Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:41     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Eating out 3x a day is a huge time suck, too. I don't enjoy cooking on vacation either but sometimes coffee and a bagel or yogurt and a banana at "home" is a much more relaxing start to the day than everyone having to get up, showered, dressed to go out somewhere.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:34     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don't make it a big deal, cereal and fruit or bagels and fruit for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch. Not a big deal at all unless you make it one.


It's a big deal for me because I'm the one shopping for ingredients, assembling everything, packing it up and then cleaning up. No thank you. Eating out every meal.


Okay so do that? Everyone an have different preferences. OP's post did not resonate with a lot of people and they are explaining why they prefer various vacation styles.

Airbnb will be fine without OP and hotels are not going out of business any time.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:33     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:How do you screen for rentals that don’t require you to strip the beds, start a load of towels, run the dishwasher and take out the trash? I don’t want to do any of those things. I agree the food issue is easy enough to manage.


This is what I have no interest in doing at all on vacation. Last vacation we went to Hawaii and the hotel bathroom light and fan didn’t work when we checked in. Got upgraded immediately to a room where everything worked.

The last time we went to Hawaii before that we stayed in condo rental and it was awful. I don’t want to strip the beds and put them in the washing machine and do dishes. I don’t want to cook breakfast or dinner to save money.


For us it has nothing to do with money. I simply do not want to eat out or at a hotel breakfast buffet every day for 10 days. I like being able make good coffee right when I get up and eat what I like for breakfast. We also do more active vacations like ski trips where we want to hit the slopes right when the lifts open so eating breakfast at our condo while we get ready is the most convenient.

If we go away for a few nights we eat breakfast out. We were in a big city for a few nights last summer and had more relaxing mornings where finding a fun breakfast spot worked for us.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:27     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Residence Inn is a reasonable medium, because you have the services of a hotel plus more space and a kitchen if you want them. They also have free breakfast.

I like having a fridge for milk etc with kids, but I don't cook on city type vacations where the goal is to sightsee.

It's different for beach/ski/hike, though. I dont mind doing some cooking, but we also order out.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:19     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
We do AirBnB for the space. We have three tween/teen kids and most hotels will only allow four people in a room. A two-bedroom (or even three-bedroom) apartment on Airbnb is almost always much cheaper than two hotel rooms. And it's nice to have a washer/dryer on a longer trip. But just because you have a kitchen doesn't mean you have to cook. Other than breakfast, we treat it like we're in a hotel and go out to eat!
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:14     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Anonymous wrote:We hate eating out every meal. And really prefer having our own space at the end of the day or at the start of the day so for us, airbnbs are a no brainer.


There is a middle ground with dinner delivery, too. Eat at home, but you don't have to cook.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 16:12     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
I do both. Nice hotels are great for short mini breaks. Airbnb apartments or VBRO are better for longer stays.

I like exploring local supermarkets when traveling internationally so it's fun to stock up on local food for breakfasts, or we go to a good bakery and bring back to the apartment. Hotel breakfasts are rarely worth the money. We also cook a few meals as sometimes a simple spaghetti is a perfect ending to a long day of sight seeing rather than yet another restaurant. It's all about having choices and options rather than be trapped into having to eat out all the time. Or in a small hotel room every day.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 15:59     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
We hate eating out every meal. And really prefer having our own space at the end of the day or at the start of the day so for us, airbnbs are a no brainer.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 14:23     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Anonymous wrote:
Anonymous wrote:You don't make it a big deal, cereal and fruit or bagels and fruit for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch. Not a big deal at all unless you make it one.


It's a big deal for me because I'm the one shopping for ingredients, assembling everything, packing it up and then cleaning up. No thank you. Eating out every meal.


Do it. Regarding shopping, I've always been able to order groceries online to be delivered when we arrive. You'll at least want drinks and snacks around.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 14:21     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Anonymous wrote:You don't make it a big deal, cereal and fruit or bagels and fruit for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch. Not a big deal at all unless you make it one.


It's a big deal for me because I'm the one shopping for ingredients, assembling everything, packing it up and then cleaning up. No thank you. Eating out every meal.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 14:12     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
We only have breakfast at the rental, usually yogurts, cereals, fruit, etc. We go out for lunch or dinner. So, it's not that hard.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 14:10     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
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Anonymous wrote:We tend to rent condos at the beach or mountains and prefer centrally located hotels when visiting cities and hotels/resorts when visiting islands (ideally smaller boutique resorts).

When staying at a condo at the beach, we hit the grocery store but we don’t overdo it. We keep some staples on hand, but we still get our coffee (and baked goods) from a cafe and typically eat dinner at restaurants or bring in food. So, I don’t really cook at the beach.

We usually do laundry at the condo to stay on top of towels. But laundry isn’t hard, and everyone knows how to do laundry (including my husband and kids).

Everyone pitches in to keep the condo clean throughout the week. There’s a cleaning service, so I don’t scrub anything. It’s NBD.

If you haven’t cruised yet, you should try it. No cooking or cleaning. No laundry. They clean your cabin twice a day and provide turn down service. Room service is included. It’s the most relaxing vacations for moms. There’s really nothing else like it. You can send your DH off with the kids while you lay in the sun with a drink in your hand. Bliss!


Would rather cook every meal on vacation and do all the dishes every day by hand than go on a cruise. But hey to each their own.


+1

I think the only way I’d ever do a cruise is if a family member wheeled me onto a cruise ship….against my will.

I don’t understand how you all group “cruises” together. I’d never go on a carnival cruise but a high-end cruise to the Galapagos? Yes, please. It just makes you sound close minded.


Nah. I’ve done my research on cruises. Talked to friends and family, seen pics, videos, checked routes… not for me at all. I know me and it’s not how I ever want to vacation.

And you and I both know what was meant by “cruise”. Pools and drinks, not turtles. 😄

You’re telling me you can’t find a cruise route that’s appealing? That’s a you problem then.
I just don’t understand dismissing something that you’ve never tried. It’s like when my kids tell me they don’t like a food they haven’t eaten.
And I have no idea what your last sentence even means.


Much of the entire cruise experience is unappealing to me but the reason a route is unappealing is because of all the short stops with minimal times in areas. I would not like to disembark, tour a spot for only a few hours and then get back on boat to sleep. The way I prefer to travel is to spend time in areas and actually get out and experience them. I’ve been to places cruise ships go, Alaska, carribean, north east US, Canada, pacific northwest, Mediterranean and the areas are beautiful. I love spending time in the areas and experiencing them for longer visits. Thats how I like to travel and vacation. If you like cruise ships, good for you. 😉


Fwiw some itineraries actually stay overnight or multiple nights in ports (e.g., there are cruises to Bermuda where it’s docked there for 4 nights and then you sail back home). There are certain lines (smaller boats) that do itineraries where you just island hop in Greece or Croatia, docking overnight so you can enjoy the nightlife. And most Med and River cruises stay in port late as well (so you can eat dinner on land if you prefer).

But this thread is about relaxing, and the bottom line is cruising is more relaxing than being in a condo at the beach or an Airbnb in Europe. Hands down.

PS - every thread that references cruising quickly devolves to open criticism of cruising as if every cruise is a trashy experience preferred by dim witted people unequipped to travel. And that’s just not the case.

Someone always comments that you only have a few hours on land and don’t see anything, and that’s just not true.


Hands down to you doesn't mean hands down to everyone else. I would rather just fly to Bermuda and stay for 4 days in a nicer part of the island than spend all the time sailing there to stay on the ship in....Dockyard. Hands down! See how that works?


Sure.

But if you are in a condo cooking, cleaning, doing laundry, etc. then a cruise is objectively more relaxing.

ICYMI: the op tried a condo and didn’t enjoy it precisely because of the cooking, cleaning, laundry, etc.

Focus, people!

:0)


Being in a tiny cruiseship cabin with my entire family is not relaxing, but YMMV. Plenty of us find a way to be relaxed in condos- it's really up to you how much cooking/cleaning/laundry you do.


I don’t know anyone who crams a family into one cabin. Most get multiple cabins (connecting or nearby) and spread out. Some get suites. Regardless, you are rarely in the cabin…that’s perhaps one of the big differences between a cruise vacation and a condo/airbnb trip: you don’t eat your meals in your condo, and there’s a variety of evening entertainment so you aren’t typically watching tv or going to sleep early. And for people who prefer a quiet evening, there are plenty of quiet spots where you can hunker down with a book or a drink, or simply stare at the horizon as the waves lap against the ship.

We only sleep and shower in the cabin. I do enjoy the veranda.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 13:36     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
You don't make it a big deal, cereal and fruit or bagels and fruit for breakfast, sandwiches for lunch. Not a big deal at all unless you make it one.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 13:33     Subject: I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
Yeah I'm over this, back to hotels all the way.
Anonymous
Post 07/11/2025 13:32     Subject: Re:I tried the condo rental instead of hotel.. it was not feeling like a vacation doing dishes, cooking, laundry
During spring breaks we went homes in the Caribbean. The space is always great with our own pool. Breakfast is always at the house but it’s simple things so it’s little effort and expense compared to going out for breakfast where half the food doesn’t get eastern. We eat lunch out along with half the dinners. At home dinners are pretty easy as my husband will handle the grilling. Everything is laid back and casual and very stress free. Compared to a resort we spend a lot less.