My next journey

I think I've made some decisions regarding my next trip; my family's journey to the Florida Keys. In fact, I have to say that since I wrote last I have actually committed to many more elements of our trip. The good part is that I'm able to sleep at night.

So here's where I'm at. I've booked the last night's stay. This was the decision that I "obsessed" over the most, as my husband would describe it. This means that I've spent hours reading hotel reviews, surfing all of the wholesale websites and the hotel sites directly to find the best deals. I've been able to sleep at night, because I'm now convinced that if there was a more suitable deal I would have found it. While I did not find breakfast included (hot, fresh, no stale doughnuts), I did find a place that offers a great buffet, according to other travelers. So our last night will be in South Beach or "SoBe" Miami (yes, I'm learning the vernacular) at a nice looking Marriott property. I was able to have my mother-in-law book the room using her senior discount. Might as well call in every card, eh? Now I'm convinced with their beach location, beautiful pool, comfortable rooms that boast some of the only two queen plus sofabed room I could find in SoBe, that I have the best deal going. With that, I can rest easy. SoBe is not cheap, nor particularly nice for the money from what I hear. Now I know I have not underbooked our time in this fabulous Art Deco portion of the city.

As for our transportation for the nine days, that's another decision already made. I've been watching rental car prices for the last month on sidestep.com and orbitz.com comparing the two. The highest prices were well over $400 for the trip, while the lowest had fallen around $350. The other day I hit a hotwire.com special (you book the car and dates but don't get the company name until you've paid) for $237. Visa charged. Done. Now that's a bargain.

Perhaps an even bigger bargain that's letting me sleep very well at night is the Hyatt condo that I booked in Key West for the bulk of our trip. I knew that with the four of us we'd need space, a kitchen, and two bathrooms. All reviews, pictures, and research led me to this condo right across from the most popular beach in all of the Keys. I booked the condo at $225/night (two bed/two bath, washer/dryer, kitchen, solid 4 star). So last night - just to make sure I can continue to sleep peacefully - I checked the rate. I figured I could always unbook and rebook if they had a better deal. And the rate was....$390! Score!

Moving on to the final dilemma. I must say I'm quite pleased with my finds. As my husband told his mom the other night "my wife's research is making this trip very cheap." Hey, that's what I want. Value for a price that allows me to travel again, and soon! Back to my final question mark. I'm pretty convinced that I've found a good location for our first night, before we travel to the Keys the next day, which is brand new and includes a husband-approved breakfast. Now, I just have to commit.

So what will I do with my time once I've made this last, crucial decision? And what will I write in this blog? My next endeavor is to research restaurants and attractions to do. I've taken care of the 4th of July, but now what to do with the other 8 days?

More later! Now I'm off to bed for a good night's sleep. We'll see where my next dreams take me. I do know I will be dreaming of fine accommodations, sand, water and sunshine. What could be better?