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This morning we made some last minute plans to spend a little time in Virginia Beach for the long weekend.  I am a member of the Hilton Honors Club and because of all my travel, I am a Diamond level member (Hilton’s highest membership ranking, which is based on the number of stays/nights in a given year).  For every night I spend at a Hilton, I also receive points that I can then redeem at a later date for free hotel stays.  As a Diamond member, each stay also provides bonus points as well.  I am using some of these points to “buy” two nights at the Virginia Beach Doubletree.  Another Diamond member bonus is that I also get free upgrades to a suite if it is available.  I am not sure if we will get a suite this weekend, but it will be free…..so I can’t complain!  It is a nice payback for so many nights spent away from home.  We are looking for a nice weekend getaway with the kids!

Tonight we took the plunge and reserved our vacation resort rental at the Vacation Village at Weston, in Weston, Florida for the latter part of July.  I made the reservation through the Armed Forces Vacation Club, which sells space available timeshare weeks at incredibly low prices.  The current rate is $299 for a week (7 nights)!  It is a GREAT deal for a top notch resort. 

The place we have chosen is a Gold Crown RCI resort with all the amenities.  We were able to get a 1 bedroom unit which includes a full kitchen, dining room, in-room Jacuzzi, 50″ big screen TV in the living room, with a private bedroom (King bed) and a queen sleeper sofa in the living room for the kids.  The resort has multiple pools, including one with a waterfall and an adjacent hot tub.  I think the location will be nice for a vacation.  It is about 20 miles from the beach (Ft Lauderdale area) and adjacant to the Florida Everglades.  We can drive over to Naples (about 90 minutes) and experience the Gulf, or drive about 45 miles south and be in Miami and the Keys.  As long as we don’t get pre-empted by a hurricane, we should have a great time!  Most of all, we will probably lounge by the pool and relax!

This will be the 5th time we have used the Armed Forces Vacation Club.  We have always managed to get an outstanding resort at a ridiculously low price.  There is no membership fee to belong.  You simply pay the fee for the week and can choose from RCI resorts worldwide.  The first time we used it, we paid $229 for the week.  Over the last 5 years, the prices have crept up to $299 for a week.  It is still an amazing deal.  They essentially sell their excess/unoccupied timeshare units on relatively short notice (30-60 days out).  I guess they hope you will like the place and buy a timeshare.  We have never once attended their optional sales pitch (and never will).  Why bother when I can choose a place so cheap with no purchase cost, annual fees or timeshare unit change fees.  It is one of the best deals I have come across in 18 years in the Air Force.  As long as you are flexible and can wait to make your plans until fairly late, it works wonders!

We will see if we like being this far south in Florida in July.  We were thinking about Orlando, but we have done that three times already using AFVC.  We are getting sick of the parks, and going to Disney in July is a nightmare (both for heat and crowds).  We will stay near the water and relax/despin this year.