Day One…

I have to say that the drive down to Orlando from Jersey was well uneventful… which is a good thing! We left at about 6:30 stopped twice for food and about 4 times for gas and arrived in Orlando at about 1:00.

Here’s where the quibbling comes into play. I had requested an early check in when I had booked our room (which would have been 2 pm check in instead of 3pm). I 100% understand that this is a request and cannot not be guaranteed or even granted, but it is important to the rest of the story. I had called the hotel at about 12:30 to say that we were driving down from Jersey and were about a half hour out if they knew if a room would be ready for us once we got there or if we should go shopping or do something else. (Please keep in mind that when I had booked, I informed them that we would be driving the straight 17 hours and would like the first possible room.) Her response when I called 30 min out was that they wouldn’t know until we got there. I should have known then we should have just switched. You cannot guesstimate whether or not a room would be near ready in 30 mins? If it’s not fine but don’t make me come there to tell me it’s not ready.  In any case we wind up driving to the hotel to have them tell us that the room is in fact not ready. At that point I reminded them how long we had been driving and the receptionist radioed housekeeping at 1pm to put a rush on our room and informed us it shouldn’t be longer than 45 minutes. (Again it was 1, I can understand) So we explored the grounds for about  an hour and checked back in to see if the room was ready. It was not. We asked how long, they said another hour. So we went to Wal-Mart to pick up a few missing items. And came back at about 3 and asked again if the room was done. Again the answer was no. about another 45minutes. So we went to the pizza hut onsite (which is a whole other blog!) and came back at about 3:45 (mind you 45 minutes after regular check in time.) I was informed that the room was still not ready, but was given a choice. I was told that they had “hooked us up” and pre-booked us the penthouse for us and this was the only one available which was why it was taking so long to get ready. (More than 3 hours to clean one room? Please I would have cleaned it myself.) So they gave us the option to down grade our room and they would reduce the rate or we could wait for this room. I don’t know about you but when someone says that you have a penthouse suite… I’m waitin’!  So we waited and waited and waited….we wound up taking a nap in their convention center on their couches.. real classy .. I know. At about 4:45 I went back to the front desk and surprise surprise still no room. This time though there was hope! They checked us in and gave us keys and estimated about 15 more minutes. I asked just for a luggage caddy so we could start moving the luggage out of the car. It’s been two weeks and I still haven’t seen it.  Long story.. well cut short, we got into the room by 5:30. By the way, the ‘penthouse’ that they “hooked us up” with, was the 2 room suite I had booked in the first place! Nothing different, nothing special. That night was short lived, Christian went to a pirate show across the street. Danielle and I order in Chile's, and her Steve and I were in bed by 8:30- 9:00.

My favorite place in the World

3 years ago I would have told you that Disney World or St. Thomas were my fav places EVER! And While I have a special place in my heart for both locations (when I win the Lotto-I will be living in St. Thomas..) I may have a new one. Best part- It’s not in Florida, Not in the Caribbean, it’s in Jersey. It is called Crystal Springs Resorts- specifically Grand Cascades Lodge. Located in the mountains of Hardyston, NJ, this resort has it all, redic spacious rooms- fantastic scenery, award winning restaurants, wine cellars like you’ll never believe, golf courses as far as the eye can see, a nine star spa. But above all else, a Biosphere pool.

This pool is something out of your wildest imagination.  It is a indoor tropical paradise. It has ‘German Foiltec roofing’ that allows nearly 100% light transmission for year-round tanning- a first in the US.  In addition, the roof actually retracts which produces an awesome outdoor experience- indoors. The Biosphere also includes, heated indoor freeform pool, underground aquarium, 140 foot water slide, Grotto-like Jacuzzi, cave-themed steam room & sauna. They also have 2 other outdoor pools. One that is open seasonally, the other that is open mostly year-round- it is heated and the entrance to in inside the biosphere. You swim through a curtain and you are outdoors. Last year, while snow was covering the ground- My mom, my sister and myself, thought it would be fun to swim, outdoors in a separate heated pool. I cannot tell you how amazing it was to experience this!

The new Elements spa- is out of this world. If you are looking to be pampered- this is the place to be. Champagne, truffles, salt rubs and foot soaks. Top notch!

Service in general cannot be beat. I have stayed here on numerous occasions and staff continues to impress me.

They have 3- going on 4 hotels. Grand Cascades, Minerals, they just purchased Mountain Creek and have one more hotel in the works. There is no bad time of year to come here! Winter there is skiing and tubing. Spring starts up the golf and flower blooming season. Summer brings on jet skis, lounging, and tanning.

My favorite time of year to visit is the fall. I am a leaf-peeper and this place hold spectacular views if the mountains for the foliage. Plus it is prime location for leaf –peeping hikes. The weather is great, the hotel is usually at packed with people. I love sitting out on the balcony, next to the outdoor fireplace with a cup of tea and a book, or just sitting with my boyfriend looking out at the different colors in the mountains- that is my absolute fav place to be.

I’ll post pics and more on the hotel soon.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/27314996@N05/?saved=1

http://www.crystalgolfresort.com/

 

Just the drive

As I drove to the Staten Island expressway at 7pm on a Friday, I thought to my self, “Nice you left a little later, all the Bennies will be heading in the other direction, you got this. It will be smooth sailing to the Verrazzzzz…” Then, before I could even finish the bridges name, there it was the dreaded back up that is feared by all New Jersian’s, former and current New Yorkers, but mostly, Hated by me. It is always a backup unlike any other backup. (I drove to west and south Jersey everyday for a year. I know highway traffic.) It is like the cars magically come down from the sky and the fellow motorists have no idea how or why they are there or even what to do or where to go. Then you sit. Not truly understanding why or how there could be this much back up NOT going towards Jersey on a Friday night in the middle of August. You wonder, this time could be an accident, of course you hope that is not but you think, I’m two miles to the bridge, and the sign says “20minutes to the Verrazano.” Clearly there has to be something taking up at least 2 out of the 3 lanes to be causing this. But wait, what is that I hear? Ah yes, it is the traffic God come to set things right, because what could make two mile of stop dead traffic move out of nowhere? A horn. Yes clearly the by you honking your horn, Mr. HornHonker, the rest of the cars on the road will dissipate and then you, the only person who thought to honk your horn will have a clear path on the expressway to your destination, with no more traffic no more out of town drivers not knowing where their exit for Manhattan is, you will have figured it out and conquered the dead stop jam that you have been sitting in for the past fifteen minutes, you will be free and clear to go thanks to the obnoxious sound that comes out of your caaaaar.


I don’t think so. Really? A true New Yorker friend of mine will tell you a story of how, growing up in Brooklyn, moving to Jersey (unwillingly), and now a working Manhattanite, horns were just a part of everyday life. You would go to sleep and wake up to a horn honking. Being transferred to Virginia on assignment was also no pleasure cruise, as you can imagine. But at one intersection down there with her car filled with VA colleagues, she approached a car that was stopped at a green light, so she gave him a friendly ‘toot toot’. Which was then followed by three loud gasps from inside the car, two dirty looks from strange drivers and as she passed the stopped car, an older women looked back at her with tears in her eyes and lipped to her ‘why’. Her collogues asked why she used her horn, she replied, she was stopped at a green light, I didn’t honk at her a gave her a friendly ‘hello’, ‘it’s a green light’, move it along’. With sheer disgust on their face, they informed her that even if either car were to be a blaze in flames would you ever use your horn.

So, Mr. Honkyhorner- lay off the center of the steering wheel, it’s just not going to get you anywhere any quicker.

As I digress, after the horns and the unexplainable lane switching (dead stop traffic- where you switching to? Three centimeters east of where you were- yeah good move tough guy, just chill out.) we reach our destination in said Brooklyn. After I had to take it to the streets, because the back up on the Belt started from the unused toll booths. But that is a whole other blog.