Sometimes when I’m taking my family on vacation, I can’t find a hotel that fits our needs. They’re too full, too expensive, too small, too inconvenient, just…too. That’s when I look for a vacation home. This might sound grand and luxurious, but most of the time my vacation rentals are condos.
The condos often come with amenities such as a pool and gym, and if you book them for a week at a time instead of just a night or two, you often get a nice break on the price, making them less expensive and more comfortable than a hotel. The down side: no maid service. It’s clean when you get there, but from there on out it’s up to you to pick up your own darn towels, thank you very much.
Vacation home rentals often come with hidden costs, such as a cleaning fee or upfront reservation fee, so make sure you take that into consideration when you’re choosing your lodging. Also, there is usually no on-site restaurant, and definitely no room service. The kitchen means you can cook for yourself, though, which you might consider a perk or (in my case) just an obnoxious way to take your housework with you. That’s what takeout is for, right?
One perfect occasion for a vacation home is a family reunion or girls’ weekend, when several families can go together on the cost of the rental, making it very affordable for everyone involved. I do this with my girlfriends, and we often end up with a large, beautiful home that costs each of us less than $100 for the entire weekend. Now that’s a deal!
