Water on the Brain

I seem to have "water on the brain" lately. First off was snorkeling in the Florida Keys, followed closely by a post on this tropical resort. Either I need a tropical vacation, or, at least, a long walk on the beach. It's a little cold here - I think I'll settle for a rum drink with an orange slice.
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Although crowded, this place seems to have all the attributes of a great tropical vacation spot - white sandy beaches, palm trees, and tons of fun things to do. Normally, I'd recommend you grab your swimsuit and head on down…

…but, in this case, you need to pack away your bikini and put your hat, scarf, and gloves on. This is anything but your typical tropical vacation spot, in fact, Tropical Islands isn't really a set of islands. The literal interpretation might more accurately be tropical oasis.

Although it received mixed reviews on its accommodations, there is no disputing that it's a great break from the 'norm'. Especially because, it sits in an area no where near the tropics. Here the inside is the outside and the outside is…well…often inhospitable. But no matter the season, you can hang out there as if you're in the tropics. Are you confused yet??? Tropical Islands Resort is Germany's largest indoor resort + water park and is located inside a giant hangar built originally to house airships in northern Germany, not far from Berlin - no where near the water. It is 360 meters long (over 3 1/2 football fields), 210 meters wide (over 2 football fields) and 107 meters high (tall enough to enclose the Statue of Liberty). They claim to be Europe's largest tropical holiday world. It may be pure genius - it's certainly unique!  Guests can swim in the lagoon style pool, (sort of) bask on the beach, or hang out at the resort's (sort of) outdoor restaurants. You can even play beach volleyball! Clearly, this place is very popular. I think you'll agree, if you live in this climate, you're bound to escape to Tropical Islands (minus the long flight). Offering hotel accommodations, as well as camping, it has all the comforts of a tropical paradise…except for the sunshine. On the not so bright side, you won't get sunburned. Although somewhat of a foreign concept to this Floridian (pun intended), it must be no more unusual to them than Epcot is to us. It's their little slice of paradise, without the long commute. It's cool….or, uh, in this case warm! I'd really like that rum drink now!

Divine Destinations for the Holidays

Where was your favorite holiday vacation? Or what is your dream holiday trip? I'd love to hear.

Mine was a road trip to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park with my daughter 2 years ago. We started seeing snow in Georgia in December (very rare), but my daughter had been praying for snow. As you can see her prayers were answered. It was truly a winter wonderland – Tennessee and North Carolina were blanketed. Other than the 2 hour detour (the Blue Ridge Pkwy. was closed at dusk due to snow and ice) we had a magical white Christmas vacation. There were snowmen to be made and lots of hot chocolate to sip by the roaring fire in our mountain top suite.

We stayed at Tree Tops Resort in Gatlinburg, Tennessee as a trade out for our vacation club membership, but they also rent to non-vacation club members on a 4 night or weekly basis. Having the added room and almost always a full kitchen is a huge bonus if you ask me. Certainly worth checking out if you've never tried it before. If you prefer being catered to daily and dinning out for every meal there are plenty of hotels. The Great Smoky Mountains are a wonderful place to spend your vacation.