Leisure … more than a word, it's a lifestyle

A friend sent me this link over the weekend… it’s quite amazing what this hotel thinks it needs to do to attract your business.

Time flies fast… this time last week I’d just arrived home from a business trip to Myrtle Beach. It was one of those trips I took alone and the 8 hr car journey from Orlando to Myrtle Beach soon passed as I caught up with some listening of cd’s I’d bought a few months back.

Nigel Worrall and George Ross

One of the highlights was meeting up with George Ross, one of the stars of The Apprentice and Donald Trump’s attorney at The Trump Organization. It was the second time this year I’d met him and he said something that sank home… “persistance + failure = success”.  I reflected on this on the way home and I realised that the times I’ve had the most success is when I’ve been dogmatic, persistant and not afraid of failure. 

I guess that’s why I’ve always studied the wealthy and admired the likes of Trump, Branson, Ford, Carnegie, etc who fought against the people who told them they couldn’t do something or who told them they were crazy. I guess that’s also why I’m my own boss… essentially unemployable… and I like it that way!

I like the freedom it brings,  I like doing things that benefit others and I like to own a business that gives great value to it’s customers. The trip to Myrtle Beach reinforced it… for a start there was the hotel the conference was being held in… a lovely venue with a marina… but at $ 249/night? Are they nuts?

One of the problems with being the CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes is that I get used to top quality accommodations at affordable prices. The idea of paying $299/night for a 400 sq. ft room just doesn’t work for me…. so I shopped around and found another hotel at $149/night… the best deal in town. But still a 400 sq. ft hotel room ! And what made it worse… my neighbors had a noisy dog yapping away. Fun… I don’t think so.

That said, it’s been the story of my life recently. I’ve had to do a fair amount of travelling attending business events and each time I’ve had to stay in an overpriced hotel… if you want to see why I hate staying in hotels so much… click here

Anyway, I’ve sort of enjoyed it in an odd sort of way. It’s reinforced the value that staying in a vacation home brings. The enormous space you get… no comparison really… 400 sq. ft or 1500 sq. ft to 4000 sq. ft…. 1 room or 3 to 7 bedrooms plus lounge plus private pool plus fully equipped kitchen plus laundry plus, plus, plus… I could go on.

The nice thing about this trip was that I actually got to spend an hour on the beach… something I hardly ever do even though I live in Florida! I also got to check out some great restaurants such as LeGrand’s Alaskan Seafood and Steak,  Collectors Cafe & Gallery, BoneFish and a place I simply couldn’t resist because it felt like home, Cheeseburger in Paradise.

It was nice to get away for a few days on my own. It was pretty much the first time I’ve done that in twenty years and it was good to get time to simply think and reflect. It’s something everyone should do… so why not come to Orlando and indulging yourself by renting a vacation home? It’s nice to spoil yourself occassionally …

Earlier today I was talking to a friend about life’s ups and downs. We were chatting about the way life throws stuff at you and how you handle it and I happened to mention that this afternoon was one of those situations for me.

It was my youngest daughter’s birthday (15th) last Tuesday so we promised her that we would go to the movies this afternoon and that she could take some friends. It wasn’t something I was looking forward to by any means as I imagined I’d be sitting through some girly movie that would bore me to tears. As it turned out the choice of movie was Mamma Mia and having now got home I can safely say it was another one of those experiences that life throws at you!

I bet Pierce Brosnan would agree. I would also bet that when he was approached to star in the movie with Meryl Streep he was excited until the moment he found out he had to sing. I won’t spoil the movie for you but …take the ear plugs. It’s not pretty.

The award nominated movie itself was very entertaining with Streep and Julie Walters stealing the show… or at least in my eyes. It was pretty surreal overall particularly when you stop to consider that in the 70’s ABBA were busy redefining pop music and Streep was just beginning her career as one of the most respected actresses of all time yet here we are in 2008 and she’s warbling the hell out of tunes like “The Winner Takes It All”. Kind of makes you wonder what kind of world we live in doesn’t it?

For me, the movie was good and bad…at the same time. We all enjoy revisiting the past and the occasional song; but really, no-one should be made to listen through two hours of ABBA at a time. You know it and I know it.

That said, this is the kind of movie my mother would enjoy. By the way it’s her birthday today…”Happy Birthday Mom” … and perhaps this is the market the producers of this movie are looking for? People like Streep who have gotten over themselves and simply want to have fun with the nostalgia and surrealism this movie offers.

Anyway, it was a pleasant way to pass a couple of hours on a Saturday afternoon and to forget about life’s woes. I’d recommend it to you… things could be worse… like being the owner of a Lhasa Apso for instance.