WE NEED YOUR VOTE!!

Greetings, earthlings!!!

It is time for your vote on the ultimate vacation destination! I called the realtor today to check out our options, and it turns out that one of our top choices from before (Sykes) was booked two days ago, so it is no longer available. There are only 3 other houses with five bedrooms available that week, but they do not seem ideal (not good bed arrangements, etc.), especially if we are going to be graced with Jason, Sarah, and Justin.

Please vote by Thursday at 6 PM by noting your choice as a comment (with your name so we know no cheating!) or by calling Julie. Since these are going fast for a crowd our size, we may have to proceed without your vote if you do not vote in time!

As a result and after discussion with several of you, I think we have narrowed it down to three possibilities. Here they are, with some plus and minus info for each:

Option A: Rent both sides of Shoreline (A and B). This is a condo, so we would get 6 bedrooms total and 6 bathrooms total (2 K, 2 Q, 2 rooms with 2 singles). This is a good bed arrangement, but the "minus" is that it probably would not have a big room/table to comfortably fit all of us for hanging out or eating.

Option B: Rent Tops'l Turvey (the house we stayed in in 2008) AND Pleasant Views, which is one block from Tops'l Turvey. Tops'l Turvey has 4 bedrooms, and Pleasant Views has 3. We would have a total of 7 bedrooms then, with 1 K, 4 Q, 2 rooms with 2 singles. The big advantage here is that we know we love Tops'l Turvey, and that it has the big open kitchen and table that would fit all of us for hanging out, and the other house is just around the corner, so it would be close (but probably would just be used for sleeping.) The only real "minus" here is wood paneling, and that is just a matter of personal preference. :)

Option C: Rent Tops'l Turvey (the house we stayed in in 2008) AND a condo at Serenity Point (where we stayed in 2006- these are generally 2 bedroom units with a loft with a bed). The big advantage here is that we know we love Tops'l Turvey, and that it has the big open kitchen and table that would fit all of us for hanging out, and with a condo at Serenity Point, we would have access to a POOL! The "minus" is that Serenity Point is probably about three-quarters of a mile or so away from Tops'l Turvey, so that is farther away.
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If you would like to see pictures, the website is: www.topsailrealty.com. Use the vacation home query and search by house name (you will have to look for Shoreline A and Shoreline B separately. Also, I did not list a specific unit at Serenity Point because there are a TON available, but you can see some by using the search features and selecting that area.)

As far as cost, it depends whether we go with a security deposit (which is refundable if no problems) or a non-refundable insurance payment plan. I only priced out Shoreline A and B fully (Option A), but it looks like the other two options would be about the same, or probably a little bit cheaper (option B is probably about $200 cheaper, and option C depends on which unit we select at Serenity Point, but could be in the same range.)

Jon and I would like to pay $2000 toward any of these options if the rest of you could split the remaining cost. I did not factor in Jason, Justin, or Sarah at this point since we are not sure, but if they come, that would obviously lower everyone's cost (except theirs-haha!) Here is what that would be for Option A:

If we go with the security deposit, the total cost should be $4312. Taking out the $2000 from Jon and I leaves it at $2312. If you divide that by four families (Pullin Srs., Pullin Jrs., Moores, Neighbours), that is about $578 per family. However, $1000 of that total price is a refundable deposit (assuming no damage), so we could each get some back.

If you go with the insurance plan, the total cost should be $3402. Taking out the $2000 from Jon and I leaves it at $1402. If you divide that by four families (Pullin Srs., Pullin Jrs., Moores, Neighbours), that is about $350 per family. If we chose this option, I would need to confirm exactly what the insurance policy is, because if we damaged something, we might owe more (although we have historically gotten most if not all of our deposits back in the past since we have not had to pay for damages.)

Let the voting begin!!