Mississippian
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Nov 16, 2001
- Messages
- 765
My children (9 and 8) recently visited their uncle in Florida and I decided to pick them up by car rather than have them fly home. We could have gotten a pretty cheap ticket home by plane, but it would have been a connecting flight. I just didn't want to take the risk of them being stranded.
I had some points that I had forgotten to bank and that would expire at the end of August, so I was able to book two nights at Vero Beach in a Garden View Inn room. We booked a third night at OKW for a resort visit only.
We were able to change the third night from OKW to Vero, and were warned that we might have to check out and into another room because a large party wanted rooms together. In the end we didn't have to check out.
I'll start out with the negatives up front: I knew I had a little problem when we arrived fairly late for check-in and found the lobby covered up with people using their laptops. Vero doesn't have Internet access in the rooms. I read a post somewhere that says this is being remedied, but it was supposed to be done by Spring 2008 and it obviously hasn't been done yet. The Internet has become an integral part of most people's lives, and it's frustrating not to have access without parking oneself around the lobby. It's hard to believe that virtually every Motel 6 or Super 8 in the country has free Internet access in the rooms, but a semi-luxury resort does not.
Second, the dining options were a bit limited. The menu at Shutters just didn't suit me, and when we ate there the place was nearly empty. It wasn't awful, just not great. The fine dining option, Sonya's, is only open three nights a week. I suspect a much higher percentage of guests actually cook in their rooms here or go off-site to eat.
Now for the good: We had a corner room in the Inn, which is an extra-large studio. It was a nice room with great air-conditioning. Next trip I think I would want a one-bedroom so I could cook. But we did manage to have breakfast and lunch in the room. For lunch we microwaved pre-cooked bacon for BLT's (make absolutely sure you buy all your groceries off -site, or you will spend more cooking in the room than you would at a restaurant!). The room had lots of windows, which was nice, but you do need to be careful not to walk around in your underwear with the curtains open, as other rooms are in eyesight of your room!
Parking for the Inn was located right under the building. Luggage carts are available for the guests, so you don't have to pay someone $10 to take your luggage up for you. If you must have someone to do the job you can get someone, but I much prefer to save the money.
My kids didn't take part in any of the activities, except that my daughter went to the sea turtle presentation in the Community Hall. But there were a fair number of events available. Somehow it seemed the things they wanted to do were scheduled on days we weren't there.
The pool was good with a good slide, and it was packed at times. Access to the ocean was easy, and the kids really enjoyed playing in the surf. The waves were a little bit bigger than along what some call the Redneck Riviera.
I didn't spend much time in the Green Cabin Bar except to use the Internet, but it has a nice balcony that would make a great place for a couple to have a drink and watch the surf.
I'm not much of a beach person, but Vero had a lot of appeal. It is a pretty, relatively intimate resort. My wife loves the beach and is a bit peeved at not getting to go (she had to work). So we will be scheduling a return visit for the entire family soon.
On the way back home I decided to see if we could make a 40-mile detour and stay at HHI. I called late afternoon and was able to get a one-bedroom unit for the night. I ended up having to borrow five points from next year, but this took care of all my unused points.
We arrived fairly late at HHI. Once again we were allowed to use a luggage wagaon to take our own luggage to the room.
According to the charts, the HHI one-bedroom is about 50 square feet larger than the BWV unit. It seemed much larger than that, and had a much superior layout. The overall decor of the units is really nice. The best part was the large back porch featuring a heavy-duty picnic table and two rocking chairs. We didn't really use the porch since we really were only using the unit as a hotel room for one night, but it would be a great place to have family meals without trashing the condo.
There is virtually no dining at HHI. The "Tide Me Over" breakfast we got was pretty awful; my daughter had the World's Worst Biscuit for her breakfast sandwich. However, a very short walk across the Marina bridge are a number of restaurants. After we arrived we were able to get a table at Scott's Fish Market just before closing and had a nice meal. The front desk at HHI has no map or list showing the names of restaurants within walking distance. I don't understand why they don't.
My kids enjoyed the pool, which had a "dark" tube slide. They wanted to go fishing but we didn't have time. I assume it's okay to fish off the pier. We didn't visit the beach, and having to take a shuttle is a real negative.
I'm not sure I would want to spend a week at HHI at this point, but for our next trip to Vero or WDW I think we'll schedule two nights at HHI for the trip home just to unwind, do some laundry and enjoy a steak dinner on the back porch.
One advantage for both of these resorts is that it's possible to have a good time without spending a lot of money. If you're tired of the budget-busting trip to Orlando, either of these resorts could provide welcome relief for your wallet.
I had some points that I had forgotten to bank and that would expire at the end of August, so I was able to book two nights at Vero Beach in a Garden View Inn room. We booked a third night at OKW for a resort visit only.
We were able to change the third night from OKW to Vero, and were warned that we might have to check out and into another room because a large party wanted rooms together. In the end we didn't have to check out.
I'll start out with the negatives up front: I knew I had a little problem when we arrived fairly late for check-in and found the lobby covered up with people using their laptops. Vero doesn't have Internet access in the rooms. I read a post somewhere that says this is being remedied, but it was supposed to be done by Spring 2008 and it obviously hasn't been done yet. The Internet has become an integral part of most people's lives, and it's frustrating not to have access without parking oneself around the lobby. It's hard to believe that virtually every Motel 6 or Super 8 in the country has free Internet access in the rooms, but a semi-luxury resort does not.
Second, the dining options were a bit limited. The menu at Shutters just didn't suit me, and when we ate there the place was nearly empty. It wasn't awful, just not great. The fine dining option, Sonya's, is only open three nights a week. I suspect a much higher percentage of guests actually cook in their rooms here or go off-site to eat.
Now for the good: We had a corner room in the Inn, which is an extra-large studio. It was a nice room with great air-conditioning. Next trip I think I would want a one-bedroom so I could cook. But we did manage to have breakfast and lunch in the room. For lunch we microwaved pre-cooked bacon for BLT's (make absolutely sure you buy all your groceries off -site, or you will spend more cooking in the room than you would at a restaurant!). The room had lots of windows, which was nice, but you do need to be careful not to walk around in your underwear with the curtains open, as other rooms are in eyesight of your room!
Parking for the Inn was located right under the building. Luggage carts are available for the guests, so you don't have to pay someone $10 to take your luggage up for you. If you must have someone to do the job you can get someone, but I much prefer to save the money.
My kids didn't take part in any of the activities, except that my daughter went to the sea turtle presentation in the Community Hall. But there were a fair number of events available. Somehow it seemed the things they wanted to do were scheduled on days we weren't there.
The pool was good with a good slide, and it was packed at times. Access to the ocean was easy, and the kids really enjoyed playing in the surf. The waves were a little bit bigger than along what some call the Redneck Riviera.
I didn't spend much time in the Green Cabin Bar except to use the Internet, but it has a nice balcony that would make a great place for a couple to have a drink and watch the surf.
I'm not much of a beach person, but Vero had a lot of appeal. It is a pretty, relatively intimate resort. My wife loves the beach and is a bit peeved at not getting to go (she had to work). So we will be scheduling a return visit for the entire family soon.
On the way back home I decided to see if we could make a 40-mile detour and stay at HHI. I called late afternoon and was able to get a one-bedroom unit for the night. I ended up having to borrow five points from next year, but this took care of all my unused points.
We arrived fairly late at HHI. Once again we were allowed to use a luggage wagaon to take our own luggage to the room.
According to the charts, the HHI one-bedroom is about 50 square feet larger than the BWV unit. It seemed much larger than that, and had a much superior layout. The overall decor of the units is really nice. The best part was the large back porch featuring a heavy-duty picnic table and two rocking chairs. We didn't really use the porch since we really were only using the unit as a hotel room for one night, but it would be a great place to have family meals without trashing the condo.
There is virtually no dining at HHI. The "Tide Me Over" breakfast we got was pretty awful; my daughter had the World's Worst Biscuit for her breakfast sandwich. However, a very short walk across the Marina bridge are a number of restaurants. After we arrived we were able to get a table at Scott's Fish Market just before closing and had a nice meal. The front desk at HHI has no map or list showing the names of restaurants within walking distance. I don't understand why they don't.
My kids enjoyed the pool, which had a "dark" tube slide. They wanted to go fishing but we didn't have time. I assume it's okay to fish off the pier. We didn't visit the beach, and having to take a shuttle is a real negative.
I'm not sure I would want to spend a week at HHI at this point, but for our next trip to Vero or WDW I think we'll schedule two nights at HHI for the trip home just to unwind, do some laundry and enjoy a steak dinner on the back porch.
One advantage for both of these resorts is that it's possible to have a good time without spending a lot of money. If you're tired of the budget-busting trip to Orlando, either of these resorts could provide welcome relief for your wallet.
