Renovación de Casa Del Mar

     The sounds of guests laughing and enjoying themselves or the roar of motorcycles during Biketoberfest have been replaced with the sound of jackhammers along with the occasional chunk of concrete block hitting the roof over the Lobby. As week six begins, it is amazing to see how much work has already been done. Although we are only in the demoliton phase and will be for some time, a great change can be seen from when it all began in mid-September.

     The associates have all been busy with an assortment of projects. Those who are not answering phones or helping out at other resorts have kept busy moving furniture out of the units, removing wallpaper and carpet, scraping popcorn off ceilings and retexturing and finishing; all part of getting the rooms ready for new furniture.

     At this point, we are on schedule, on budget and the quality of work has been as good as we expected it to be. To date, there have been no real big surprises and of course, we hope that will continue to be the case. The construction crew is safety conscious and keeps a clean job site.

     As a picture paints a thousand words, I will let the pictures speak for themselves and we'll have more as the progress continues.

Casa Del Mar's Burger Champ

Labor Day.

Originally created to celebrate America's working class, it has evolved into the culmination of all things Summer. Not the least of which is the Summer barbecue.  That time honored tradition of grilling meat, fish and vegetables over an open fire (a huge "thank you" to Prometheus).  And what better symbolizes, nay epitomizes, that tradition than the All-American Hamburger; the perfect combination of grilled meat, bread and cheese.

In honor of Labor Day and the Hamburger, Casa Del Mar hosted its 1st annual Casa Del Mar Burger Cook-Off this past Sunday, September 5th.  The challengers were a valiant group of cooks undeterred by the inaugural challenge and represented the vast demographics that are Casa Del Mar owners and guests.

Competitor Erin grilling her "Deca-burger"

Each grill-master possessed the grit and fortitude saved only for professional linebackers on football afternoons as they perfectly grilled their creations.  Running the gamut from traditional to unique toppings and ingredients included bacon, cole slaw, blue cheese, bacon, tortilla strips, bacon and (this author's favorite) a fried egg.

Egg on a Burger!  Now we're really gilding the lily!

With a keen eye on creativity, presentation, "burger-ness" and taste, our panel of esteemed judges valiantly scored each burger presented.

Judges Jorge, Matt and Amy

But in the end, there can be only one.  With her "KC Masterpiece" (a thoroughly satisfying strata of angus beef, grilled onions and crispy tortilla strips to which one judge gave the only perfect score of the day) Casie Hill was crowned the 1st annual Casa Del Mar Burger Cook-Off champ.  In second place, Skyler Anderson's "Rock Steady" with Jim Haven's "J&J Burger" deemed worthy of third.

L to R:  Jim Haven, Champion Casie Hill, Skyler Anderson

The Summer may be coming to an end, the children may be going back to school, the white shoes may be returning to the closet.  But the pursuit of the perfect burger shall continue... at least until next year.  See you all for the 2nd Annual Cook-Off, Labor Day Sunday 2011.

Let me sleep on it...

We have all needed it:  the vacation after the vacation.

Sometimes there are just not enough hours in the day to do all that you have planned; you are excited by your vacation surroundings, you play a little too hard, you wake at sunrise to make sure you get that perfect lounge chair on the pool deck; whatever the reason, quality sleep is often tough to come by on vacation.

We figure the least we can do is make your time in the bedroom, however brief, a bit more comfortable.  Gone are the pastels and bright colors that have come to define the Miami Vice and Golden Girls era of Florida; no longer will your sleep be interrupted by a visit from the Ghost of White Furniture Past.

Casa Del Mar has come full circle, we are embracing our Spanish roots and at the same time embracing a more easy on the eyes color scheme; welcome to the Casa Del Mar as it always should have been.

Before:
    

After:

We'll be back with some more updates; in the mean time, leave a comment behind to tell us how you feel about the changes.

Thanks!

Change is in the Ocean Air...

Fifty Days.

Is it more impressive in number format?

50 days.

In two score and ten days, Casa Del Mar Beach Resort will embark on a makeover that would make Ty Pennington proud. Although the need for concrete restoration precipitated this renovation, these next few blog posts will wander from the technical and industrial details and focus on the immediate appearance of the resort (specifically the individual units) and the changes thereof.

We will take an “item by item” approach for the furnishings to each villa; just enough to whet your appetite and hopefully leave you wanting for more. The items will come from a before and after photo pairing to clearly illustrate the changes taking place; when the amount of items are exhausted in each room, the before and after photos will be shown in their entirety.

So without further ado, I bring you: dining table.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

As you can see, exciting things are happening!

I'll return with more later in the week.

Peanuts and Cracker Jack

Summer begins June 21st. To some, summer's start is Memorial Day weekend. Here in the Daytona Beach area, one can argue summer began Friday, April 9th. That's when the hometown Daytona Cubs (Chicago's eponymous high-A minor league affiliate) took the field for the first time to square off against the feared Brevard County Manatees (you've got to love Minor League Baseball). Unfortunately, the hometown nine took a tough loss, but Daytona Beach-area residents and guests (including those of Casa Del Mar) went home winners as baseball is back in northeast Volusia County.

If you are even just the least bit of a baseball fan, there is no reason not to see the Cubs while in town. With promotions such as Belly Buster Monday (an aptly named event as your specially priced ticket includes all-you-can-eat pizza, popcorn, peanuts, hamburgers and hot dogs) and Thirsty Thursdays (specials on adult beverages and soft drinks) there is always something special going on at the venue of the Daytona Cubs, Jackie Robinson Stadium.

Casa Del Mar makes it even more of a special event as you can get discount tickets to all home games (sorry, no Belly Buster Mondays). Just stop by the front desk or the activities desk, and we will gladly help you save some money as you enjoy America's pastime in a cozy atmosphere. With opponents consisting of affiliates from the Phillies, Yankees, Rays, Brewers, Pirates, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Twins, Marlins, Tigers and Mets, you're sure to find a rooting interest.

Go Cubs!

It's raining, it's pouring...

It never ceases to amaze me on how we will run away from the pool when it starts raining. I know this may sound absolutely cliche, but you are wet already. Part of vacation is to enjoy yourself, to do things you would not normally do if you were not on vacation.

Do you remember splashing around puddles as a kid? Really? You do? Well I don't, but I am sure I did, because whenever I get the opportunity to do it now, I have an absolute blast; it is completely and astonishingly invigorating. Forget botox, retinol and the like, the real fountain of youth are rain puddles; jump in one and you will see what I mean.

I love the sun an am an avid sun-worshiper (which explains my residence in the sunshine state). I can appreciate a beautiful sunny day. However, vacations are sometimes hard to come by; months of planning should not be set aside because of a few raindrops. Enjoy your time on holiday, laugh and play in the rain (but please, by all means get away from the lightning!); just think of all the money you will be saving on sunscreen!

A Good Walk Spoiled...

When you hear the words “Daytona Beach” what immediately comes to mind? NASCAR and the Daytona 500? Motorcycles and bike weeks? World class beaches? (In)famous spring breaks? How about this: world class golf courses.

Along with our sister resort Daytona Seabreeze, we here at Casa Del Mar will begin to offer our owners and guests fantastic savings to take advantage of two of the finest golf courses around, the Legends (an Arthur Hills designed 6,984 yard challenge) and Champions (A Rees Jones 7,088 yard links-style course) at LPGA International. With discounts up to 60% off the published greens fees at LPGA International, our resort guests can experience a first-class package that includes greens fees and golf cart, a valet bag attendant and receive discounts for the onsite Pro Shop and restaurant.

So if you would rather be on the green than in the sand, if you’re more comfortable in spikes than in sandals, or you would rather wear plaid knickers over tropical trunks, make your next vacation a Casa Del Mar or Daytona Seabreeze experience and go out and hit the links.

And the Thunder Rolls....

Choppers, cycles, steel-horses, hogs, bikes, motorcycles. Whatever you call them, if you're an enthusiast, you're here at Bike Week. The legendary meeting spot for all things motorcycles is taking place right now in Casa Del Mar's backyard.

A tour of our underground garage, which during this time doubles as a museum-quality exhibition, would even make the most hardened of all riders as giddy as a school girl.

Perhaps just as colorful as these bikes are their riders. Gentlemen (and ladies) garbed in the black leather that has become synonymous with the terms rebel, outlaw, biker. However look underneath these layers of rawhide and you might find a lawyer, doctor, accountant; perhaps that fellow owner you shared a laugh with last year in Myrtle Beach.

But that true motorcycle purist, that character from Easy Rider or The Wild One, the person who has devoted his life to the pursuit of the perfect ride, he is the one you should meet. He is the stuff of legends and stories; some of which he will be more than happy to share. Tales that roll off his tongue as smoothly as a sip of bourbon. Tales that get just a bit taller with each telling.

Enjoy the sounds of rolling thunder, the sounds of raucous laughter, the sounds of friendly banter. After this week, for better or for worse, the area becomes a lot more quiet.