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…

Five Star Luxury at Budget Prices

By Nigel G. Worrall

Staying in a poor accommodation can turn any good vacation into a nightmare. Many people think they have to spend a lot of money to get great accommodation but that really isn’t the case. More and more people are falling in love with the concept of staying in a vacation homes as the five star luxury at budget prices is simply an unbeatable value. Of course, there are many more benefits of renting a vacation home than just saving money.

The basic difference between a five star hotel/resort and a vacation home:

1. Size & cost: usually, a hotel room is about 30-40 sqm or 300 to 400 sq ft, and even a very basic 1 bedroom vacation home can be as much as double the size. Naturally, 3 or 4 bedroom vacation homes are even larger and are typically three or four times the size of a basic hotel room.  Overall, a vacation home is simply better value for money as a hotel room usually costs about the same.
2. Services: vacation homes also include a full sized kitchen and personal dining space and this can save you a small fortune by eating in rather than going out to extravagant restaurants all the time. Many hotels don’t even have a small kitchen in their rooms as their goal is to get you to spend more at their dining facilities.
3. Facilities: when you have a personal swimming pool attached to your vacation home, then who needs a pool that has to be shared with all guests staying at the hotel and with restricted hours of usage? Most vacation homes also have a yard that allows you to spend a night under the open skies or an activity or games room which can include a pool or fuss ball tables at no extra cost as they are all included in your vacation home price!

Vacation homes provide you with 5 star luxury at budget prices. These homes take you away from group dwelling like hotels or resorts and are independent facilities. You do not have to worry about noisy next room neighbors or service workers disturbing you from time to time. Most vacation homes have book or comic libraries with popular titles and some even have popular DVD titles that you can watch on the big screen TV. While staying at a hotel, you would have to pay supplementary charges for all these extras whereas at a vacation home, these are all covered in the overall cost you pay.

Another great feature of a vacation home is that you can even host a private party with all expenses under control and no hidden costs involved.  If you compare the cost of lodging a similar number of people in a hotel against housing them in a vacation home, you will find that the vacation home wins hands down.

Finally, another great money saver is the fact there is “no tipping” at a vacation home rental. Essentially there is no staff expense with bell men or waiters to tip. That doesn’t mean that service is neglected however as most vacation rental homes have such services such as cleaning, cooking or even a driver or concierge available to you.

If you are looking for 5 star luxury at budget prices then a vacation home rental, as you can see above, is the only way to go.

Fishing in Florida

By Nigel G. Worrall

Traditionally, a Florida vacation would include a visit to Walt Disney World Resorts and Universal Studios. Other days are perhaps filled with trips to the many other attractions and things to do in and around Orlando that time soon passes and you find yourself returning back home in no time. So what if you had time for a slower pace of life, time to just while away the hours and time to just completely relax without having to dash here, there and everywhere?

It is possible to have the best of both worlds. Sure, enjoy the attractions and theme parks but don’t forget to relax your mind as well and if you are an outdoors person, then why not enjoy some fishing in Florida? A few hours spent alone or with the family in tow to enjoy this popular pastime can make the difference to how rested and relaxed you feel when it is finally time to pack up and head home.

Florida is a haven for fishermen and women and is often called “the Fishing Capital of the World” because of its great resources and responsible management. The diversity of sport fish, habitats, great weather and year round fishing make for the perfect environment that is hard to surpass. Listed below are some of the great places to explore for those interested in an off-beat vacation on vacation:

Lake Okeechobee is the second biggest lake within the United States is Lake Okeechobee in Florida. The “Big O” has one of the finest freshwater fishing options and is the habitat for several species of fish such as the large mouth bass, crappie, catfish bream and bluegill. Popular fishing spots on or around the lake include:

• Bass species of fish can be observed and caught at the flats stretching from the boat lock at Henry Creek towards Chancey Bay. At Nubblin Slough, these can be caught round the year;

• Area behind Eagle Bay Island is great for catching all species of Panfish;

• From January through April, Eagle Bay is prime large mouth region as the lake is at its fullest; and

• The rocky area north of North Lake Shoal (Kings Bar) is abundant in bluegill species.

Located east of the City of Lake Wales, in the heart of Osceola County, Lake Kissimmee is one of the best large mouth lakes in the United States. One of the largest impounds on the Kissimmee River in Central Florida, Lake Kissimmee has been restored in the past few years with introduction of ecologically favorable vegetation. A few of the popular tourist and fishing spots on or around the lake include the highway 60 bridge area stretching to the Shady Oaks Fish Camp, deep-water break off the east side of Brahma Island, the southeast corner of Brahma Island, the cut behind Brahma Island, extending between Rocky Point and Otter Slough, and the westernmost point of Brahma Island and the ironically named small cove called Polluted Waters.

Fishing in Florida is not just about lakes and rivers- Mosquito Lagoon, a fishing estuary located just 45 minutes from Orlando is one of the best locations for beginners as well as expert anglers to catch Redfish, Sea Trout, Snook, Tarpon and more. Mangroves here provide a great hiding place for Snook and ‘tailing’ Redfish can easily be spotted. This is also an excellent place to observe Dolphins, Manatees and many other sea animals and flora in their natural surroundings.

Pier Fishing in Florida- On the west coast, Jacksonville and St. Petersburg have plenty of piers where fishing is allowed. For those who prefer to soak up the sunshine and enjoy the good food and company of friends away from tour guides, bass boars and GPS’s sounds, pier fishing locations spotted throughout Florida are wonderful options.

Other great options for fishing in Florida are Lake George, Lake Toho, River/Lake Seminole (Near the City of Chattahoochee), Lake Talquin / Ochlockonee River, Lake Weir (located in south Marion County near Ocala) and Lake Monroe in Sanford but there is a hidden secret you may not be familiar with.

Florida offers some great fishing options when you rent a vacation villa or vacation home. Many vacation homes are located in areas where there are small lakes to fish in and these vacation rentals are great options when you are looking to control your budget. The great thing about them is that you don’t have to compromise on any of the 5 star luxuries you are used to as most vacation homes have a private swimming pool, gaming rooms, a full size kitchen, comfortable living spaces, several bedrooms and the ability for each member of the family to do exactly as they wish.

Fishing in Florida can be fun for all the family and you’ll have plenty of options when the cry of “take me fishing” is heard.

There aren’t many better choices for a business meeting or convention than Orlando. In fact it’s hard to think of just one other place in the United States that can match it. From it’s world class meeting and convention facilities through to it’s fantastic theme parks Orlando is simply the best choice to do great business.

Orlando also offers business people the chance to bring their family with them. A chance to do business during the day and then some great venues to play at night. Business and pleasure travel is estimated at $31 Billion in 2010 and even in an uncertain economy that means you can be sure that your expectations will still be met. Sure there has been some down-sizing and stream lining in the area but that means stronger leaner companies who know they have to perform unlike other areas of the country where things have been cut to the bone ultimately leading to a drop in the level of service.

Orlando is still progressing and expanding. Evidence of this comes with new investments in major hotels such as The Waldorf Astoria, previously blogged about here, which opened in 2009 and the Orlando Convention Center which continues to grow to meet the needs of business conference and convention markets.

Another key factor for business travelers visiting Orlando is the availability of vacation homes. Vacation homes typically have three to seven bedrooms, one or two lounge / living areas, a formal dining area and something of an informal dining area by the private heated swimming pool. These homes make great choices for business meetings and for team building not to mention saving the business a bundle of money. Hotels can be expensive, what with having to hire a meeting room, reserving separate bedrooms for all attendees not to mention the cost of food and drink. It can all add up and that’s where a vacation home wins. All homes have a fully equipped kitchen and nothing can be easier or more enjoyable than getting the team together to enjoy a home cooked dinner together.

Orlando is absolutely the perfect choice for that “business mini vacation” .  Great business, great venues to enjoy some rest and recreation and great weather make for a perfect business travel destination. Look forward to seeing you in 2010.

I just came across a great article by Jim Wang giving 7 reasons why you should skip staying at hotels and rent a vacation home instead. At the end of the article Jim mentions two things you need to be aware of but we’ll talk about them once you’ve read the article:

Bankrate had an article recently in which they recommended renting a home or condo to trim vacation costs. While I very much value the opinion of the fine folks at Bankrate, that’s good advice that’s about decades overdue.

At the very least, it’s five years overdue, because my friends and I have been doing this for at least that long. In fact, it was the topic of discussion one day at Meals on Wheels and when one of the other volunteers remarked that they had been renting vacation homes for decades.

1.It’s cheaper. It’s exceptionally cheap when you go during the off-season, usually almost 50% off the peak rates. The vacation homes are usually very large so when you finally calculate the cost per person, it’s quite affordable.
2.It’s negotiable. Hotels are not very good at negotiation, unless you’re a savvy customer or use something like Priceline, the price is whatever you can get through a travel search site. Demand for vacation homes, especially in this recession, is down and you can use it to your advantage.
3.You have kitchens and grills to cook yourself. Most hotels, unless it’s suites, won’t have any type of kitchen or even a microwave. You can continue to save money on your vacation if you take advantage of the kitchen and the grills usually made available in vacation homes.
4.A pool of your own! If you’re in a vacation home usually frequented in the summer, chances are it has a pool that you can use all to yourself.
5.Plenty of communal space. If you want to play board games or yard games, it’s pretty much impossible in a hotel. With your own vacation home, you have living rooms and other communal spaces you can take advantage of.
6.Parking aplenty. If you go to a hotel in a resorty area, usually you can park one or two cars a room in the hotel parking lot. With a vacation home, no one is monitoring so you can pack in as many as you want.
7.Free Wi-Fi. The last home we stayed in had free Wi-fi, which was a great perk. While paying $9 a day at a hotel isn’t horrible, I don’t plan on being tethered to a computer so $9 to check my email is a bit much (I know there are lots of hotels with free Wi-Fi, but many still charge!). 8.More likely to be pet friendly. A vacation home is more likely to be pet-friendly, which means you can save on kenneling costs. Hotels? Forget about it, you have no chance.
It is not without negatives though. First, you’ll usually have to rent the vacation home or condo for an entire week, even if you’re only staying for a long weekend. My recommendation is that you split the cost evenly across the number of people, rather than the number of days people are staying.

Second, you’ll need a lot of people to fill the beds in a house to make it worthwhile. When we went to the Outer Banks, there were close to fifteen beds. We had enough people and the cost of the home was ridiculously cheap, but if you don’t know enough people then it may not be worth it.

Despite the two negatives, which are potential deal-breakers, renting a vacation home beats a hotel in my book.

Jim, I’ve got news for you… i) you don’t need to rent for a week with us…we’re very happy to look after you for a day or two and ii) rates for our VIP members can mean you stay for less than $16.00 per person per night! I challenge you to find a better deal anywhere in Orlando than that!

Also, you make a great point in your bonus to the list…vacation homes are very likely to be pet friendly. We have a dozen such homes ourselves and we are trying to bring more online such is the demand.

So Jim, if ever you’re in Orlando…look us up

Forbes Traveler.com has just announced their top 15 vacation destinations and coming out right at number 1 is ORLANDO. Those of us who live and work here aren’t surprised by this news and part of the reason is the enormous diversity of the area.

We have some great attraction parks such as Walt Disney World, Sea World and Universal but we’re also only an hour away from either the Atlantic Coast or the Gulf Coast. This makes us perfectly situated and when you consider the range of accommodation available to guests, there really is nowhere that can compete.

The hidden gem is the vacation home. Once guests discover vacation homes very rarely do they go back to staying at hotels. The attraction of a private swimming pool at the end of an enjoyable day out at the theme parks is one attraction but so is the ability to save money by housing all the family in one place rather than in multiple rooms. There’s also the fact you can save a small fortune by utilizing the fully equipped kitchen rather than going to expensive restaurants each mealtime.

Orlando also has some other hidden gems; if you fancy some great shopping then Mall of Millenia or Florida Mall will delight you, Orlando Science Center is a great find and promises a gentler pace for the all the family and if you really fancy something special, why not take a flight in a hot air balloon and oversee the whole Central Florida area?

Of course, we also have some fabulous restaurants if you enjoy fine dining or if you are a golfer, you’ll enjoy teeing it off at some of the best courses the US has to offer. Orlando is the place things happen..the rich and the famous live here…people like Tiger Woods, so you’ll never know who you’ll bump into!

So now it’s official…isn’t it time for you to visit us and have a great time?

One of the nice things about providing magical memories for our guests is that we occasionally get to experience things ourselves. Over the last month some of our staff has been fortunate enough to visit both Busch Gardens and Sea World to see what’s going on and find out what’s new.

Busch Gardens in Tampa has long been a favorite park of mine simply because it blends wild rides and wildlife so perfectly together so I made sure I did that trip along with Annette, Kim and Rebecca!

There are over 2,500 exotic and endangered animals for you to visit as well as more record breaking roller coasters than any destination in Florida! There’s absolutely something fun and something educational to see and do for every member of the family no matter their age.

In addition there are some great VIP tours such as the Elite Adventure Tour that includes a private tour guide, front-of-the-line access to all the major roller coasters and water rides, including Gwazi, Montu, Kumba, SheiKra, Congo River Rapids and Tanganyika Tidal Wave (front row is included), reserved seating at the KaTonga show, lunch at the Crown Colony Restaurant, and a one-of-a-kind experience hand-feeding giraffes on the Serengeti Safari tour.

Unfortunately we didn’t have time to do the whole Elite Adventure Tour but we did manage the Serengeti Safari Tour where we all discovered first-hand just how long a giraffe’s tongue is while giving them a leafy snack! As you can see from the picture above, I got to enjoy some lettuce with one of the giraffe’s!

I have to say that the tour was simply fabulous and it’s something I would recommend that you and your family do when you visit us next time. Busch Gardens is just over an hour away from most of our vacation homes and its well worth the trip as you will become immersed in the Serengeti experience as your tour guide shares a lot of intriguing information and some interesting personal stories about the amazing wildlife.

On this trip you can unlock the mystery to the eland antelope’s mysterious clicking, discover the naturalistic beauty of the Serengeti Plain, and experience the thrill of feeding antelopes and giraffes. This Adventure creates memories that will last a lifetime and you’ll also enjoy some amazing photo opportunities such as the one I created up above.

Busch Gardens has a whole host of things going on for wild life buffs; Jungala features Bengal tigers, the Rhino Rally sees you hop aboard a wild jeep tour (see Rebecca, our concierge navigating the jeep in the above video…it’s a hoot!), see majestic Clydesdale horses, Edge of Africa features hippos, lions, meerkats, lemurs, crocodiles and hyenas and Myombe Reserve gets you up close and personal with gorillas and chimpanzees.

Of course, everyone loves a good thrill ride and Busch simply has some of the best around; from SheiKra and it’s 200 foot drop to Gwazi (one of the fastest wooden double roller coasters on the planet, Montu (7 insane inversions), Kumba (voted one of the world’s top coasters) and the Scorpion (3 G’s of force). But there’s even more and if you love getting wet then Congo River Rapids, Stanley Falls and Tanganyika Tidal Wave will be sure to keep you cool on a hot Florida day.

Busch Gardens has a lot of other stuff going on as well but you’ll just have to explore that for yourself but you can take a look here for more pictures.

Make of this what you will…and if I may…they’ve obviously not stayed in a vacation home (Let’s keep it our little secret ):

2009 Theme Park Insider Awards

Best Theme Park:

1. Disneyland Park
2. Busch Gardens Williamsburg
3. Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Best New Attraction:

1. Manta, SeaWorld Orlando
2. Prowler, Worlds of Fun
3. Diamondback, Kings Island

Best Theme Park Restaurant:

1. Les Chefs de France, Epcot
2. Mythos Restaurant, Universal’s Islands of Adventure
3. Sharks Underwater Grill, SeaWorld Orlando

Best Theme Park Hotel:

1. Loews Portofino Bay Hotel at Universal Orlando
2. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge at Walt Disney World
3. Disney’s Wilderness Lodge at Walt Disney World

Just spent a few minutes reading a report on the best destinations for value. It’s somewhat interesting :

Domestic:

1. Las Vegas

2. Orlando

3. Fort Lauderdale

4. New York

5. Los Angeles

Have to laugh when I read that…obviously there’s some political influence taking place here…I mean how can New York and LA ever be considered places of value with their overpriced hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. Maybe it’s a sign of the times and “recession pricing” is seeing some bargains after all.

Further, the people who did this have never been to Orlando and stayed in a vacation home. If they had, then Orlando would outpull Vegas. Vegas doesn’t have a product that can sleep 8 to 16 people in a 2000 sq ft to 3000 sq ft home for around $16 per person per night as far as I’m aware, but that’s exactly what we have in Central Florida.

Add in the fact that guests get their own fully equipped kitchen so they can save money by eating in instead of going out to expensive restaurants and that the real winner is their own private swimming pool, I’d say Orlando easily outranks Las Vegas in the “VALUE” stakes.

On the International front the top five were:

1. Rome

2. London

3. Paris

4. Madrid

5. Prague

I absolutely fail to understand what the hell London, Paris and Rome are doing in that list. They are all horrendously expensive places and value is practically impossible to find compared to places like Lisbon, Dublin and Amsterdam.

Let us know what you think. Where are the best value destinations in your opinion?