Cruising Past Seventy: The Inner Journeys: OLA: Finally Feeling @ Home

Sunday, December 18, 2011

OLA: Finally Feeling @ Home


from the hot tub to Mr. Snowman to greet you!
Honestly, it is quite difficult to call any of the campgrounds we stay in home, however nice. We simply do not stay long enough! But last week Bill had a heart attack (please see htttp://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/12/wow-getting-scared.html).  We were fortunate that there is a good hospital just 14 miles away from the Orlando Thousand Trails Resort! The Heart of Florida expertly handled the crisis, putting two stents to repair his damaged heart. Now Bill is doing very well. It is no wonder that this Resort has become our all-time favorite!

Disney World is just around the corner!
 In my post on Classifying Campgrounds, I named this resort as a prime example of our favorite type, a country club (please see http://rvcruisinglifestyle.blogspot.com/2011/11/four-types-of-campgrounds-rv-park.html ). A country club is a campground that is in or at the outskirts of a city and has lots of amenities and activities. The Orlando Resort is just 14 miles from Disney World, nestled among residential subdivisions, just a stone’s throw from US 192 that is dotted by hotels, restaurants, and shops leading to the famous Park. That is one of the reasons we have liked this campground a lot.

adult pool and hot tub in front of the clubhouse...
It is also near everything else we need, just like a home should be: supermarkets like Walmart (and Redbox) 1.5 miles, Publix (1 mile) and Sweet Bay (0.5 mile), Cagan Crossings Community Library (1.5 miles), Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church (15 miles), Ballys Fitness Center (20 miles), the Florida Center for Digestive Health (20 miles), and downtown Disney, 25 miles. We would settle down here if only it were near our children’s homes (they are all in the West)! But it is a great place for them to visit and that’s what just some of them are doing this holiday season!

cool, shaded mini-golf course
While waiting for my children’s arrival, we are enjoying the famous Florida winter weather (highs of low 80s and lows of mid 50s), its daily sun and lush tropical green! I have bought a brand new swimsuit and matching wrap because every day we are in the pool or hot tub or both! Orlando Thousand Trails RV Resort has 2 heated pools, one for adults, the other for kids, and a hot tub! They have just upgraded the fitness center so we no longer need to go to Ballys that often unless we want sauna and steam baths.

a game of pickleball going on
As if those were not enough, the Resort also has all the following: courts for mini-golf, tennis, pickle ball, shuffleboards, and volleyball, a big hall for Friday or Saturday dances, concerts and karaoke (I love to sing and dance!), a big kitchen/dining room for a la carte food, a general store for many emergency requirements, an efficient mail room providing free services (this is a must for a good campground), and a complete game room for crafts, billiards, table tennis, puzzles, and board games. There are also notices and sign-up sheets to manage all kinds of activities: aerobics, coffee with the manager, bridge, bingo, pot luck, etc. My favorite, Texas Hold’Em, is on every night! There are at least 2 activities per day!

having fun at the Christmas Party
Last December 11th, there was even a Christmas Parade of Lights that ushered in the Season. A week later there was an early Christmas Dinner and Show. Other holiday events scheduled are a Christmas Eve Barbeque and a New Year’s Eve Dinner and Show. We were at the 2009 New Year’s Eve Party and there were must have been about 200 people who greeted 2010 with us!

There are actually about 800 sites in this campground all filled at the height of the season in January.  And, since it is a popular Resort, some of our friends are here to enjoy the holidays with us: Jim and Pat and their jamming sessions and Chuck and Evelyn and their antique cars. And Dan, a former executive chef, and wife Bev are also just 20 miles away!

feeling @ home...
As you can tell, Bill and I are enjoying this campground (even with the brief interruption) like crazy! In fact, we do not feel we are on vacation here…we are, for all intents and purposes, home! So now that we are considering  settling down, Orlando Thousand Trails RV Resort is at the top of the list!

2 comments:

  1. sounds -- and looks -- like a great place to be.

    Who is that tiny lady in the pic? Is that YOU! Hot!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the compliment! It is a great place!

    ReplyDelete

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