Renting a beach house with kids..do you get disappointed?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Anyone feel like beach trips in a rental home with kids are a *ton* of work and not worth it? We went to the mountains this year and it was a much better fit for my family. We didn’t have to pack as much, I could actually relax and not worry about my 4 year old drowning every second we were by water, didn’t have to pack a million things and set up umbrellas and a tent for the day. We did other things like rode horses, paddle boarding with life vests, hikes, and just enjoyed it as much if not more. I love the beach but next time we are going to a resort.

YES. My kids are older now, but I used to dread the beach trips which were never a vacation (for me). I much prefer the mountains to the beach anyhow.

[Anonymous]

When kids were little we did resorts, often La Jolla shores hotel because the hotel is on the beach; they set up umbrellas and chairs and we could walk to all sorts of restaurants. We did a few AI as well. Older kids is fine to rent a house at the each; conversely they are less interested in it than when they were little and could spend hours building sand castles, looking for shells and playing in waves. Now their activities are more expensive. I do like mountain get always esp if they are cooler: hiking, rafting; etc can be nice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone feel like beach trips in a rental home with kids are a *ton* of work and not worth it? We went to the mountains this year and it was a much better fit for my family. We didn’t have to pack as much, I could actually relax and not worry about my 4 year old drowning every second we were by water, didn’t have to pack a million things and set up umbrellas and a tent for the day. We did other things like rode horses, paddle boarding with life vests, hikes, and just enjoyed it as much if not more. I love the beach but next time we are going to a resort.

YES. My kids are older now, but I used to dread the beach trips which were never a vacation (for me). I much prefer the mountains to the beach anyhow.

I agree that beach trips can be a lot of work for parents. We wised up and did couple of things that made it easier. First, we only rented homes with pools. It's nice to have the pool in addition to the beach. We can relax and swim anytime. I do not enjoy sitting at the beach all day. The other thing we did was to bring only ready to eat foods and paper plates. Minimal cooking and washing up. We bring lots of veggies & fruits, things to make sandwiches, frozen pizza and even takeouts like Chinese and Thai foods and store them in the freezer.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I love the beach and so do my kids but I much prefer renting a condo in a beachfront building.

This. We rented a condo last year after renting beach houses the years before and it was so much easier!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Anyone feel like beach trips in a rental home with kids are a *ton* of work and not worth it? We went to the mountains this year and it was a much better fit for my family. We didn’t have to pack as much, I could actually relax and not worry about my 4 year old drowning every second we were by water, didn’t have to pack a million things and set up umbrellas and a tent for the day. We did other things like rode horses, paddle boarding with life vests, hikes, and just enjoyed it as much if not more. I love the beach but next time we are going to a resort.

YES. My kids are older now, but I used to dread the beach trips which were never a vacation (for me). I much prefer the mountains to the beach anyhow.

I agree that beach trips can be a lot of work for parents. We wised up and did couple of things that made it easier. First, we only rented homes with pools. It's nice to have the pool in addition to the beach. We can relax and swim anytime. I do not enjoy sitting at the beach all day. The other thing we did was to bring only ready to eat foods and paper plates. Minimal cooking and washing up. We bring lots of veggies & fruits, things to make sandwiches, frozen pizza and even takeouts like Chinese and Thai foods and store them in the freezer.

These are great ideas.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why we do a beach resort and for less than a week. I’d rather pay a bit more for accommodations in order to have a nice resort pool and easy beach access where they’ll set everything up for you. And then eat meals out instead of cooking. Eating out over a 4 night stay isn’t necessarily that much more than buying groceries and cooking for a whole week. Also a lot of hotels will include breakfast and coffee.

I also refuse to do any house where I have to go somewhere to rent towels and sheets. I know some beach houses offer linens on site, but you still have to strip beds and wash dishes, etc. I prefer housekeeping coming in a hotel. Also, resorts are generally more walkable to cool stuff than the houses that are out on a reclusive beach (or the walkable houses are super $$$$ and book up fast). With young kids, I want to walk to ice cream, putt putt, restaurants, etc.

I’d love to know which resort has all this for not that much more than a rental home! No snark, I just think you are downplaying the additional expense. It’s common on DCUM.

There are plenty of nice resort hotels for $350-400ish/night. If you stay 4 nights that is about $1,600, which can actually be less than the cost of renting a home for an entire week. And if you get a room with a little kitchenette you can even save some money by bringing back leftovers/eating simple breakfasts in the room. In the past when we’ve done a beach house we’ve ended up spending a ton of groceries for every single meal and then still gone out to eat at least a few times. That said you may be giving up 2-3 nights of vacation. So I guess it depends on whether you want to travel for a whole week or be fine with 4-5 days. With small kids, I err on the side of shelter and easier.

[Anonymous]

Sorry that should say *shorter and easier

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I did the beach rental once when my child was 6 yrs old, and said never again. Far too much work, even with family to help out. So many things to bring and keep up with.

Ever since that trip, we only book resorts now. That is a true vacation with relaxation. They have everything you need and want, and are right on the beach. Umbrella and chairs already set up for you, friendly people bringing you food and libations. Movie nights in the pool for the kids, smores on the beach, night beach walks and stargazing while listening to the waves. Kids club, resort activities, Free bike rentals and workout rooms.

I could never go back to a do-it-yourself beach rental. No thanks.

Can anyone suggest resorts like this around here/east coast? I saw La Jolla Shores mentioned but looking for east coast. I know Chesapeake Hyatt. Any others?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This is why we do a beach resort and for less than a week. I’d rather pay a bit more for accommodations in order to have a nice resort pool and easy beach access where they’ll set everything up for you. And then eat meals out instead of cooking. Eating out over a 4 night stay isn’t necessarily that much more than buying groceries and cooking for a whole week. Also a lot of hotels will include breakfast and coffee.

I also refuse to do any house where I have to go somewhere to rent towels and sheets. I know some beach houses offer linens on site, but you still have to strip beds and wash dishes, etc. I prefer housekeeping coming in a hotel. Also, resorts are generally more walkable to cool stuff than the houses that are out on a reclusive beach (or the walkable houses are super $$$$ and book up fast). With young kids, I want to walk to ice cream, putt putt, restaurants, etc.

I’d love to know which resort has all this for not that much more than a rental home! No snark, I just think you are downplaying the additional expense. It’s common on DCUM.

Not PP but we've had luck renting other people's timeshares. It's a good mix between a rental and a resort. Towels are provided and you can rent chairs and umbrellas easily. It's less of a hike to the beach than the houses we rent. They also have all had an on-site restaurant.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I did the beach rental once when my child was 6 yrs old, and said never again. Far too much work, even with family to help out. So many things to bring and keep up with.

Ever since that trip, we only book resorts now. That is a true vacation with relaxation. They have everything you need and want, and are right on the beach. Umbrella and chairs already set up for you, friendly people bringing you food and libations. Movie nights in the pool for the kids, smores on the beach, night beach walks and stargazing while listening to the waves. Kids club, resort activities, Free bike rentals and workout rooms.

I could never go back to a do-it-yourself beach rental. No thanks.

Can anyone suggest resorts like this around here/east coast? I saw La Jolla Shores mentioned but looking for east coast. I know Chesapeake Hyatt. Any others?

Four Seasons is like this.