The Awesomeness of Vacation Rentals

I love a good vacation rental. They offer so much more than a hotel ever could, all with one rate. This past weekend we spent in Vegas. It was just our luck that they had the hottest temps in 100 years, but you can never know what's going to happen when you plan your trips ahead of time. At least we flew back home before they cancelled many flights out of the airport due to the heat wave. If we found it too hot to go out, we could easily have holed up in our rental. It had everything we needed and then some.

The property was right across the street from some restaurants, it had a small market on-site and they had a shuttle bus that ran to the grocery store for guests to stock up their kitchens. As you can see, we had a large bedroom, washer and dryer, a nice dining area and a good size kitchen. not only that, but we had a huge balcony overlooking the pool, with more than enough seating and a grill. If we wanted to grill more than our little BBQ could handle, there were shared grills downstairs in the common area. In fact, other guests were down there making some racks of ribs.

We had a perfect view of the lazy river on the property. Nearby was also a play area for kids and a play area for adults - a game room with pool, ping pong, an arcade, a lounge and movie rentals. The resort had a spa where you could get a massage and also a gym (which I didn't get to). 

I was pretty impressed with all the amenities on the property. The market itself contained almost anything you could want. In fact, it was the only place I was able to find running shorts, which I had somehow left at home. I don't run, but I do use them to both sleep in and as a swimsuit bottom. Now I have an extra pair to keep in my carry-on. The market sold bathing suits, board shorts, cover-ups, Las Vegas souvenirs, every grocery staple you could need, sunscreen, essential toiletries and a coffee shop that sold Starbucks coffee drinks. 

A vacation rental is one of the best choices for families or groups, because they offer so much and give you a ton of room to spread out in. It's like having a house at your destination. You have everything you need at your disposal and can save a ton of money by using your kitchen, entertainment and washer/dryer. When you can do your own laundry, you don't have to take much clothing, meaning it's so much easier to pack light and avoid baggage fees. We packed everything for our weekend in one large carry-on, but we could have packed just a few more things and been good for a whole week or two. More on what we did in Vegas later.

Where to find vacation rentals: Airbnb | FlipKey | VRBO | RedWeek | HomeAway

What are your favorite parts of a vacation rental?