I've been busy lately planning our Spring Break trip, arranging airfare, rental cars, and accommodations. We'll be visiting my family in one state, then heading to another state for a college reunion, so it has taken some pretty clever feats of scheduling. I also had to consider the fact that even though there are only four of us, my 13- and 16-year-old sons won't sleep together in the same bed, and I wanted to try to save some money on food by having a kitchen.
So, with those parameters in mind, I checked out a website called VRBO.com (Vacation Rentals By Owner) and on Craigslist, under vacation rentals in the city where we would be staying, and ended up renting a luxury apartment in a totally remodeled 1908 mansion with a king bed, twin bed, and two full sleeper sofas for $86/night. We plan to cook breakfast every day and several dinners during our stay.
Because there are only 4 of us, most of the properties were a bit out of our price range because they were meant for larger numbers of people. For larger families, though, this is the way to go. Most of the listings I found during my search were for homes or condos that would sleep upwards of 6 people. For example, a two-bedroom condo in Green Valley Ranch, Nevada (10 min. from Las Vegas) that sleeps 4-6 people rents for $175/night (VRBO). Or, a three-bedroom ski condo in Eden, Utah, that sleeps 6-8 people rents at $150/night (Craigslist). Try putting your family of 6 or 8 in a standard motel or hotel for only $150/night! Add in the fact that the condos/homes almost always have a kitchen stocked with pots, pans, dishes, and utensils, and you save even more by cooking meals instead of eating out.
We're really looking forward to our trip, and I am very excited to see what the apartment is really like. (It looks gorgeous on the website.) Stay tuned for a report after we get back in April!
