Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

I'm the original PP and this is exactly what I meant. We don't spend 8 hours at the beach that requires a tent, water, food, etc. We do shorter trips where we don't need an umbrella or more than a water bottle and some granola bars. The family we go with is fair skinned, and they just put on sunscreen a couple times, wear rash guards and hats, and can survive 2-3 hours at a time. We usually go to the beach after breakfast and then again in the late afternoon. Sometimes we will go to the ocean beach but it's still a short trip without a ton of stuff.

I agree with people that 8 hours in the sun with 100 lbs of gear is not fun.

And I’m the PP with fair skin who thinks it’s worth it to bring big things for sun protection. We don’t want to spend our time at the beach an hour at the time. Frankly, walking between beach and house and town, rinsing off and changing to go inside for naps, etc., is just as much work as bringing tents and umbrellas. At least with the latter, we do it at the beginning and end of our beach day and that’s it.

We don’t *have* to stay on the beach all day - but most days, we want to. You don’t *have* to bop back and forth between beach and shopping and naps and lunch - but you want to. See how this works? Different things for different people. But unless you have huge family properties right on the beach, yes, there’s typically going to be work involved somehow. Whether the benefits of the beach offset those trade-offs is up to you.

Yeah but this thread isn't about you, it's about OP who said that they don't enjoy schlepping things around and not having fun during a beach rental. So our suggestion to them is to do smaller beach trips that don't require as much gear.

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.

If you are renting a beach house why in the world do you have a tent? We go to the beach and kids play in water and sand. Sure an umbrella for adults is helpful but you could get in water too.

Get a wagon for the beach. And puddle jumper to wear when they are near water.

I’m sure the mountain is lovely, but kids love the beach and in crazy hot weather there is nothing better.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

I'm the original PP and this is exactly what I meant. We don't spend 8 hours at the beach that requires a tent, water, food, etc. We do shorter trips where we don't need an umbrella or more than a water bottle and some granola bars. The family we go with is fair skinned, and they just put on sunscreen a couple times, wear rash guards and hats, and can survive 2-3 hours at a time. We usually go to the beach after breakfast and then again in the late afternoon. Sometimes we will go to the ocean beach but it's still a short trip without a ton of stuff.

I agree with people that 8 hours in the sun with 100 lbs of gear is not fun.

And I’m the PP with fair skin who thinks it’s worth it to bring big things for sun protection. We don’t want to spend our time at the beach an hour at the time. Frankly, walking between beach and house and town, rinsing off and changing to go inside for naps, etc., is just as much work as bringing tents and umbrellas. At least with the latter, we do it at the beginning and end of our beach day and that’s it.

We don’t *have* to stay on the beach all day - but most days, we want to. You don’t *have* to bop back and forth between beach and shopping and naps and lunch - but you want to. See how this works? Different things for different people. But unless you have huge family properties right on the beach, yes, there’s typically going to be work involved somehow. Whether the benefits of the beach offset those trade-offs is up to you.

Anonymous wrote:

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

Condos are pretty depressing, though - even the expensive ones.

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

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

This - on going when kid is older and also this:

I would not bother going on a beach vacation if we couldn't rent an oceanfront condo/house. This is key. It's the nice flow of going in and out all day, from beach to inside for lunch or whatever, but never feeling as though you've left the beach because of the views, the sound of the waves, etc.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

I'm the original PP and this is exactly what I meant. We don't spend 8 hours at the beach that requires a tent, water, food, etc. We do shorter trips where we don't need an umbrella or more than a water bottle and some granola bars. The family we go with is fair skinned, and they just put on sunscreen a couple times, wear rash guards and hats, and can survive 2-3 hours at a time. We usually go to the beach after breakfast and then again in the late afternoon. Sometimes we will go to the ocean beach but it's still a short trip without a ton of stuff.

I agree with people that 8 hours in the sun with 100 lbs of gear is not fun.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

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 of course resorts are more relaxing. They are also a lot more expensive, as is paying for all food out, and families share a much smaller sleeping space. There are pros and cons.

This. Its not about beach vs mountain, you're comparing rentals to resorts.

FWIW we rent bayfront for our beach vacations. Water is calmer and shallower, and we don't schlep more than a bag of toys and towels. You're making your beach vacation hard on yourself by bringing tents and umbrellas and a million things.

Some of us are very white and need umbrellas!

NP - right! We rent bayfront, too, which helps, but we still can't tolerate all day sun exposure, nor can our fair-complexioned kids. I mean, do you not need water? Snacks? Some people do make things harder for themselves, but parents of very young kids who need to bring lots of stuff to the beach don't meet that description, IMO.

OP, the bayfront made it much easier for us, but really it's about your kids getting older. Ours are 11, 9, and 7 now, and we have SO much fun.

So just don’t stay out all day. Put on sunblock and rash guards and hats and go play and swim for about an hour. Then go back inside the house and do other stuff. Eat. Nap. Go shopping. Then go out again for another hour when the sun is lower. Maybe around three or four. Then you don’t have to take snacks and umbrellas. What’s unpleasant is hauling off that crap and then feeling like you have to stay on the beach for hours and hours. You don’t.

Anonymous wrote:Love DCUM. People complaining about vacation. Poor you.