The Terra Verde Homeowners Association Newsletter Issue 34: April 2013

A retractable awning has now been installed at the Tiki Bar following

suggestions from owners at the

last AGM.

The blue and white striped awning is a great addition and provides extra shade for owners and guests when enjoying a drink at the bar.

It will also provide protection against the summer Florida showers.

Three high top bar tables and additional bar chairs are also

being provided to allow owners and guests alike to take advantage of the shade to enjoy the expanded range of drinks, beverage and food at the Lagoon Tiki Bar and Grill.

Why not try it out next time you are at Terra Verde.

Terra Verde Homeowners Association 109 Madiera Beach Blvd, Terra Verde Resort, Kissimmee, FL 34746

Telephone: 407-396-2327 Fax: 407-396-8265 Email: terraverderesort_gm@yahoo.com Website: www.terraverdehoa.com

T he Board of Directors are please to announce that arrangements have

been made to have a video tour produced to promote the

resort.

Discussions are currently taking place with the video company to agree the content of the video and a provisional date.

It is anticipated that the video will be shot towards the end of May—beginning of June. This will ensure the resort is looking its best with maximum colour and lots of guests to promote a family-friendly resort.

The video will have a soundtrack with narration and music and will be ‘badged’ with the Terra Verde logo.

D ue to the increased demand for recycling the original

bins have been replaced with much larger recycling

dumpsters.

The dumpsters, provided by Republic Services have a 2 cubic yard capacity and are fitted with rolling castors for ease of movement around the dumpster enclosure.

The dumpsters for normal waste have also been replaced. The smart new dumpsters have an 8 cubic yard capacity and can also be loaded from the side making it much easier for owners and guest to dump excess trash.

There are two large dumpsters and one recycling dumpster at each compound.

Just a reminder that if you have had changed of details or Management Companies could you please complete an Information Update Form and email to Helen Elmer.

Your Management Company details are particularly important in case the Front Desk staff need to contact them in an emergency.

The form is available on the owners section of the HOA website.

HOA Meetings

Saturday 4h May 2013 Saturday 27th July 2013

AGM

Saturday 12th October 2013 Including:

Homeowners Fun Day USA –v–

Rest of the World Challenge

Homeowners BBQ

V illa owners will be aware that Phase 1 (Ormond Beach) of

the Townhomes re-painting project was completed

prior to the Easter break.

Phase 2 (Pompano Beach & Flagler Beach) will commence on 15

th April,

lasting until approximately

31st

May.

No work on the project will be undertaken during the summer season and it is now planned to commence Phase 3 (Vero Beach) on 30

th.

September. This should enable the entire project to be completed prior to the ‘Thanksgiving’ vacation period.

The project continues to be closely monitored by our onsite team and feedback from owners and their MCs, regarding the workmanship and finish quality, has been very positive.

It has also become clear that where guests have been made fully aware of the work schedules, they have been extremely understanding and co-operative, proving once again that good, clear communication is key.

We would advise owners to take note of the schedules and advise both their

MCs and where relevant, any guests staying during the periods in question.

To assist owners with planning and early communication with their MCs and guests, the schedules for both Phase 2 and 3 have been included with this article.

Full details, including schedules and FAQs, are also available on the owners section of the HOA

website.

If you have any questions that are not addressed in the FAQ section of the page on the HOA website, please ask.

Many thanks for your support in this project.

Terra Verde Villas Repainting Project Team

PHASE 2 Please note numbers are

listed by block.

Week Commencing Home Numbers

15th April 101 - 111 Pompano 113 - 119 Pompano

22nd April 121 - 131 Pompano 133 - 143 Pompano

29th April 151 - 161 Pompano 163 - 173 Pompano

6th May 164 - 174 Pompano 4712 - 4722 Flagler

13th May 4701 - 4711 Flagler 4700 - 4710 Flagler

20th May 4713 - 4723 Flagler 134 - 144 Pompano

27th May 112 - 122 Pompano 126 - 132 Pompano

PHASE 3 Please note numbers are

listed by block.

Week Commencing Home Numbers

30th September 4701 - 4711 Vero 4713 - 4719 Vero

7th October 4702 - 4708 Vero 4720 - 4730 Vero

14th October 4732 - 4742 Vero 4746 - 4756 Vero

21st October 4760 - 4770 Vero 4772 - 4782 Vero

28th October 4739 - 4749 Vero 4753 - 4763 Vero

4th November 4725 - 4735 Vero

T he annual Easter event at Terra Verde was a huge success this year with approximately 150 -

170 guests attended the fun

activities.

The event, starting at 11am and finishing at 1pm included a egg hunt and lots of fun poolside. The clubhouse was packed for the start of the egg hunt organised by Melissa. Over 100 kids raced around to find the 600 eggs buried by Melissa earlier that morning.

A kids interactive DJ organised the poolside fun for the kids and parents! The pool games, hula hoops, conga lines and dancing were popular with the kids. Not wanting to be left out, the parents also joined in and great fun was had by all. Prizes were given away

including large chocolate bunnies and colouring books.

A giant Easter Bunny was also in attendance to join in the fun with the kids and help them find the eggs. It was a good opportunity for the guests to get a photo of the kids with the Easter Bunny as a great memento of their stay at Terra Verde Resort.

The Lagoon Tiki Bar and Grill also supported the events during the day with Easter specials.

It is great to see that the event is getting more popular and better every year with some families returning for their third or forth time.

A big thank you to Melissa…….Great

job!!!

Facebook.com/lagoontikibar

Now accepting take-out orders! It's simple, call us on

407-374-TIKI, place your order and pick it up shortly after!

D uring the month of March we have had DJ Robbie Pool Parties every Friday

and this will continue throughout the spring and

summer.

We have also added karaoke provided by "Don't Stop Believing Entertainment" to our weekly entertainment list.

With the purchase of our new, customized beer pong and bag toss tables we will be holding game nights for guests!

Those who have seen the tables are very excited! It should be a real hit, especially in the summer with the large number of vacationers in town who want to let loose and have fun.

From April 6, we will serve breakfast for the first time! To start, we will open for breakfast Saturday, Sunday and Monday beginning at 8:30. We offer a variety of pastries, egg sandwiches, juices, milk and have a "make your own waffle"

machine. If it is successful, we will offer it daily.

Things have been busy at the Lagoon, we now have 3 employees to assist us with the day to day operations.

The new menu has been an immense hit! Our food and drink sales have increased and we have received wonderful feedback.

While March brought us much cooler than normal temperatures, we still had a lot of fun and were extremely busy. We are definitely looking forward to the high temps of summer!

Also, everyone who comes loves the new awning and we can't wait for the 3 high top tables, to be placed under the awning, that will provide guests with a shaded area to enjoy a cold beer and some hot food!

Best selling products for people to try is the "Cat5 Hurricane" which is a rocks drinking mix with a variety of liquors, pineapple and cranberry juice. For food items, any one of our delicious burgers or chicken sandwiches are hot sellers, including the bacon cheeseburger and grilled chicken club!

See you soon at the Lagoon! Bobbie Joe

Now accepting take-out orders! It's simple, call us on

407-374-TIKI, place your order and pick it up shortly after!

Facebook.com/lagoontikibar

The menus on the right of this page are available as a resource to download in the Clubhouse Section of the HOA website. Owners may wish to include this in their

‘Welcome Packs’.

T he Boardwalk area of Walt Disney World is a great place to go to get away

from Walt Disney World.

Yes, this sounds like a contradiction but a stroll along this lovely waterfront area indeed takes you away from theme parks and The Mouse and makes you feel like you’re in a completely different place. There are bars, shops, entertainment venues and of course restaurants. And one of the newest of these is Kouzinna, from celebrity chef Cat Cora.

Occupying the former space of Spoodles, Kouzinna features a modern take on Greek cuisine. The dining room itself is open and airy, with high ceilings and soothing tones of beige and brown as the primary colors. The floor is somewhat odd, with light and dark woods and tiles arranged in opposite directions. This is NOT an intimate space, as the room features an open kitchen with 7 chefs yelling out orders, a dozen waitstaff scurrying about and few of the partitions that some venues utilize to make a large space seem smaller. This setup didn’t make for

a bad experience, it just felt more communal.

We were seated quickly and given a brief overview of the menu. We were also given a basket of bread which was largely disappointing. The bread apparently used to be baked on the premises, but now is baked somewhere near Tampa and the taste reflected its 70 mile trek down I-4: bland and a bit freezer-burned. No butter or dipping sauces just added to the tragedy.

Things did pick up a bit with the appetizers though. The Avgolemono is an egg-lemon soup with chicken and orzo. The chicken pieces were plentiful, but the lemon was a bit too strong and overwhelmed the other seasonings in the broth. Our other appetizer was the sautéed shrimp and it was spectacular. Perfectly seasoned with garlic and herbs and served over a spicy hummus with peppadew relish, this dish was a winner and turned out to be the highlight of the meal.

For our entree we shared the Kouzzina Trio, which features

three of Chef Cora’s signature dishes: Greek Lasagna, Grilled Lamb Burger and Cinnamon Chicken and Orzo. Our least favorite was the Lamb Burger, which had an overly gamey taste (which admittedly is savored by many, but to me tastes like sucking on wet leather - don’t ask how I know of this) yet was somewhat redeemed by the very tasty cucumber sauce.

Next was the lasagna which had a distinct cinnamon flavor in it’s creamy sauce. An interestingly creative dish, but unfortunately a tad overcooked which made the consistency too soft and mushy. The favorite was the Cinnamon-Stewed Chicken and Orzo (what is with the Greeks and cinnamon?) which was simply delicious. The chicken was tender and the flavor was just the right mix of subtle and sweet. The bit of grated cheese on top complimented perfectly. Next time we would order this on its own.

Continued on next page….

Any comments or suggestions for future topics?

Contact Clive Hand by email: clivehand@terraverdehoa.com

For our wine (you knew we wouldn’t forget the wine, right?), we went with one of the four featured wine flights which included a Napa Valley Sauvignon Blanc, a Russian River Valley Chardonnay and a Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir. (Given Miss Cora’s recent drunk driving arrest, I was half expecting Jailbreak Bordeux, Prison Grigio, and Misdemeanor Malbec). Surprisingly, all worked well with each course. If you’re unfamiliar with a particular cuisine, as we are with Greek, wine flights can be an adventurous and easy way to pair with a meal.

Other than the bread, the overall meal was good and the atmosphere pleasant. Service was adequate if a bit rushed. In fact, our entire visit took only 45 minutes, so if you’re looking to linger this may not be the best choice. We wouldn’t make Kouzzina a destination, but if you’re heading to The Boardwalk area anyway to check out Jellyrolls (the dueling piano bar) or Atlantic Dance and want something a bit different in a casual venue, this could the “Cat’s Meow”.

On the scale of 1-5 TV’s

Ambience:

Food:

Service:

Value for Money:

W alt Disney World Resort have announced the

transformation of Downtown

Disney into Disney Springs.

Once complete visitors will be treated to significantly more shopping, dining and entertainment amid beautiful open-air promenades, meandering springs and waterfront charm.

Visitors will be able to explore a variety of shopping, dining and entertainment experiences and discover options unlike any other currently available in Central Florida.

“Disney Springs will be a timeless, vibrant place where Walt Disney World guests and local residents can relax, shop, dine and be entertained in an imaginative setting where they’ll instantly feel at home,” said Tom Staggs, chairman of Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “Featuring distinctive brands, world-class restaurants and unforgettable entertainment, Disney Springs will be brought to life with the same focus on storytelling and attention to detail that goes into our theme parks, resorts and cruise ships, resulting in a welcoming space that only Disney could create.”

Disney Springs will double the number of shops, restaurants and other venues resulting in more than 150 establishments.

Drawing inspiration from Florida’s waterfront towns and natural beauty, Disney Springs will include four outdoor

interconnected neighborhoods. In addition to a new gateway with a signature water tower and grand entry, the destination will feature:

The Town Center: A sophisticated mix of shopping and dining along with a promenade where guests can relax, refresh and reconnect.

The Landing A colorful and thriving commercial district with inspired dining and beautiful waterfront views.

The Marketplace This family friendly neighborhood will continue to delight visitors of all ages by combining new experiences, such as an over-the-water pedestrian causeway, along with classic Disney favorites, including an expanded World of Disney store.

West Side Lively entertainment, along with a series of new elevated spaces that provide both shade and an overlook to the activity below. The expansion will not only impact within Walt Disney World, but will also have an economic effect on Central Florida. The project will create an estimated 1,200 construction jobs and nearly 4,000 operational roles. Construction is slated to begin next month with new areas opening in phases. Disney Springs is expected to be complete in 2016.