June 24, 2009

My Famous Girls Getaway Recognized: 7 Reasons I Loved It.

Thank you HULU.com. After 2.5 years, I have been wanting to share my 15 minutes of fame and thanks to Hulu.com, I am able to accomplish this minor goal.
You see, back in March of 2007, my dearest friends (of 30 + years) and I were chosen, out of 200 applications, to participate in one of the 13 episode of Fine Living Network series "All Girl Getaways". We loved filming our getaway in Asheville. I loved it for many reasons:
1) I got to play instead of work in our beloved city.
2) My friends discovered the joys of Asheville.
3) Specifically, I loved spending the evening getting a facial and then relaxing in the world famous spa at Grove Park Inn.
4) We all ate with gusto at Tupelo Honey and Fig
5) Hanging out at the River Arts District was a wonderful treat and I wonder why I had never ever been there before.
6) Having with my dear friends anywhere is so comforting and sharing my Asheville life with them was powerful.
7) Taping a show with microphones and retakes is a hoot!

Now I am hoping that other gaggles of women will enjoy Asheville together. Just take a look at this video-doesnt it make you want to book a vacation with your best friends?

June 17, 2009

Keep an eye out for Good Morning America in Asheville!

From the Asheville Citizen-Times:

Asheville is getting another round of national TV exposure, this time from ABC-TV’s “Good Morning America.”

A crew from the show is in Asheville shooting scenes for its “Weekend Windows” segment, said Bridget Maney, a spokeswoman for the show.

Filming will continue through Wednesday at Biltmore Estate, she said. None of the show’s personalities are here, she said.

The program has had a long association with Biltmore, which has decorated the “GMA” set for the holidays, Maney said. “It’s such a beautiful place,” she said.

The “GMA” crew also filmed Tuesday outside the Grove Arcade, at the Blue Spiral 1 gallery, and elsewhere in the area, said Dodie Stephens, public relations manager with the Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce.

The segment will air on a Sunday edition of “GMA,” possibly on June 28, Stephens said.

June 12, 2009

Father's Day at Biltmore Estate

Keep Biltmore Estate in mind for your Father's Day getaway.

Father's Day at Biltmore Estate
Families may treat their father to a daytime visit on Father's Day. Dads get in free with a purchased admission ticket for another family member. If you purchase a daytime ticket from Carolina Mornings as our guest, for use on Sunday, June 21, just head to the Biltmore Welcome Center to pick up your free ticket for Dad. This offer is only valid for Sunday, June 21.

For our guests, Carolina Mornings offers Biltmore Estate tickets, valid for two consecutive days, for a flat fee of $50. Compare with Biltmore pricing here.

Check out our Father's Day specials, and give us a call to book your Father's Day getaway! Just one week left!

June 7, 2009

Why Use Carolina Mornings? Reason #5 MORE___________? Complete This Title By Using Ideas Below

Most folks do not think about staying at a vacation rental, log cabin, vacation home etc.
Hotels are standardized, easy to book and come with room service.
Bed and Breakfasts are usually decked to the nines, filled with opulent furnishings, warm hosts and delicious breakfasts.
What do vacation rentals/homes/cabins/cottages/condos have that other conventional accommodations lack?
1)Space to move around both in and outside
2)Kitchens to cook meals and store food and drinks
3)Separate bedrooms for adults and kids
4)Privacy
5)Separate living areas
6)A host of different styles of accommodations
7)Locations are varied
8)More amenities: hot tubs, fireplaces, pool tables, multiple TVs, washer/dryers etc
9)More bathrooms
10)More bang for your buck
11)Less expensive than hotels and B&Bs

Of course one can say that my hotel suite had some of these items, but in reality, really think about it: A whole entire home, completely furnished verses a large room? Which would you choose if money was not a factor?

Why Use Carolina Mornings? Reason #4: 214,000

214,000. This is the number of Google results for Asheville Vacation Rentals. So one can painstakingly go through the first 100 pages or go to Homeaway.com and rummage through 400 listings or make your life easier with an unbiased representative. I mean really, do you think that owners representing their own property can be unbiased? Yes they can. Certainly.
However, there are some vacation rental owners who are not. How do you know the difference?
Vacation homes listed on different directories are not required to verify property information. As a real estate company, we are by law required to represent owners and their properties without misrepresentation. This is reason #4 why Carolina Mornings is unbiased and why not not take advantage?

Why Use Carolina Mornings? Reason #3 Integrity- Honesty Part 2


Honesty is top priority @ Carolina Mornings and hence the reason I am writing about it in 2 parts.
Last week I explained why it was so important to be honest and up front with potential guests:
We do not want to our guests to experience any unexpected surprises. We certainly do not want to contribute to inducing stress. Our goal is to make your life better-or at least while you are vacationing.

Honesty and integrity at Carolina Mornings is utmost importance especially when we have over 90 vacation rentals to choose from. How is one person or a honeymoon couple or a family of 15 going to be able to choose which vacation rental is best for their needs?
Because we represent a host of vacation rentals, in various shapes, sizes, locations, prices and with many different amenities, we are able to listen to our customers' wants and needs and try to be the best matchmaker. Matchmaking is Reason #1 as to Why Use Carolina Mornings and we could not be the best matchmaker in the Asheville Vacation Rental industry unless we had genuine honesty, integrity and sincerity working with one another, with our customers and our owners.
I believe that because all of us at Carolina Mornings really do care and we really want to make sure that we listen to the needs of our guests. When the phone rings, do we only tell the callers about our favorite properties? Or the rentals that are the most expensive or the ones that have the coolest amenities? Nope, Nope and Nope! Do we only give our customers the pros without the cons about a certain vacation rental? Nope. How does the customer really know if the location and quality of the unit matches the descriptions? Can the customer trust the photos attached to the properties? YES! Certainly with Carolina Mornings, where we are upfront, honest and did I say: has integrity?

While we really listen to what are guests' needs are, ie. what they will be doing while visiting the Asheville area? What is the most important item you will need at the rental? What is your budget? etc...
Although we may think we know what is best for some folks, we really do not know and so our Vacation Specialists are professionally trained to listen to our customers, ask appropriate questions and with skill, provide as many viable options, sharing information that is not listed on our website so that the customers have the tools to make the best possible decision. Honesty, integrity and our caring attitude is a huge factor as why would someone want to use our services.

June 4, 2009

Upscale Eco Friendly Vacation Rental: Rolling Hills Retreat

On Tuesday, Ginger and I took a trip out to one of our newest (and most recently built) properties, Rolling Hills Retreat. Created by Target Builders, Inc, this is a 3 bedroom, 2 bath luxury eco-friendly home in Weaverville, NC - just 20 minutes north of Asheville.


Living in Asheville, it's hard not to start using some of the new-agey lingo, but the perfect description for the feeling inside this home truly is "good energy." For me, I think it's the natural light, bamboo flooring, brightly painted walls and an open living space that create such a feel-good ambiance.The whole home is contemporary, but comfortable (I don't usually like contemporary, but this works). No stiff angular chairs here! A good bit of the current furniture came from Mobilia, a great home furnishings store in downtown Asheville. The kitchen has stainless steel appliances and beautiful green finishing on the concrete countertops.

The master bath feels like walking into a five-star hotel spa bathroom. The tub features a great private view of the natural surroundings, has waterfall-style taps and is jetted for a jacuzzi experience. The shower has multiple taps as well, and you can choose which and what directions you'd like to use.

The surroundings are beautiful. There are some neighbors around, but the property retains the pastoral, private country setting feel. The neighbors 'across the way' have a barn down on their property (the little red building) for their horses, and will sometimes ride on their acreage.

Entertainment amenities include a large HD flatscreen TV and full entertainment system with an iPod dock, and an installed stereo speaker system throughout the house. There is a great deck overlooking the rolling hills, and a grill to cook out and dine al fresco. The home also has a built-in air filtration system and humidity control.

Aside from the great craftsmanship and interior amenities, the home has many eco-friendly features. Radient floor heat, solar panels, individual air conditioning/heating units and a wood burning fireplace are just a few.

Accolades:
2008 Asheville Parade of Homes participant and award-winner in the categories of:
Gold Craftsmanship
Healthy Built Home

Target Builders, Inc - and Rolling Hills Retreat - were featured in Builder/Architect Magazine. Here are some of the great photos take for their article.


See our property description and extra information here.
Plus, there is currently a summer special!
Stay FIVE nights, and get a SIXTH and SEVENTH night for ONLY $22!


This home is also for SALE. Come stay with Carolina Mornings and test it out before you buy!