Friday, May 13, 2011

2011 Oct.--Pompano Beach, Florida Sisters' trip

The last few years, my sister and I have managed to go on some pretty great "sisters'" vacations.  So in Nov. of 2011, we decided it was time to do another one.  Since Ken and I already had a cruise out of Fort Lauderdale planned in Nov., I asked Carolyn if she would like to come out and join me a week early and piddle around southeastern Florida.  She agreed to, so I booked us a 2 bedroom condo at Wyndham Sea Gardens in Pompano Beach, just north of Fort Lauderdale.  It's actually about 5 different resorts combined into one: North and South Cabanas Buildings (closest to the office); North and South Waterfalls buildings (just past the Cabanas buildings); Ocean Palms Building (the newest and most updated  at a 90 degree angle to the ends of the Waterfall buildings); Key West Building (the oldest and set off to the side by itself), and the North and South Ocean View Buildings (all studios, I believe).  Ken and I had stayed in the Ocean Palms Building and really liked it alot.  So when all I could get was in the Key West Building, I was afraid it would be old and grungy and disappointing after having stayed in the new Ocean Palms Building.  Although Ken and I are Wyndham owners, I actually picked this week up from RCI exchange company really cheaply.  I also know exchangers are often given the worst rooms, so that had me worried, too.  None of my VIP benefits with Wyndham would be honored as an exchange guest.

Things didn't start out too well.  I arrived a little after check-in time of 4pm and they didn't have our room ready yet.  I waited over an hour before it was ready.  Once in the room, I noticed the plastic cover on the door lock was broken and the toilette seat in the master bedroom was on the bathroom floor.  So I called maintenance, then had to rush out to head back to the airport to pick up my sister, Carolyn.  By now it was raining cats and dogs again.  I waited at the cell phone lot for quite awhile past her arrival time.  Suddenly the "Arrivals" board changed to list her flight as "Cancelled".  What?????  It took off!  Where was it???  After a frantic call to home to have Ken check the internet, Carolyn finally called to say her plane had landed----in West Palm Beach, about 50 miles away.  She was given the option of getting off the plane there or waiting for the weather to get better and continue on to Fort Lauderdale.  We decided she should get off and I'd drive to West Palm Beach to get her.  About an hour later we were on our way back to Pompano from West Palm Beach.

Back at Sea Gardens, things started looking up.  The repairs were made before we got back.  My fears of the older Key West Building not being nice was unfounded.  It had just been renovated and was actually very pretty, not as fancy as Ocean Palms, but quite acceptable!  It didn't look like much from the outside, but it did have it's own pool---albeit cold pool. 
 Our 2 bedroom unit really was roomy and clean.  Although we thought the little bar in the diningroom was rather odd.  The kitchen was behind the bar and was quite small, but adequate.
 This view is from the door leading out to the patio.  The master bedroom is the first door on the right.  The 2nd bedroom is the far door to the right.  Not seen is the tv cabinet and large flat screen tv to the left.