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People often stay in hotel rooms out of habit. However, in many instances alternatives like vacation rentals offer more room and many more benefits for the money. Here are 12 convincing reasons to skip the hotel to and arrange for a different kind of vacation.
1. Privacy please!
Some people choose a hotel room for business trips or romantic weekends to have a room to themselves. But would you rather have your own downtown condo or private cottage for the same cost? If you are traveling with the whole family, having the brood in one or two rooms can put a big strain on the family. Renting a whole house can give everyone in your group enough personal space and privacy.
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2. Affordability
For the price of a single room in a hotel, you can get a whole house, with multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, a living room, a den, and a kitchen where you can cook your own food. Hotel breakfasts and other meals can cost a fortune. Who wouldn’t prefer to have a full size fridge to keep supplies like eggs, bacon and bread and feed the whole family for much less than the cost of going out to eat?
3. Pets welcome
There are pet-friendly hotels, but they are few and far between. However, there are numerous campgrounds and vacation rentals that not only let you bring the whole family along, they often even provide conveniences or amenities for your furry family members as long as you plunk down a little bit extra deposit money for your animal.
4. Room to spread out
Most vacation houses and condos come with kitchens, dining rooms, and family rooms, and many even have living rooms, home offices, patios or porches, and game rooms, giving you a living situation where you can either get together comfortably or give each other plenty of space.
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5. Fewer neighbors
Towering resorts can be full service and all inclusive, but they pack people in to the pools and restaurants. Rental homes can often offer a more intimate setting where you don’t have to worry about sharing walls on all sides and hearing the TV or shouting matches from across the hall.6. Do your laundry
You may not see it listed on any travel poster, but the ability to do your laundry on vacation – for free – is incredibly convenient and helpful, and cuts down on luggage you have to lug.
7. Better for business
Business travelers may think a hotel is best suited to their needs, but a short-term condo rental in the heart of the city can offer much more functional and roomy work space, free wireless Internet, separate rooms for working and sleeping and a comfortale space that you don’t need to share or reserve to hold meetings and entertain clients and colleagues.
8. Home entertainment system
Forget paying extra for in-room movies. Many vacation rentals have free wifi, big screen tvs and entertainment systems as well as video libraries, movie channels or even Netflix. You can also bring along your own DVDs to keep the kids happy.
9. Location, location, location
You can find hotel rooms most places you want to travel, but did you know that vacation rentals are available worldwide as well? Whether you want a condo in the heart of Manhattan, a beachfront cottage on the California coast, or a villa in the Italian countryside, a vacation rental can be just as convenient as a hotel. In fact, because hotels are typically restricted to commercially-zoned locations, you can often get a more authentic local experience in a rental home.
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10. Live like a local
Hotels amenities can keep you happy and comfortable in your room, but for the most part most hotels offer a similar experience. On the other hand, staying at a quaint house in a local neighborhood can give you a real feel for how the locals live and let you more easily absorb local culture. Shop where the locals shop, dine at local restaurants, and get to know the people who give the location its real charm.
11. Stick to your diet
It can be hard to eat healthy in a hotel, especially if you have food restrictions or are following a diet. With your very own kitchen right at hand, it’s easy to prepare meals that meet your dietary needs. It’s also far easier to feed kids the foods you want (and they like) whenever they want it.
12. Real peace and quiet
You can find hotels on beautiful lakes and by the seaside, but with all the other guests around you, it’s impossible for a hotel to offer the same backcountry peace and quiet as a vacation cottage all to yourself deep in the woods or right on the beach.
Every vacation is different, and while many people are used to booking hotels, there are plenty of reasons to look elsewhere for lodging. The next time you’re planning a trip with friends or family, you may want to think about the alternatives to hotels that are out there.
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