A Florida Home is where the Holiday is

Throw in some cheap vino and you’re good to go

“Just $6.49!” my husband bellowed, brandishing a bottle of Yellowtail Shiraz. “That’s less than half what we pay at home, so I got four of them!” 

“That’s why I love coming here every year,” I responded, loading the spoils into the back of our massive, gleaming-white SUV rental. “It’s all about the bargain booze.” 

We were on Day Two, of our fifth-annual family vacation in Orlando, Florida; our third in a holiday home community. And the most surprising thing of all?  We were all getting along. 

Yes, Florida holiday home vacations are designed for cynics like myself who believe that “family vacation” is an oxymoron. I mean, my fondest family vacation memories are of the five of us lovingly crammed together in a single hotel room. Not!

More than anything, what these holiday homes offer is space and privacy. Most of these beautifully appointed homes have at least three (and sometimes as many as seven) graciously spaced bedrooms, meaning your self-absorbed, moody teenager is barely within shouting distance of her sister and the grandparents are happily ensconced in their own private wing (where they can’t count the glasses of Yellowtail being imbibed). Throw in a private pool, an en suite in every bedroom, some well-priced libations and a husband who likes to cook, and there’s no way you can’t enjoy yourself.

For some of us, holiday homes also offer a chance to live high on the hog for a week or more. My kids have no trouble adapting to the lifestyle of the rich and famous, sipping iced lemonade aboard their floaties and channel-surfing on one of the six (I counted) TVs sprinkled through the house. They actually don’t have a TV in their bedroom at home (we’re too mean for that), so believe it or not, it’s a real treat for them.

At the heart of the holiday home is our favorite gathering place – the kitchen. Fully equipped with all the bells and whistles (notably a garborator, which someone inevitably puts out of commission within the first 24 hours), the kitchen is where we pay lip service to the Canada Food Guide. And hey, it sure beats getting your three squares at TGI Friday’s or another Florida health food chain.

Not to mention the money you’ll have left over for the wine sale at the local Publix. Yellowtail, anyone?

Ask your Maritime Travel Counsellor about Maritime Travel’s own Florida Holiday Home program with Holiday Escapes.  Hurry! Maritime Travel’s Holiday Home sale ends Oct. 31, 2009.