What could be nicer than the freedom to go wherever you like?

I live in Montreal, Quebec, the French-speaking province of Canada. I’m 54 years old, and I recently got engaged to a wonderful man who happens to be in a wheelchair. Réjean, my fiancé — I always smile when I say or write that — had never flown in a plane, seen the ocean or been to Florida. I figured it was time we fixed that situation, especially since I’m a world traveler.

 

Since Réjean loves Scooby Doo, we decided to celebrate our engagement with a trip to Universal Studios Florida so he could meet Scooby.

I immediately booked a lovely 2-Bedroom Suite in Orlando. And since I’m a Centum Member and have enough ClubPoints, I also used my travel benefits to book a full-size SUV. After all, we needed to plan for the wheelchair, the foldable mobility scooter and our luggage. My eldest son decided to join us for three days, so I booked a 1-Bedroom Suite for him.

A short, smooth flight later, we landed in Orlando, collected our bags, picked up the rental car and headed to the resort.

It was the first time I’d traveled with someone in a wheelchair. Non-disabled people take for granted so many things that aren’t as easy for people with disabilities. There’s a reason accessible parking spots are close by. Rolling your wheelchair in the heat across the parking lot is exhausting. Our room was on the second floor; with the elevator, there was no problem getting there.

Of course, the first place we went to was Universal Studios. Réjean proudly wore his Scooby hat (and Scooby shirt, socks and mask), and we went to meet the gang. He was even able to stand up for a short while to take the photo with them.

 

The next day we went to EPCOT since my son wanted to visit a Disney Park. We had a lovely day, but after two days of theme parks, Réjean and I were utterly exhausted. Once my son returned to Canada, we craved some good ol’ rest and relaxation. We wanted to go to the beach, and Daytona Beach, Florida, was closest to Orlando.

Here my ClubPoints come in handy again. Because it was a last-minute trip, I booked the Hilton Daytona Beach Oceanfront Resort for two nights. Since we had our Suite booked for the week, it was easy to pack a couple small bags for the short trip and leave the bulk of our luggage in Orlando.

The resort in Daytona had valet parking, which was efficient and friendly. The accessible hotel room was spacious and comfortable, with a million-dollar ocean view.

Remember, Réjean had never seen the ocean before. No words could describe his emotion at the sight of the majestic immensity of the Atlantic. He couldn’t get enough of it. We slept with the windows open to listen to the sound of the waves as they hit the shore. We woke up at dawn to watch the sunrise and reveled in the peaceful beauty of the moment. 

 

Being Canadians, we didn’t feel cold even though the beach was empty at that time of the year. Réjean decided to swim. We went through the hotel to the boardwalk, where there’s a nice wheelchair-accessible ramp to the beach. When his wheelchair couldn’t go further because of the sand, he used his cane and my shoulder for support. His joy was contagious as he swam, and I supported him.

Then we had a lovely encounter. As we got out of the water and headed back to the wheelchair on the beach, a lady approached us. She said we reminded her of her late husband, who also used a wheelchair and enjoyed the ocean. She had taken a photo of us and asked if she could send it to me. Touched, I replied, “Of course, and thank you.” Since I saw she had an iPhone like me, I told her to send it by AirDrop to RGphone. She was surprised that those were my initials because her husband’s initials were also “RG.” I think her husband was sending her a smile from heaven.

We had the most amazing two days in Daytona. There are plenty of lovely restaurants in the area, and I recommend Riptides Raw Bar & Grill in Ormond Beach, a few minutes from the hotel. There’s also a nice buffet breakfast in the hotel. Who could ask for anything more?

When we returned to Orlando on Friday, we found everything just as we had left it. It was hard to head to the airport for our flight back to Canada, where we heard it was snowing that day.

Read “We Asked 14 Hilton Grand Vacations Owners Why They Chose Hilton Grand Vacations Timeshare, and Here’s What They Said” for more stories of Owners taking the vacations of their dreams.