Cool off in Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon Water Park in Orlando
It can get hot in Orlando during the summer, but it is easy to refresh yourself and get some thrills in the process if you go to Disney’s Typhoon Lake Water Park. This is one of two water parks at the Walt Disney Resort located near Orlando, Florida.
Typhoon Lake is home to many attractions such as the fast moving water slides and a children’s area with child-sized rafts. As it is a Disney creation, the whole layout of the park is very imaginative. In fact there is even a bit of “legend” behind the park’s layout. Read more »
One of the pleasures of any vacation is trying out the cuisine of a particular locality. If Orlando is your vacation destination then you will have a wide choice of restaurants to choose from. It would never be possible to give a complete survey of the dining possibilities in Orlando or any city in only one article but here is a sampling of low budget and high budget restaurants that have proven popular with visitors to Orlando.
Since I am writing this during a time of economic recession let me start with the low budget restaurants. These are places where you can get a good meal but not dent your wallet too much. Read more »
Rent Disney Homes Rather Than Pay a Fortune in Hotel Bills
Increasingly many families are choosing to rent Disney homes in preference to staying at some of the expensive hotels in and around the neighborhood. Enjoying a family vacation in Orlando, perhaps spending much of your time in Disney World, can be an amazing experience for the whole family.
However, whilst the days may be filled with rides, entertainment and fun, all too often there can be problems. If you choose not to rent a private vacation home near Disney World, then almost certainly you’ll be forced to pay exorbitant fees at one of the nearby hotels. Quite apart from being very much more expensive, difficulties can arise, especially when families become confined to a single room for a week or more. Read more »
Spring is the teaser season where Road Trip Planners begin by airing out their RVs for some exciting road trip adventures. Even those who don’t own an RV yet, start checking out the rates and options for RV rentals.
RV vacations offer another plus for traveling in an RV: Tour in a bathrobe. Imagine driving up Pike’s Peak, dressed in pajamas with pillow creases still indented in your left cheek and you can imagine the convenience. Read more »
Hawaii is a great resort for any family vacation. When you have worked hard throughout the year it really is a big move to finally make the decision to go on that perfect beach holiday. Beach vacations are always a perfect option for family holidays and Hawaii is one of the most popular beach resorts around the world. If you are planning a vacation anytime soon you may want to consider all of the options available. You may choose to stay in a hotel or even participate in group tours, but for some of us the best option will simply be finding a rental that is able to accommodate you and your family. Read more »
How to Avoid Altitude Sickness in Breckenridge Colorado
If you’re traveling to a high altitude ski destination, such as Breckenridge, Colorado this winter, it’s important that you bring along a thorough understanding of how higher elevations can affect your travels. With a base elevation perched at 9,600 feet above sea level, Breckenridge is one of the highest ski towns in the American West.
Most travelers will find that the altitude of Breckenridge has a relatively mild effect on them. It is not uncommon to notice a slight headache or have a bit of trouble sleeping for the first two to three days after arrival. Unfortunately, some visitors will experience more severe symptoms including nausea, vomiting, significant headaches and shortness of breath. The good news is that by following a few simple precautions, most travelers can mitigate the effect of altitude to the point that they are barely noticeable at all.
Visitors who believe they may be prone to the effects of altitude should consult their family physician before heading to Breckenridge. He or she may prescribe a drug known as Diamox. This prescription is taken for two days prior to your arrival in Breckenridge and for the first three to four days of your stay. It can help to mitigate the most noticeable symptoms of high altitude. Children may also receive a prescription for Diamox in smaller doses than those given to adults. You should also inquire as to whether Breckenridge’s altitude may exacerbate any health conditions that you already have.
Prior to arriving in Breckenridge, visitors should increase their water intake and be sure to remain well hydrated during the course of their stay. The body’s adjustment to higher elevations is accompanied by fluid loss. This is the result of an increased respiration rate, and with it, greater amounts of water vapor are exhaled. Try to consume a minimum of one hundred ounces of fluids each day to retain the level of hydration needed by your body. A diet that is high in carbohydrates will also help with acclimatization, as these simple sugars are more easily digested by your body, allowing it to focus more energy on adjusting to altitude. Avoiding caffeine and alcohol will also help, as they can contribute to dehydration.
Spending a night in Denver before traveling to Breckenridge can also be an effective method of acclimating. At an elevation of 5,280 feet, Denver offers an ideal median altitude to adjust to before moving on to higher elevations.
After arriving in Breckenridge, it’s a good idea to take things easy for your first day or two in town. Exhausting yourself by skiing from the time the mountain opens to the time it closes can bring on the symptoms of altitude sickness, even days after your arrival. Light activity is better for acclimating than bed rest, even if you do not feel well. Lying in bed or sleeping decreases the body’s rate of respiration which can actually amplify the effects of altitude sickness. Even if you’re not feeling one hundred percent, a short walk around town will help your body adjust to its new surroundings much faster than trying to sleep off symptoms. You may even want to visit a local “oxygen bar,” where for a few dollars, you can breathe an oxygen concentration resembling that of a much lower elevation. Read more »
Exploring the Four Corners: Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona, Utah
Not everyone can explore the four corners of the Earth in one lifetime, but a Road Trip Planner can definitely plan a journey to the Four Corners of the United States. Nowhere else can you physically BE in four states simultaneously so make sure this road trip makes it on your “Places To See” list.
BEST TIME TO VISIT: An excellent time to plan a road trip to this region is during the Fall because the red, orange and brown of the landscape will remind you of Fall Colors. Late Spring is also nice as is the summer if you have a tolerance for dry heat and have an ample supply of bottled water.
WHAT STATES MEET WHERE? Southwest Colorado, Northwest New Mexico, Northeast Arizona and Southeast Utah. There’s even a Four Corners Monument to mark the spot. Hand, hand, foot, foot & you’re officially in four states at once.
WHAT KIND OF TERRAIN CAN I EXPECT TO FIND? The Four Corners is actually part of the Grand Circle (which includes the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Bryce Canyon National Park, Zion Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef, Natural Bridges, Hovenweep, Arches National Park). What you’ll find is plains stretching into the horizon in golden hues. And russet plateaus jutting up out of the earth in chaotic yet curiously patterned ways. This terrain is ancient; a land of Native Americans, a western frontier set in a rough and tumble landscape. Read more »
The chicken-and-egg question guests often ask at La Quinta Resort & Club is which came first: the city of La Quinta or the resort? The answer is neither. The Spaniards came first when they created a base in La Quinta along their route to the San Gabriel Mission.
Several centuries later, along came big shot Bay-area businessman Walter Morgan, who chose to build La Quinta resort pretty much where the Spaniards had their base. It was much later that the city of La Quinta was named for the resort — one of only two cities in the country to be named this way. The other is Beverly Hills, named after the famous Beverly Hills Resort.
The area Morgan chose for his resort is in the foothills of the Santa Rosa Mountains near Palm Springs and, today, La Quinta Resort & Club has become a massive 42-acre collection of casitas, golf courses, swimming pools and tennis courts that, for the first-timer, requires a roadmap to navigate. Charming Spanish architecture and abundant vegetation weave a colorful tapestry against the mountain backdrop, making La Quinta Resort & Club one of the prettiest spa resorts you’ll ever see. It’s the perfect choice for a California vacation of any length.
Our trip from San Diego to La Quinta was quick and easy using the back route through the parched landscape near Anza, culminating in a 10-mile winding, downgrade taking vehicles about 5,000 feet down to the desert floor where temperatures were nearly 20 degrees hotter than on top of the grade. Any trip to Palm Springs during the spring and summer requires a little pre-planning to manage the heat. You don’t just show up and stay on the golf course all day in triple-digit temperatures.
The locals in the Palm Springs area have learned to time outdoor activities so that they’re accomplished in the relatively cool mornings. In some cases, afternoon activities will work if you know, for example, your golf course will have shade. One of the La Quinta courses always gets covered in shade from the Santa Rosa Mountains at 3 p.m. each day.
“Managing the weather here is just a matter of keeping hydrated and wearing sunscreen,” explained Sara Harper, La Quinta’s Director of Marketing Communications. “And the nights here are so unbelievably pleasant.”
We hit an unusually hot weekend for spring — it got as high as 108 degrees — but we noticed that the heat really didn’t get uncomfortable until early to mid-afternoon. As they say, it’s a dry heat in the Palm Springs area, and the 90-degree temps in the morning hours felt downright refreshing.
But there is no question that your time at La Quinta Resort & Club — whatever the time of the year — is bound to involve some serious submerging in one of the resort’s 42 swimming pools. No, that’s not a typo — La Quinta not only has 42 pools, but 53 hot tub spas. Many of the resort’s casitas have their own swimming pools, but other casitas are grouped around one or more mid-size pools where there seemed to be plenty of room to swim and ample deck chairs to accommodate anyone who wanted to lay out in the desert sun.
Our “starlight” casita was a spacious upstairs unit in a two-story building overlooking one of the swimming pools. Floor plans at La Quinta offer more than the usual amount of space — 450 square feet or more — and that, along with the high ceilings, gives a feeling of openness. An incredibly comfortable king bed, hide-a-bed, desk and audio/video entertainment area were in the main room; the bath area was equally comfortable with an over-sized bathtub, walk-in shower stall, double vanities and a separate room for the commode.
Casitas each are decorated with a Southwestern flair. Mexican influenced pottery designs, wrought iron mirror frames and bed treatments with browns, reds and yellows created a fiesta of color in our casita’s main room. Outside on the deck were lounge chairs, a table and umbrella to enjoy the outdoors in total privacy.
The casita buildings are connected by a maze of walkways that will keep you reaching for your hotel map. These sidewalks also are a primary thoroughfare for the golf carts and bicycles driven and ridden by resort employees as they spread out all over the vast complex that totals 800 casitas altogether.
Back when Walter Morgan first built the resort in 1926, the resort plan was a bit more modest — only 20 casitas, although he did build the valley’s first golf course. La Quinta Resort was created to lure Hollywood stars to the Coachella Valley where they could get away from the studio and relax in privacy — which of course was one reason the whole Palm Springs area eventually turned into a playground for the Hollywood elite.
At La Quinta, the list of Hollywood stars was impressive — such lminaries as Clark Gable, Bette Davis, Errol Flynn, Katherine Hepburn, Eddie Cantor and Shirley Temple were regulars. Greta Garbo had a house on the property, and Frank Capra wrote many of his movie scripts in the same La Quinta casita that today has his typewriter and one of his scripts awaiting the lucky guest renting that particular casita.
Hollywood stars still come to La Quinta today because, like many KSL Resorts properties, this resort is laid out in a campus style that allows a celebrity to avoid entering through a main entrance or elevator — the stars just drive right to their casitas, parking a few steps away and then get lost in the resort during their entire stay. This layout also is beneficial for everyday vacationers who don’t want to be bothered by convention and other group activities; when conventions are held at La Quinta they are held in areas where regular guests aren’t likely to even know they are there.
Sports celebrities, too, are in abundance — especially tennis players. La Quinta tennis pro Mike Casey has relationships with many world-class players who periodically will train at La Quinta. With 23 courts — clay, grass and hard surface — the resort has become popular also for ordinary people who just want to improve their tennis game. Many of the courts are lighted, which means the players can manage the Palm Springs heat by playing at night.
For golfers, La Quinta offers five courses, including three designated as PGA West.
For those of us who just want to relax and enjoy great food, La Quinta — as near as we could tell — fills the bill there, too. We only had time to sample the Adobe Grill — which served scrumptious and authentic Mexican cuisine — but the resort also boasts Morgan’s, a premium steakhouse, Azur by Le Bernadin seafood restaurant and the Spa Bistro, offering spa cuisine to make your stay as healthy as it was fun. Actually, including the golf courses, there are seven restaurants at La Quinta.
Another major draw at La Quinta is Spa La Quinta, where guests are offered many treatments borrowed from the area’s Native ancestors. One of the top spa resorts in Southern California, this resort puts emphasis on outdoor spa treatments under the desert sky to add to the serenity and relaxation of the experience. Inside the spa facility, you’ll also find the Yamaguchi Salon, which is internationally known for cutting and coloring techniques that integrate Asian Feng Shui philosophy into these services. Those who enjoy spa vacations will enjoy La Quinta.
La Quinta Resort & Club has come a long way from the time in the 1500’s when it was the “fifth stop” on the way to San Gabriel Mission. Today it’s the first and only stop for many discriminating guests from around the world.
AT A GLANCE
WHERE: La Quinta Resort & Club is about a half-hour drive southeast of Palm Springs or about 128 miles from Los Angeles. It is one of several fine spa resorts in the Palm Springs area.
WHAT: La Quinta is renowned as a vacation and getaway destination for California residents as well as those seeking relief from mesothelioma. The combination of activities—and the new popularity of spa vacations—makes La Quinta a popular choice.
WHEN: Year-round, but check for special travel deals and vacation packages during certain times of the year. If you have last minute travel plans, be sure to ask for any special rates. The best deals in the Palm Springs area are during summer months.
WHY: So many activities and so much luxury and quality all in one location — a California vacation spot that appeals to the entire family.
HOW: For more information on La Quinta Resort and Club, phone 1-800-598-3828 or visit laquintaresort.com.
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Cary Ordway is a syndicated travel writer and president of Getaway Media Corp, which publishes websites focused on regional getaway travel. Among the sites currently offered by GMC are californiaweekend.com , covering California travel destinations, and northwesttraveladvisor.com , covering Pacific Northwest travel destinations.
Posted November 25, 2009 
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