A lot of planning goes into creating the perfect family vacation. When traveling with a group, it becomes a challenge to accommodate everyone’s wants and needs. Renting a vacation home is a great way to satisfy the desires of everyone while insuring a fun and relaxing getaway. Learn what you should look for when booking your next home away from home.
What to Look for When Booking a Vacation Home
As a family of travelers, we have done it all. We’ve slept in tents, hotels, vacation homes, and yes, even the airport! Each set of accommodations (minus the airport) have something to offer. When our large extended family travels together, we have found that booking a vacation home is the best option for us.
Want to know what to look for when booking a vacation home? The following is a list of essentials I’ve learned through experience. As a bonus, I’ll also give you a full tour of a vacation home in Orlando, Florida that might be the perfect option for your family.
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Check out the full tour in the video below!
Enough Space for The Entire Family
Memeories are made when you enjoy visiting local attractions together and gathering around the table at mealtimes. Spending quality time together is great, however, most of us require some quiet time and personal space even on vacation. With three young daughters under the age of nine, we need a private space to recharge with an afternoon nap. This is only possible when we have our own living area.
Our family recently stayed at a beautiful vacation home located only 6 miles from Walt Disney World. MagicalVacationHomes.com has homes at 3 resorts, 200+ properties, and you can choose a home (2-14 beds) to fit your family’s needs. I fell in love with the 6-bedroom home we stayed in. It had a separate living area! You had 4 bedrooms in the main house and then 2 bedrooms in the separate living area that included its own smaller kitchen and its own Wi-Fi.
This is an ideal way to travel with a large group and yet give everyone the space they need. Choosing a great vacation home may be the best way to ensure that all in your group will still like each when the vacation ends!
One of my favorite areas of the home was the 3rd floor movie room. It came completely equipped with 3D movie projector, SMART DVD/Blu-ray player and an Apple TV 2, my husband was “geeking” out! It also has its own balcony so that you can take in the breathtaking view. Once the kids are down for the night, the adults can gather together for movies and drinks without fear of waking the little ones. It’s great to find a home that include spaces like this.
Affordable for The Whole Group
Many people dismiss the possibility of staying in a vacation home because they don’t believe it’s an affordable option for their family. You might find the actual cost to be very comparable to staying at hotel. When we stay in larger homes we can split the cost among several families. This makes it possible and affordable to travel with our family and friends. There are homes to fit your needs and budget even if you are traveling with just your immediate family.
Food is one of the biggest expenses when traveling, especially with a group. I don’t know if your family is like mine and has a never-ending appetite but it can be very costly. When you stay at a vacation home you have the option to save an incredible amount of money by not eating out. We had a great time grilling and watching the kids swim each night. Meal time turned out to be a great place to bond and enjoy each other’s company. As the Bonding TravelingMom, I’m always looking for ways to include these important moments in our travel experiences.
Located Near Big Attractions
When it comes to finding a place to stay, location really is everything. You don’t want to spend all your precious time driving back and forth from your accommodations to the main attractions. That’s why having three resorts you can choose from when booking a home through MagicalVacationHomes.com is ideal! Choose a home at either the Windsor Hills Resort (2 miles from Disney World), the Reunion Resort (6 miles away from Disney World), and the Champion Gate Resort (12 miles away from Disney World).
Before we book, we always check the home’s location and the distance to big attractions. Keep in mind that in high traffic areas you don’t want to be too far away from the places you will spend most of your time. Our vacation home was also conveniently located near several shopping areas, which made running to the store not such a dreaded chore!
Activities for Everyone to Enjoy
Let me tell you a little about my family. I have a large extended blended family with various age groups. As I mentioned before, we enjoy traveling together at least once a year. One of the biggest hurdles when planning our trips together is finding somewhere that will accommodate the wants and needs of everyone in our group. The vacation home we stayed at during our trip to Orlando would have been ideal for our entire family.
My 8, 5, and 4-year-old girls loved the kid themed rooms. They slept in their very own Frozen-Anna and Elsa room. The adorable Olaf door opened the way to a room that had bunk beds fit for little princesses. My little girls let out shrills of excitement when they saw the room! Another set of bunk beds could be found in the train room, I’m not going to lie, I wanted to sleep in these rooms too!
The private courtyard pool area was where we spent most of our time. The house also had the best game room that I’ve ever seen. You must see the pool table, air hockey table, foosball table, Sony PS4, and several arcade games that filled the game room!
Having a movie room, pool, and game room was the perfect way to ensure that there would be something for everyone. My husband and I woke up early each morning and enjoyed coffee outside looking out as the sun appeared over the golf course. Our kids swam at night under the stars and we listened as they laughed and played together. Our next multigenerational trip is currently being planned and we can’t wait to book our vacation home at MagicalVacationHomes.com!
Other Things to Look for When Booking
- Does your home away from home include things you might need? Our vacation home came with a high chair, full-size crib, baby gates, a child-friendly pool fence (which gave me peace of mind), plenty of pots and pans, and enough laundry soap to wash a load of clothes.
- Are there nearby things for the family to enjoy during your visit aside from the main attractions? The resorts where Magical Vacation Homes are located, had community pools, dining options on the property, fitness centers, bicycle rentals & walking trails, children’s activities, and even a Resort Boutique Spa!
- Complimentary high-speed internet.
There are also plenty of date night ideas and FREE things to do in the Orlando, Florida area.
Hotel Review: The Hills Hotel in Laguna Hills, California
4.5
Love this home. Space for everyone and all age groups. Fabulous
5
5