My #1 Trick for Choosing a Vacation Rental

I always look for the magic words, “This place was even better than it looks in the pictures!”

location, location, location. plus cute decor, coffee and a bedroom for each person.

I completely agree with toys being a huge bonus in a vacation rental!!! Last summer we bought a great condo near the beach in Costa Rica to rent out and as soon as I could fly down there I brought a huge suitcase filled with toys, games, and puzzles! Many of our reviewers have mentioned our toys just as much as the monkeys, pool, beach and parrots, ha! And the toys I brought were ones that my own kids had tired of so I’m waiting to see if they have a new found interest in them when we visit Costa Rica this summer:)

My kids are young, 1yr and 5yrs, but we’re staying at a couple farm stays this summer, and I can’t wait! Living in the city, it’s nice for the kids to get some space, hang around animals, and explore some trails. I’ll definitely need to check in their toy situation!

We NEED a bedroom for each child and one for ourselves for any trip to feel even remotely like a vacation! My oldest son (3 years old) just cannot go to sleep if anyone else is in his room. I tried to fight this for awhile, feeling excessive for not wanting to stay in a hotel (even with adjoining rooms!) while traveling. However, I have now just accepted that this is who he is and that I want to sleep on vacation! I’ll travel less to make the travel that we choose more enjoyable for us all.

We stayed in an AMAZING rental in Seattle which we picked because of the great selection of toys, books, easel, magnetic blocks, not to mention a swing chair in the living room. All this and the house was gorgeously remodeled and the open kitchen meant we could keep tabs on the kids. It was ONE block from the park and TWO blocks from cupcakes/espresso/cutest little main st, and five mins from all the sights of downtown. They had an Uppa-baby stroller, and two pack-n-plays, booster seats, child-sized utensils, and dinnerware. Owner was lovely and lived next door. Here is the link: https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/2318?guests=1&adults=1 The kids actually kissed the walls of the house goodbye when we left.

Last summer, we stayed at an airbnb midway through our Midwest-East coast roadtrip, and didn’t explain well to our nearly-3-year-old where we were. He was thrilled to be free from the carseat and tore through the house, returning with furrowed brows and two questions: Where are the friends here (we often stay with friends when traveling), and why don’t they have any toys at all? Glad for the tip!

We are avid roadtrippers and have from day one let the kids pack activity and snack bags for the back seat…it is fun to go out and buy new stickers, notebooks, markers and treats for the trip. Screens in the car have always been a no, instead we listen to audiobooks, podcasts, music or play made up games and of course eye spy. We are at our best, on the road. We are heading overseas for the first time this summer and my girls (10&7) can’t wait to fly!! Of course, we have a road trip planned (Scottish Highlands) once we land! ? Any Scotland and London area tips appreciated!!

One other option if you can’t find a place with toys – rent toys! Several times when we have done group trips with friends we have rented pack n plays or cots for kids – there are a bunch of places that rent kids stuff in vacation areas. You can add on a box of toys, water table, kids eating table, kids pool for the yard, etc. When splitting with a couple other families it has totally been worth it.

Great post! But the Airbnb link goes to a Tahoe listing? I was so interested in the toy-filled abode you all rented! (my kids are similar ages to T & A…)

My dad always insisted that we have a ball ona road trip and would look for any kind of open space so we could just stop and run around- lots of fun in random places and it really breaks up a trip where you are stuck in the backseat with sibs! The type of ball can vary we had a big inflatable beach ballon one trip that meant there were all kinds of possibilities! Dad also insisted that bathing suits and towels be easily accessible – we swam whenever he could find a place! We still talk about one FREEZING place inCanada!

Yay libraries! Come to our tiny little one in Brownfield Maine and check out the seed library. Many kids’ books too. Storytime and tea. Great librarian. Wifi for the adults. And Stone Mountain Arts Center up the road and the White Mountains a bit farther……

I love this. Does anyone have any great vacation ideas for a family with two teenagers. My 18 year old twins are graduating and I’m stumped for a great vacation location we would all enjoy.

yes, good idea! I think the most important questions to ask when planning a trip, for travelers of are “what is there to do?” and “how will we spend our time?”

Amen!

My husbands side of the family has a cabin a couple hours away and it was pretty toy free. One day I had a brilliant epiphany. My MIL, bless her, keeps buying our sons the exact same toys that were loud and cluttering our tiny home. So we boxed them all up, took them to the cabin and left them there. Now our kids excitedly await the reunion with the “cabin toys” and play for hours while my husband and I sit in hammocks on the deck. Bliss!

So true. Last winter, when my youngest was 2, we rented a mountain house that had a huge basket filled with Brio trains (we didn’t know…we just got lucky). This year we went back to the same mountain house and my now 3-year-old immediately recognized the photo before we left as the one “with all the trains!” Apparently it made an impression…he was so excited that he didn’t even care his older brother was gone skiing all day. (And I even got to read a little.) He now keeps asking to go back to that house and I’m sure it’s all because of the trains. (Well, that and the bunk beds.) If only all our needs were so simple!

Good tip. My son still talks about the Mouse Trap game at our rented cottage last summer!
We need to find one in Toronto for this summer and I’ve been stumped. This helps me get on track.

Soooo true. The other thing we consider a requirement in a vacation rental is a KITCHEN! Not being able to so much as cut up fruit is a deal breaker.

With a son still in the toddler years I look for balcony doors that can’t be easily opened (And I still mover furniture around if that’s possible!) And I algo look for places with some backyard or nearby playground. I haven’t used the service (yet) but I do follow Kid&coe which is a family friendly version of air bnb.

Wow, what a great tip! And so timely, as my husband and I are actively trying to book some summer vacations.

I have sworn I will NEVER stay in a hotel room with my children again. It is too hard for everyone to want to do the same thing at the same time – the parents sleep on a different sleep schedule, someone doesn’t want TV or wants TV, there’s nowhere for the kids to burn off energy by running. So our vacation place has to have either separate sleeping quarters or a place to run/play. I’m an introvert who needs some space from my people sometimes, and a hotel room is the opposite of this!!

Yes to toys! We rented an Airbnb once with two other families (a total of five kids under five). The house had an Ikea tunnel and some other random toys. Those and the piano was what kept the kids busy while the adults cooked and chatted :)

My must have is a washing machine! And then walking distance to a park/playground/fun!

Washer and dryer (or at least the washer) is HUGE when you have a baby that poops as often as ours does. TMI?