This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of SAVE . All opinions are 100% mine.
Known as one of the nation’s most affordable vacation destinations, San Antonio is making visitors’ summer getaway even more value packed with SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience. With more than $600 in savings to theme parks, animal adventures, top shops and historic tours, plus great deals on hotels, summer is the time to SAVE in San Antonio.
SAVE partners include top San Antonio hotels, resorts and attractions. Ranging from budget to luxury, SAVE has a price point for every price point and need. SAVE hotels line the River walk in the heart of downtown as well as the theme parks and airport. Make sure to check out SAVE Limited Time Offers for special limited time deals on hotels and attractions!
My family has been trying to plan a vacation to San Antonio and is so excited about SAVE – San Antonio Vacation Experience! We are going to use SAVE to plan our whole vacation, from hotel stay to all the area attractions.
Where to stay: Hyatt Regency San Antonio on the Riverwalk
Reason why: The only River Walk Hotel directly overlooking the historic Alamo
Now the hard part..what to do while we are there! Here are some of the deals we found:
Alamo Sight Seeing Tour (Kids ages 3-11 $2.00 of and Adults $5.00)
McNay Art Museum (Children 11 and under are free)
South Heritage Center at Witte Museum ($1.00 off)
Sea World San Antonio ($10.00 off per ticket, up to 6 tickets)
Natural Bridge Caverns ($2.00 off an adult ticket and $1.00 off a Child’s Discovery Tour Ticket)
Ways to save on your next vacation to San Antonio:
Follow on twitter @SAVEinSA to stay up to date on great deals.
Summer vacations can get very expensive very quickly, but with using SAVE we can stay within our budget and have fun doing all the adventures we enjoy!
Two days after landing back home in Atlanta from a GL-Class test drive in Santa Fe, NM, I’m still drooling over and fantasizing about the 2013 GL-Class SUV from Mercedez-Benz. Given the anything but smooth and straight terrain we drove the GL 550 and GL 35o on in Santa Fe, NM, I was able to get a feel for how the vehicle operates under not just highway conditions but off-road as well.
Two features I focus on when test driving a vehicle for the first time, are safety and comfort. This review introduces readers to the safety and comfort features that I think are most important for parents to consider when buying a new SUV for their family.
What are the features of the vehicle that will keep my family safe and comfortable?
During my three-day trip to Santa Fe, NM to test drive Mercedes’ upcoming 2013 GL-Class SUV, I learned about the plethora of safety and comfort features of the GL-Class which are sure to make you *need* to take the GL-Class for a spin when it becomes available in September.
Mercedes-Benz 2013 GL-Class
Parents will be thrilled with the numerous safety features available on the 2013 GL-Class SUV.
The spacious seven-passenger SUV comes with a standard rearview camera, 13-way airbag protection, 4MATIC all-wheel drive that provides all-weather control, and a whole host of other crucial features to protect their children.
Mercedes-Benz 2013 GL-Class SUV
Here are few 2013 GL-Class safety feature any parent driver will appreciate:
There is the PRE-SAFE® system that adjusts settings to headrests, seat belts, windows, sunroofs and other items in preparation of an impending crash.
Attention Assist driver-drowsiness monitor sounds an alert when it detects signs of fatigue in the driver.
The optional Active Park Assist with Surround View Camera uses four cameras mounted to different points on the GL to create an overhead image of the SUV and its surroundings on the COMAND screen.
Also included is the new radar-based Collision Prevention Assist technology that can alert the driver and get the brakes ready for maximum stopping power if it detects an impending collision.
Finally, the GL can include the Trailer Stability Assist that automatically adjusts for the sway of items being towed. With a towing capacity of a whopping 7,500 pounds, this is a critical feature.
For protection every day, drivers can opt for the Lane Tracking Package. It includes both Lane Keeping Assist to help drivers stay in their own lanes and Blind Spot Assist that alerts drivers with a light and a sound when they are close to a vehicle into whose lane they are trying to pull. For even more protection, there is the Driver Assistance Package that combines the Active Lane Keeping Assist and Active Blind Spot Assist with the advanced sensors of the DISTRONIC PLUS system that activates the PRE-SAFE® brake to compensate for vehicles in its path that have stopped or slowed down significantly.
2013 GL-Class Comfort
Like other Mercedes-Benz models, the comfort of the GL cannot be beat. It includes a seven-speed automatic transmission, completely redesigned dashboard and new upholstery combinations. There are also massaging front seats and ambient lighting, as well as the AIRMATIC air suspension that levels itself. This last feature allows the GL to handle like a smaller vehicle while electromechanical steering leads to an effortless driving experience.
We can’t leave out the new EASY-ENTRY system
To gain easy 3rd row access, there is the power EASY-ENTRY system that tilts the second row forward by simply pressing a button. There are also flat-folding seats in the second and third rear rows to gain the most cargo space possible. The third row also has a power-folding button, and there is an optional Panorama sunroof.
With the significant focus on both safety and comfort, the folks at Mercedes-Benz have created the perfect family vehicle. It is large, elegant, comfortable, and one of the safest vehicles on the road today. Families cannot go wrong with a choice as good as this one.
The 2013 GL-Class will be available in September 2012. You will love driving this vehicle. Don’t forget to bring the kids along for a test drive so they too can experience the excitement that is the GL-Class!
Read more 2013 GL-Class reviews from other bloggers:
Disclosure: Mercedez-Benz invited me to Santa Fe, NM to test drive the 2013 GL-Class. All expenses were paid but I was not compensated financially in any way and all opinions are 100% my own.
I am in Santa Fe, NM to test drive the 2013 GL-Class SUV from Mercedes-Benz. Much like the two Mercedes-Benz models I have test-driven in the past, the S550 sedan and the 2012 M-Class SUV, the GL-Class is beautiful to look at and an absolute dream to drive.
The front grill is gorgeously designed
Regardless if one is Roger Federer or the ordinary head of a family with a few children, the all-new, second generation Mercedes 2013 GL-Class luxury SUV is a great choice for a new vehicle. Both comfortable and well-built, the sleek new design will be sure to draw appreciative glances from onlookers. In addition to the unrivaled quality and design inherent to all Mercedes-Benz products, the GL offers a wide array of the most modern automobile technologies sure to interest the discerning buyer. In addition to the new anything but standard 4.7 liter V-8 sporting a beefy 362 HP, buyers can opt for the powerful but efficient BlueTec diesel and its 455 lb-ft of torque, or the truly vigorous performance of the GL 550’s biturbo V-8. Standard equipment on all 2013 GL350 and GL450 models includes heated front power seats, Bluetooth phone pairing, a power tailgate, and rain-sensing wipers. I was lucky enough to drive the GL550 for a few hours today and had the option of trying out the front seats with massage but saved that feature for tomorrow when I’ll be driving the vehicle for a while longer.
The all-new standard features of the GL-Class SUV include the Command infotainment system, and Crosswind Stabilization. Many more cutting edge options such as the Surround View Camera and the amazing Collision Prevention Assist can be added to an already impressive checklist of standard features.
Whether sitting in front or back, the Mercedes-Benz 2013 GL-Class offers a truly luxurious cabin that can be customized to the driver and passenger’s content. Class-leading ergonomics and pinpoint control provide a safe and invigorating driver experience. All occupants will delight in the quiet smooth ride until now unseen in SUV’s. Features like voice control, harman/kardon audio, and available rear-seat entertainment ensure passengers will be more than content even on long family road trips. But amenities aside, the new GL is built first and foremost for usability and practicality. Easy third-row seating access, 94 cubit feet of interior cargo space, generous seating, a 7,500 lb tow capacity, and the all-weather, off-road capability of the 2013 Mercedes-Benz GL-Class’s 4MATIC all-wheel drive all add up to a vehicle ready and eager to get to work.
The 2013 GL-Class fits the bill for the discriminating buyer looking for a full-time family vehicle with its total package of comfort, reliability, generous room for seven, and voluminous cargo capacity. Be it toting twins in car seats, shuttling a crowd of teenage footballers, or towing the family boat up to the lake, the new GL-Class has it all in hand.
What impresses me most, however, is the dazzling array of high-tech safety features that make this vehicle potentially on of the safest ever both on and off the road. The radar-based Collision Prevention Assist provides a revolutionary ability to avoid collisions due to driver distraction or drowsiness, and can be augmented by the Available Driver Assistance Package featuring DISTRONIC PLUS adaptive cruise control with PRE-SAFE® Brake, Active Blind Spot Assist and Active Lane Keeping Assist. If all this doesn’t suffice, the complement of 13 airbags are always waiting. I can’t leave out a bit of detail about the Surround View Camera. This is a fabulous safety feature that all parents can appreciate. Much like a standard backup camera, the Surround View Camera actually activates and pops up as soon as you put the vehicle in reverse. In addition to see what is behind the vehicle as you are backing up, you also see an aerial view of the vehicle and the surroundings.
For the buyer that craves the S-Class experience, but must bow to the practical realities (and joys) of life with children, the GL-Class is a great choice.
Read more 2013 GL-Class reviews from other bloggers:
Disclosure: Mercedez-Benz invited me to Santa Fe, NM to test drive the 2013 GL-Class. All expenses were paid but I was not compensated financially in any way and all opinions are 100% my own.
During our trip to The King and Prince Resort earlier this week myself, my husband, my son, and daughter all found our own happy-place and we didn’t even have to look for it. It just happened.
I, for example, am convinced that my brain has a chemical reaction when I see and hear the ocean. When I am at the beach, I’m in my happy place. The King and Prince Resort’s ocean backyard, beautiful ocean views from the villas and rooms, restaurants and pools, and swings that sway from the ocean breeze, ensure that I’m in a happy place during my entire stay there. I *need* nothing else.
Finding our happy-place at The King and Prince Resort on St. Simons Island
My son is happiest when he’s climbing trees. He was very happy to find this tree outside the St. Simons Lighthouse. He instantly found his happy place when he places his hands and feet on the tree in climbing position.
My daughter is happiest when she’s floating. She tries to float in mid-air (dancing) but there isn’t a time when she’s nearly as at peace as when she is floating in a pool, of which The King and Prince Resort has at least five.
My husband found his happy place while he was finding beautiful whelk (or conch) shells on the sandbar and when he was building sand castles with the kids at all hours of the day and night, right outside our villa.
It’s so wonderful that everyone in my family found and sustained their own happiness while we were on St. Simons Island and at The King and Prince Resort. We’ve dubbed The King and Prince Resort ‘our all-inclusive happy place’. The King and Prince Resort provides guests with the ultimate environment and atmosphere for finding their happy-place.
Have you been to St. Simons Island and The King and Prince Resort?
Our summer has been go, go, go! Non stop planning, packing, having fun at our destination, unpacking, then planning the next trip. We started the kid’s summer break off with a 4 day stay Callaway Gardens in East Georgia, then we stayed at a beautiful beach house in Gulf Shores, Alabama for a week, now we’re preparing for a 5 day stay at The King and Prince Beach and Golf Resort on St. Simon’s Island, Georgia this Saturday and then I’m going to New Mexico for a business trip for 3 days, then we’re going to Callaway Gardens again for 4 days again. A week after that trip I am scheduled to have surgery so I guess you could say that I’ve been trying to squeeze a lot of fun into a short summer break because my surgery is recovery time is cutting two weeks off of potential travel and fun time with the kids.
While my husband is not able to travel with the kids and I on all of these trips this summer and thus can’t read to her every night, which he and my daughter both love, I came up with the fabulous idea of using Skype to allow him to be right there with her in bed and read to her at night even though he’s hundreds of miles away.
Skype gives my kids the ability to see and talk to their dad while we’re away without him. Seriously, Skype is a life changer for me. Having my husband help put the kids to bed even though he’s hundreds of miles away is great and couldn’t be done without Skype.
Skype Tip #1: How to put a child to bed via Skype
I get my daughter all ready for bed. She brushes her teeth, flosses, rinses, goes to the bathroom and washes her hands and face.
Then I tuck her in bed.
Next, I put my laptop in the bed next to my 6 year old and connect to Skype.
He picks up from wherever he is, via his iPhone or laptop.
He talks to her about her day then he asks her to pick three stories from her pile of books by the bed.
He reads the three books to her and then he SINGS to her like he always does at home.
This is just one way that Skype allows my daughter and husband to have a normal bedtime routine even during summer travel!
Skype’s new anti-shake video feature for iPhone makes video chats even more pleasant than they were before!
Skype Tip #2: Have a Skype group chat to help plan your summer vacation
Because our summer vacation trips often involve family members in other states, it is helpful to have a group ‘meeting’ before we arrive at our destination so everyone is on the same page regarding where we are going to go while we’re there, where we want to eat, etc. It’s a great idea to set up a time when all of the adults involved in the vacation can chat via Skype and go over the details of the trip. Skype Group Video Chat is available with a Premium subscription.
Here is a fun infographic that illustrates how 1,200 Moms think technology brings them closer to friends and family.
[simple_series title=”All posts in the Skype Series”]
Disclaimer: I participated in a campaign on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Skype. I received Skype credits to facilitate my review and a promotional item to thank me for participating.
