Taking the stress out of every day living and showing you the life you have been dreaming of.
4th of July fireworks are a tradition for most people in the US. If you are staying with us in Orlando for the 4th you must check out Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom’s fireworks show. This year the show at Magic Kingdom starts at 9pm and it really is the best!
Also Downtown Disney will have a fireworks show at 10:30pm so get there early and have a really great time in Florida this year. Enjoy the show!
It’s been really interesting over the last three months to see how many people are bringing their dogs with them on vacation. Demand is extremely high for vacation rental homes that will allow vacationers to bring their beloved pet with them.
Of course, a vacation home is just such a good choice because it’s really like being at home. All our Disney area vacation homes are in neighborhoods where it is really easy to take the dog for a walk. No more wondering about the area you are staying in like when you stay in a hotel. Also, providing food and water is easy too.
You can get pet food locally and then bring it back to the home and not have to worry about storage space like you might do in the average size hotel room. Further, it’s fun to lounge pool side with “Fido” by your side and while your reading a book, he or she can simply wander around as if they were at home. Now try doing that at a resort or hotel swimming pool!
If you’d like to see the vacation homes we have that are pet friendly, just go to FloridaLeisure.com
I came across this article by Alfred and Emily Glossbrenner of FullyBookedRentals.com:
Is it bait-and-switch? Not exactly. The quoted room rate is what the traveler will pay. But many travelers will be surprised and probably angered when they see the final bill.
As the Wall Street Journal notes, some hotels, feeling pressured to lower their advertised room rates in order to compete effectively, are trying to make up the difference by charging extra for things that used to be included in the nightly rate. Needless to say, many guests check out mumbling “Fool me once…” and “I’ll never stay here again.”
All of which adds up to a golden opportunity for owners to present their no-hidden-fees VR properties as a welcome alternative. Please click here for more details:
And as Joyce Copeland of Beach Vacation Rental Blog says, the hotels only have themselves to blame. Here are 5 things you are unlikely to pay for when you rent a vacation home (at least in my experience):
1. Internet/Wi-Fi
2. Parking
3. Local telephone calls
4. Laundry (most rentals have a washer a dryer)
5. Gobs of Gratuities (for the valet, the bellman, the maid, the guy who brings you room service)
Here at Florida Leisure Vacation Homes all of that list is FREE . Every home has a washer and a dryer, you can pull right up on the driveway outside your home (no dragging bags down endless hotel corridors) and most homes do have free internet hook up. All local calls are free of charge and gratuities are not expected because we pay our staff extremely well!
Also, we don’t have “resort fees” as your own private heated swimming pool is right outside your back door and is included in your rental fee!
I received some advance copies of my new book yesterday and even if I say so myself, it looks pretty good. The book launch is scheduled for Times Square, New York next month so I’m pretty excited about that!
The book will be available on Amazon on 23rd July so watch out …and do keep checking this blog as I’ll be announcing a couple of competitions shortly and the winners will get an advanced copy… and if you’re really lucky, I might even sign them. 
LOL
Hot on the heels of the news of Farrah Fawcett’s death today, we have now learned that pop icon Michael Jackson has passed away. Here’s a screen capture of the LA Times web site a few minutes ago.
Sad news…Farrah Fawcett died today at St. John’s Health Center in Los Angeles at 9.28am Pacific Time after a courageous and lengthy battle with anal cancer. She was 62. Longtime love Ryan O’Neal and best friend Alana Stewart were by her side while her son Redmond, who is serving time for drug offenses, was not. Only a month ago I wrote about Farrah’s valiant fight against her cancer at http://www.floridaleisureonline.com/?p=635 and it seems that time has passed by so quickly.
The “Charlie’s Angels” icon was born in Corpus Christi, Texas on February 2, 1947 and attended the University of Texas at Austin.
Her first break on the small screen came in the late 1960s, when she appeared in commercials. She went on to guest star on such classic TV shows such as “I Dream of Jeannie,” “The Flying Nun” and “The Partridge Family.” She also appeared on several episodes of “The Six Million Dollar Man,” starring husband Lee Majors. The couple married in 1973 but separated in 1979, divorcing in 1982.
Afterwards, Farrah began an on-and-off relationship with O’Neal, and the pair had Redmond in 1985.
O’Neal issued a statement saying, “After a long and brave battle with cancer, our beloved Farrah has passed away. Although this is an extremely difficult time for her family and friends, we take comfort in the beautiful times that we shared with Farrah over the years and the knowledge that her life brought joy to so many people around the world.”
In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations to support cancer research be made to The Farrah Fawcett Foundation c/o P.O. Box 6478, Beverly Hills, CA 90212.
Our thoughts are with her family.
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Just spent a few minutes reading a report on the best destinations for value. It’s somewhat interesting :
Domestic:
1. Las Vegas
2. Orlando
3. Fort Lauderdale
4. New York
5. Los Angeles
Have to laugh when I read that…obviously there’s some political influence taking place here…I mean how can New York and LA ever be considered places of value with their overpriced hotels, shops, restaurants, etc. Maybe it’s a sign of the times and “recession pricing” is seeing some bargains after all.
Further, the people who did this have never been to Orlando and stayed in a vacation home. If they had, then Orlando would outpull Vegas. Vegas doesn’t have a product that can sleep 8 to 16 people in a 2000 sq ft to 3000 sq ft home for around $16 per person per night as far as I’m aware, but that’s exactly what we have in Central Florida.
Add in the fact that guests get their own fully equipped kitchen so they can save money by eating in instead of going out to expensive restaurants and that the real winner is their own private swimming pool, I’d say Orlando easily outranks Las Vegas in the “VALUE” stakes.
On the International front the top five were:
1. Rome
2. London
3. Paris
4. Madrid
5. Prague
I absolutely fail to understand what the hell London, Paris and Rome are doing in that list. They are all horrendously expensive places and value is practically impossible to find compared to places like Lisbon, Dublin and Amsterdam.
Let us know what you think. Where are the best value destinations in your opinion?
Kobe Bryant carried the Los Angeles Lakers to their 15th title with a 99-86 victory over the Orlando Magic in Game 5 last night and it has to be said they were much the better team in this best of seven series.
The Lakers won their 15th world championship - and 10th since the team moved to Southern California in 1960 from Minneapolis and also assured their coach, Phil Jackson, of finally pulling ahead of the Boston Celtics’ Red Auerbach as being the only one ever to have 10 NBA titles on his resume.
It was a comprehensive victory as they finished off the Magic in style after a slow first period in which at one stretch they trailed by nine points (19-10) but they went on a frenzied 16-0 spurt in the second to take a 56-46 half time edge and they widened the gap during the final 24 minutes in which they never were seriously threatened.
As always, it was Kobe Bryant artfully orchestrating the proceedings with his scoring (30 points) passing (five assists), defense (two steals, four blocks, six rebounds), not to mention relentlessly cajoling teammates to keep playing hard and not to let themselves down.
The series was keenly fought and at times extremely close but overall the Lakers had the one man who was the vital difference and they emerged the worthy winners.
I love getting letters, pictures & video from our guests as it helps motivate me to keep on improving what we do for our guests. Further, it’s a great motivator for the staff at Florida Leisure as they can truly see the results of their efforts.
OK, getting paid is important to any employee but I’ve found that most really enjoy their work when their efforts are really appreciated by those they serve. That’s why the photographs and videos we recently got from the Peter’s family and friends, from Alabama, who recently stayed with us in three of our homes is so treasured.
The Peter’s family had a great time and here’s a couple of videos of them telling us all what a great time they had.
