Waterscape Condominiums

Waterscape - the website sells itself! I love this place!

Rachel, the kids and I just spent our second vacation at this huge complex on Okaloosa Island, immediately of Hwy 98 after crossing into Fort Walton Beach, Florida. It is situated right on the Gulf and within a short drive to all of the main attractions in Destin and Fort Walton Beach.

The architects who designed this place had the upper-middle class family in mind and made sure accomodations would be comfortable and amenities plenty. The horseshoe shape of the building ensures that the main recreation area, complete with "Lazy River", waterfall, gym, BBQ grills, three pools, two hot tubs, and plenty of seating would be protected from most of the wind as well as a lot of the sun. Of course, being situated on the Gulf, the white sands of the resorts private stretch of beach are just a short walk over the wooden walkway. This proximity means that some rooms come with a grand view of the Gulf of Mexico. The architects designed every unit to angle towards the Gulf, so even rooms that are on the inside of the horseshoe on the bottom floor have a good chance of seeing the water. The resort offers free internet in seemingly all rooms (bring a Cat 5 cable just in case your unit doesn't provide it) and a free movie rental kiosk that allows each room to check out one free video at a time.

Here are some tips before visiting:
1. The best rooms for accessibility to the amenities are definitely the interior, bottom floor units. The largest units are closest to the Gulf, though they are a little further from the pools. When selecting a room, remember that the recreation area is two-levels, so the room you would want in the lower level recreation area would be a first level room. However, the upper level recreaction area has second level rooms opening out to it. The website has a terrific map that you can use to decide which room you want. Make sure you pick your own room with the ResortQuest agent when you call!

2. Go after labor day! These are very expensive condos and the rates drop significantly after the peak season. Plus, the amenities are more available due to a smaller crowd. You will lose some access to a lot of the fun things in Destin due to them closing their doors for the "winter", but you will not lose the sun or the relaxing.

3. Call the resort to see what they recommend bringing. Under the auspicious of saving money, they had not stocked the room we were in last time with enough toilet paper or liquid soap (powder dishwashing detergent is provided to wash the dishes in the full kitchen's dishwasher). I also recommend bringing laundry detergent for longer stays.

4. Because you are renting a condo, the management is not run like a resort. There is no daily maid service, room service, or a concierge. The front desk (when they are open) will help you with local area questions and local eateries will deliver.

5. Bring pool toys, floaties, etc as well as beach equipment (don't forget a kite!) Umbrellas and beach chairs are provided free of charge and kayaks are rented out. Also, it may be fun to have a cookout one night at one of the poolside BBQ grills, however an easier picnic with sandwiches is just as fun.

6. Sodas on site are expensive ($2/16.9 oz bottle)! Bring your own, but avoid glass bottles of any variety - they are not allowed on the pool deck.

7. Don't plan too many extra activities off-site. Relaxing by the pool or building sand castles is a perfect way for a family with young kids to save money while enjoying their time together. Other than eating out one meal a day, we went fishing from the pier, geo-caching, mini-golfing, and to a movie. I think anything else would have been too much for the time we were there (5 nights).

I hope you'll take my advice and stay there some day - it is really a nice place for young families to relax, refresh, and build memories.

In Him,
David

Ritz-Carlton, Buckhead, GA

Attendants swarm the front entrance of this swank accomodation in Atlanta's swankiest of communities. Besides offering bottles of water, clothed in Ritz-Carlton labels, they greet you as though you were royalty and ensure that the doors are already propped open, well before you have to consider reaching out your arm. Of course, all of that is no surprise, regardless which Ritz you may be calling home for the night. What makes the Buckhead Ritz stand out is its premier location for some of Atlanta's finest shopping. Claiming a coveted Peachtree address, the Ritz-Carlton in Buckhead, Georgia is directly across the street from Lenox Square Mall to the south and Phipps Plaza to the East - both extremely formidable shopping centers inside the perimeter (I-285). Many believe (incorrectly) that you need to adhere to a certain dress code just to shop at Phipps, yet I've proven that wrong - a few times (It's nice, but it's not Harrod's).

Everything is within reach of this Ritz, including MARTA, and the accomodations were amazing. We only had one kink during our stay. The LodgeNet on-screen entertainment/information system was not working and all told, we had to wait about an hour before we were able to watch Prince Caspian. But, in true R-C style, the front desk and the engineer's office maintained constant communication with us as they worked the problem. I really felt like our room was the only one with the problem based on how they treated me in person and over the phone - so I was blown away to find out that it was a hotel-wide problem! That's the kind of personal care you can expect at any Ritz. The same type of care I've received at the other two Ritz's I've stayed at.

Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites at Ameristar

The days of overpriced and undermaintained Holiday Inns with scum floating on outdoor rot-iron fence enclosed pools and no ammenities to speak of are over. I've been travelling these United States my entire life - mostly traversing the mid-section - and I recall thinking of how fun it would be to stay at a Holiday Inn during my youth - after all, they usually offered HBO in the room! Back then, they were expensive compared to the Cheap Z's, Days Inns, and Econo Lodges that we usually ended up in - but it was probably for the better that we never stayed under the star.

Those days are over.

The full compliment of Holiday Inn hotels has raised the bar as far as renovations, ammenities, locations, and pricing in my short lifespan to a noticeable degree. Nowadays, I rarely plan a trip without first checking on the company's easy-to-use website for the closest accomodations where I can benefit under my Priority Club account. Tonight it's the Holiday Inn Hotel and Suites next door to the Ameristar Casino just off of I-29 in Council Bluffs, IA. We didn't plan on this stay, however the flight my brother and I were slated to take to Minneapolis, MN was delayed to far to make our connecting flight, so we're stuck till tomorrow, and I'm not too upset. Free Wi-Fi is standard and the beds/linens are second only to another chain's offerings of a Sleep Number bed in every room. Of course there is a free hot breakfast in the morning, though our early flight will unfortunately prevent us from partaking the usual fresh waffles, eggs, bacon, danishes, juices, and other breakfast items. We took a dive in the indoor pool inside an expanse of windows looking out over the powerful Missouri River and relaxed in the hot tub after an arduous airport experience.

I booked it online for 10 bucks less than anything else comparable in the area and a shuttle was at the airport within 10 minutes of booking and a follow-up phone call.

Someday I'll provide a proper review of the best roadside hotel I've ever stayed at - the Holiday Inn Express in Coeur d'Lane, ID - but I think I'll need another visit to refresh my memory, that was after all 1.5 years ago and my memory is a little fuzzy. . .