http://cards.webshots.com/cp-97578002-mlwW-album/318242325fFgEIA
Getting there was pure hell. As a resident of Georgia, I'd like to apologize for the state DOT...what a mess through Valdosta, huh? I suppose the volume didn't help. It took us 11 hours just to get to Jax on Saturday...which should be a 6-7 hour drive. 12 hours total to get home (and to think we were happy about that!)
However, once we arrived it was pure BLISS.
I have to admit, even after looking at all of the pictures of this resort, I still really didn't know what to expect. I knew the accomodations would be nice...and the pool would be great...and the beach would be there... but I mean, what were we going to DO for 6 days?
Now...finally...I get it. You can do everything...or nothing...or somewhere in between. For our family, this meant heading to the pool early...grabbing a few chairs and parking ourselves down there for the majority of the day. We ate lunch at Bleachers or brought down sandwiches from the room. The kids ran and swam...slid and soaked (the hot tub got plenty of use!).
The resort is small enough so that I felt comfortable letting the older kids roam a bit (you can see almost everything from the pool area). My 7yo is now hooked on mini golf (as long as he can play with the many buddies he made) and dodgeball. The DJ at the pool on Sunday afternoon was fabulous. The activities for the kids were a ton of fun...we made a point to be there for a few special ones...and ended up at a few more on a whim. The campfire was WILD! I took the boys while DD and DH relaxed in the room. Tons of fun Michigan folks were down for Spring Break...and there must have been 125 people making s'mores. Lots of fun though...and the CMs handled the crowd well.
Since it was our first trip to VB, we didn't have anything to compare the beach to (pre-hurricane) but we really enjoyed it. DS4 could have played there all afternoon. The water was cold...but enjoyable. We didn't see any sharks.
I took a few pictures of the new boardwalk being built (seems to be taking forever!). It's going to be really nice when it's finished. The bones of the structure are complete, and they were slowly working on the posts for the rails during the week. Also, we watched the scaffolding going up around the Inn building (around Shutters and all the way UP) for the new roof. Looks like they are starting on the beach side...which makes sense and hopefully they will be done with that side by summer). They have added 8-10 ft tall wooden screens (painted to match the building) at the bottom to help hide the mess...and they have done a good job. I'll upload some pics this afternoon.
We made it to Shutters, Squid Lips and 14th Ave Steakhouse for dinner...plus a night of chinese takeout. Shutters was fun...and great grown up food (my kids weren't too impressed with the kids meals). Squid Lips was a blast...had a great server and view of the water. Bargain happy hour drafts...great lobster & crab cakes...don't forget to try their "Drunken Sweet Potato" (if you like spiced, dark rum). This area is a dolphin breeding ground (the guy who is rebuilding their dock was staying at Disney...and we chatted with he and his sons for quite a while)...so chances are you will see some out there if you look long enough. 14th Ave Steakhouse was a recommendation from the Michigan contingent...and very worthwhile! Great value and great food...DH had the London Broil and I had ribs that were falling off the bone. Early bird menu is an incredible bargain at $9.95 including soup, salad and desert. No kidding! We didn't make it to Cap Hirams or Ocean Grill this time...but there's no doubt we'll be going back...so we'll save it for the next trip.
We met a ton of great people while lounging at the pool. We even met up with someone who recognized our kids from the picture in my signature (Hi Andy and family!). Everyone was so nice...and I've never seen more well behaved children in one place in my life.
Oh...our room was fine...1BR villa...spacious compared to SSR. Loved the larger living space and balcony. We had a wonderful ocean view. Certainly not in tip top shape (bathrooms mostly)...but gently worn in that charming "beach house" kind of way.
We were there for 5 nights and this seemed just about perfect for us. I can see how people really like spending a few days at VB post-WDW for some rest and relaxation!
Back to reality!
Getting there was pure hell. As a resident of Georgia, I'd like to apologize for the state DOT...what a mess through Valdosta, huh? I suppose the volume didn't help. It took us 11 hours just to get to Jax on Saturday...which should be a 6-7 hour drive. 12 hours total to get home (and to think we were happy about that!)
However, once we arrived it was pure BLISS.
I have to admit, even after looking at all of the pictures of this resort, I still really didn't know what to expect. I knew the accomodations would be nice...and the pool would be great...and the beach would be there... but I mean, what were we going to DO for 6 days?
Now...finally...I get it. You can do everything...or nothing...or somewhere in between. For our family, this meant heading to the pool early...grabbing a few chairs and parking ourselves down there for the majority of the day. We ate lunch at Bleachers or brought down sandwiches from the room. The kids ran and swam...slid and soaked (the hot tub got plenty of use!).
The resort is small enough so that I felt comfortable letting the older kids roam a bit (you can see almost everything from the pool area). My 7yo is now hooked on mini golf (as long as he can play with the many buddies he made) and dodgeball. The DJ at the pool on Sunday afternoon was fabulous. The activities for the kids were a ton of fun...we made a point to be there for a few special ones...and ended up at a few more on a whim. The campfire was WILD! I took the boys while DD and DH relaxed in the room. Tons of fun Michigan folks were down for Spring Break...and there must have been 125 people making s'mores. Lots of fun though...and the CMs handled the crowd well.
Since it was our first trip to VB, we didn't have anything to compare the beach to (pre-hurricane) but we really enjoyed it. DS4 could have played there all afternoon. The water was cold...but enjoyable. We didn't see any sharks.
I took a few pictures of the new boardwalk being built (seems to be taking forever!). It's going to be really nice when it's finished. The bones of the structure are complete, and they were slowly working on the posts for the rails during the week. Also, we watched the scaffolding going up around the Inn building (around Shutters and all the way UP) for the new roof. Looks like they are starting on the beach side...which makes sense and hopefully they will be done with that side by summer). They have added 8-10 ft tall wooden screens (painted to match the building) at the bottom to help hide the mess...and they have done a good job. I'll upload some pics this afternoon.We made it to Shutters, Squid Lips and 14th Ave Steakhouse for dinner...plus a night of chinese takeout. Shutters was fun...and great grown up food (my kids weren't too impressed with the kids meals). Squid Lips was a blast...had a great server and view of the water. Bargain happy hour drafts...great lobster & crab cakes...don't forget to try their "Drunken Sweet Potato" (if you like spiced, dark rum). This area is a dolphin breeding ground (the guy who is rebuilding their dock was staying at Disney...and we chatted with he and his sons for quite a while)...so chances are you will see some out there if you look long enough. 14th Ave Steakhouse was a recommendation from the Michigan contingent...and very worthwhile! Great value and great food...DH had the London Broil and I had ribs that were falling off the bone. Early bird menu is an incredible bargain at $9.95 including soup, salad and desert. No kidding! We didn't make it to Cap Hirams or Ocean Grill this time...but there's no doubt we'll be going back...so we'll save it for the next trip.
We met a ton of great people while lounging at the pool. We even met up with someone who recognized our kids from the picture in my signature (Hi Andy and family!). Everyone was so nice...and I've never seen more well behaved children in one place in my life.
Oh...our room was fine...1BR villa...spacious compared to SSR. Loved the larger living space and balcony. We had a wonderful ocean view. Certainly not in tip top shape (bathrooms mostly)...but gently worn in that charming "beach house" kind of way.
We were there for 5 nights and this seemed just about perfect for us. I can see how people really like spending a few days at VB post-WDW for some rest and relaxation!
Back to reality!
We always ended up at the beach in the late afternoon/early evening...so the water was too chilly for me to swim in. However, I can see where it would be refreshing mid-day. 
