City ❀ Country ❀ Beach
The Fairway Forest Resort at Sapphire Valley is one of the most beautiful locations for a resort we have ever stayed at. It is nestled in a great location for your Blue Ridge Mountains getaway and is still a drivable distance away from Asheville & …
The way prices are these days with everything, there are some simple, practical, and realistic ways you can save money for vacation. If you have a family of four or more, you will especially want to know these money saving tips. There are ways to …
The Suites at Fall Creek has everything you need to unwind at its finest. If you’re looking for a place to recharge and refresh along with having everything nearby that Branson, Missouri has to offer then The Suites at Fall Creek is exactly what you’re looking for. We chose this resort for two main reasons. The first is because we’re The Club members, which is formerly known as Diamond Resorts and is now owned by Hilton Grand Vacations. This is the nearest resort we found on our list of resorts to choose from. Second, it’s a resort that has it all and you’ll see why below.
The lobby is inviting, clean, and spacious. It has plenty of seating and if you want to know what activities are happening while you stay, just ask either the front desk or the concierge. You can even rent marina equipment for your enjoyment!
This is where I’m really picky! Our room has to be very clean, tidy, and supplied with everything as stated on their website. They did not disappoint! It is a beautiful room equipped with everything you need in every spot: the kitchen, the living room, the dining room, the bedrooms, the bathrooms, and the patio. We stayed in a 2 bedroom suite. Also, there are two things that MUST be of high quality every…single…time no matter what hotel/resort we’re staying at and those are 1. bed sheets 2. towels Everything at this resort was up to par! No comforters here!
The grounds are beautiful because it not only is well manicured, but geese live here! There are all kinds of activities you & your family can engage in such as grilling, outdoor seating, swimming (indoor & outdoor), ping pong, beach volleyball, playgrounds, game room, video game area, shuffleboard, and mini golf! There is something for everyone.
If you’re ready to book, do so because this resort fills up quickly especially during the summer and holidays. I highly recommend this resort because it had everything we wanted & needed with a great location! Whether you’re looking to unwind and relax or just need a place to stay for the night near or in Branson, The Suites at Fall Creek is a great place.
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For fun things to do and places to eat in and around Missouri, check out our Missouri Road Trip, Silver Dollar City, and Hickory Log posts!
My goal is always to inspire others to get out and travel. It’s always fun to visit new places and experience different things. Road trips are great because you can go at your own pace, stop anywhere you want, and eat at local mom-n-pop restaurants. …
Let’s face it. You want to have fun, get the most out of your trip, but you also don’t want to spend a fortune. We totally understand because that’s how we always plan our trips. New York City can be expensive and you’ll hear it …
Grande Villas Resort is the perfect place to stay in Orlando while visiting the theme parks. Owned by Hilton Grand Vacations, it is ranked as a 3-star hotel with an almost 5-star review by guests. It is conveniently located about 10 minutes from all the entrances of the theme parks.
We have stayed here several times and absolutely love the convenience of the location, cleanliness of the rooms, friendliness of the staff, amenities, and best of all, we LOVE the size of the rooms!
We decided to book a 3-bedroom lock-off unit because, with two young men in our house now, they like to have their own bedroom. Gone are the days of them sharing a bed when they were little boys. However, even the 1-bedrooms are spacious. So you can’t go wrong with the rooms here. Just choose what works best for you.
The welcome lobby is just that-welcoming. It’s always so nice to come to a place where you’re greeted by friendly staff and everything looks pristine. This is honestly one of my favorite places to stay in Orlando!
Now, let’s check out our 3-bedroom lock-off unit!
One of the first rooms you notice is the kitchen. The kitchen is well stocked with the appliances you need plus all the essentials like dishcloths, dish liquid and such. If there is anything that you may need that you don’t see, just call the lobby and they’ll do their best to take care of you. I do this all the time wherever we stay and request specifically extra blankets. But that’s just our family.
Adjacent to the kitchen is the 6 six-seat dining room table. We are only a family of 4, so this is plenty of room for us. Honestly, a lot of times we don’t even use the dining table because we’re gone most of the day at the theme parks. However, if you plan on visiting Orlando other than theme parks, a full kitchen and dining table will come in handy and will also save you a lot of eating out money! If you’re going to have groceries in your room, make your stay even simpler by just ordering them using Shipt. It’s as easy as ordering on your phone or laptop and delivered to your lobby. More time for you to enjoy your vacation!
The next room is the living room. It is a comfortable spot to just chill at the end of the day from walking the theme parks or a busy day out on the town.
Open up the sliding door from the living room and you’ll notice a quaint balcony with a table and 4 chairs. This is a nice outdoor area where you can see your surroundings and get some fresh air. We were near the pool, but the 3rd lock-off room has a much better view of the pool, which I will show you below!
Just behind the living room couch wall are the 2nd bedroom and its own bathroom! This room has 2 twin beds, armoire, and a TV. Our youngest son had this room & bathroom all to himself.
To the left of the living room are the main bedroom and the huge bathroom! Seriously, the size of this main bedroom and bathroom could be an entire hotel room on its own. That’s how big it is!
Now, if you think that’s big, you’ve seen nothing yet. The 3rd bedroom lock-off could be an apartment of its own. Really! Check this out. Before you get to the 2nd bedroom, on the right side you’ll see a door. It can be locked off, hence “lock-off,” or it can remain wide open. Our oldest son had the luxury of staying here. I told him to pretend it’s his apartment!
From the inside of the 3rd bedroom lock-off kitchen, yes it has its own kitchen, you can see into the dining room/living room area of the main room. There is also a common area washer/dryer that makes it very convenient to pack because you don’t have to bring as many clothes.
Again just like the main kitchen, everything you need is included in this additional kitchen.
From the kitchen, you can see the small living room couch and a SEPARATE front door entrance! If our son wanted to go out, he wouldn’t need to use the main room entrance. How convenient is that!?!
To the left of the living room is the bed, armoire, and another TV which then leads into the bathroom. If you open the curtains in the bedroom, it will lead to a small 2-seater balcony with a great view of the swimming pool.
If that hasn’t convinced you to stay here, let me tell you about some of the other things this resort has to offer.
It has outdoor spaces for everyone to congregate, firepits, BBQ grills, mini-golf, fitness center, basketball court, 2 swimming pools, a kiddie pool, spa, movie rentals, karaoke, mini-market, deli, pizza, gift shop, 24hr security, on-site activities (ex. ping pong), playground, shuffleboard, tennis, volleyball and more. These are all shared amenities with their sister property, Cypress Pointe, which also has water volcanoes that anyone can enjoy!
As you can see, there is something for everyone and with it being in a perfect location within so many other things to do in Orlando, you will be sure to enjoy your stay at Grande Villas Resort!
Choosing the right location on South Beach can be daunting. However, that’s why I’m here to help! Crescent Resort is at a prime location because it is literally across the street from South Beach. To start off let’s talk beach. Wow! As you head out …
If you want a luxurious stay with the comforts of home, Gaylord Opryland Resort & Convention Center is the place to stay. The Lobby Walking into the lobby is amazing because it’s clean, sleek, and absolutely gorgeously decorated with lush palm trees and water features. …
There’s one thing that I hate while traveling and it’s being sick or having someone else in your party be sick. You don’t want to admit it, but it kind of puts a damper on your fun vacation or it makes your work trip miserable. In the last 4 years, I personally have not had to call in sick to work. Oh, I’ve taken my personal days, but I have not had to call in sick. I take precautions at home all the time and now I want to share the precautions I take before & during traveling. Here are my surefire ways to do my best to stay healthy while traveling and now you can too!
Getting an extra boost of Vitamin C daily a week or two before your trip will enhance your immune system. I am not a doctor, so please don’t take any medical advice from me, but I’ve seen this time & time again in our family that this helps. I even give this to my kids before mid-terms & final exams. Who here likes to have someone sneezing on an airplane? Not me. I don’t know about you, but I literally stop breathing for a few seconds when someone sneezes near me. I feel like I’m not breathing in their germs. I know, weird.
Since we’re talking about taking Vitamin C, don’t forget to pack your over-the-counter medicines. I know you’re probably thinking these are for when you’re already sick, but these are preventative, too. Taking stomach medicine at the first sign of stomach pain might prevent other symptoms. Or taking medicine for a headache might prevent you from a migraine. Do you see where I’m getting at? Also, these are always a good idea to carry with you while traveling because you just never know. Better to have them and not need them, than to not have them and need them.
You don’t have to be over the top about this, but please make sure you wash your hands after using any restroom and before eating. It amazes me how many people don’t wash their hands after using the restroom! Why? It’s for your own good and for the good of those around you. People, please, just wash your hands. So many germs can be avoided.
This is always a good idea to bring just in case you have those instances where you can’t get to a restroom to wash your hands. You’re traveling, so of course, you need something on the go because you’re on the go. There will be times where you may want to clean your hands like when meeting new people and shaking their hands or you’re grocery shopping to stock your hotel room and the grocery store is out of wipes (that’s happened to me plenty of times)! Take this. You’ll be happy you did.
We actually do this subconsciously all the time. We have an itch on our nose, we scratch it. We have an itchy eye, we rub it. We have kids? Well, you know what a lot of them do with their nose. Yuk! Some people bit their nails, too. The point is if our hands your hands are dirty and you go to touch your face, you will probably pick up some germs and therefore, you might get sick. Make it a habit not to take your hands to your face, especially while traveling.
Keeping hydrated is important. It helps your bodies organs functioning as they should be. While you’re traveling your body may be undergoing stress because of new locations, new people, new customs, etc, so drinking water will keep your body under control. The easiest way to do this is by carrying a refillable water bottle. If you’re in a location where you trust the water source, just refill your bottle. Drinking water before your trip will prepare your body to be in its best optimum health. And people, please don’t think that soda or energy drinks will do the trick. Just because they’re liquids doesn’t mean they’re healthy for you. Stick with good ol’ H2O. And if you absolutely can’t tolerate straight up H2O, then add a little flavoring. I personally like straight up H2O and Crystal Light flavors.
If you’re traveling and you’re not sure whether to drink the tap water or not, drink only bottled or canned drinks. Don’t ask for ice and then pour your bottled or canned drink over the ice. If you do that, you just drank tap water but in the frozen method. Think about it. This may cost you more, but it’s better to pay extra for drinks than pay for a hospital bill. Again, if you have to drink things this method, try to stick with bottled H2O and stay away from sugary or energy drinks.
You may think this is excessive, but think about how many people have stayed in the same exact room as you. And, don’t think that the maid has cleaned it thoroughly. Although I have much respect for their job, I don’t trust that they have cleaned every part that carries the most germs. I like to wipe down (using towelettes from #4) the following areas:
remote controls, toilet handle & sink faucet, light switches, and doorknobs
I’m not a big breakfast eater and if I do eat breakfast, I’m usually hungry by 10:00 a.m. However, when I’m traveling I like to eat at least a little something before we head out the door (and usually that’s early because we like to make the most of our day sightseeing). I will either eat something quick like waffles, a granola bar, or some fruit. Getting something in your stomach is good because it will give you energy for what could be a long day, prevent you from getting any headaches or your stomach queasy, and even though it doesn’t have anything to do with staying healthy, you might not be so hungry for lunch, therefore saving you money on a big meal. Everyone is different, but I find it better to eat at least a little something before heading out for your day.
If you do everything above, but you don’t get a good night’s sleep, then you will have a hard time functioning for the rest of the day. This is true not just when traveling, but for any time. The body needs to rest. Don’t underestimate the importance of sleep. I know you want to get everything in into one day and feel accomplished, but it’s better to break down activities into two days and have a great time than do everything in one day and feel like you’re going to die. For example, do only one Disney park per day. Then go back to your hotel room to relax and sleep. Don’t try to do multiple parks in one day and expect to get it all in. I don’t recommend this at all! Especially if you’re not 18 years old anymore if you know what I mean.
Have you ever gotten sick while traveling? What was your worst experience? What things do you do to prevent getting sick? I would love to hear your stories!
Since we are Hilton Grand Vacations members, we booked Hyatt Regency Mission Bay Spa & Marina through them. However, you don’t need to be members of any establishment in order to stay here. You can book directly from Hyatt Regency’s website. If you want the …
