (and bugs) will eat you alive and you will probably never return.  Leave those times to the advanced travelers and the sadists.

Now if you have school age kids and are like us, we don’t take our son out of school for trips then find a nice 3 or 4-day weekend and go then.  We find that we can do as much in four days off-season as ten days in the summer.

Zig when others zag – there are tons of websites out there that will tell you good times for crowds but it really is not that hard to figure out.  Magic Kingdom is usually busy on the weekends and during Extra Magic Hours.  We shy away from Extra Magic Hours and will explain why in another blog so we go to the least appealing park we can find.

Meaning, lets pretend it is Tuesday and Epcot has Evening Extra Magic Hours and Disney Studios has Fantasmic and Animal Kingdom has Early Magic Hours we will head to Magic Kingdom and have the lowest attendance.

Take a break – I know you want to soak in the magic and squeeze every last dime out but after a few days your nerves will be fried and you won’t get It’s a Small World out of your head.  We usually get to the parks at rope drop (meaning when they open) ride everything until lunch then go back to the hotel and relax.  Swim or read or take a nap.  Then go out later on and hit the parks again.

Click Here!

I highly recommend the book below it has great tips on stretching your budget and making your trip enjoyable.

You know when they say get to the airport three hours early? You know how we all laugh and think ‘yeah sure.’ If you are going to visit Aruba, they really mean it at Aeropuerto Internacional Reina Beatrix that’s Queen Beatrix International Airport.

If your flight is during peak flight times, generally between 11 am and 4 pm, or during holidays the official recommendation is three hours and you should heed the warning. Seriously. I probably would add a half hour, I know we will next time.

The first line you will meet in a long line of lines will be your airline’s check in line, this can be an almost walk through process or be a tedious long wait as your boarding passes are issued and they take your checked luggage (don’t worry you will meet up with your bags again soon). If you can check in online I highly recommend this. If you can travel light and only do carry on this is a time saver too (we don’t because Steve refuses to).

I cannot stress this enough. There were people very unhappy who got to the airport two hours before their flight and had no chance of making it. One family paid another family $100 to take their place in line. I kid you not. Hey, a way to make money if you did not budget!

After you complete your airline check in, you will then meet all of your fellow passengers in an even longer line, sometimes snaking around the airport terminal, to have your passport and boarding passes reviewed by Aruban Security. This line can take upwards of an hour.

From this point you are approved for processing through Aruban Immigration (Departamento di Integracion, Maneho y Admision di Stranhero or DIMAS). After DIMAS you will go through Aruban security screening and into the terminal.

In the terminal you will find duty free shopping and food courts. I found them to be expensive – expensive even in Aruban terms and definitely for any other airport. We went to Sbarro and spent $40 for pizza for three people.

You will also find more lines. Oh you just only completed Aruban processing now you are in the hands of the US Customs. You will have to find your checked baggage, each airline is kept separate so there should not be an issue. You and your bags will then join a line for US Customs processing. The one great thing about this is there is no customs once you get back into the United States.

After clearing customs you, your carry on bags and your checked bags will go down a hallway and at this point you will deposit your checked bags onto a conveyor belt to meet you in your airplane. The conveyor belt has, you guessed it a line!

Your lines are not done because you then have to go through US security screening. This is your final processing line.

So to review you have the following lines:

* Airline check in for you and your bags
* Aruban passport and boarding pass review
* Aruban Immigration
* Aruban Security Screening
* United States Customs
* United States Security Screening

I am tired just typing it out.

For more information on Aruba, Aruba Travel Site is a new website with up to date, comprehensive information on everything you need to plan your trip to Aruba.