This winter we decided we'd waited long enough. We'd owned the villa for a couple of years and figured it was time to give the outside of Villa Southern Dunes a new coat of paint.
We'd also noticed the pool deck and the villa walls weren't quite the same colour, so now was our chance to put this right, with a little Flattering Peach (in case you were wondering).
You probably know we're not averse to a little slave labour, and we thought it was time for Ted to get his paws dirty. After all, he'd spent a lot of time lounging by the pool (and in the pool, as you'll see later) so we thought he should earn his keep.
Yes, he did have to get up the ladder onto the roof - he's stuffed, if he fell off, he'd just bounce! That said, he did just fine.
Cable TV added to the games room
In the previous newsletter, we showed you the changes to the Family Lounge, including the upgrade to a 40-inch cable television.
We thought the best thing to do with the "old" 26-inch television (it was only about 12 months old!) was to put it on the wall in the games room. We'd hate you to miss the game during your pool tournament, after all.
We got the cable company in and put our seventh cable television into action. We hope you enjoy it.
Simba Room Upgrades
We found some Lion King duvet covers in Australia so shipped them over and put them over the navy blue comforters. We think they brighten the room.
We added to the wall art with our new Lion King poster. It has the cheeky chaps (young Simba, Timon and Pumbaa) crossing the river by a fallen tree trunk. As this has gone over the bed, we used a poster frame, with perspex rather than glass so that it is pretty lightweight.
We also tracked down this cute Lion King lamp at ToysRUs, with baby Simba wrapped in a leaf. It's very cute, as is Simba.
We took time out to go see the new LEGOLAND theme park, which is only sixteen miles south of Villa Southern Dunes. There have been days when so many guests have visited they've had to close entry to the park, but on the day we visited - in January 2012 - it was pretty quiet. We started with the waterski show, where evil pirates fight a fair maiden for ownership of the pirate ship. With ski-jumps, jetskis and giant LEGO soldiers, it was an entertaining (and occasionally wet) show (beware the splashzone!)
We then headed through the different areas of the park to check out rides, including cars, planes, medieval horses, a dinocoaster and even Technic cars! You can put out a fire with your team on your own fire engine. Part way round, you'll find Cypress Gardens, with walks through the historic gardens, developed long before LEGOLAND opened. A few LEGO southern belles have made themselves at home here.
The LEGO Factory tour shows how the bricks are made - you can buy bricks in here (pick your own) or just have a bit of a play. Sets are available in the store here and in other stores around the park, with the usual shirts, hats and souvenir stuff. There's also a 4-D theatre, showing three different movies each day.
My favourite part of the park was Miniland USA. This is amazing! LEGO models of many American landmarks - Kennedy Space Center, Washington DC and Las Vegas - I can vouch for their accuracy. We spent more than an hour wandering around here. It is stunning. There are not as many eateries in LEGOLAND as you'll find in some of the more established parks, though no doubt this will change with time, but there are meal deals to be had.
LEGOLAND is aiming at the 2-12 age group, and I can understand why. There were some teenagers around, but the rides are of a lower impact than the average teenager demands. As a family, with tolerant (or LEGO-mad) older kids, it's great, otherwise, it's more for those of you with younger families - or folks like us, bears and grown ups who just love LEGO!
Fitting a New Garage/Games Room Door Lock
Ever wondered how to fit a new door lock? Well, the interior garage/games room door only had a thumb-lock so we thought it was time to add a little more security (and we had a spare door lock we didn't know what to do with!) In case you were wondering how to do this (didn't expect a DIY lesson here, did you?), Ted's here to show you how. It's not that difficult, but with this new Irwin Lock Installation gizmo, it was a doddle. So simple, a furball can do it...
1. Place the gizmo on the door
2. Drill with large hole cutter
3. Drill with small hole cutter
4. Attach Lock
Trainee Ted Cool Ted
Who is this Ted furball anyway?
You might be wondering who the heck is Ted? His name is actually Roosevelt and he's our silent partner (well, we wish he was!)
We're not that photogenic so we have Ted to appear on photos when we're travelling, so it made sense - when we bought the villa - to take him there. He loves it! Though he does complain when we make him work a little.
For Christmas he got a jetski and he got his first chance to try it out back during our January trip. He was a little nervous at first, hence the wetsuit and concentration, but he soon got the hang of it. The jetski was a little unstable, so we had to fit some outriggers. Take a look...
Where should you eat when staying at Villa Southern Dunes? Here’s where we tried this Winter
Rainforest Cafe, Downtown Disney
This is a lovely venue, with rainforest decor, sittng amongst the elephants and apes. They even have a tropical storm! (Just the noise, they don't turn the sprinklers on!) Next door is a large Rainforest Cafe store with tons of animal-related souvenirs.
The food is good and portions large, however, their vegetarian choices are minimal. Even their salads (which are huge) mostly have meat on them, although they will serve without meat. If you plan to hang out at Downtown Disney, go get your name on the list first - there can be quite a wait. You can pay for a Landry's Select card to get priority booking which generally halves wait times (and gives a store discount).
Denny's, Highway 27
If you turn left out of Southern Dunes, you'll find this restaurant, behind the Pilot gas station. While not the classiest restaurant you'll ever try, it is good honest food at a reasonable price. The service was pretty slow the evening we went, but the staff were friendly and the tables clean. They have a great 2-4-6-8 dollar menu as well as vegetarian options.
You can find their menu on their website, including a calorie and nutrition measurement tool, which is kinda cool if you're watching what you eat. If not, tuck in to their pancakes, eggs, bacon, the list goes on. A great place for breakfast when you can't be bothered to do it yourself. Sets you up for a day at the parks - and much cheaper than Disney prices!
Granny's Apple Fries, LEGOLAND
We'd heard about LEGOLAND's signature dish so figured we should try them out - we knew you'd want to know about them. They look pretty much like potato fries but are made of apple, dusted in cinnamon and sugar with a side of whipped vanilla dipping cream.
They're not cheap, at $4.99+tax for one portion (which we split), but they were very nice.
And finally...
Van der Sleen Vacation
The Van der Sleen family stayed at Villa Southern Dunes, over the New Year.
At DisneyWorld's Magic Kingdom they met up with Donald on the frontier in Adventureland. There are photo-opportunities with Disney's characters all over the Disney parks. They'll even give you an autograph!
The children loved swimming with the dolphins in Discovery Cove. As well as the small group interaction with dolphins, you can snorkel with colourful fish, swim or snorkel in a couple of lagoons, feed tropical birds or just laze on a beach.
Why don't you tell us what you did - or are planning to do - while staying at Villa Southern Dunes? Please email them to villasoutherndunes@gmail.com. Please supply your name, email address, dates of stay and age (if under 18). We'll try to publish any submissions.
