11.24.09
Happy Thanksgiving from Festiva Resorts!
Whether you are vacationing at a Festiva Resort with your family this Thanksgiving holiday or hosting it at your house, take some time to give thanks to your friends, family and loved ones and to reflect upon the important things in life that cannot be determined by how strong or weak the economy is.
Be safe in your travels, and if you are flying to your feast check out USA Today’s Ten tips to ease the hassles of holiday flying.
While you’re with your family it’s a great time to start discussing your vacation plans for next year, so contact us and let us know where we can send you on your next adventure!
11.20.09
At a Festiva Resort this weekend? Here’s what’s happening!
If you are in a Festiva Resorts destination this weekend, there’s plenty to do to keep your family entertained while enjoying the local flavor.
New Orleans will be celebrating the city’s famous sandwich this Sunday, Nov. 22, at the New Orleans Po-Boy Preservation Festival on Oak Street. Taste for yourself who cooks up the best local legendary fare if you’re staying at Festiva’s Frenchmen Orleans this weekend.
If you and your family are heading to Peppertree Atlantic Beach in the Crystal Coast area of North Carolina, why not support the local artists and get some holiday shopping done at the same time? The Arts & Crafts Coalition Holiday Show & Sale will be running from Nov. 22 – Dec. 13.
On Monday, Nov. 23, the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree will make a stop in Branson, Missouri on its way to Washington, D.C. If you’re staying at Cabins at Green Mountain, Stormy Point Village or Thousand Hills, stop by the Sight & Sound Theatre at 3 p.m. for music and entertainment.
If you’re staying at Ellington at Wachesaw Plantation East in Murrells Inlet, get into the holiday spirit on Sunday, Nov. 22, with the Serendipity Singers “An Old Fashioned Christmas” performance.
In Banner Elk, N.C., home of Festiva’s Blue Ridge Village, this week is the perfect time to choose and cut your own Christmas tree at one of the local farms such as Big Ridge Tree Farm. What a great way to start creating your family holiday memories!
Check back next week for more holiday events in our resort locations, and have a great weekend wherever you are!
11.17.09
Festiva’s 6th Annual Holiday Charity Auction
We already have donations coming in for the Festiva Resorts 6th Annual Holiday Charity Auction that will be held at our corporate headquarters on Thursday, December 3.
About the Auction
Each year Festiva Resorts auctions off items that are handmade, purchased by employees or donated by local businesses. The auction is held at our corporate headquarters in early December and is attended by employees, friends, family members and local businesses and vendors who have contributed to the auction. 100% of the proceeds go to local children and families who are in need of assistance during the holiday season. Over the last five years, we have sponsored dozens of families and raised around $10,000 each year for the Asheville-Buncombe Community Christian Ministry.
The company also matches the amount raised by employees and contributes that to the Festiva Resorts Charitable Fund, a flexible endowment fund that was started in 2006. The purpose of the endowment is to give Festiva Resorts the chance to contribute to any cause that benefits the local communities where employees live and work or to contribute to disaster relief of events of great global impact. The focus is to promote education among youth and eliminate poverty in local communities. The fund is managed by the Community Foundation of Western North Carolina, a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting and expanding philanthropy.
We greatly appreciate the generous support of individuals and businesses who donate merchandise and services to this important local cause.
How you can help
At Festiva Resorts we have an eclectic and fun group of employees whose tastes and styles are as varied as the items brought in for the auction. Some of the more popular auction items include gift certificates of all kinds, merchandise from local businesses, personal services, gift baskets, wine/liquor, pet-related gifts, jewelry, artwork, holiday decorations, handmade items, food and much more. Your donation will put smiles on faces and gifts under trees of children and families who are in need of assistance.
If you are interested in helping out with our auction in any way, please contact Sara Bader at sbader@festivaresorts.com or call 828-254-3378.
11.11.09
Honoring our Veterans
“There is no tribute, no commemoration, no praise that can truly match the magnitude of your service and your sacrifice,” said President Obama in a speech at the Arlington National Cemetery today.
The president and others throughout the world came together in many different ways today and earlier this week to commemorate Veterans Day through parades, memorials, meetings and celebrations honoring past and present service men and women and their families.
Only those who experience serving our country firsthand and their family members can truly understand the mental, physical and emotional trials that must be faced on a daily basis often thousands of miles from home and any loved ones. While we should remember to honor our those who serve our country on a daily basis, Veterans Day is a time when we can come together as families and communities to pay respect to and honor those who have sacrificed so much for all of us.
So whether you are honoring Veterans Day this year at a Festiva Resorts location with a famous celebration such as Branson, in your own hometown, or at a nearby military base or memorial, take the time to thank those you know who have personally served or who have family members who have served or are currently serving our country. Even if you don’t know anyone who has served, the next time you see someone in uniform, offer them a smile, handshake and word of thanks. They deserve it!
Please feel free to comment and let us know how you are honoring our veterans today, or any day.
11.05.09
Don’t miss Disney’s Food & Wine Festival
A few months ago we wrote about the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival which began in September and is going through this Sunday, Nov. 8.
It’s the last weekend of this fabulous event, so if you are staying at the Blue Heron Beach Resort this weekend or anywhere in the Orlando area, don’t miss it!
The festival has filled Epcot with tasty regional food and drink from around the world, and features concerts and entertainment that keep spirits high for days. Admission to the festival is included in the park’s ticket price, and visitors can enjoy everything from tapas and live cooking demonstrations and wine seminars. Other features of the festival include beer and wine tasting, dining to music, and merchandise from cookbooks to specialty kitchen items.
USA Today advises that some festival events are ticketed (ranging from $35 to $375), so check out the schedule and book early if you’re planning to go. Some events accepting reservations include Epcot wine schools, tequila tastings, French regional lunches, cheese seminars, and food and wine pairings and more!
According to Fodor’s, admission to Disney’s parks is on the rise, but Festiva Adventure Club members can already save plenty on accommodations at the Blue Heron, and Fodor’s Travel News offers additional tips on how to save.
If you missed it this year, it’s never too early to plan ahead! Contact Owner Services to find out how you can book your Festiva Resorts reservations in advance.
11.03.09
Clean Eating
With cold weather creeping in, the holidays upon us and New Year’s resolutions around the corner, many of us get a new (or renewed) interest in getting in shape this time of year. It’s always good to stay active any time of year, especially in the winter when the weather keeps you inside and the family dinners keep your belly full.
One step towards keeping healthy and fit during the holidays (and any time) is practicing ‘clean eating.’ A healthy diet along with enough exercise will keep you looking and feeling great through the holiday feasts!
According to the Eating Clean Works blog,
Eating clean is the practice of eating whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and complex carbohydrates. It also means staying away from the junk that typically makes up the Standard American Diet (S.A.D) These types of food include man-made sugar, bad fats (hydrogenated, trans-fat), preservatives, white bread, and any other ingredients that are unnecessary. An easy way to remember if a food is clean is: “if man made it, don’t eat it.”
A person that eats clean generally practices the following:
-
- Eliminates refined sugar
- Cooks healthy meals
- Packs healthy meals
- Makes healthy choices when dining out
- Drinks a lot of water
- Eats 5-6 small meals per day
- Eliminates alcoholic beverages (or significantly limits it)
- Always eats breakfast
To find out more about Clean Eating including meal planning and quick, cheap and healthy meals for the whole family, check out Clean Eating Magazine and Clean Eating Online.
It can be hard even for the most healthiest of eaters to stick to their regular diet when you’re on vacation. One of the many great things about vacationing at a Festiva Resort is that most of the time you will have a full kitchen in your condo, cabin or villa, so you can save money, eat healthy and spend time with your family by cooking most of your meals in!
