Country Vacations & Resorts

From Sierra Trading Post:

Here are some great destination ideas!

California –
Casa Del Mar Beach, Golf & Spa Resort
California –
InterContinental The Clement Monterey
Florida –
Naples Grande Beach Resort, The Waldorf Astoria Collection
Florida –
Marco Island Marriott Resort, Golf Club & Spa
Nevada –
Planet Hollywood Resort & Casino
Nevada –
Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino
Washington, DC –
Willard InterContinental Washington
Washington, DC –
The Fairfax at Embassy Row

Free nights, significant savings, and over 1,000 locations – go hotel and go luxury!

For those who don’t take Summer vacations working around school schedules, some VERY good savings are available for those who take their downtime after Labor Day weekend.

I did this last year for my sun-filled week at the Outer Banks in North Carolina. Temperatures were still in the mid-80s, I was still able to use the pool, crowds were almost nil, and “goodies” at local shops were nearly all marked down. T- shirts that were $29 during the “on” season were marked down to $12 – as example.

Here’s a vacation deal on the Outer Banks for 2011:

This 7 bedroom Outer Banks, NC beach rental is located in Duck, North Carolina – a beautiful, quaint town. Rates from mid-June to mid-August are $4,270 per week. From August 21st to September 10, the rate drops to $2,750 per week. After September 11th – $1,750 per week. That’s a $2,520 per week savings, by just waiting a little longer to start your vacation.

The September-October time frame is also a good time to search for a cabin or chalet in a ski-focused area. Winter, high season rates, often don’t kick in until late October or even closer to Thanksgiving. If you aren’t watching snow and ski reports, take advantage of these discounts.

The 3 bedroom Whistler Luxury Penthouse Condo in Canada rents for $225 per night from September 7 to November 24th. Check in November 25th and your rate jumps to $550 per night – $325 a night more expensive! I could appreciate this luxury and the view before Thanksgiving just as much as after.

Implementing this sort of travel savings plan should begin now. A comprehensive search through Vacation Home Rentals is a great place to start. You have plenty of time to research destinations, and to check rate schedules. No rush and no hassle if you start now.

Looks like there will be a “Animal House” at the White House for our next Presidential Post – Calvin Coolidge!

Time in Office: 1921-1923
Terms: Less than one – died in office
Birthday: November 2, 1865
Birth Place: Blooming Grove, Ohio
Date of Death: August 2, 1923
Place of Death: Palace Hotel, San Fransisco, California
Buried: Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.

Notes:
~ Eldest of eight children
~ His mother obtained her medical license
~ Was an accomplished cornet player
~ First sitting senator elected President
~ First sitting President to visit Canada
~ In 1922, had a radio installed in the White House
~ First President to visit Alaska

Warren Gamaliel Harding, the 29th President of the United States, began life in Blooming Grove, Ohio. His father, always looking for a better life for the family, moved them to Caledonia, Ohio where he bought and began managing a local newspaper. Before reaching his teens and while working for his father, Warren learned the business of journalism. Attending Iberia’s Ohio Central College, Warren continued learning the printing and publishing trade. By 1886, he was full owner of the Marion Daily Star newspaper which exposed him to his first politically-charged environment.

Warren was not particularly healthy in his youth and at the ripe old age of 24, spent time at the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Michigan. He would return 5 times in the next 14 years to rest and rejuvenate. In 1891 Warren married Florence Kling DeWolfe. The daughter of a rival newspaper owner, Florence was intelligent and ambitious. Their marriage, though successful in some respects, was not based on love. Warren and Florence traveled the country as owners of one of Ohio’s largest newspapers, gaining him national exposure. This, combined with his exceptional public speaking skills and a lucky meeting with a powerful Republican party leader, gained Harding a Ohio State Senate seat in 1899.

A quick trip to Europe with his in-laws to repair strained relations in 1907, contrasted with two unsuccessful attempts to run for Governor of Ohio in 1903 and 1909. While Harding’s newspaper business and family life were doing well – his political career was not. However, Harding had made some powerful political friends and in 1914, he was Ohio’s first State Senator to win by popular vote. He still held this Senate seat when elected President in 1921.

The “Front Porch”

Harding’s Presidential campaign in 1920 was as one might expect from an individual with a journalism and publishing background. His “front porch campaign” was the first in America to use newsreels and “photo-ops” and applied the first public celebrity endorsements of candidates. Harding’s wife Florence worked closely with the press to promote her husband to the point of having a cottage built on their Marion, Ohio property just for “The Press.” Considering that the 1920 election was the first in which women could vote nationwide, and that Harding was considered “handsome,” this use of the press and publicity machine was a positive addition to Harding’s campaign. Rumors of Harding’s dalliances with other women, consumption of bootleg liquor, and poker parties later held in the White House, was kept out of the public eye before and after his election. But as Harding would soon discover, “Live by the press, die by the press.”

Harding’s administration and political appointees suffered constant charges of corruption and faced scandal – from beginning to end. Charges of paid-for shipping contracts, upheaval at the Veteran’s Bureau, corruption in the prison systems, and the infamous Teapot Dome scandal, shook Harding’s presidency and his health.

In July 1923, Harding boarded the USS Henderson for a 4-day trip to Alaska. Hoping to encourage US citizens to relocate here after the completion of the Alaska Railroad, Harding and his party visited many remote areas of Alaska – traveling by both railway and automobile. They then visited and toured Vancouver, British Columbia, eventually arriving in Seattle, Washington. Harding was not well – suffering from nausea, rapid heart beat, and abdominal pain, but gave a rousing speech in Seattle regarding his findings in Alaska. He then traveled by train to Portland, Oregon but the speech he was to give there was cancelled.

Harding’s health continued its decline as his train headed south to San Francisco. He died there while staying at the Palace Hotel. During a four-day journey from San Francisco, Harding’s train was met by thousands of mourners across the country. He was first entombed at the Marion Cemetery and then re-interred at the Harding Memorial in Marion, Ohio.

We’re finally into the “Roaring 20s” – and next up, America’s 30th President, Calvin Coolidge.

Traveling with American Presidents List

Additional photos of Warren G. Harding from History.com

Time in Office: 1913 to 1921
Terms: Two
Birthday: December 28, 1856
Birth Place: Staunton, Virginia
Date of Death: February 3, 1924
Place of Death: His home, Embassy Row, Kalorama – Washington, DC
Buried: Washington National Cathedral

Notes:
~ May have had dyslexia
~ An avid baseball fan – first President to attend the World Series
~ Loved cars – his favorite was a 1919 Pierce Arrow
~ Loved to cycle and play golf
~ Only US President with a PhD – in History and Political Science
~ First American President to visit the Pope while in office
~ Awarded the 1919 Nobel Peace Prize

Thomas Woodrow Wilson, America’s 28th President was born in Virginia but, due to his father’s involvement with the Presbyterian Church, young Woodrow spent most of his early years in Augusta, Georgia where his father was a minister. Woodrow had trouble reading but was able to overcome his limitations. He studied at home with his father and attended small classes in both Augusta and in Columbia, South Carolina where his father had moved the family for his new position as professor at the Columbia Theological Seminary.

After spending one year at Davidson College in North Carolina, he transferred to Princeton, then attended law school at the University of Virginia for one year. Never very healthy, Wilson left Virginia and headed home to Wilmington, North Carolina where he continued independent study. In 1882 at the age of 26, he opened his law practice in Atlanta but found practicing law interfered with his preferred studies. In 1883, Wilson entered Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland to study history and political science.

Woodrow Wilson was married twice. In 1885 he married Ellen Louise Axson who died on August 6th, 1914 from Bright’s disease. An accomplished artist, Ellen was not very interested in politics although she fought hard for improved housing conditions in the Negro slums of Washington, DC. Wilson’s second wife, Edith Bolling Galt, who he married on December 18th, 1915 was nearly the opposite. Ambitious and outgoing, politically savvy, and extremely protective of her husband, she all but ran the country after Wilson’s stroke in 1919.

After academic positions at Cornell University in New York, Bryn Mawr in Pennsylvania, and Wesleyan University, Connecticut, Woodrow took a position as professor at Princeton, a short tenure at Evelyn College for Women, and spent time as a lecturer at New York Law School. While slowly gaining national exposure, the next decade would prove meteoric for Woodrow Wilson. By 1902 Wilson was President of Princeton College, a position he retained until he left in 1910 to enter New Jersey state politics. Elected Governor of New Jersey in 1910, Wilson was the Democratic Party’s winning candidate for President in the 1912 election and was re-elected in 1916. Wilson’s achievements as President in both his first and second term were considerable.

On April 2,1917, despite his many efforts at peace, Wilson asked Congress for a declaration of war on Germany. The first US President to travel to Europe while in office, he left for France aboard the SS George Washington, December 1918. Wilson went to Paris to work for peace but the election of 1918 had shifted the balance in Congress to the Republicans. By seven votes, the Versailles Treaty failed in the US Senate.

Wilson traveled frequently. Several trips to Bermuda and brief vacation there in 1912 (as President-Elect), and time spent at Shadow Lawn, his Summer White House – which became a National Historic Landmark in 1985. Wilson also took several cycling vacations in England’s Lake District. State visits to Italy, France, the United Kingdom and Belgium took place during his two terms as President.

In Pueblo, Colorado on September 25, 1919, Wilson collapsed during a nationwide public speaking tour. In October that same year he suffered a debilitating stroke which left him paralyzed on his left side and blind in his left eye. Wilson’s wife Edith protected Wilson – strictly monitoring visitors and all but running the country through delegation. This hid the severity of Wilson’s condition from the public until his death nearly five years later in February 1924.

Next, America’s 29th President, Warren G. Harding…

Traveling with American Presidents List

I watched “House Hunters on Vacation” on HGTV last night. They took a family of 4 from their home in Alaska to Hawaii, and then let them choose between 3 absolutely incredible vacation homes – and then HGTV foot the bill for a week’s stay.

So this morning I was in “luxury” mode and the first destination that popped up for me was Malibu in Southern California. If you’ve never been, Malibu is one of the most exclusive and upscale communities in the United States. There is a reason so many celebrities choose this as their “home” location.

It makes a great travel destination not only for its celebrity status, but for the fantastic beaches and, lucky for visitors and vacationers, a few stellar vacation rental options.

This 2 bedroom – Ocean View Cotswald overlooking Santa Monica Bay, offers a breathtaking, panoramic view including spectacular white water ocean views of Santa Monica Bay, Malibu, Catalina, Palos Verdes and Topanga State Park forest. From the upper desk located 300 above sea level you overlook miles of Malibu’s scenic coastline.

A 6 bedroom Malibu Luxury Beach House is totally unique and has been used frequently as a filming location!

This 5500 square-foot luxury beach house sits on a dramatic bluff overlooking a large 125+ foot expanse of El Matador State Beach. Breathtaking views of the Pacific greet you from almost every room in the house. Enjoy the gorgeous Malibu sunsets from two large, private beachfront wrap around patios overlooking the ocean with views of nearby Catalina and Channel Islands. Sunbathe on your own private verandas underneath a clear blue sky dotted with palm trees.

How about a 3 bedroom in Malibu known as “Paradise on the Sand?”

Three bedrooms, 2 bathrooms and an outdoor shower. The beach is virtually private and is shared with a few other houses. The house was recently renovated and is immaculate. Dine in the dining room or on the outdoor deck overlooking the ocean.

Full BBQ, open-plan living, and a slightly nautical theme – right on the beach!

Experience the ultimate in relaxation and relax on one of the most private beaches in Malibu! This 3 bedroom Malibu Beach House has been designed for a guest’s need for privacy and features the ultimate in privacy, security and beach access.

The 2000+ square foot beach house was recently renovated and remodeled with no expense spared and the best of everything in the world. You are almost guaranteed to see dolphin everyday from your own private deck. This is widely considered the cleanest and most beautiful beach in Malibu.

This spacious vacation rental has two bedrooms plus private office with built in bookshelves, three bathrooms, spacious living room, private dining area, and a bonus studio downstairs – complete with kitchenette, bathroom, sofa bed, TV and DVD player, sauna and private beach access. The house features a gourmet kitchen with brand new state of the art stainless steel appliances and granite countertops throughout. Gorgeous French doors are situated throughout the top level of the house, including the master bedroom, to take advantage of the ocean views and sounds.

If you’re looking for a luxury rental in a secure and nearly ideal vacation destination, consider Malibu or review vacation rentals in other great vacation spots!