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WHEN YOU KNOW WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, then you have to decide where you want to stay. There are a combination of advantages and disadvantages for either a hotel room or a rental house. To make the best choice for your family, you'll need to examine your vacation logistics and priorities.

The first consideration should be arrival and departure days and length of stay. It is always worth it to ask for exceptions, but most rental houses are booked from Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday. If your trip is a short one or begins and ends mid-week, a hotel room may be your only option. For a shorter trip, the hotel room will usually be more economical but by night five, a rental home usually becomes the more economical choice. Logistics and price aside, think about what is important to you during this trip.

EATING IN OR DINING OUT?: If you have no desire to do any cooking or dishes on this trip and are willing to pay to eat out for every meal, then a hotel is for you. Most hotels at least offer a complimentary continental breakfast and are going to be within walking or short driving distance of restaurants. If eating out every meal is not attractive to you or your budget, a house where you can cook most of your own meals may suit you better. Many hotels offer a suite with a kitchenette that can accommodate some basic food storage and cooking but for the price difference per night, it may be a convenience but won't offer a savings.

DOES THE POOL RULE? Most hotels are going to offer an outdoor or indoor pool or both. How important is the pool? If the weather is going to be questionable, and especially if kids are part of the vacation, an indoor pool can be a great thing on rainy days.

PRIVACY PLEASE: Parents traveling with kids will not enjoy as much adult privacy in a hotel room with children as they would in a rental home where children could sleep down the hall or on another floor. On the other hand, groups of adults traveling together may actually feel like they have more privacy if they can retreat to their own hotel room.

WORKING OUT A WORK OUT: Most hotels are going to offer at least a limited gym. If your work out is important to you and you are renting a house, ask what if any equipment is available in the house. Pack any basics you can like stretch bands, hand weights, work out DVDs or tapes. Find out if your gym has a reciprocal program with any gyms in the area. Many gyms will allow you to be a visitor for as little as $5.00.

PACKING LIGHT OR LOADED?: A rental home will most likely have a washer and dryer which means you can pack less clothes and as an added bonus, go home without any dirty laundry bagged up for your return. If your staying in a hotel, laundry services have slow turn around times and a very high price tag so you'd better pack enough of everything you need.

The overall question to ask is whether this a an activity packed trip and you just need a place to sleep and shower, in which case a hotel will be best, or whether you really want to relax in a home away from home atmosphere, which can be more easily created in a rental house. Either choice can be perfect if it matches your priorites. Happy hunting!

Learn more about this author, Angela La Fon.
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