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

The show “Survivor” forces contestants to make it in the wilderness with less than bare minimum essentials. It’s just about the greenest way to live, with no water, no electricity, no waste, no stuff.

Well just recently a luxury hotel in San Diego  challenged its guests to survive on less than the bare minimum at a seriously and to think green in the process. At seriously slashed rates and while other guests are paying upwards of $200 to sleep in luxury, some are paying just $19 a night to stay… in a tent… in their room. Correct—no bed.

“Survive” Amidst Luxury

So here’s the deal: Last fall the super luxury Rancho Bernardo Inn in San Diego, CA launched the unconventional “Survivor” package, challenging guests to choose how low they want their rate to go based on the amenities (and necessities) they are willing to sacrifice. During Fall last year, the regular $219 per night room, which typically includes deluxe accommodations plus breakfast for two, was being discounted piece by piece according to the guest’s preferences. John Gates, the hotel’s General Manager, admits that the idea wasn’t based on green ambitions, but saving money and going green are often naturally related. “Although the Rancho Bernardo Inn is proud of its efforts regarding conservation, in all honesty that was simply a positive by-product. Just goes to show how much more our industry can do.”

Here’s the breakdown of costs and money saving options that were offered :

$219 deluxe accommodations plus breakfast for two
$199 without breakfast
$179 without honor bar
$159 without A/C or heat
$139 without pillows
$109 without sheets
$89 without lights
$59 without linens
$39 without toiletries
$19 without bed

Translation: Save Resources—like electricity (no AC, no lights) and water (no linens to wash) = Save Money.

Sure, lots of hotels are promoting the idea of reducing resource-overuse through their little note cards program—you know those cards in the bathroom and beside the bed encouraging guests to not waste water. But this one is actually rewarding guests for their green choices.

Pilar Lofo Vacation Homes

So, here at Florida Leisure we thought we’d do something similar. Our “Pilar Lofo” vacation homes follow the same principle. There’s no furniture, no electricity and no water. Simply turn up with your tent and pitch it on the front lawn to enjoy your vacation. The cost is $9.99 per day but if you’d like the deluxe version just go around the back of the home and pitch your tent there instead. It’s there you’ll find the water view in the form of a full size swimming pool . The deluxe option is $14.99 per day… that’s right … just a measly $5.00 extra.

Standard - $9.99

Deluxe - $14.99

And there’s more…but you’ll have to watch the video to see it all…

Yesterday Walt Disney World announced that they saw slight declines in park attendance over the past few months. Theme park attendance at the company’s domestic parks fell 3 percent overall in the three months ending on July 3, the Walt Disney Company said as it announced third quarter financial results. Walt Disney World attendance dropped 2 percent while Disneyland saw a 4 percent decrease in visitors.

Disney said the fall in park attendance was in part due to a shift in timing of the Easter holiday in relation to the company’s financial reporting periods. Disney estimated that park attendance only fell one percent from year-to-year after the holiday period is taken into account.Park guests did spend 5 percent more in Q3, which the company attributed to higher average ticket prices.Revenue from Disney’s parks and resorts increased 3 percent to $2.8 billion in the quarter, while operating income decreased 8 percent to $477 million.

Over the past few months, Disney has attempted to scale back promotional offers for theme park visitors, a strategy the company reiterated during Tuesday’s earnings conference call. Jay Rasulo, Disney’s chief financial officer, said the company expected to see fewer visitors as discounts were scaled back.In May, Rasulo pointed to more guest spending in exchange for lower attendance.

In the second quarter, Disney said occupancy rates at the company’s hotels fell 8 percent, but both guest and room spending increased by the same amount. Rasulo said the company expected to be back at “normalized” pricing by 2011.One year ago, Disney reported that occupancy at its Orlando hotels was 91 percent, which it attributed in part to promotional discounts. In the past two quarters, occupancy has been 81 percent.Walt Disney World saw a slight increase in hotel occupancy in the most recent three months, to 83 percent.

Overall, Disney’s revenue grew 16 percent from last year to $10 billion.Disney credited its success in large part to the success of film releases “Toy Story 3”, “Iron Man 2” and “Alice in Wonderland”. Studio entertainment revenue grew 30 percent from year-to-year in the third quarter.Disney’s largest segment of growth was interactive media, which grew 74 percent from a year ago.

So, now would appear to be the right time to make a trip to Orlando and Disney World. The parks will be more enjoyable as lines are less and Disney are still offering some promotional offers. There hotel figures are interesting and maybe it’s a sign that people don’t want to stay at overpriced hotels, no matter how convenient, when there’s a better option just 5 to 10 minutes from the parks in the form of a vacation home?

It seems that vacation home rental scams just won’t go away. Last month I had to help a party of 150 people out when the homes they had booked through a vacation rental agency failed to materialize and today I have found myself in a similar position. On local WESH 2 news last night a family told the story of their planned vacation and of how, after just arriving in Orlando, the vacation home they had rented failed to exist.

After hearing the story, I was more than pleased to be able to offer a helping hand and we managed to find them one of our Florida Leisure vacation homes to stay in for the next few days. In this case, three of the family had traveled ahead to prepare for the arrival of other family members so the others were forewarned there was a problem. Happily all of them will be getting together this afternoon after traveling to Orlando from New York and Miami today. It all ends well and you can see more on the story on Wesh 2 Orlando at 5pm tonight.

Here’s the link to the news story last night :

http://www.wesh.com/video/24587981/detail.html

I also gave Hilda and her family a copy of my book “What You Need To Know About Renting A Florida Vacation Home” so this never happens to them again!

Update: Other members of the family have arrived

I popped down to Clearwater Beach last week to check out how the Gulf oil crisis was affecting the area. I’d received several calls from reporters at various news outlets all wanting to know if it was affecting our business in any way so I decided it was worth the trip to find out what was happening. My last update was a month or so ago and I was further south in the Naples to St Petersburg area so I decided to head closer to home and check out what conditions were like for those folks wanting a quick day trip to the beach from their Orlando vacation home.

I arrived early in the morning as dawn was breaking and visited the famous Pier 60 area. Pier 60 is a great place for families as there is a fabulous play ground area for small kids, several exciting places to dine and of course, the wonderful white sand beach to enjoy.

Clearwater is a great place to visit for the day. You can enjoy plenty of time at the beach, have some marvelous meals for lunch or dinner, celebrate as you watch the sun go down in the evening and then head back to your vacation home and get ready to go again!

And…of course… there is no problem with oil in the Clearwater area!

Ever wanted to play golf but it’s been too dark to play? Years ago we’d have been laughing at the suggestion you could play golf at night without floodlights but today it’s a realistic possibility. Since it’s introduction a few years ago “Glow In The Dark Golf” has become pretty popular and now its coming to my own local course, Kissimmee Oaks, here in Kissimmee, Orlando on Friday 13th August.

For those of you not familiar with the game then you’ll need to know it’s very popular with mini golf and regular golfers alike. The “glow in the dark” golf balls are not just some gimmick but are professional night golf balls which are designed for everything from long drives to gentle putting.  Combined with glow in the dark glow sticks that surround the green and the hazards, you can actually enjoy a great round of golf no matter what time of day.

The 1st ever “Glow in the Dark” Golf event to be held at Kissimmee Oaks Golf Club will be at 8.30pm on Friday August 13th and the cost is $35. The Entry Fee covers 9 holes of golf, green fee, cart fee, 2 Glow balls, Prizes and Giveaways, Golf Course and Cart set up and a whole lot of fun!

You can register with us at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes by calling 1-800-760-1114 or direct at Kissimmee Oaks on 407 933 4055 and if you mention “Glow in the Dark – Florida Leisure” you’ll even enjoy a discount on the $35 price.

So, don’t miss this opportunity to play in Kissimmee Oaks FIRST EVER “Glow in the Dark” night golf event. The field is limited to the first 72 players to register.

Today’s blog is late… sorry, but you’ll have to get used to it… the World Cup kicked off today and for the next month production in our office is going way down…at least by me! I do have a sneaky plan though and it’s called “DELEGATION”. And the folks in the office don’t know what I have planned… don’t you love a cunning plan?

The opening ceremony was a real spectacle today and it was then followed by one of the most entertaining opening games in years. Usually they end up being 0-0 bore draws but not this one. Plenty of chances and a dream goal for South Africa had them dreaming of a crucial three points. It was not to be though, as Mexico managed to claw back an equalizer and then it was to and fro until the end.

After that, the bore draw came. France v Uruguay. I’ll not say anymore.

Back to the opening ceremony. The ceremony began with a five plane military fly past over the Soccer City stadium in Johannesburg. The stadium itself is interesting and resembles a huge African cooking pot. (No jokes about how many people you can boil in there please!)

After that, a group of drummers and dancers performed (Paul Simon was missing unfortunately or was that fortunately?) a “Welcome to Africa” song and that included something of an introduction to the tournament’s ten venues.

From there it was time for a huge beetle to show off its football (sorry…it’s football…not soccer) skills with the Jabulani, the official football of the finals…despite it’s tendency to keep rising like a golf ball when hit in anger, before large pieces of cloth were used to map out the African continent.

Many musicians and artists from the other African finalists were then invited to perform in a joint sequence before Grammy award winner R Kelly sang the ceremony’s showpiece song, ‘A Sign of Victory’ with South Africa’s Soweto Spiritual Singers.

One of the loudest cheers of the ceremony were, however, reserved for Nelson Mandela. Sadly, Mandela couldn’t be at the ceremony due to the tragic accident and death of his great granddaughter the evening before. It did tinge the ceremony with a lot of sadness but it was also a reminder that even though this is the greatest event in the world, it’s still just a game and we should all enjoy it for what it is.

So, we’re off. The first two games of 64 have been played and it’s all go for a month until the World Cup Final on Sunday 11 July. Stay tuned.

P.S. I really did get some work done today… here’s a video of a new home that we now manage and that you can stay in when visiting the Orlando area.

It’s Friday and it’s time for a little fun…. would you have the “courage” to stay in this hotel?

Or would you prefer this….

I’m always been asked what’s new and something that I’ve been aware of for a while but not said much about has been Kennedy’s All-American Barbers Club.

Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club is basically a barber shop franchise concept  for discerning gentlemen who are looking for an experience that is the polar opposite of your everyday haircut from the “big chains”. Most hair cutteries cater to women and children but Kennedy’s All-American Barber Club caters to discerning gentlemen looking for a fine grooming experience with the old-world charm of your father’s barbershop. It offers the finest in haircuts for men, not to mention the lost art of straight-razor shaves, and a modern selection of grooming products. It is the perfect sanctuary to relax and enjoy “The Best Haircut and Straight-Razor Shave You’ve Ever Had” or you get it Free!

Now for the really cool news, the concept is owned by a friend of mine, Chris Hurn, and get this, he’s a banker! Boo Hiss, I hear you cry but he’s actually a decent chap, despite supporting UK soccer team Chelsea, and he’s volunteered to do something special for Florida Leisure owners and guests because Father’s Day is just around the corner…

Kennedy’s has just launched a set of new shaving products (Pre-Shave Oil, Shaving Cream and After-Shave Soother) and he’s giving them to our homeowners and guests at an introductory sale price of $50 (plus S&H) which represents a whooping 24% discount just to help celebrate the new launch.  We’re so impressed with this generous offer that we’ve decided to better it!

Yes, I plead insanity… so, if you make a reservation with Florida Leisure during the month of June, we’ll send you a set to try for absolutely free! And…wait…it gets better,  if you’ve not been to a Kennedy’s All American Barber Shop before, we’ll send you to one while you are in Orlando on vacation… on us, for FREE!

You’d better hurry on this one-time offer, though . . .because my generosity won’t last. Make sure you tell your family members that you want a Kennedy’s All-American Barber’s Shop experience while on vacation in Orlando for Father’s Day. And don’t worry if you can’t make it in June, all you have to do is make a reservation in June to lock it in for the next year!

Don’t worry if you really can’t make it to Orlando though…you can still get these fabulous shaving products… just visit the Kennedy’s All American Barber Shop web site and type in “Florida Leisure Close Shave” in the comments box to get your introductory discount. Kennedy’s web site is at www.kennedysbarberclub.com

ORLANDO VACATION ON A REDUCED BUDGET

by Nigel G. Worrall

Do you want to take a vacation in Orlando but are worried about the cost? Well, an Orlando Vacation on a reduced budget is not such the unobtainable goal that you might think. Want to know why? Read on.

A vacation in Orlando always seems like a perfect dream come true. Unfortunately so many times in our lives our dreams do seem completely dependent on money which then makes the dream vacation not quite so perfect. Of course, a perfect dream would be an Orlando vacation where money wasn’t always an issue but even so, it is possible to have a great time in Orlando even if you are on a reduced budget. To have an Orlando vacation on a reduced budget takes a lot of planning and here are a few tips on how to get more for less.

Orlando Vacation on a Reduced Budget – Tip #1.

Walt Disney World is the major attraction in Orlando and the best time to visit happens twice a year, in May and September. The reason is simple; fewer folks travel in those two months and that means it is easier to get really good deals at those times of year.

Orlando vacation on a reduced budget – Tip #2.

Instead of staying in an expensive hotel room try a vacation home rental instead. You get far more for your money and you’ll enjoy the extra space. Vacation rental homes have nice sized living rooms, several bedrooms, a full sized kitchen, and a private swimming pool. You can save money by buying groceries from a local store rather than dining out every meal time and you’ll also save because you won’t feel the need to go out all the time like you do in a cramped hotel room. 

Orlando vacation on a reduced budget – Tip #3.

Go as a larger group. Yes, if you team up with your friends and family you can save big style. Large vacation homes and villas are available for rental at low costs. If you travel in a large group, with friends, relatives and family, costs definitely come down giving the phrase “the more the merrier” a very pertinent meaning.

Orlando vacation on a reduced budget – Tip #4.

One thing that hinders the concept of an Orlando vacation on a reduced budget is the expense incurred visiting the various attraction parks. The theme parks can prove to be very expensive and the savings you made in the accommodation will be spent here if you’re not careful. Orlando is not just about the Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and Sea World theme parks,  there are many other parks, lakes, camping and hiking spots to enjoy, completely free of cost. Of course, you should enjoy a great day at one of the major attractions but mix in a few of these low or no cost attractions and you’ll soon see how you can save on your budget.

Orlando vacation on a reduced budget – Tip #5.

Travel is always a major cost so make sure you check out the major travel web sites to get the best flight prices. Check out the low fare airlines such as Jet Blue, Southwest, Air Tran, Spirit and Frontier to get the lowest prices. Renting a car is the cheapest way to get around and this makes it much easier to get to those great low or no cost places.

Orlando is the place to go for the most fun per square foot and if you follow these simple steps you will get the biggest bang for your buck. An Orlando vacation on a reduced budget is very attainable and you can have the time of your life while saving money. It can indeed be the vacation you always dreamed of.

About Nigel G. Worrall:

Nigel Worrall is President / CEO of Florida Leisure Vacation Homes & Total Real Estate Solutions. He is regularly sought by the media as a vacation home and real estate expert and has featured on NBC, ABC, Fox, CBS. He has also featured in The Wall Street Journal, USA Today, New York Times, Newsweek, Chicago Sun Times, Washington Post, Orlando Sentinel, Orlando Business Journal and several other publications. Nigel is also the best selling author of “Big Ideas For Your Business” (Advantage Media)

Nigel serves many clients around the world as a Realtor®, Real Estate Broker, Real Estate Investor, Mortgage Broker and Real Estate Trainer.

About Florida Leisure:

Florida Leisure Vacation Homes is the leading vacation home company in the Orlando, Fla. – Disney area, offering 3-7 bedroom private vacation homes near to all the Orlando area attractions. Each home has it’s own fully equipped kitchen, 3-7 bedrooms, lounge, dining room, laundry, 2 car garage and best of all, private swimming pool. http://www.FloridaLeisure.com

Just watched a fabulous night time launch of Space Shuttle Endeavour. I took some video so enjoy watching this short video.