11. October 2008 by Dan.

Recently had a very nice stay at very nice Chalet located near Murphy North Carolina with Paula and Greg Lawrence.  It also happens to be at one of the listings here at htttp://www.MyVacationPlaces.com , specifically the  “Vacation in the Smokies” ad  “Beary Cozy Chalet”.   A friend and I stayed there for a few days and we would both highly recommend both the particular property, and the area,  as a real nice place to stay, if you are looking for a vacation place in western North Carolina……..and Paula and Greg were great hosts!!.   

We rented their place over the Labor Day weekend, and found it to be a great place to stay if you are looking for a place with:

Very nicely furnished, and very clean

Spectacular Mountain Views from the decks (which surround the chalet on three sides) and thru the very large picture windows.  The bedroom up in the loft also has a great view of the mountains.

Very relaxing, we also saw some great wildlife around the area, including several deer.

There are several very scenic rural roads around the area to take side trips, which we enjoyed too.

Here is a link to their ad, here on MyVacationPlaces.com, which has more details on how to rent, and other details.
http://myvacationplaces.com/Listings/in … ?a=2&b=112

I would highly recommend it.  The Chalet was very fully equipped and nicely furnished and the kitchen was also fully equipped - they even had a great Keurig Single cup Coffeemaker with lots of great coffee flavors to try (I happen to have one at home and really like it).   And the price was very reasonable for such a great place to stay.

Here are a couple of pictures we took while visiting:

Here is a doe and her fawn we saw, on the road just below the house

Side View   vvv

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15. August 2008 by Dan.

The Christmas of 2006 (as well as two previous years) were spent in the Cape Canaveral area of Florda.  Would highly recommend it, especially if you are in to outdoor activities like fishing, hiking, or biking.   In particular, the Canaveral National Seashore is a great place to see many miles of seashore which is not “wall-to-wall” condos or houses like so much of the US Atlantic coastline.  Within the seashore there are various access points to the beach.   If you are a surf fisher, or surfer, or just like beach combing, you should check it out.  While there, I noticed a lot of people bird watching and taking wildlife photos of all the waterfowl and other bird life (and many animals too!!).  Personally, I am into Saltwater Fly Fishing, and there is plenty of that too, in particular I like the nearby Mosquitto Lagoon, which has many miles of wadable flats, with a wide variety of fish.  If you have children, Orlando is only a little more than an hour away, as well as the Kennedy Space Center is very near.

Closest places for lodging are: Titusville, Cocoa, Cocoa Beach, and New Smyrna Beach.

By the way, the Caneveral National Seashore does charge an entrance fee, either daily or annual passes (Well worth it in my opinion if you are a frequent visitor as I am). Details on their web site: http://www.nps.gov/cana/

Dan   http://WWW.MyVacationPlaces.com 

Some other Pics

note: Guess what that “log” in the water - to the left of the dock?

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4. February 2007 by Dan.

We have visited Sea Isle City several times in the last several years during the summer.  The number one attraction is the high quality of its beaches……..fine white sand, not too many shells (except right along the water line), nice waves, and a very nice variety of restaurants (especially if you like seafood and Italian).  It has a boardwalk (promanade) that extends for quite a few blocks from the center of town (JFK Blvd) in both directions.  While Sea isle does offer many Ocen View condos, you can also rent accomodations both on and off the beach during non-holiday summer weeks (we have rented a 2 bedroom condo which is just 2 blocks off the beach for about $700/wk the last 2 years).  On the beach is more expensive of course, but there are a lot of off beach condos available, if you book ahead.  Here are my favorite things available in or around Sea Isle:
 The BEACH……all of it is good, but the beaches between 37th and 50th street have the easiest access to grab lunch or snacks.  Note: Beach tags are required (you can buy them on JFK blvd, but check with your rental agent first, as many condo’s, especially the private rentals may include free use of  beach tags during your visit) Favorite Beach Food > The Rapini & Sausage Sandwich at Giovanni’s (On Landis, near 44th I think) Favorite Restaurant > Busch’s (located just south of Sea Isle in Townsends Inlet) Favorite Fresh Seafood > Mike’s (Nothing beats a hundred steamed clams and butter!!) Fishing > Lots of Saltwater Fishing Oppty’s from Surf Fishing to the Inlets that surround the island.  I like Corson’s Inlet (North of Sea Isle a few miles) Fireworks > If you are there during the 4th, check out the fireworks off the beach……..but be aware that parking is very difficult during this as many people from other towns and the nearby mainland campgrounds also will be there.Links for more Info:http://www.seaislechamber.comhttp://seaisle.net/

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