When planning a vacation, you may ask yourself, "What's the difference between a rental home and a hotel?" We say that there is no comparison! A vacation home rental is in a completely different realm than hotels. Here are a few key differences between vacation rentals and hotels that we think will change your entire vacation experience.
Find an OBX Rental That Fits Your Needs
Affordability
At first glance, you may think a hotel is a cheaper option, but let's break down the numbers. Let's compare a hotel room and a vacation rental for 6 guests (3 bedrooms) for the most popular vacation week of the year, 4th of July. For an oceanfront, three-star hotel on the Outer Banks, a week-long stay for 6 guests is going to cost you approximately, $6,683.82. That is the standard rate and doesn't include any upgraded options. For the sake of keeping amenities like a community pool and elevator similar, we will compare that price to an oceanfront condo with 3 bedrooms and an ocean view. With travel insurance, your all-inclusive cost comes to $3,177.85. That's less than half the price of the hotel plus you get all of the other benefits we list below!
Enjoy Your Own Kitchen
On the note of saving money, renting a space with a kitchen can really cut down on your budget. Being able to cook your own meals on vacation could save you hundreds of dollars on eating out. Stop living out of that hotel room mini-fridge and vending machine snacks! Upgrade your vacation diet by booking a vacation rental this year.
Shared Space to Get Together
When families stay in multiple rooms in the same hotel, it's hard to have a shared space to get together. You usually all end up picking someone's room to meet up at to figure out day to day plans and hang out. In a rental, the space is plentiful. You can hang out in the living room, on the deck, by the pool, in the rec room, etc.
Closet Space
It's hard to fit a week's worth of clothes for a family of four into one hotel room closet. The room is already small enough as it as, you don't need suitcases on the floor to trip on in the middle of the night. In a rental, you can take advantage of the multiple bedrooms, closet space, dressers, and more!
Privacy
I've never been to a hotel where I haven't heard my neighbor at least once. That is an amazing benefit of renting a home vs. a room. Don't worry about hearing your neighbors in the room over or having to share a pool or hot tub with others at your vacation rental. Walk around the house all week in your pajamas and no one will know!
Perfect Layout for Kids
Most vacation rentals on the Outer Banks have a reversed floor plan, which means that the kitchen and the living room are on the top floor. Usually, this means that rec rooms and theater rooms are on the bottom floor near the pool. Kids can hang out on the bottom floor and you don't have to hear them being so loud. Vacation rentals also have the sleeping plans for kids down! Large homes usually have 1 to 3 bedrooms with multiple bunk beds or pyramid beds perfect for sleeping multiple kids per room!
Relaxation
After a week of sharing a room with your kids, you may not feel as relaxed as you hoped by the end of your vacation. Kick back, relax, and let us help you find the perfect place to stay on the Outer Banks.