Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way
Vacation on the Beach the Smart Way
Almost everyone agrees; there is no more relaxing way to
vacation than to take it to the beach. For the
vacationer/traveler who hasn't considered a beach house rental
before, they represent an affordable and fun family oriented
alternative. There is an intelligent way to plan your vacation
on the beach. It all starts with thorough good planning,
research and flexibility. This guide will give you a few
pointers for vacationing on the beach the smart way.
First off, start planning your trip as early as possible. This
is the key to experiencing the best possible relaxation. If you
want to vacation in August, you really have to start planning as
early as September or October. Planning ahead is the best way to
ensure you get the exact dates you're looking for. This is
especially true for beachfront houses. At the very least, make
reservations BEFORE Christmas because prime booking time for
beach houses starts on December 26th. This date begins the
heightened pursuit of people wanting to book beach houses and
continues all the way up until May.
Research your trip thoroughly. The Internet is an excellent tool
for doing this. To get the right location and best
accommodations to suit your preferences, there is no substitute
for being informed and fully aware of what is available. In the
information age, there are huge amounts of travel information
available on the World Wide Web. If you are looking for beach
vacation rentals, the most comprehensive site, and largest
directory I found was http://www.beachhouse.com. If you're
making a decision about a destination you are not familiar with,
you should do research on the Internet about the specific
location with a particular focus on the weather. It can vary
from place to place depending on the time of year. You'll want
to consider travel insurance in case anything goes wrong.
Examples of why you'd need travel insurance include hurricanes,
sickness, cancelled/delayed flights and lost luggage.
Get Everything in Writing. Get a list of amenities from the
house owner. One big reason for this is you need to know what to
bring, and what not to bring. For example, you may need to bring
linens. Some rentals will provide them, but most do not. You
need to know check-in/check-out times, and if you don't want to
lose your deposit, leave the place as close to the condition as
when you arrived. Make sure the person you are asking the
questions to is the beach house owner or manager. Review the
details of the rental agreement. Things to consider are security
deposits, damage deposits, who to call in case of emergency. Ask
for references of people who have rented the house before. Make
sure you have contact numbers for the owner or on-site manager
on hand.
Look for off-season and last minute deals. If you are looking
for a deal and can be flexible, off-season rates drop
dramatically. Some beach house owners who charge $5,000 a week
during peak season are willing to go as low as $800 per week in
the winter. Additionally, if you're looking to vacation before
Memorial Day or after Labor Day, it can't hurt to ask for a 10%
discount. Keep in mind though that during peak season it's
highly unlikely rates will be negotiable. You can also save
money by not getting beachfront property, say by renting houses
not directly on the beach but maybe one to three houses back.
These houses are generally going to be a bit cheaper.
Beach House rentals are great for larger reunion or family
groups. One of the benefits of renting a beach house is having
your own kitchen and saving funds on cooking for the family.
Hotels generally have restaurants, maybe kitchenettes for extra.
For a family of 4 this may cost a bit, but still be affordable.
However, for an extended family, you would have to book a set of
rooms. If this isn't expense enough, a large family eating in
restaurants three times a day, plus the cost of all the things
they need that isn't supplied by the hotel, and WHEW! That can
cost a bundle. Hotels don't lend themselves as well to a larger
group of people as beach houses do.
To vacation on the beach the smart way, start planning your trip
as early as possible. Research your trip thoroughly and get
everything in writing. Look for, and ask for, off-season or last
minute deals, but be flexible. And for the most memorable and
best possible vacation on the beach, do it in a beach house.