Mamianka
TUG Member
Dear Tuggers -
Got home yesterday from a week at Marco Island - got it for 2,000 points. YES - we got a unit with the bedrooms separated - 811. In our view category - Gulf VIEW - the separated bedrooms were in the *11 stack* on certain floors - higher floors in the same stack were Ocean Side. Although We were told that the place was booked fully - it seemed like nobody around, and NEVER a problem getting poolside chairs, etc. I think that Labor Day Weekend was booked - it got even thinner during the week. Hit the beach every day by 9 am - sat in the shade of the building until the sun got too hot - then went to the pools for a bit. Bought our own chairs for $20 at a Walgreens, and then left it in The Bin as we left - and there we none there we would have wanted to borrow, had we not bought our own. The contoured pool was closed for 3 days for a mandatory filter reinstall. No problem. Several decent restaurants across the street - had a fabulous home-made tagliatelli/mushrooms/cheese dish at DaVinci. Had a good burger at O'Donohuge's Irish pub. Good fish at Obriens - now the name has changed. Drove out to the Sam Snead resort in Elely - an dhad a disappointing "spcial" - called Seak Alfred - it was left-over sliced chunks of prime rib, toseed wiht a water white sauce with tomatoes and peas - NOT Alfredo. Told them that if they changed the name ot something that actually described what is WAS - maybe better. Not so tasty no mater what. Should have known when the waiter came back and said that the cef could NOT honor our "done-ness'; requests on the steak - because it was prime rib. We figured - prime rib slice - Pasta Alfredo on the side. Nope. One tossed dish. GORGEOUS resort - just not a place we will return to eat. Took a GREAT dinner cruise out of Naples - could have taken a similar one out of Marco - great ship, FABULOUS food - and another couple had a Groupon!!! Gotta get friendlier with that site . .
Our room was the very furthest away from the ocean - and although there WAS an elevator that would have taken us right from the parking lot to our room - it was reserved ONLY for people going to the Sales Center. So - in horizontal whipping rain ( four out of 7 days, for maybe 90 minutes) we had to walk outdoors (covered walkways, mostly) from the lot, the entire depth of the resort, take an elevator up, and then walk the entire depth "back out" to our room. When the rest of the resort is built out (more on that later) then perhaps that restricted elevator will be for guests!
Our villa was large - I counted seating for almost THIRTY people - but most of it was too low or too soft for us geezers to sit in; sit on the banquette to eat, the table is mid-chest. Bedrooms - especially the master - had given up a LOT of space, to make the common areas larger - we said "excuse me" a lot . My side of the bed had the worst night-stand - three drawers covered by a large door - you had to *completely* open the door - right into the bed, your knee, etc. - to get ANY drawer to open. Opening the other way around would make more sense. I really think that these places are computer-drawn, with little though for sensible function - we have had several stays in various places that would have had these things changed if the designed has spent ONE NIGHT in the place.
People are universally nice (YAY NATALIE for getting us the room we wanted!)- and I saw various admins walking around, several with a whole FLOCK on engineering types with clipboards. I ran into Arne Sorensen - Big Chief - alone once, and he was very nice - told me they THEIR reno is already approved, stakes in the ground, building contractors already walking around ( we saw then more than once). However, the HOTEL has not had all their stuff approved - and the MI natives are restless . . . Hotel looked gorgeous from the outside - never got inside.
I am sure that more will come to me when I get some home-bed rest - but that's it for now. Would we go back? Sure - maybe after the build-out - but only for 5 days. 1,000 points - good deal. Just not enough to DO there - we get antsy REALLY easy (can you tell??) and when the locals says that yes, they have concerts, etc. - we cringe, because being in the classical music business, we try to be polite but hey - *home-cooking* (we live near NYC) is just better. It's like seeing a Broadway show - and then there is the quickie cut-down for 3 times the price in Vegas. No thanks. a *known artist*? - sure. Gonna hear Lew Tabackin when we are in Palm Beach Shores next month.
I am sure I will think of more nice things after I get more espresso into me - but that's the report for now. And that afternoon rain storm? Hey - we all could use a little nap about then . .
Mamianka
Got home yesterday from a week at Marco Island - got it for 2,000 points. YES - we got a unit with the bedrooms separated - 811. In our view category - Gulf VIEW - the separated bedrooms were in the *11 stack* on certain floors - higher floors in the same stack were Ocean Side. Although We were told that the place was booked fully - it seemed like nobody around, and NEVER a problem getting poolside chairs, etc. I think that Labor Day Weekend was booked - it got even thinner during the week. Hit the beach every day by 9 am - sat in the shade of the building until the sun got too hot - then went to the pools for a bit. Bought our own chairs for $20 at a Walgreens, and then left it in The Bin as we left - and there we none there we would have wanted to borrow, had we not bought our own. The contoured pool was closed for 3 days for a mandatory filter reinstall. No problem. Several decent restaurants across the street - had a fabulous home-made tagliatelli/mushrooms/cheese dish at DaVinci. Had a good burger at O'Donohuge's Irish pub. Good fish at Obriens - now the name has changed. Drove out to the Sam Snead resort in Elely - an dhad a disappointing "spcial" - called Seak Alfred - it was left-over sliced chunks of prime rib, toseed wiht a water white sauce with tomatoes and peas - NOT Alfredo. Told them that if they changed the name ot something that actually described what is WAS - maybe better. Not so tasty no mater what. Should have known when the waiter came back and said that the cef could NOT honor our "done-ness'; requests on the steak - because it was prime rib. We figured - prime rib slice - Pasta Alfredo on the side. Nope. One tossed dish. GORGEOUS resort - just not a place we will return to eat. Took a GREAT dinner cruise out of Naples - could have taken a similar one out of Marco - great ship, FABULOUS food - and another couple had a Groupon!!! Gotta get friendlier with that site . .
Our room was the very furthest away from the ocean - and although there WAS an elevator that would have taken us right from the parking lot to our room - it was reserved ONLY for people going to the Sales Center. So - in horizontal whipping rain ( four out of 7 days, for maybe 90 minutes) we had to walk outdoors (covered walkways, mostly) from the lot, the entire depth of the resort, take an elevator up, and then walk the entire depth "back out" to our room. When the rest of the resort is built out (more on that later) then perhaps that restricted elevator will be for guests!
Our villa was large - I counted seating for almost THIRTY people - but most of it was too low or too soft for us geezers to sit in; sit on the banquette to eat, the table is mid-chest. Bedrooms - especially the master - had given up a LOT of space, to make the common areas larger - we said "excuse me" a lot . My side of the bed had the worst night-stand - three drawers covered by a large door - you had to *completely* open the door - right into the bed, your knee, etc. - to get ANY drawer to open. Opening the other way around would make more sense. I really think that these places are computer-drawn, with little though for sensible function - we have had several stays in various places that would have had these things changed if the designed has spent ONE NIGHT in the place.
People are universally nice (YAY NATALIE for getting us the room we wanted!)- and I saw various admins walking around, several with a whole FLOCK on engineering types with clipboards. I ran into Arne Sorensen - Big Chief - alone once, and he was very nice - told me they THEIR reno is already approved, stakes in the ground, building contractors already walking around ( we saw then more than once). However, the HOTEL has not had all their stuff approved - and the MI natives are restless . . . Hotel looked gorgeous from the outside - never got inside.
I am sure that more will come to me when I get some home-bed rest - but that's it for now. Would we go back? Sure - maybe after the build-out - but only for 5 days. 1,000 points - good deal. Just not enough to DO there - we get antsy REALLY easy (can you tell??) and when the locals says that yes, they have concerts, etc. - we cringe, because being in the classical music business, we try to be polite but hey - *home-cooking* (we live near NYC) is just better. It's like seeing a Broadway show - and then there is the quickie cut-down for 3 times the price in Vegas. No thanks. a *known artist*? - sure. Gonna hear Lew Tabackin when we are in Palm Beach Shores next month.
I am sure I will think of more nice things after I get more espresso into me - but that's the report for now. And that afternoon rain storm? Hey - we all could use a little nap about then . .
Mamianka
or maybe 