How to Find the Perfect Place to Stay on Your Next Vacation
Steps to Finding the Ideal Vacation Lodging
Vacations are wonderful things. Goodness knows we could all use one. Offering different sights, sounds, smells, and experiences, a vacation can provide a truly refreshing experience. Finding the perfect place to stay during your vacation can be a deciding factor in how great the experience is. So how do you go about finding that perfect place?
House v. Hotel
Hotels tend to be one of the more commonly thought of vacation accommodations, though with the advent of Airbnb house sharing has become an increasingly common option as well. Each has their own pros and cons worth considering. With a hotel, you pretty much know what you’re going to get in terms of the room and any amenities offered. Hotel rooms usually have occupancy limits though, and disregarding them can result in being fined. If you have a lot of people traveling with you, booking multiple rooms can get pretty expensive pretty quickly. When it comes to house sharing, there is more space to go around for each person in your group. For larger groups it’s often a more affordable option than a hotel. They can also give you that home away from home feeling. On the other hand, each house rental is going to be different and if you don’t do your research carefully you might end up not caring much for the place you’ll be staying at.
Read Reviews
Regardless of whether you book a house or a hotel, it’s a good idea to read reviews. This can be really helpful when it comes to identifying and avoiding choosing places to stay that might turn out to be more of a problem than they’re worth. You can check reviews on places like Google or Yelp. In the case of an Airbnb rental, there are reviews on their site that can help you figure out if the place you’re thinking of staying is what you want it to be. Keep in mind that reviews may be polarized at times. You’ll probably see some that can’t seem to say enough good things, and others that think the residence is the worst place you could possibly stay. When reading reviews, it’s often good to look at those at all levels so you can get as complete a picture as possible.
Choose an Ideal Location
You probably didn’t choose to go on a vacation just to spend all your time in the place you’ll be staying. You probably don’t want to spend the entire time driving around to get to the sites that led you to choose that particular vacation either. When choosing a place to stay, consider its proximity to various sites and attractions that you intend to visit. The closer you get to high value attractions, the more you’re likely to pay for your accommodations, but the more convenience you’ll experience when it comes to getting to those attractions.
Look for Awesome Features
One of the nice things about a vacation is staying somewhere that is different from where you live. While you will probably spend a good portion of your vacation outside of where you’re staying, having a nice place to stay that has some fun features can take your vacation to the next level. Hotel features don’t tend to have much variety to them. If you’re renting a house, apartment, or townhouse though, there is a lot more variety in what features you can expect to encounter. You might find residences with pools, outdoor kitchens, fire pits, beautiful gardens, or stunning views. A deck has many great features that make it attractive for a relaxing vacation. And that’s just outdoor features. Inside you might find things like home theaters, game rooms, well-stocked libraries, home gyms, or luxury bathrooms. Each place you’ll stay will offer a unique experience. Consider what features you want to experience the most when choosing your perfect vacation accommodations.
Look at Pictures
It’s one thing for a listing to provide a list of features and amenities. If you can see pictures of them, that’s even better. A recent photograph may be one of the best ways you can tell if a property will be the sort of place you want to stay or not. Listers should want to show off their property to entice renters. If they don’t post pictures, you might want to pass unless their reviews are really good. Try to find pictures posted by guests, if you can. This can potentially give you a more realistic idea of what to expect, since the owners may be using different photography tricks to make their property appear more attractive than it is.
How Long Will You Be Staying?
When choosing a place to stay for your vacation, it might be a good idea to take how long you’ll be staying into consideration. If you’re going on a road trip or a backpacking adventure, a hostel or motel might be a better option than a hotel or a house rental. You won’t be staying for long, and may be traveling more lightly, so a smaller, less expensive accommodation more suited to a one night stay might be ideal. Keep in mind that if you intend to stay at a hostel, you’ll be sharing space with strangers. Make sure you know what to expect before committing. Conversely, if you’ll be around for a while, the later might be the more comfortable option, especially if you intend to spend much time in the property. Home rentals and hotels tend to be more comfortable and more spacious with more amenities to take advantage of and enjoy.
Consider Any Personal Needs
Your home has likely been customized to some degree to handle any personal needs you may have. These needs should also be taken into consideration when choosing a place to stay during a vacation. For example, if you have a hard time with stairs, choosing a multi-level house to rent and stay in might not be such a great idea. On the other hand, a suite with an elevator close by might be a great option. If you need something wheelchair accessible, hotels may have wheelchair accessible rooms. If you choose to go that route, doing your due diligence can help you avoid running into some commonly experienced wheelchair accessible room problems.
Where you choose to stay on your next vacation can have an impact on how much you enjoy your trip. Whether you book a hotel, an Airbnb, or choose a different option, there are a lot of things to consider when choosing the perfect place to stay. Make your plans carefully to ensure that you have the best experience possible on your next vacation.
Take a peek at: Splash: Play Where You Stay
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