Oh whoops, you said august.. thats hurrican season.. scratch that.. lol

Cancun? I haven't checked prices but that should be doable for 4 nights maybe 5.

I'd go to Door County, WI. Amazingly beautiful, cape cod like.

https://www.vrbo.com/701320

https://www.vrbo.com/34399

Anonymous wrote:The cruise is a good idea, however most rooms only hold a max of 5 people, so you'd need to splurge on a suite or get two rooms (whichever is cheaper).

If you are going south I would aim for the Caribbean (Florida in August would be horrid) or North Carolina which shouldn't be as bad. Otherwise head north.

I would drive to Port Canaveral (13 hours, but may be the only way to maintain your budget) and book two inside staterooms on Royal Caribbean or Norwegian to the Eastern Caribbean.

Anonymous wrote:How much will a week at Hilton head or Kiawah cost for a rental (assuming we can still find one)?

Depends on when in August. mid-August Kiawah goes to low season rates. but even high season, you can get a 3 BR villa for $3000. there should still be some available.

Also, what about Deep Creek and rent a cabin and a pontoon?

It will be hot and humid (same as DC IMO), but my family has had many wonderful August vacations in Miami. We love beach and city too so we fell in love with this international city. It has a magic to it. Daily afternoon downpours that last 5 minutes are so fun to be in when it's 95 degrees!
August is their off season for Americans, although there are many Europeans there at this time.
I find flights for $100-200 roundtrip to FT Lauderdale (40 min drive) every year on Spirit and SW etc. The restaurant week deals go for the whole month. Also there are many affordable air bnbs both in South Beach and downtown. They have revived their downtown in the last decade.
If you rent a car you can take a drive or overnight to the keys, also. Since its a big city there are tons of resources for fun and low cost family activities. I like to take advantage of the offseason, but beware of tourist traps (restaurants) in South Beach AND consider travel insurance as it is hurricane season!

Anonymous wrote:Thanks for the suggestions!

Can you really rent a beach house for 4 nights? That's pretty much impossible in the DE beaches...especially this late in the game.

It pains me to drop upwards of $3,500 for a beach house since it seems like a btdt vacation (we've been traveling with kids for the last 15 years, and we've done the MD/DE/NJ beaches a million times, and we already have plans for two long weekends at the beach this summer).

Any other suggestions?

Yes, you can rent beach homes for less than a week on VRBO. Those that rent for less than a week will have minimum stays of three nights, typically.

I vote for Boston + a few days somewhere else, particularly if the kids haven’t been to Boston before. For “somewhere else” I think Portsmouth NH or Narragansettt RI could be good options- there are plenty of hotel options in both due to proximity to universities and I think the Narraganset beach is lovely.

The cruise is a good idea, however most rooms only hold a max of 5 people, so you'd need to splurge on a suite or get two rooms (whichever is cheaper).

If you are going south I would aim for the Caribbean (Florida in August would be horrid) or North Carolina which shouldn't be as bad. Otherwise head north.

I love San Diego, but don't think it's reasonable for a family of 6 for a $5K budget due to flights for this summer. Maybe they can score a good deal on Southwest.

I've been in the summer before and the water is still VERY cold. I wouldn't go to SD for "just" the beach, but I would want a day at one of the beaches. I do think it's an awesome city with a great variety of things to do.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I just planned a trip for a family of 4 to San Diego. I think you could do 6 for $5k although it might be tight. Flights were only $400 each, and a car is about $400 for a week.

But the beach there is free and if you ate your meals at home in an AirBnb (and didn't count those toward your budget as you'd be eating at home anyways) you should be fine to go see some cool stuff.

Outside of NJ most of the beaches in us are free. Why would free beaches be a plus? And if you are going to fly somewhere from DC just to sit on a beach and in an air bnb, why just fly to FL. Plus the water is warm in FL.

I like the San Diego suggestion because there’s more of a variety of things to do IMO. I really like the city and area in general. I have not been in the summer and know it gets hot inland but thought it stayed a bit cooler closer to the coast.

I think somewhere like Acadia would be fun too but OP said they’re not really into hiking. Montreal/Quebec City could be another option- you can always drive if flights are too expensive. Or Toronto/Niagra Falls.

Anonymous wrote:I just planned a trip for a family of 4 to San Diego. I think you could do 6 for $5k although it might be tight. Flights were only $400 each, and a car is about $400 for a week.

But the beach there is free and if you ate your meals at home in an AirBnb (and didn't count those toward your budget as you'd be eating at home anyways) you should be fine to go see some cool stuff.

Outside of NJ most of the beaches in us are free. Why would free beaches be a plus? And if you are going to fly somewhere from DC just to sit on a beach and in an air bnb, why just fly to FL. Plus the water is warm in FL.

Another vote for Montreal.

NP, where do you recommend staying in Hilton Head? Would there still be vacancies this late

There aren’t a lot of small houses or condos in OBX.