This last week was a bit exhausting.  I went on vacation to Avalanche Bay in Boyne City with my son, my parents, my niece, my aunt and uncle and two little cousins.  Sounds great, right?  It was great being with family, and the kids loved the water park.  The staff at this hotel was some of the best I have ever experienced anywhere, but I honestly can’t imagine myself ever choosing to go back there.  It cost over 1k for two days (after a 20% military discount), and the rooms were terrible. 

That first night we had planned to make a spaghetti dinner and then take the kids back to the pool area.  After figuring out the stove in our room did not work, the maintenance guy had us haul our food over to a room across the hall to cook, and then we had to haul all the hot dishes back to our own room.  After all the waiting around, it was almost 9pm before the kids ate dinner, then we had lots of tears about not being able to go back to the pool.  It was not the best night.

By the next day, maintenance finally fixed our stove and the fireplace which was also not working.  That night we had pizza just in case there was a repeat problem with the oven, but the night still ended in tears.  The kids were all excited about trying out the jacuzzi tub in the adjoining room.  It wasn’t until they all had their bathing suits on that we realized the tub wouldn’t hold water.  🙁

At least for my family, the kind of money we paid for our stay is something we really have to save up for, and it was way too much money to pay for a room in such poor condition.  It was really disappointing.  We’ve stayed at the Great Wolf Lodge and the Bavarian Inn at other times, and both were much better.  There’s a new water park opening in Mt. Pleasant this summer that I have high hopes for, so we will probably try that one next time. 

After all the problems we had with our rooms, this hotel offered only $50 off our stay and some coupons to a store that turned out not to be open the whole time we were there.  We actually waited outside this store for 45 minutes on our last day.  The store never opened, although the posted hours said it should have.  We were supposed to get a free tote bag with a $10 purchase, so we thought it was something we could get for each kid, but that was one more thing that turned out to be a disappointment.

This place is three and a half hours from my house, but the ride home somehow took five and half hours.  My son and I both get car sickness, and even the ride there was difficult.  The ride home was brutal.  Being stuffed into the back seat of a van with luggage falling on top of me was no fun at all.  By the time we arrived home, I was not a happy little person anymore.  This vacation was not exactly one I would choose to go on again.  Although the time with family was nice, I was glad to be home with my one child and working stove.

By Friday morning, I was in desperate need of a vacation from my vacation.  I could barely move my head, and my body hurt everywhere.  So, I decided to do something I rarely do for myself and got a massage at The Massage Studio.  I felt wonderful after my massage with Michelle, and I’m so thankful that I did something nice for myself.  This morning, I declared myself some “Me Time” for a mini vacation in my own jacuzzi bath tub.  One jet doesn’t work, but it’s one I don’t really need anyway.  I stayed in there for over an hour, and I have to say taking a vacation from my vacation was one of the best ideas I’ve had in a while.  😉  Everyone could use a mini vaca once in a while, so why not take one?  You don’t need to experience a bad trip first.  Jot some time in your calendar, and take your own mini vacation!

Wishing you all a great weekend with rest and recuperation from the everyday,

Sheri

4 replies
  1. Rev. Sheri ~ Spiritual Intuitive, Teacher & Founder of Angel Messenger
    Rev. Sheri ~ Spiritual Intuitive, Teacher & Founder of Angel Messenger says:

    Margo, I love your idea of a mini vacation! I need to get out my paints! lol

    Sharon – yes, that is the water park I went to. I’m sorry to hear your stay there wasn’t what you expected, but at least I know it wasn’t just us. 😉 We have stayed at the Bavarian Inn in Frankenmuth … http://www.bavarianinn.com/ and Great Wolf Lodge in Traverse City … http://www.greatwolf.com/traverse/waterpark.

    I will warn you that we stayed in the Wolf Den room at Great Wolf, and the beds were about as hard as a wolf den, but the value and quality were still much better than Avalanche Bay. Both Traverse City and Frankenmuth are charming little towns. There’s more to do in Traverse City, but, if you’re paying to stay at a water park, I can’t imagine you’d be doing too much sight seeing.

    Well, I hope this info helps. Oh, there’s also a new water park going into Mt. Pleasant that’s supposed to open this summer. I am expecting that will be good because it’s actually owned by the Soaring Eagle Casino, which has really nice rooms. Here’s the link to this one … http://www.soaringeaglewaterpark.com/. (They are giving away a free family vacation which I already entered to win.)

    Whatever you decide to do, I hope you have a great trip!

    ~ Sheri

    Reply
  2. Sharon
    Sharon says:

    Is this the water park you went to? http://www.avalanchebay.com

    My family went there last summer and had problems with our t.v.(among other things). We were going to try again this summer, but now I’m thinking maybe not? What are the other places you’ve been?

    Thanks,

    Sharon

    Reply
  3. margo
    margo says:

    Dear Rev. Sheri,

    Sorry to hear your vacation was a bit of a bust, but I’m glad to hear you took a mini-vacation after your vacation. Personally, I do need a day or two to get back to normal(whatever that is) after a vacation. My idea of a mini vacation?- not having to clean up anything or make any food for just one day and be able to draw or paint or play music for as long as I want. I’ve been able to draw and paint, so that’s good, but haven’t been able to avoid the cleaning ;), but my husband will give me a back massage and thank me for cleaning and making meals:)

    Reply

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