Hilton Head Island, South Carolina

Hilton Head is our favorite vacation destination. We have been going there for the past 15 years. We bought a Marriott Time Share at the Grande Ocean Resort, which I think is the nicest and best located time share in Hilton Head. Generally a time share is a big mistake, but ours has actually increased in value. Before buying a time share check into resales. We paid about 35% less than Marriott was selling them for.

There is nothing like having 2 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms when traveling with children. We don't have to wait in line to have breakfast, since we have a complete kitchen and dining room. We have a comfortable living room with a balcony, 3 televisions, DVD player, Jacuzzi, washer and dryer and many other comforts of home. The kids never get bored with so many activities the recreation staff has planned. The resort has 4 beautifully landscaped swimming pools, an indoor pool, excercise room, great cocktail bar, gas barbecues, and of course the beach which is steps away. They have an excellent tennis program that is included. There are intermediate and advanced clinics daily for an hour and a half and 3 round-robin tournaments during the week.

Hotel Alternative - Rent a House

Last June I had to get lodging in Stowe, VT for my daughter's wedding. There were six of us and the local hotel was charging $200 per night for a room. I found a beautiful townhouse for rent adjacent to the hotel for about half the price that 3 rooms would have cost and it was much more luxurious. We had 3 bedrooms, 2 and 1/2 baths, a full gourmet kitchen, gas barbecue, full size pool table with a wet bar, a home theater with hundreds of DVDs, gas fireplace, etc.

The kitchen was equipped with every conceivable appliance and my son (a Cullinary Institute graduate) whipped up a 7 course meal for 8 people that was served in the dining room. I found this rental on http://www.vrbo.com/ (Vacation Rentals by Owner). They have rental properties worldwide.

Durango Silverton Railroad

Last year we took a ride on the Durango-Silverton Railroad. This was a trip I have wanted to take for a long time and finally had a chance when I went to visit my son who lived in Denver. It was a good 8 hour drive from Denver to Durango, not counting the stop at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park where we spent an hour. We also had to put up with hairpin turns and icy roadways in the dark. It was all worth it. The train ride lasted all day. The weather started out sunny, turned rainy, then it snowed and finally on the way back, the sun came out again. The train goes from 6,500 feet to 9,300 feet elevation. We stayed at the Doubletree Hotel in Durango using Hilton Honors Points and it was right across the street from the train station.