Atlanta June 2011

Overview

Super fun trip to Georgia for cousin Richard and Lindsey's wedding!

Food

Cracker Barrel

Waffle House

Morningside Farmers' Market

Mary Mac's Tea Room

Busy Bee Cafe

Neighborhoods & Attractions

Lodging

3 bd, 1.5ba house in Virginia Highlands - great rental for a family vacation.

• VRBO: http://www.vrbo.com/185071
• $400 /night (inclusive of everything)
• Older house but remodeled and well appointed
• 3 bedrooms with queen size beds
• Well-appointed and stocked kitchen with nice appliances with adjoining family room

GREAT neighborhood (Virginia Highlands)

• Quiet street with quaint houses
• Across the street from a nice, kid-friendly park, and 10 minute walk to Piedmont Park (Atlanta's version of Central Park)
• 10 minute walk to Virgina Highlands triangle, with a bustling cafe, several restaurants and bars
• Less than a mile from Whole Foods, and less than a couple miles from Morningside Farmers' Market (Sat mornings)
• Less than 5 minutes from Midtown, less than 15 minutes from Downtown, easy access to 75/85 highways

Other options

• 4bd house in Buckhead $450-750 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/289433 (really nice house, 15 min from Emory) BOOKED
• 2bd (sleeps 4-8) VRBO townhouse in Midtown across from Piedmont Park: http://www.vrbo.com/190149 BOOKED
• 3bd VRBO home (sleeps 6) in at North and Glen Iris in Old Fourth Ward (btw Midtown and Downtown) $250 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/328753 (pics look great, not ideal location) AVAILABLE BUT PASSED
• 4 bd VRBO house sleeps 8-9 near Altanta Zoo (near downtown) $300 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/334705 (pictures look great, good reviews, not ideal location because farther from ) AVAILABLE BUT PASSED
• 3bd VRBO house near Ansley Park and Arts Center MARTA $299 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/258210 (pictures don't look that nice except for kitchen and no reviews)

• 1bd VRBO condo across from Piedmont Park (Mayfair Towers) $185 /night: http://www.vrbo.com/186411 (great location across from Piedmont Park and near Midtown amenities, a little small for what we might want)
• 2bd VRBO condo in Midtown 3 blocks from Piedmont Park $99 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/160879 (good size for just us with the kids, seems cozy but not ideal location - not as close walking to Midtown amenities)
• 1bd VRBO condo in Midtown near Piedmont Park $110 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/321141 (seems like a good location, a little weird that he lives in it)
• 1bd loft VRBO condo in Midtown near Arts Center Station $145 / night: http://www.vrbo.com/125206 (very nice place, but doesn't seem like best location)

Wyndham Vacation Timeshare Calculations

Wyndham Vacation Timeshare

Background

While we were in Vegas, Wendy and I got lured in by $150 in free casino play to listen to a timeshare presentation by Wyndham. We had been to a timeshare presentation before (Marriott Timberlodge in Lake Tahoe), so fully expected to not bite at all. But six hours later, we walked away with a 1 year trial - oops.

Discovery Vacation (1 yr trial)

Cost

• 308,000 points for 1 year trial period
• Purchased for $2,495 at Las Vegas in June 2010
• Purchase price could be applied to future timeshare purchase

Trips

• 3 nights (Fri-Mon), 2 bd @ Lake Tahoe / South Shore, value ~ $750-900 [126,000 pts]
• 4 nights (Sun-Thurs), 2 bd presidential suite @ Waikiki, value ~ $1,600 - $2,000 [180,000 pts]

Wyndam Vacation 210,000 Point Biennial Plan

Cost

• 210,000 points every 2 years
• Plus Special offer while in Lake Tahoe in Apr 2011: 195,000 bonus points to enable VIP status for 2 years (2012 and 2013)
• Purchase price: $14,253 (after $2,495 credit from Discovery package) + closing costs of $550
• Monthly maintenance fee: $35 / mo = $425 / yr (had increased $0.02 / month in last 2 years)
• Deed to timeshare can be passed on to future generations

Decision Factors

• Value: 105,000 points per year ~ $900 / year in travel. Good for 1 out of 3 annual trips (1 family trip to Vegas for Christmas, 1 Wyndham trip, 1 non-Wyndham California trip).
• Destinations: Very likely (Tahoe, San Diego, Pismo Beach, Solvang), once in a while (Hawaii, Vancouver, Seattle, Sedona, Big Bear), if needed (Monterey, San Francisco).
• Pros: Nice properties, known locations, relatively fixed cost, might travel to places that we would not normally go (e.g. Hawaii, Vancouver), can pass on to children, saves time and hassle of trying to find and book nice places to stay.
• Extra Pro: VIP status for 2 years allows for "discounted" booking - free upgrades within 30 days (can triple book to get this), 25-50% discount within 60 days.
• Cons: Less flexibility in choosing locations, pre-paying all vacation costs.
• Perspective #1: $425 / year fixed cost + $475 / year amortized cost = 30 year payback on the purchase price. Pay money that we would spend anyway on travel to places we would already go, and then pass on discounted travel to our children.
• Perspective #2: One-time payment to get discounted travel (i.e. $900 value at $425 / year) in perpetuity.

Example Use / Trips

Example 1

• Tahoe, 2 bd, Fri/Sat during "Quiet" period (e.g. Fri/Sat of Thanksgiving) = 55,000 points ($400-500 value)
• San Diego, 1 bd, Sun/Mon "Prime" period = 56,000 points ($250-500 value)

Example 2

• Tahoe, 2 bd, Fri-Mon during "Value" period (e.g. April/May) = 107,000 points ($750-900 value)

Lake Tahoe April 2011

Lodging

Stayed at the Wyndham South Shore in Zephyr Cove as part of the Wyndham "Discovery Vacations" (1 year trial timeshare)

• Location: just a couple miles north of Stateline, across the street from Safeway
• Accommodations: 2 bd with full kitchen, W/D, balcony - remodeled in 2009
• Review: Would definitely stay here again - very nice rooms, full kitchen is great, hills for sledding in the winter, walking distance to grocery store is nice, rec room (ping pong/pool) is a bonus.

Food

• Brook's Bar at Edgewood Golf Resort: Nice spot right on the lake and the menu is interesting (calamari, garlic fries, soups, salads, burgers, etc.) - and the food is almost as good as I wanted it to be. Plus it's a bit pricey ($50 for lunch for me, Wendy and Kaiya). Could go back, but not dying to go there. [Yelp review]
• Forest Buffet at Harrah's Casino: $18.95 brunch buffet paid for by Total Rewards points - buffet is not great but totally worth it. [Yelp review]
• Stateline Brewery: Burgers, pizza and pub food in convenient location right at Heavenly Village / Marriott Timberlodge resort - but food is fairly mediocre. Don't need to go back. [Yelp review]
• Eating in: A couple, simple meals eating in (steak & mashed potatoes, mac & cheese and chicken apple sausage) made easy with full kitchen.

Activities

• Sledding: Small hill great for kids behind one of the buildings at the Wyndham.
• Casinos: Poker at Harvey's.