Traveling Michigan Information and Articles All Michigan Vacation Rentals
Why Hotel It when You can Rent a Home on Your Vacation? By Ivie Baker
Many families, couples and singles hit the road every year for vacation. Many look forward to spending quality time with family and friends, while others simply want to get away and unwind from the every day stresses. Some are looking for peace and quiet, while others are seeking adventure and daring.
Most will just get away for a weekend or for an entire week or two. A smaller handful will take a month or two away from it all. Whatever the vacation, most people want to make the most out of their time away from home.
When you search for lodging accommodations, what are you looking for? Luxury? Budget? Family Friendly? Rustic?
In many cases, people will search for a hotel or motel for their stay. Hotels and motels have their advantages and disadvantages. When you stay at a hotel or motel, privacy might be somewhat limited. Usually, you'll have other people staying within close proximity to your room. In some cases, that might not matter if you are simply using it for a place to sleep. If there are loud visitors in rooms close by, a good nights sleep is not always possible.
Some advantages might be: a room with a view, swimming pools, spas, restaurants and room service. Some even offer day care!
BUT what if you are looking for a little privacy during your stay?
Lets talk about Vacation Rental Homes.
Many people are turning to vacation rental homes, these days. Often, the cost of renting a private vacation home is very close or the same cost as renting a room at a hotel or motel. In Michigan, for example, rental homes can range on an average from $80 per night to $200 per night. In some cases rates can run $300 per night or more for luxury homes.
Many rentals offer weekly rentals only, while others will rent on a nightly, weekend or on a monthly basis. Some owners will offer discounts for longer term stays.
There are several advantages to renting a private vacation home.
Privacy First, there is usually a lot more privacy! That will vary, depending on location and closeness of neighbors. For example, a home on an all sports lake with close homes won't be as private as a secluded retreat out in the middle of some wooded acreage. Some homes might offer quiet settings on a private fishing lake, while others will offer swimming and boating on an all sports lake. In some cases, you may be able to rent a home on acreage for some extra privacy or for hunting and fishing purposes.
Usually, renting a private home can offer you more space to enjoy. This usually includes: private bedrooms, living room, full or partial kitchens, full or partial bathrooms with showers and tubs and a private lot or acreage setting. In some cases there will be a garage available for car storage during your visit.
Unique Experience/Settings Each vacation home will be unique. Some will offer luxury accommodations, while others may be rustic or offer mid range comfort.
The great thing about shopping for a vacation rental for your stay is, that you can browse through several possibilities that can fit your needs and budget. Different rentals will offer different settings and experiences, depending on what type of vacation you are looking for. Rentals will range from private homes to cabins and sometimes, private condo units.
If you are looking for boating and water skiing, you can browse though lists of homes and cottages offering those types of amenities. You can often look at several pictures and find out more about the lakes that these homes are on, before you make a choice. Some may even offer boat rentals or free use of a boat already at the rental unit.
If you are looking for a ski resorts or homes near ski hills, you can look and various homes and locations online or in magazines. This is the same for homes and cottages on acreage or lakefront.
Locations Another major advantage to renting a vacation home is that sometimes you can find accommodations in a desired location where there are no hotels or motels available. For example, maybe you want to visit some relatives up north, but you don't want to stay at their house. What better way to enjoy your visit, than to rent a vacation home nearby?
Also, vacation rentals are available all over the world! You can find vacation homes in just about any country and often at great prices. I've had people stay at our Michigan Vacation Rental USA from as far away as England!
Price Often, you can find advantages on the rates for a private house rental. Many hotels/motels can charge anywhere from $45 to $300 or more per night for your stay. For a budget hotel, you often get what you pay for. Some budget hotels don't offer the best experience for your dollar.
Here in Michigan you can rent a clean and comfortable vacation home for as little as $80 to $130 per night. Of course, that amount will vary per rental.
Another thing to take into consideration about renting a vacation home and price, is that in a home you are usually able to cook your own meals in a kitchen. Therefore you can save on the cost of going out to eat for your meals. For a family on a budget, that can save a lot of money and offset the cost of what type of accommodation they can afford.
Finding a Vacation Rental can be easy! If you own a computer and have access to the Internet, finding a quality vacation rental can be just a few clicks away! There are several vacation rental web sites that you can browse through. Simply got to your favorite search engine and type in some key phrases, like: vacation cottages, vacation rentals, lakefront rentals. Or if you'd like to narrow down your search, you can type in key phrases related to the location you'd like to stay at. For example a state search might be: Michigan Vacation Cottages or for a city search example: Gladwin Vacation Rentals...etc....
You can sometimes search by price or type of vacation rental, such as a home, cabin, chalet or condo. Almost all sites will search by location. In some cases, you can even search for pet friendly homes, if you'd like to bring your trusty canine companion. In rare cases, you might even find a rental that will allow you to bring your feline friend.
If you don't own a computer, there are still other ways to find a quality homes to rent. Many book stores sell vacation guides and magazines. These publications will offer a wide range of choices, as well as some destination information and ideas.
So, why rental a hotel room when you can stay at a vacation rental home, instead?
Copyright 2006 Ivie Baker. You may republish this article in its entirety, only if you leave the author's note & website hyperlinks intact.