Is this really where I want to stay…
Lodging can make or break your vacation. So how do you confidently decide? Below are my tips to finding the perfect place to stay.
There are 3 things I consider when booking a room
Cost
How much time will we spend in the room
These 2 things are huge factors in finding the perfect spot. Some people want a 5 star resort with all the bells and whistles and never plan on leaving that resort for the duration of their trip. In this case it makes sense to splurge on a really nice place to stay. Others want a comfortable bed to sleep in but know they will be spending the majority of their time elsewhere; on the beach, fishing, hiking, etc, you get the point, so spending a lot of money on amenities they aren’t going to use doesn’t make a lot of sense.
closeness to attractions
This third item is pretty important to me personally. I don’t want to have to rent a car or take an uber if I can just walk. I call it the walkability factor and it’s the reason when I’m on vacation I clock 20000+ steps a day. I want to stay in the middle of everything and be close to all the things.
The size of your group is also important to keep in mind. If you are traveling with a large group then it would be economical to rent an AirBnB or Vrbo. Sometimes people like to rent these because you can find some pretty unique properties, think airplane or hobbit hole. You can also find properties in areas that don't have a lot of hotels. Overall these properties tend to be more cost effective because most have kitchens so you can fix your own food and they have a lot more square footage for the price.
The last thing I take into consideration when booking a place is amenities. When my kids were younger we never stayed anywhere that didn’t have a pool. Little kids will literally spend an entire day at the pool and it’s also the perfect way to wear them out before bed. We also don’t tend to stay at places that don’t have restaurants or at least snacks for sale. Kids will seriously eat all the time and I’m not about to drive to a gas station to pick up snacks at 10pm when I’m on vacation. Other amenities to keep in mind are spas, golf courses, beaches, water sports, etc. Stay someplace that’s going to offer everything that is important to you. The last thing you want to do is be laying on the beach and have your husband staring longingly at the resort next door because they rent paddle boards to their guests and yours doesn’t.
