A+ Vacation Contest Winners Announced

Thanks to all Aviawest owners who submitted stories and photographs documenting their most memorable vacation experiences around the world. With so many compelling entries, it was difficult selecting the very best. From African wildlife to New York City nightlife, the world is a wondrous place to explore, and every story and photo exemplifies the importance of taking time away to spend with friends and family.

All winners will be contacted via email.

And the Grand Prize - a One-Week RCI Vacation - goes to...

Barbara Crawford: a story of old friends reuniting on Vancouver Island's west coast

We met in Ontario, on the first day of school in 1959, milling about with the incoming 8^th grade class. I had my homemade pale-blue checked dress on, complete with scratchy crinoline. Irma was the new girl, with exotic eyes; we became instant friends. We were inseparable through high school and the ubiquitous trip to Europe on $5/day after university, but life and careers took us down separate paths for the next few years.

When we reconnected, it was as if no time had passed. We now lived in different countries - I in Victoria, BC, she in the USA - but we made a pact to keep in touch. The milestone of 50 years of friendship deserved to be celebrated in person and should include our husbands... what better place than the wild shoreline and trails of the Pacific Rim?

Thanks to our new Aviawest membership, I booked a two-bedroom suite at Aviawest's resort in Ucluelet (Water's Edge Resort) for four days in March of 2009. At 18,000 points, plus housekeeping and transaction fees of $149, it provided a wonderfully comfy base for our celebration.

Our husbands have become good friends too, and indulge our nonstop conversations. Irma and I celebrated our respective positive outcomes after cancer diagnoses. We laughed and cried and laughed again over past and current family crises (we each have three children). Our visits become ever more precious over time and we look forward to the next one, perhaps at an RCI resort near Irma's home in San Francisco.

The Runner-Up prize – a Two-Night Stay at an Aviawest Resort – goes to...

The Hutton Family: a story of healing

Our most memorable vacation was our first RCI vacation. We purchased with Aviawest in 2007, one month before we learned we were expecting twins. Sadly, I had to deliver prematurely by emergency caesarean as our son was having heart problems and would not survive if I continued the pregnancy. Six weeks after I delivered our babies, we lost our son to complications. It was the lowest time in our lives.

Several months later, I began to discuss the idea of taking a vacation. My parents, brother’s family and ours decided to take a trip to Florida and Disneyworld. I researched guide books every time I sat down to nurse my daughter. I found the sadness of losing our son was gradually healing as I had something exciting to look forward to.

I talked with an RCI agent about where to stay. She suggested Silver Lake Resort in Kissimmee, Florida. I booked a one-bedroom suite for 12 nights for 65,000 points. We were blown away by the resorts offerings: three pools, tennis and basketball courts, theatre, golf simulator, arcade, etc. We had no idea RCI resorts offered so much. My extended family was envious since they chose to stay at a Disney Resort.

I look back on this vacation as a turning point in healing. We were able to end the year on a positive note with happy family memories. We hope to return to Disney once more as a family before our oldest leaves home in 2013.

The second Runner-Up prize - a Two-Night Stay at an Aviawest Resort - goes to...

Hugh & Sharon Watson: Uniting with family in England and Scotland

Our most memorable of all our RCI vacations was our trip to England and Scotland. I had tried time and time again to book a place in Scotland and had finally given up. About two days before we were to leave, my husband asked if I had checked RCI. I said no but he convinced me to look once more, and there it was, The Craigdarroch Hilton in the small town of Ballater.

What a wonderful place to stay with three bedrooms, crystal wine glasses and even a sauna in our suite. It was $224 and 9,000 points. It was a special time for us as I visited cousins that I had corresponded with for several years and had never met. We were taken to visit an area where my mother had lived and worked. We even visited the small town of New Pitslago where my husband’s grandfather was born. We could just imagine that things had not changed and we were back in time with wonderful memories.

Our next vacation is as yet undecided but we have never been disappointed with RCI/Aviawest.

The Top 3 Photographs: winners receive a $50 gift certificate at either AquaTerre Spa or The Landing West Coast Grill.

1. Ginette Lussier and Russ Hardy "Gamboa Resort"

   This photo, taken at the Gamboa Rainforest Resort on the Panama Canal, stood out for its composition. The lines formed by the yoga mats, wood floors and patterned railing lead the eye to the person sitting quietly in contemplation, looking out on a mystical, misty landscape. It really makes the viewer want to go there.

2. Robert and Gail Plowman "Stamp River in Fall"

   This photo of Stamp River, located near Port Alberni on the way to Ucluelet and Tofino, really captures autumn on Vancouver Island. The bright turning leaves, clear blue sky and rushing water... you can almost smell the spawning salmon – and that's a potent, but good, thing!

3. Tara Oscarson "Elephant on Beach"

   It's not every day you can relax on a beautiful white sand beach and watch an elephant cross in front of an open ocean backdrop. Unless you're in Thailand. This photo, taken at the Laguna Phuket Resort, captures a unique moment well be framing the elephant with the umbrellas and lounge chairs, which blend in nicely with the sand as to not distract from the main focus.