RV LIFE Podcast
The RV LIFE Podcast, created by one of the premier companies in the RV industry, is for the RV Community with a mission to Educate, Entertain and Explore the RV Lifestyle. The Podcast will explore all things RV Life: living, working, exploring, learning. With hosts Dan & Patti Hunt, full time RVers, content creators, educators and explorers.
RV LIFE Podcast
Exclusive EP: Tranquility Lakes: The Ultimate RV Retreat Destinations Uncovered
Discover the hidden gem of Cape Coral, Florida, as we sit down with Maximo Hernandez-Ortiz, the passionate general manager of Tranquility Lakes RV Resort. Prepare to be captivated by the resort’s prime location near the Gulf of Mexico, offering RV enthusiasts a luxurious escape with over 500 brand-new concrete pads and stunning views of a sprawling 90-acre lake. Maximo shares insider stories about the resort's journey, painting a vivid picture of why Tranquility Lakes is rapidly becoming a premier destination for those seeking both relaxation and adventure on their travels.
Join us as we dive into the vibrant community life crafted by the energetic activities director, Shanna. From morning yoga to engaging entertainment, the resort promises an unforgettable experience for guests of all ages. Whether you're there for a large gathering or a solo retreat, the extensive amenities, including a state-of-the-art kitchen, modern gym, and spacious dog parks, ensure everyone feels at home. Safety and inclusivity take center stage, with a secure gated environment welcoming travelers from all walks of life, including the furry ones.
Hear the inspiring story of a couple who found freedom on the road and a haven in Tranquility Lakes. They share their exhilarating journey of embracing the RV lifestyle, detailing the family-friendly environment and community spirit that makes the resort a cherished stop on their travels. From swimming and biking to social events and a scenic two-mile loop, Tranquility Lakes offers a perfect blend of adventure and serenity, making it an ideal retreat as the cooler months approach.
Click to find out more Tranquility Lakes RV Resort
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Today I'm on site at Tranquility Lakes RV Resort, and this place is amazing. My name is Patty Hunt and you're listening to the RV Life Podcast. Now, not only are you going to hear this podcast, but you're going to see the video of this incredible location. I'm here today with Maximo Hernandez-Ortiz, the general manager of Tranquility Lakes RV Resort. Welcome to the RV Life Podcast.
Speaker 2:Thank you so much. I'm so excited to have you here today. Patty, I know you have an amazing podcast and you've been living the great RV life, so we're excited to share a little bit about Tranquility Lakes with you today.
Speaker 1:I am here to get all of the information for my listeners and now my viewers that are going to get to see this place firsthand. Okay, so this is an exclusive episode, which means there's no sponsor breaks. There's all about Tranquility Lakes RV Resort, so I'm excited about this particular show.
Speaker 2:I am as well.
Speaker 1:Okay, now you are a native Floridian and we are in Cape Coral, florida. Can you tell people where in Florida that is?
Speaker 2:Yes, so I'm originally from Miami, so Florida native. So we are on the west coast of Florida, that is. Yes, so I'm originally from Miami, so Florida native. So we are on the west coast of Florida, about an hour and a half south of Sarasota and we're part of the greater Fort Myers area, so I would say about an hour north of Naples.
Speaker 1:Okay, an hour north of Naples, west coast, right near the Gulf of Mexico.
Speaker 2:Right, literally right over there, about a mile away.
Speaker 1:That's awesome. I love it here. Okay, let's dive in. We're going to talk about this new location, which opened about a year ago, correct?
Speaker 2:Actually less than a year. So, we're still like a little less than one years old. We opened on December of 2023. So we'll be celebrating our first year here in a couple of months.
Speaker 1:Okay, maybe I'll come back for that celebration.
Speaker 2:You should.
Speaker 1:Okay, there you go. I just got invited back because I would love to come back here, spend lots of time in this park.
Speaker 2:We'll get a cake and everything too. A cake and everything I love cake.
Speaker 1:That sounds great. Okay, let's talk details.
Speaker 2:Excellent.
Speaker 1:How many sites? Let's talk about the sites. How many are there?
Speaker 2:Perfect. Well, we have over 500 concrete pads. All of them have both 30 and 50 amps, like I said just under a year, so everything is brand new. Beautiful Feedback from our guests has been just incredible. It's truly a hidden gem. It's an amazing location that we're excited to share with everybody.
Speaker 1:It truly is a hidden gem, so it is easy to access, and that's important for us as RVers. It's easy to access. You pull into the gates and you are almost transformed. It's like paradise. It's right, it truly is luxury. It's a paradise. It's right, it truly is luxury, it's a luxury resort. Now you said concrete pads. For those of my friends that are RVers, they are level these sites. That's so important to be able to be level. There's picnic tables there that are just beautiful the nicest picnic table.
Speaker 2:Oh well, thank you I truly mean it.
Speaker 1:Again, it's important because your outside space is such an important part of RVing, especially as a full-timer. You're in less than 400 square feet of space. You want to make sure that outside space is nice and available and sewer and water on every site.
Speaker 2:And.
Speaker 1:I'm told everything is up and working.
Speaker 2:Oh, absolutely.
Speaker 1:So sometimes new we you know not always working, so I just want to make sure Now there's pull-in sites and back-in sites. Again, the details for my RVers Correct. But here's probably my favorite part of this park 90 acres of lake. Yes, let's talk about that, because people are then thinking, well, I get a spot by the lake, let's talk about that Absolutely Well.
Speaker 2:Obviously, our lakefront sites are elite and the ones with the absolute best view. But let me tell you, even if you're not on the lakefront, you literally just walk out of your RV a couple of feet and you still have this amazing view of the lake. It is a gorgeous 90-acre lake.
Speaker 1:And we're going to talk more about the amenities Again for those of the people that are listening and not able to see the video just yet. Keep in mind that these sites surround the lake, so I want to talk a little more because I know when I've gone into RV parks you have those four or five sites that are lakefront, sometimes that are very limited. That is not the case here, Literally. I'm going to say that word again.
Speaker 2:The RV spots overlook the lake all around this huge, beautiful lake Absolutely, and I'm so proud to be the general manager here. We have an incredible friendly and welcoming staff and, to your point, the lake is really in the center of the resort, so all of our pads surround the lake, so there really is not a bad view from anywhere in the park at all. We have incredible sunrises. You can drive to the other side of the lake and get a great sunrise view, and then you can also get some amazing sunsets if they kind of dip down into the gulf. Now you can't see the gulf, but it's just right over there, so get those amazing g Gulf sunsets.
Speaker 1:And I have to say I drove around here yesterday. I was just going to do a quick drive around. I was here for over an hour. I was watching the sunset and that is one of my favorite things is sunsets. The fact that the sites around this big beautiful lake, that the sights around this big beautiful lake, just it was done right. So this whoever- developed this.
Speaker 1:It was absolutely done right. I'd love that I don't have to worry about getting that good spot. Now, like you said, the spots that aren't right on the lake. You're just a few steps and you're there. You can see those spots from pretty much. You could see the lake from pretty much any spot, and I'm harping on that because, as an RVer, the scene is so important.
Speaker 2:Well, I'm sure throughout your travels, like, maybe you've seen promotional materials for a resort and it looks just amazing. And then you get there and it was like that one shot, right, if you had, if you were in this one or two locations, you have that stunning view. If you look at our promotional materials and I definitely hope that you do what you see is actually what you get and I believe, like you can provide a testimonial to that.
Speaker 1:Absolutely because you're right, and so you look at these pictures online, or even videos that you see, and you see all the pretty spots.
Speaker 4:And then you get there and Link.
Speaker 1:You said you don't always get that spot, you don't have to worry about that here. And I've got to be totally honest. I was in Hershey at the RV show and people were talking about Tranquility Lake and I said, well, I'll let you know, I'm going to be there next week. So I was coming to make sure it was everything that everybody was saying.
Speaker 2:And we passed your test.
Speaker 1:Yes.
Speaker 2:I love it. I love it.
Speaker 1:It truly the way the spots are aligned. It truly is everything, probably more than what I expected.
Speaker 2:That warms my heart.
Speaker 1:Good, good, and you know just when things are done right. I like to point out that they are done right. So let's talk about some of the details here. Ok, so we have our spots. You have everything you need at that spot. Even where the picnic table is, it's cement, really nice area. There's grass trees that when I pull into an RV resort and just go, ah or wow, it's just that moment. So let's talk some details.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:Some of the people were asking me, first of all, can I stay for a night or two? Can I stay for a week? Let's talk about people being able to stay and for how long.
Speaker 2:Absolutely Well. First and foremost, the Encore brand is kind of an elite brand. There's less than 100 in the US, so it's some of our more premier properties as well, as you can see from kind of your stay here. So we want you to come, whether it's for a day, a week, a month or long term. We have the potential to create an exceptional experience, regardless of the length of your stay here. You can bring the family, you can bring your significant other, you can bring your pets. We want everybody to be here.
Speaker 2:And, like you said, nightly, weekly, monthly, you have seasonal, we have seasonal, and then we have longer term as well, and you can get a hold of us for some more details right on the kind of the length of the stays and the pricing and all that. But I can tell you that we have some of the absolute best pricing in Florida right now.
Speaker 1:And people say that all the time and I'm going to just, I was here yesterday.
Speaker 2:I'll take that challenge.
Speaker 1:Yes, the sales person was here, so he's in charge of sales for the seasonal and the long term, and we're standing there and he told me the price and you could quote the price if you want. I had to have it repeated and then I had to do the math on the monthly and this is less expensive than any. So when I was here in Florida last winter I was trying to get a monthly site and the price that you guys are quoting is less than what I could have gotten at any of those monthlies that I was looking at. I don't know if you want to do price.
Speaker 1:Well, I would like people to kind of reach out to us either on our website or our call center, Because it just depends on what they're looking for.
Speaker 2:Absolutely as well, and plus there's kind of a lot of numbers there and I don't want that to take up a little bit of our conversation. We'll let our salesperson but I can guarantee you that it is the absolute best pricing in Florida right now.
Speaker 1:Okay, so now the question is. Yes For every RVer who's trying to do the Florida shuffle be in Florida for the winter. I have it booked.
Speaker 2:Yes, you need to plan out 10 years.
Speaker 1:Right 10 years ahead of time, then you can make sure, yes, absolutely no.
Speaker 2:That's yes. That's crazy. That is crazy, and I think that you had an experience about that Right.
Speaker 1:And so that's one of the reasons that I've really wanted to do this podcast and to be able to get it on video and talk to you, because that fear that there's no way if I haven't already booked. Now it's October, so if I haven't already booked, I'm never going to get a place in Florida. So it is doable. What about here at Tranquility RV Resorts, lakes RV Resorts? Are people going to be able to get in? This is what let's talk about that.
Speaker 2:That's a great question. And now, personally, whenever I plan a trip like, I enjoy the planning process or I want to know that I've got everything nailed down. But that's just the type of person that I am. So, of course it helps to be planful, but absolutely it is worth it to. But absolutely it is worth it to, even if you haven't solidified your plans, even if you haven't made reservations, to check our website, to give us a call. I'm gonna say the odds are that we probably have a spot for you. There might've been somebody that canceled at the last minute. So I would say, remove that fear, be planful if you can, but I would say that there's definitely opportunity for those last-minute decisions.
Speaker 1:And again, I was always a planner. I had to know where I was going to be and when, and that went out the window. You see some beautiful site or you find some beautiful place and you want to change your plan. So for me, I learned how to be flexible and wing it so this RV resort people can get in. There are people that have booked already, but again, for those of you, you need to remember that people cancel all the time.
Speaker 2:Sure, you can call us directly here at. Tranquility Lakes as well, we're more than happy to answer any questions at all.
Speaker 1:Okay, that's good to know. So you can call the location and say, hey, is there room for me? All right, well, let's talk about what else is there. We've parked our RV, we've gotten our outside set up. What's there to do here? Let's talk activities.
Speaker 2:There is a ton of activities to do. One of the things, of the most beautiful things of the property is our pools. They're overlooking the lake, so we have a lap pool, we have a large swimming pool. We have a spa as well. Actually, we have two spas on the property. One is at another comfort station in another section of the park. We have 10 pickleball courts.
Speaker 1:That's just on the outside.
Speaker 2:That's just on the outside.
Speaker 1:Oh well, thank you so much, let's talk about the inside. This clubhouse is amazing.
Speaker 2:We have. Thank you so much. We have an amazing clubhouse you can have. It holds about 200 people, so we can do events as well. We have a couple of rallies coming in the earlier part of the year, so they'll be having events in the clubhouse, but in the clubhouse as well. We have a couple of rallies coming in the earlier part of the year, so they'll be having events in the clubhouse, but in the clubhouse as well. We have billiards, we have cornhole, we have Pac-Man, we have poker tables.
Speaker 1:I saw the poker tables.
Speaker 2:They are fun.
Speaker 1:Now, I'm not a gambler, so you won't see fun because I'll lose everything. Right, but you might be the one that needs beginner's luck. That might, but you might be the one that needs, you know, beginner's luck that might be. You might want to play.
Speaker 2:Yes, well, if there's a nickel game, that might be me, but that's the only thing I'm doing.
Speaker 1:We'll play like. My grandmother taught me how to play poker when I was five and you had to have your own pennies and nickels. So yes, we could start.
Speaker 2:Okay, I'm in on that game. Okay, I'm in on that game. But in addition to all of the facilities, we have a tremendous amount of activities. We do morning yoga as well. A couple of times a week, we have cheeseburger in paradise. We have entertainment and a burger bar as well.
Speaker 1:And there's an activities director here on site.
Speaker 4:Shanna, she is awesome.
Speaker 1:She is awesome. I met her yesterday. She's got so much energy, so there will be a lot more activities coming, I am sure.
Speaker 1:So let's talk a little bit. I just want to let my listeners know some of them are new to RVing. So rallies, events, meetups there's all different kinds of get togethers that people can do. This place holds 200. So I'm thinking there's going to be some people who do the rallies and the meetups and those kinds of things that are going to want to be here, because this is perfectly set up for that.
Speaker 3:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:There's also a kitchen here. Is that like people?
Speaker 2:coming in and use that. There is a kitchen. Yes, obviously, with some planning, we can coordinate the use of the kitchen. I mean, we have coffee and tea here for everybody as well throughout the day, but absolutely, we can use the kitchen.
Speaker 1:So if you're having an event here, the kitchen and this is a full-on kitchen, I'm not talking about some little RV park kitchen, it is a full looks sort of state-of-the-art kitchen there- I like to think so yes, okay, I didn't test the appliances.
Speaker 1:It kitchen there? I like to think so. Yes, okay, I didn't test the appliances. It's got it all in there, which is great. Now, once you do the pizza and the burgers and the donuts and you have your coffee, there is a state-of-the-art facility. There is a gym, that's right, so you can invest in your entire holistic life for that.
Speaker 2:But yes, we have. Obviously. The resort, as we mentioned earlier, is less than a year old, so obviously the fitness room has state-of-the-art equipment. You can also see our lake from there. We have treadmills, exercise machines, medicine balls and free weights in there as well.
Speaker 1:Incredible. Let's talk a little bit more about the amenities here. We hit on some of them the lake which we said is 90 acres. 90 acres, that's huge. Okay, let's talk. There's so much to talk about and again, I'm so glad that we have this on video. It just wouldn't do it justice. Walking out to that pool, the Olympic-sized pool there's a flat pool out there and a hot tub. And again you thought of everything. You did it well with the lounge chairs, beautiful lounge chairs all around the pool. Just thought of all the details.
Speaker 2:Well, and you know better than I, but part of the kind of the RV life is engaging in the community, right so meeting new people or friends or family traveling together, and so all of these amenities kind of provide for that opportunity for people to engage and have experiences together, whether it's pickleball, whether it's working out, whether it's doing yoga in the morning, whether it's relaxing by the pool.
Speaker 1:And that is truly what RV Life is all about it's community. You can feel it here as you drive around, which brings me to another point. This is not. People were talking in Hershey and said, oh, is that a 55 plus? I don't know why they thought that, but it is not. It is. Everybody is welcome.
Speaker 2:Correct. Not everything in Florida is 55 plus. I'm in that group so I don't say that in a bad way. But yes, we welcome everybody 55 plus, families, couples If you're just a solo RVer looking to kind of engage in that community as well, everybody is welcome here.
Speaker 1:And let's talk a little bit about being solo, because there are a lot of solo RVers out there and we want to make sure safety. So when I pulled in, first of all and again I'm so glad we're going to see this on video when you pull in, there's a lot of great space to pull your rv in, to go check in. There's a beautiful office space so you could go check in, and then there's a security gate. Yes, so I really feel like this is a safe place if I'm going to travel, as I would agree, thank you.
Speaker 2:this is a safe place If I'm going to travel as a solo.
Speaker 1:I would agree, Thank you, and safety has been something obviously that has been thought of.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. It's something we always think about in the Encore brand. It is just part of the overall guest experience.
Speaker 1:And when I was here in the clubhouse yesterday, there were kids in here, families in here getting together, families that didn't know each other that started talking.
Speaker 2:It was that community right, it was that community and you could just see it's going to build.
Speaker 1:And there's something else you have here, and that is dog. It's pet friendly.
Speaker 2:Of course.
Speaker 1:Can we bring dogs I?
Speaker 2:believe that we have a special guest today as well those of you who are just listening to the podcast.
Speaker 1:We have a special guest, this little puppy, hi Hi there. This is the cutest.
Speaker 4:It is Okay To my friends back home.
Speaker 1:I'm coming home with one of these she loves me.
Speaker 2:She is happy to see you so even our pets will be happy here. Yes, it is pet friendly.
Speaker 1:Tell us about.
Speaker 2:Look at that relaxed vacation face right there right.
Speaker 1:Look at how much more relaxed I am.
Speaker 2:Well, actually we, you know our pets are our family members, right? And so we have two dog parks. We have a really big one in one section of the park and then we have another one in another. That is a very decent size, so it's not going to be this tiny little closet of a dog park. So obviously, you know, there's fresh air out here. You get ocean, breezes, sunshine, so it's great for humans and it's great for our fur babies as well.
Speaker 1:We need to do like a dog event where people bring their pets Well, here's in that community.
Speaker 2:I want to say hey, as people come like we can have Pocktoberfest, pocktoberfest. Pocktoberfest Listen to you, we can have, like you know, like doggy parade, we can have all kind of things, and that's where, since we are a community, I also look to our guests to kind of tell us hey, what are some additional fun activities?
Speaker 1:that we could do? Yes, because people come up with great things. This is a little puppy and she's teething on the microphone. Sorry to be. What is she? What's this puppy? A?
Speaker 4:golden retriever.
Speaker 1:A golden retriever, which is my favorite I'm going to. She is what like six or eight weeks old, Seven, just like seven weeks, basically Seven weeks old. So the people listening.
Speaker 2:Encore's newest member. Encore's newest member Mamma Mia, right here.
Speaker 1:Her name's Mamma Mia, and if you're listening to the podcast, you have got to go over and check out the videos of this little cutie pie. I want a puppy. This is great. So again, encore Tranquility Lakes RV Resort has thought of everything, and you're always looking to improve and expand.
Speaker 2:Absolutely. We thrive on guest feedback, actually, and we have been receiving some great feedback continuous five-star reviews on Google and TripAdvisor that we're very proud of, but we're always looking to get better, so we invite that feedback. What's working well? What can we do better in the community as well? There is also a lot to do in the immediate area.
Speaker 1:Yes, let's talk about that. So, if you're bored from the sunset, if you're bored from all the pizza and the burgers and the music and the yoga and the working out and the pickleball. You're tired of looking at the lakes, absolutely. You're tired of sitting with your puppy.
Speaker 2:Absolutely.
Speaker 1:What else is there to do in this?
Speaker 2:area. Well, we are, like I said, literally about a mile away from the coast, so very close to here, like within 15 minutes or less. You can rent boats if you want to. You can arrange for a sunset cruise. You can get a charter to Pine Island, which is just right across from Sanibel and Captiva. So there's Sanibel and Captiva, then there's Pine Island and then there's the coast of Florida, so there's lots of different ways to explore. You can do all traditional watercraft like parasailing, jet skis, all of that stuff. We're actually right next to a nature preserve as well, and there's also some wildlife areas close by, so it's great for birding, great for all kinds of things.
Speaker 1:If I had more time, those are the places I'd go. I'd love going out, being in nature. So the wildlife preserves. There's a marina, you said, close by.
Speaker 2:There's restaurants close by. There's stores, absolutely there's stores. Publix is just down the road, walmart's not too far, so if you need kind of those core necessities, you can get that.
Speaker 1:20 minutes away is the Costco. 20 minutes or so away, I think I saw Costco.
Speaker 2:I believe so as well.
Speaker 1:So these are the things again RVers are looking for. You can find everything and anything you need in this area, Fort Myers.
Speaker 2:Beach is about 20, 25 minutes south of us. There's also, if you want to drive just a little bit farther, sanibel Island. Captiva is right there. I mean we have the Gulf Coast and as a native Floridian I love the east coast of Florida but I really enjoy the western Gulf.
Speaker 1:Well, I was born and raised in the Philadelphia area, so the Atlantic. Ocean was where I went when I saw the Gulf of Mexico, I was wowed. That to me. I do like the West Coast better, I really do. But you know, to each his own, different people like different things. You were talking about looking at reviews. Campgroundrvlifecom is the most comprehensive site for campground reviews and those reviews are by RVers for RVers, so a campground cannot buy Love that Okay.
Speaker 1:You guys are highly favored. If people have RV life and they go to the campground site, they can book Tranquility right from that site and they can see all the beautiful pictures. And those pictures are for real, that's for sure.
Speaker 2:So I want to make sure, too, to mention our website TranquilityLakesRVResortcom. We've got some—oh, Mama Mia, she's saying yes, she's adding in Book a reservation?
Speaker 1:Yes, I know.
Speaker 2:So definitely check out our Web site, but but, as Patty said, you can also find out some great information from us at RV Life. I am telling you Right and you will not be disappointed. You can hold me accountable for this. What you see in on the Web on advertising is going to be exactly what you see when you get here to the park. The lake is actually 90 acres. All of the pads are surrounding the lake and you will catch some trophy-sized bass on there.
Speaker 1:Well, if you could fish, that is, I don't know about me.
Speaker 2:That's right. That's true. You have to fish to catch the bass. I'll watch people fish.
Speaker 1:I like doing that too. Yes, and I will tell you again three years full time on the road I've stayed at probably 100 RV parks, resorts, campgrounds, you name it.
Speaker 2:Your journey is incredible.
Speaker 1:Yes, back and forth across the country three times. This place is everything everybody was telling me.
Speaker 2:Oh, that's awesome. Thank you for saying that.
Speaker 1:It's definitely a place like to park an RV for a month or a season. It is truly everything and the activities I mean. You are not going to be bored, and if you're bored in the campground, there's plenty to do outside.
Speaker 2:Or nearby as well. I just wanted to add I enjoyed so much learning about your journey and how you got into the RV life and I really think it's the testament to everybody out there that you don't have to. It's not like your grandparents had to take you camping when you were a kid or anything like that. You can literally start RVing tomorrow. Rv Life is a great resource for that. Oh yes, you can also go to our websites. You can call us. We can answer any questions. We are here for you and we're here to provide you and Mamma Mia an exceptional experience.
Speaker 1:Mamma Mia, she's had enough, she's done. And again, to let people know that haven't heard the story I literally it was during COVID story. I literally it was during.
Speaker 2:COVID.
Speaker 1:My husband said let's sell everything, buy an RV and go full-time RVing. I had been in an RV all of seven nights at that point. So I laughed when he said it, thinking he was joking, and then when I looked up and saw he was serious, I think I just walked away at that point and then I came back, we had conversation three months later, sold it all, bought the RV on the road. I'm not sure that that works for everybody. Do what works for you. But I will say the RV life is just an incredible lifestyle. So whether it's full-time, part-time or you just do it sometime, I always say get out there and try it out, and this would be a great place to try it out.
Speaker 2:That is great advice. Well, I could say it's been an absolute pleasure having you here with us today, and I know that I'm already going to see you in a couple of months, for our one-year anniversary.
Speaker 1:You committed to that right, okay, so we'll be seeing you.
Speaker 2:You've got to get those dates on the calendar, you can tell me what kind of cake like, what flavors you like too and we'll make sure to include the always chocolate. I support that.
Speaker 1:It's always chocolate yeah, well, you've gotten my opinion on the place and you certainly have gotten Maximo's opinion, but stick around, because we are going to have some guests that have been staying here in the park giving you their testimonial. First, tell your story. You've only been on the road about a year.
Speaker 3:How did that all start? To get on the road full time with two small children? Well, truthfully, you know, I think like almost anyone who gets into RVing, I think you know we were in the nine to five rat race and I think we just were tired. I think we were tired of not being able to spend as much time as we'd like to with the kids and with each other, and we knew something needed to change. A couple of months before we actually took the dive, I remember throwing the idea out and I'm like you know, what do you think about? You know selling it all and you know getting on the road full time. And you know that idea was shut down so quickly. I really didn't think that there was a chance of us actually really getting into the RV life. And a couple of months later the idea surfaced again and I thought I'd just throw it out there and she took the bait let's go.
Speaker 4:You just said let's go. He asked me and then I don't know if it was in that moment, but maybe a few days later he's like you know, you want to go to an RV dealership and I'm like sure I've never been inside of an RV, never been camping a day in my life. And we went and I was actually very surprised at what we saw. I'm like it actually looks like we have everything that we would have in a house. Just, you know, it's a smaller area, less for me to clean.
Speaker 1:Right, so never been in an RV.
Speaker 4:Never, never been camping, didn't know what it looked like.
Speaker 1:That's more extreme than my story. Wow, and so you went into the RV dealership and you bought it.
Speaker 3:We knew well, one. We knew nothing, and so we wouldn't have been able to tell you the difference between an A class, b class or C or heck, I still don't even know all the classes, to be honest, but that was very good. Okay, I'm like I don't think there's a D. Okay, no, no, no D. But between the hey, you know what, let's go check some out and us actually buying a truck, buying an RV, putting our house up for sale I think it was about seven to 10 days putting our house up for sale I think it was about seven to 10 days, and so we knew instantly that this was the life for us.
Speaker 4:He had peace, I had peace, and that's, if we both have peace, we're like, let's go for it.
Speaker 3:No plan B we said no plan B.
Speaker 4:We're just going to go plan A only.
Speaker 1:Okay, and so you've been traveling for almost a year now. Right, and campgrounds. What kind of campgrounds, what kind of camping are you liking particularly?
Speaker 5:Ooh.
Speaker 1:Have you done many different types? Have you been linked to the state?
Speaker 4:parks yeah, actually. So of course we had to learn a lot. We didn't know anything about RV campgrounds. Thankfully, what helped us out a lot was when we bought our RV it came with a package Thousand Trails. We didn't know anything about it, so that helped us to really learn about the parks. And then, living in Florida, we learn snowbirds come and so that affects the winters, and that's how we got introduced to state parks. So we've stayed at state parks, We've stayed at our RV campgrounds and we've learned to have a love for and appreciation I'll say for both, but I think one of the things that we've really enjoyed is being able to be outside, and so if there's an area where the kids can go out and play and ride their bikes like that's how Liam learned he learned to ride his bike here.
Speaker 1:Here at Tranquility. Yes, he did.
Speaker 4:Because we had the space for it and everyone's just very friendly, and so what we found at most parks is anywhere that's kid-friendly, where the kids can go out and play the views, being able to just sit out with the family and enjoy a nice sunset. We've enjoyed that about parks.
Speaker 1:So you've been here, Tranquility Lake, several times. You said you've been here for two weeks at a time and then you leave and come back. So it's been several times you've been here and just having that to be able to go outside and watch. And he learned how to ride his bike here. There should be some kind of certificate. I'm going to talk to management.
Speaker 4:Can you please? Yes, I will, I have connections.
Speaker 1:He's sitting over there. We got to get a certificate for Liam. There we go.
Speaker 3:There should be a spot on the wall where anyone who learns how to ride a bike, there you go.
Speaker 1:And one of the questions that we've already covered on the podcast. This is obviously not a 55 and older. That was the question. You have two little kids. How old are they? Five and six, five and six, yes, and there's enough for them to do here. Are they kept busy?
Speaker 3:Well, that's part of the reason why I think we keep coming back. You know, I think it's very family friendly, it's very kid friendly, and there is more than enough to do. You know, we wake up and again we have options. Whether it's coming to the clubhouse, of course, where we know that there'll be an abundance of other children, or the pool, there's just more than enough to do.
Speaker 4:And weekly activities. There's regular weekly activities which helps kids crafts. They love art and so being able to paint, that's right. Yeah, being able to socialize, play games with the other kids, they've been able to meet their own kid, have their own kid community.
Speaker 3:I'll say yeah, that's important.
Speaker 1:That is very important and it does seem like the environment for it. What are some of their? Can you name some of their favorite things here at Tranquility Lakes? What's their favorite?
Speaker 3:I don't know if it's theirs or mine, but donuts every Tuesday and Thursday Okay, luckily for the gym room. And wings and pizza on Sundays.
Speaker 1:All right.
Speaker 4:I would say definitely swimming. They've learned. They learned to swim just before we started RV life living, and so they love. It's an opportunity for them to get their energy out. They love to be able to come to the pool and it's a large pool but also I don't know the depth of it works very well for them, yeah.
Speaker 1:Well, the park has so much to offer. There is also a plethora of things to do in the area. Have you guys ventured out into the area around here?
Speaker 4:Actually, we have One of our favorite things to do as a family, especially as we go into new areas and new cities, is we like to go for drives, especially in the evenings, whether it's going to a beach and walking on the beach and letting the kids pick up seashells or whatever. Is that food in that area or farmer's markets different things like that? I've grown to have a love for farmer's markets, so whatever's in the area, that's usually what we enjoy.
Speaker 3:So whether you're looking to, you know, be to yourself and enjoy the peace and quiet of Tranquility Lakes, or looking to get out and, like she had mentioned, enjoying the beaches or the evening life on Sanibel or the quiet walks down on Fifth Avenue in Naples, you know, considering where it's located really makes it really easy to access those different hot spots around Tranquility Lakes.
Speaker 1:And now I've not really spent much time in this area myself. I know that some of those beaches are very expensive to stay there. So, being able to stay here we already talked about the affordability of being here and then go into those beaches, Go to those places. You have your home and then you leave and you go to those places. There's no better way, I think, to travel. I agree.
Speaker 1:So I'm a little jaded. But this area I'm going to be back here, I hear, in December and I will check out some of these areas and places. I'm really looking forward to it.
Speaker 3:Well, we'll be here, and so we'll save you a spot in your hours, Great thank you, I'm looking forward to it.
Speaker 1:I babysit so you can go out.
Speaker 4:Hey, we'll accept the date. Where are the kids?
Speaker 1:I'm here with Tom Glover, who is a new. You are staying. You just dropped your RV off here at Tranquility Lakes RV Resort. Why'd you pick Tranquility Lakes?
Speaker 5:well it. One is the location and the newness of it, the size of the park especially. There's plenty of courts.
Speaker 1:I can hide because I'm not that good there you go, until you get good at it, you hide exactly.
Speaker 5:And then this, this view, you can't, you can't beat a view with this lake okay, so let's talk about the area.
Speaker 1:There's so much to do in the park, but now you work at the marina.
Speaker 5:Yeah I'm with uh pineland marina, which is out in bokelia. We have charter boats that we do a lot of taking people out to the island. It's also a ferry service. If you live out on the island, we do transport people around. We have a lot of fishing guides that store their boats with our marina.
Speaker 1:Okay, so lots to do again in the campground, as well as going to the marina restaurant bar, going to the islands in the area. There is so much to do here for me I didn't get a chance to stay long enough and see enough of what there is to do around here. I did see the sunset last night so I enjoyed that, but let's talk about the sites. As a full-time RVer for three years, the size of the site is really important. So what are you thinking of the site sizes here?
Speaker 5:The site sizes are there. It's really roomy. I've stayed at a lot of campgrounds where you open your slide and the other slide's pretty close. This has quite a bit of room. You don't feel like you're on top of each other and back in size they're really deep right, right.
Speaker 1:So there are back in, there are pull-ins so when you're at the lake, you could pull right in and you are right on the lake. Any of those other sites, they're so close to the lake. You just walk out your door and you're a couple steps the size. So if you have the largest rv, so 45 foot plus with a truck just for my listeners that have those bigger rvs that worry about getting into those sites you will not have a problem here at all no problem no problem, and I have friends that have actually a trail, a tractor, that they pull their fifth wheel.
Speaker 1:Well, oh, okay. So there's plenty of places for you to park the tractor part and park your RV, and no problem at all. What are some of the other things you're looking forward to here at this park?
Speaker 5:The amenities as far as the clubhouse is second to none. The pool tables I call it bar shuffleboard Right.
Speaker 1:Is that what it's called? I couldn't remember what it was called. I really don't know. But that thing that you the puck up and down, yeah, like a shuffleboard bar, shuffleboard.
Speaker 5:And what I really started to like is they do the football Sundays. You know they have the big screen TVs up. You can eat some pizza. When you're done eating the pizza, swim a few laps, right, you can eat some pizza when you're done eating the pizza, swim a few laps. Right, and then there's a nice gym. Yes, so you can work that pizza off.
Speaker 1:Yes, yes, Now they do have the Wi-Fi. Have you had a chance to?
Speaker 5:experience it. I've been on the Wi-Fi, no problems at all. I tried to do I carry my own Wi-Fi through my phone but I did log in. I'm not sure my phone, but I did log in.
Speaker 1:I'm not sure I didn't do a speed test on it, but I ran everything I needed to run, something very important that's been worked out in this campground no matter where you are, you have access to that Wi-Fi, and that is so important for my RV friends on the road who are content creators and need to upload.
Speaker 5:It is a hidden gem, especially for biking. You know there's plenty of room to get your exercise in on the bike. The campground's so large what was it?
Speaker 1:90 acres 90 acres of lake and I think the outside loop is two miles.
Speaker 5:Yeah, two miles.
Speaker 1:Okay.
Speaker 5:Nice bike rides and then, obviously, once we get into November, december, it's really going to be nice, okay, well, thank you so much, tom, for being on and talking to us Anytime.
Speaker 1:I'm Patty Hunt and you've been listening to the RV Life Podcast and I want to remind you to have a great rest of today and an even better day tomorrow.