Andrew Gibson asked:




I call it my ’sun head’ as I cannot explain it any other way. What I am trying to fathom out is how I could have taken the agent’s word without checking things out fully. It was a glorious hot sunny day when I bought my holiday home in Florida. There was a beautiful clear blue sky that seemed to hypnotize me. I seemed to be in ‘dream land’ as everything that the agent told me, I just smiled at and agreed.

Everything went very smoothly. We bought the house for the agreed price and completed on time. What I did not know was that the guy who was selling me the house was getting a whopping big commission; and I mean big. He got just over six percent of the purchase price for spending an hour with me and persuading me to buy the house. To be quite honest I needed no persuading. The house sold itself and so I had just given away six percent for nothing. If I had realized how much he was getting for less than one hours work I could have dug my heels in and got him to split his commission with me. No wonder he told me that the seller would not drop the asking price!

To be fair to the agent I did it all with a sense of good will and grace. Nobody was holding a gun to my head and I did feel at the time that I was getting a good deal. It was only a few months later that I felt I had been done; it was like getting your wallet taken by a pickpocket while he shook your hand and smiled at you. But again I cannot complain as I walked into it with my eyes open and the agent did everything by the book and within the law. It was just that I was stupid and did not get a deal.

My next big shock came when I went to insure the holiday home. All of a sudden the rough rate that the agent had verbally told me disappeared out of the window up into that beautiful blue Florida sky. ‘How much’ I asked my mouth hitting the floor. ‘You are joking?’ Apparently it had something to do with all of the hurricanes and the insurance companies wanting to get their money back. The real tear clincher was when the sweet Hispanic lady told me that they did not like insuring holiday homes and that the premium would be much higher as I did not live in the house full time.

The insurance premium then continued to rise as I had to explain what the house was built of, how many square feet, what sort of a roof and how deep is the swimming pool? My nice sales agent must have been psychic as each time I tried to phone him with a query, his phone was switched off.

One and a half hours later I had filled in all of the paper work and was thanking the nice Hispanic lady for all of her help. I swear I left the insurance brokers office feeling greatly relieved that they had taken me on as a customer. I was shaking from the cost of the premium but when the nice lady said that another hurricane was on its way through, I just signed on the dotted line. The thought of my nice new holiday home being destroyed by a hurricane and uninsured was just too much to take. It was only when I was standing outside the office sweating in 100 degree heat did I realize that it had taken longer to insure the house than it had to buy it.

A few weeks later back in the U.K I got my first letter from America. Filled with joy and enthusiasm I tore it open to see what good tidings it brought me from the place of my new holiday home. I thought that it must be in a different language as it did not read the way I thought it would. To be precise, it read double the way I was expecting. That is to say that my Home Owners Dues were nearly double the figure that I had been quoted by my friendly guy back in Florida when I bought the home. I soon began to dread receiving any mail from America and it is no exaggeration to say that I started to shake in anger and fear when ever any new mail came from there.

I immediately grabbed the phone to speak to my nice Reality chap only to realize that the five hour time difference meant that he was still in bed. Two weeks later when I did eventually get hold of him he informed me that the first figure that he had quoted was correct. The only problem was that was an introductory rate and now that the community was up and running fully we had to expect to pay full price.

To give him credit where credit is due, he did warn me that I could expect another letter any day soon informing me that the Golf Subs had also risen dramatically. He also reminded me that ‘there was no such thing as a free lunch’. Even so, when that letter came it also caused great alarm and distress to the degree that the dog now learnt never to be around when I opened the mail.

A few more months went by without too much disruption when I got another letter from America. It sat on the kitchen table for a few days unopened until I was brave enough to open it. My wife persuaded me that it could not possibly be any further bad news and so I eventually opened it. This letter was from the nice people at the County office telling me that they had reassessed all of the property values in our area. The good news was that they had risen up in price (I already knew that as I had paid the new inflated price, the bad news was that my Council tax had nearly doubled in value to take account of the price increase.

Three years later I am onto my second property in Florida. That nice sales guy is now a good friend (My wife always said that I was a sucker) but he has lost his job with the downturn in the market. Unfortunately for me he did not manage to sell my first home before the slide but did manage to sell me my second. This time we split the commission. I still get those letters from America and I still tremble when they fall through the letter box. My wife now opens them and my dog likes it that way.

Frankie Jones asked:




If you are new to flydrive then a place to better orientate yourself and learn more is to look through brochures. A flydrive is just as it sounds; you fly to a destination and then drive around the sights. It is the type of holiday you are likely to choose for destinations in America since to see many places you need a car to get around.

While the Florida fly drive brochures can recommend many great routes to travel on don’t take their timings to seriously. It is often the case that you will feel rushed, spending most of the time in the car and missing out on spending time at the attractions. Many families have said they had a good time on this type of holiday however didn’t get to spend enough time at any location they visited.

If your next location is a large distance away I’d advise you take regular stops, you can often find amazing places that you would have missed heading straight to your next destination. If you are spending a large amount of time travelling to the next place then ensure you spend at least one full day there to ensure you are able to see the best of what it has to offer.

Planning

Planning is the key, right down to lunch time and break allocation as you will be surprised by how time can fly. It is common to come across distractions along your journey so do leave time aside for occasions like these.

Vehicle hire

It is worth comparing car companies to find the deal that is best for your circumstances; they will be the cheapest headline price however the bigger car companies will let you drop off the car in a different location to where you picked it up from. Giving you flexibility to plan the route and possibly allow you to see places that wouldn’t be possible with an A to B holiday.

A Florida flydrive is the best way to see Florida and is really the only viable way to do it. Follow the advice, plan properly to get the most from your holiday.

Olivia Holaday asked:




Orlando Florida has seven distinct areas that vacationers can use as a home base for visiting the many theme parks and recreational spots in the county. Making a choice of where to stay can be quite a daunting task, so here are some tips that may help you choose the optimum lodging that will suit your vacation needs (and budget) during your stay in the world’s family entertainment capital.

South of Disney World (Kissimmee area - Highway 192)

The historic town of Kissimmee has been a well-known destination for many tourists visiting Orlando. With its numerous restaurants, bed & breakfasts, vacation condos, golf courses, and family attractions, many vacationers consider this area an excellent one for finding lodging. Hotel prices here are less expensive when compared to hotels in the other areas. However, many of the structures are aging as most were built in the late 70’s. Few of the hotels here are connected with national chains.

North of Disney World

Also known as the Lake Buena Vista area, this is the newest location for places to stay in Orlando County and is managed by the Walt Disney Corporation. The hotels here were built starting in the early 1990’s to the present and are mostly associated with the national hotel chains. The Lake Buena Vista area hosts great shopping and dining within a few miles radius.

Disney World’s Resort Properties

For Disney aficionados, the resort itself is would probably be the best option for a good hotel. By definition, it will be closest to Disney World attractions and the free shuttle service to the parks runs at least every half hour. All Disney World hotels are managed to the highest standards, so there is a high probability for an excellent stay. On the downside, these hotel rooms only allow up to four people to a single room and the cost compared to hotels outside Disney World confines can be almost double. There is always a price to be paid for location and convenience.

Universal Studios Area

While there are also some good options for lodging in the Universal Studios area, there are not nearly as many choices as other areas of Orlando County. The lack of competition results in prices that are not really that attractive.

Downtown Orlando

An Orlando vacation means visiting the theme parks and beautiful attractions that this region has to offer. Most likely, you will not enjoy the traffic hassles of long trips from downtown to the theme parks - not to mention the time that you will be wasting traveling thirty minutes or more to and from Disney World each day. There are just too many good alternatives to staying downtown.

Orlando County Convention Center Area

Only a few minutes from SeaWorld, this area can be a good choice for those who will be going primarily to that park. However, the prices here are a little more expensive while the amenities offered by the hotels are mostly geared for business travelers than for families. This area is a natural choice for those combining business with a vacation.

SeaWorld (International Drive) Area

The International Drive area near SeaWorld is our favorite area to stay in when vacationing with young children. The number of quality “villa resorts” in the area is the reason. For the same price as an upscale hotel room, you can be in a two bedroom villa with full kitchen, living room, whirlpool bath and screened-in veranda. These resorts have lakes, pools, activity centers and other amenities that children (and adults) love. You will be especially appreciative of these resorts if you have some non-park days on your itinerary.

The Greater Orlando area offers a large variety of hotel and lodging options. By reviewing the different choices described in this article, you will be well on your way to making the right decision for a great Orlando vacation!