As an Elite member with Hilton Grand Vacations, I love to travel, but I love a good deal more. So, when I got an email in November from Hilton Grand Vacations for a Black Friday sale, I was elated.

Admittedly, I can get pretty excited about travel deals, and this one had my blood pressure pumping — 40% off Hilton Grand Vacations stays at certain resorts reserved with ClubPoints.  

As with most Black Friday deals, time was of the essence, which meant I would have to plan a vacation in a hurry. 

Challenge accepted

The best part was that Hilton Grand Vacations had already integrated the deal into their app, making the vacation planning process easy and convenient.  

I had planned to take a girls trip anyway, and we wanted to be more budget-conscious than usual, but that didn't mean we couldn't splurge on the accommodations.   

Deciding on a Girls Trip Travel Destination 

I popped to the handy Hopper app to see which of the Black Friday travel destinations had the cheapest flights available. 

Aside from wanting to find a good deal on plane tickets, the weather, specifically the warmer, the better, was also a significant factor in deciding where we'd go. I live in Iowa, and boy, is it cold in the winter. 

I'm also accustomed to more expensive flights because Iowa isn't an airport hub, but to my delight, I found Black Friday sales for airfare, too. 

Once I saw a $220 round-trip ticket to Florida with a major airline, I knew I'd found our destination. The girls and I were Orlando-bound. 

Choosing a Hilton Grand Vacations Orlando Resort

With four Orlando resorts from which to choose, I had another choice to make. I knew we wanted to enjoy some retail therapy, melt the winter blues away at the pool and hot tub and do a little sightseeing. Thankfully, all the Orlando resorts have great locations, which meant we couldn't go wrong.

Once again, I relied on the handy Hilton Grand Vacations app to guide me. I simply narrowed my search by the length of our stay, the month we planned to travel and the nicest suites available. 

The group text was alive with excitement in no time, and I reserved a 2-bedroom penthouse suite for four nights at Parc Soleil® by Hilton Grand Vacations in warm and sunny Orlando, Florida. 

Enjoying our Orlando Vacation

It seemed like forever, but February finally arrived. It was my first time staying at Parc Soleil and staying in a penthouse suite, so I was excited about a new experience.

The top two floors are penthouse suites, and ours was floor 14 out of 15. If I'm being honest, I was a little disappointed that we didn't get the top floor — I wasn't sure if it would matter. It did not. 

We walked into a gorgeous suite and walked straight to the deck, perfectly centered and facing the pool. I assure you, there are no subpar views from a penthouse suite.   

Once we refueled at one of the nearby restaurants, which there were plenty, we set our eyes on the hot tubs. One of my favorite things to do is chat with other Owners, and Parc Soleil did not let me down with many Members wanting to talk about their experiences and where they owned. 

Thanks to the large sizes and number of hot tubs at Parc Soleil, it was easy to social distance and still enjoy ourselves. 

It was one of my first trips since the pandemic, and we wanted to stay safe but still have a wonderful time, and we did. We weren't interested in the theme parks, which would be fun in the right group and at the right time, but that wasn't the goal of this trip.

There is lots of great shopping for every budget in Orlando, and the next night I decided to stop by Marshall's right down the street and pick up spa treatments which we could do ourselves right in our luxurious private suite. 

I do have photographic evidence of our spa night, but I think, for the sake of my friendships, I'll leave them off this blog post. 

Things to do in Orlando on a Budget

When we did venture out, we were able to do so safely and economically. For example, we went to Disney Springs™ and got our taste of Walt Disney World® without the rides. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that it was free — not even a parking fee. 

Another day we decided to go to the SEA LIFE at ICON park. It was another budget-friendly activity that offered the opportunity to see cool things that we can't see at home. If you find yourself with spare time and want to enjoy a spontaneous activity, it's worth the short hop from the resort to get there. Bring your appetite because there are lots of great restaurants in ICON park. 

All in all, my Black Friday girls' trip was a success. We ate and shopped too much and indulged in too many desserts… if there is such a thing as too many desserts. Thanks to vacation ownership with Hilton Grand Vacations, we got to catch up and unwind in a popular destination.

Read Hilton Grand Vacations' Orlando Resorts are so Fun That You Won't Want to Leave for more Orlando vacation ideas.