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Home Vacation recommendations needed!

lizzyann

lizzyann

Ideal_Rock
Joined
Dec 23, 2009
Messages
2,435
Hi PS peeps!
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I need your help. I am looking to possibly rent a house for a week this summer and have myself, DH, DS, and my parents come and stay together. My parents have a dog which I know they would want to bring so I would need a pet friendly house. But anyways, LOCATION LOCATION LOCATION. I''m not sure where to look. I live in Western Massachusetts. I don''t want to fly, I''d prefer to drive. But not too far. I would like to be on a beach or in walking distance of a beach, near plenty of restaurants and shopping as well. Here are some locations I have thought of -

Bar Harbor, ME
Kennebunkport, ME
Virginia Beach
Outer Banks, NC
My family ALWAYS goes to Cape Cod (West yarmouth area) and I would like to try something new, so Cape Cod (or at least that area of the Cape is a no)

Let me know what you think of my choices and add some if you have some recommendations. I''d prefer to go somewhere that someone has stayed and loved! So please send your recommendations. OB, NC might be my first choice right now and they have many pet friendly homes available to rent, but I don''t know which beach or location there is the best to stay. ADVICE NEEDED!
 
I''m from New England too, and I LOVE the Maine coast. Kennebunkport is a great town, and I''ve heard so many good things about Bar Harbor (although I haven''t been to BH since I was really little). If you''re looking to stay fairly close to home, I''m sure you''d have a really fun time in either of those places. If you''re looking to get out of New England though, I like the idea of the Outer Banks. I don''t know if any of these places would be considered less touristy than others, and I''m not sure if that''s a factor for you.
 
I''ve rented a house for our family to stay in (parents, sisters, nieces and nephews) both here in New England and down in the Carolinas. While I love living here, for a vacation I preferred the trip down south.

When everybody came to stay here in New England I felt like I was the host. I planned everything: dinners at restauarants that I liked, trips down to Plymouth and the Cape & Islands...and it was for my wedding, so I planned that, too. I was definitely considered the "go to" person since New England was my territory.

Also, as you know, even in the summer the water here is cold so the kids only played in the ocean for short periods of time.

Still, we loved it, so we planned another family get-together down south last year. We chose Isle of Palms, SC because I heard it wasn''t very crowded and it''s very close to Charleston (being close to a downtown location was something I wanted).

I loved Isle of Palms because it was laid back, not overly crowded, I absolutely loved the food around Charleston and there was TONS to do for kids and adults. It felt much more like a vacation for me because it wasn''t somewhere I could go for a weekend, you know?

The water was super warm and the kids played on the beach all day long. I really enjoyed the drive from Boston to SC (DH and I love road trips). Also the beaches on Isle of Palms are dog friendly year-round (an absolute must for me) which is virtually impossible to find here in New England. Kennebunkport is probably one of the more dog-friendly beaches in New Engaldn and you still can''t take your dog on the beach during the day.

If I were you, I''d head south. I absolutely love Bar Harbor and Kennebunkport, but I go to those places pretty much every summer because they''re close. I''d take advantage of the week you have and take the little road trip!
 
I live in Virginia Beach....Don't come here--it's boring....lol!
 
Date: 5/25/2010 11:27:22 PM
Author: taovandel
I live in Virginia Beach....Don''t come here--it''s boring....lol!
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But Sandbridge is beautiful! I love it there!
 
This is a pet-friendly vacation rental company, I believe all the cabins are on Tybee Island, GA, which is very near Savannah. I bookmarked it earlier this year as a vacation possibility for us. Its been a few years since I have been there, and we stayed in Savannah, but enjoyed Tybee when we visited. Savannah is fantastic, wonderful to visit (and eat! The Lady and Sons is there, Paula Deen''s restaurant--really worth trying to get in). Good luck deciding on a place!

Mermaid Cottages
 
I vote for the OBX (Outer Banks). I have been going there since I was a child, and I just love the simplicity and beauty of it. There are definitley more touristy places than other, such as Kitty Hawk, but if you stay in Duck or Corolla, it has some great local charm to it. There are some awesome houses there that can house up to 20 people. There are also dog approved houses, just check the listing.

Personally, I would recommend Duck, as it is closer to the main highway acccess and it has a great group of local little shops and such. It also has a couple local bars and nice restaurants, if you want to go out at night. While a lot of the houses have already been reserved for key weeks in the summer, the ones that have a free week here or there now have some nice discounts. Check out the following links for rental houses:

www.southernshores.com

www.twiddy.com

www.resortrealty.com

Let me know if you have any questions about particular areas, and I will try to answer them for you
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The Outerbanks are lovely. However, depending where you are in Western Mass, they are going to be a 10+ hour drive for you, and with summer traffic it could easily be upwards of 12 hours. That is a lot of time in a car with a baby. But if that doesn''t turn you off, it''s a great place for a family vacation.
 
Thanks for all your comments. Right now I am torn between Kennebunkport or Outerbanks, NC.

If I go to OBX, the drive is going go be long as Novbride mentioned. I would easily be able to find a pet friendly house there too so my parents can bring their dog. However, if we go to Kennebunkport, it will be a shorter drive, but no house. Probably a hotel on or near the beach. Has anyone stayed in a great hotel at Kennebunkport? I''d like to be close to the beach and near restaurants and shops. I am all about food, beach, and shopping. I know Kennebunkport has outlets too which is fun!

DCgator, a friend of mine also recommend Duck and Southern Shores. I like that you mentioned that Duck is near restaurants and shops too!
 
North East Harbor ME is really nice. I went there as a kid.
 
Lizzy,

I know this wasn''t on your list, but have you considered the Jersey Shore? I am talking about the family-friendly beach towns in South Jersey - Avalon, Cape May, and Stone Harbor to name a few. The drive would be about half as long as the Outer Banks and you could easily rent a dog-friendly home. If you have never been there, these areas are NOTHING like the show the Jersey Shore on MTV. They are very upscale, family-friendly beach towns. You can rent everything from a multi-million dollar beach front home to a small home on the bay. They have great shops and restaurants.
 
I love the Colony Hotel in Kennebunkport! It''s a beautiful hotel right on the water. Also, there''s the Nonantum Resort, which is close by to the Colony. Both are very easily accessible to the shops and restaurants in downtown Kennebunkport.

Having said that...

I love NEL''s post, and I think I''d feel the same way she did (host) if out of state family came to visit. I like her point about getting away from familiar things and going on vacation to somewhere that''s new to you also. Plus, good point about the beaches in New England being kind of cold, even in the summer.

My husband and I went to Charleston, SC, a few months ago, and we drove around the Isle of Palms. That whole area in general is great and definitely worth checking out sometime.

I know this isn''t a place you''ve mentioned, but have you thought about the Florida Keys? I''m assuming it would be really, really hot in the summer, but at least the water will be nice (and everything must be air-conditioned, right?). We went to Key West for a week 1.5 years ago, and we highly recommend it for a laid-back get-away. I''ve never been to the other keys, but I''ve heard they all have something to offer.
 
Wow, thanks everyone for your recommendations. There has been a slight change as my parents are not going to be able to come with us for vacation. So we are going to plan on going to OBX, NC next year. I found some great houses already that are on the beach, pet friendly, and at a great cost. I might even do late June as it should still be very warm there and not as busy.

Myself, my hubby, and one year old still want to do a summer vaca though. I don''t think I will bother renting a house as it will be just the three of us. I also won''t have to worry about finding any pet friendly location which is nice.

Zoe, I think we are going to go to Kennebunkport for 3 nights. It''s not too far and I haven''t been there since I was a kid and my hubby has never been there. I have done google searches for hotels there and the Colony and Nonantum resort have come up. The Breakwater inn and spa has also come up. I like that you said that the Colony is right on the water. Is it walking distance to the beach too? I want to make sure that it is kid friendly. The website for the Breakwater Inn looked a little over the top so I wasn''t sure if it is kid friendly. I would like a good sized, very clean room, that is in a good location. Let me know what you think.

If anyone else has stayed in Kennebunkport, please let me know your thoughts or recommendations on where to stay, what to do, etc!!!!

Oooh, how close are the outlets to Kennebunkport, maybe we''ll stop on the way home!!! I''m gonna go google those!
 
Lizzy, I think it would take you about 40-45 minutes to get from Kennebunkport to the Kittery outlets. It seems shorter than that to me though. That doesn''t seem like too much of a drive and shopping at the outlets is a fun thing to do. The only thing is that I wouldn''t necessarily say that you''ll find a bunch of huge discounts there. For some things, yes, but not everything. It''s still worth going though.

I have to run to work now, but I''ll check back in later and give you a few more of my thoughts about Kennebunkport.

And from what I remember, yes, you can walk from the Colony Hotel right on to the beach. Actually, I have a friend who got married there, and I''ll see if he has any suggestions too.

The Nonantum is also on the water, but I can''t remember if that area is more for boats than swimming.
 
I live in Virginia Beach too and I was going to say it''s probably not your best option as well! It''s not the nicest beach, the hotels are all old and run-down looking (don''t know about houses for rent, but along the main boardwalk, it''s all hotels), and there''s not much to do other than a cool aquarium.

I''ve been to the outer banks as well, and it''s much nicer and only a little farther away!
 
Thanks Sabine, interesting to hear about VB. I haven''t been there in years but I am glad to hear about it now then be dissappointed if I ended up going there.

Zoe, thanks so much. I checked out the Nonantum resort''s website and I really like it. It may be the one! Let me know what your friend says about it and the other ones as well. It would be nice if it was on a beach!! So much easier with a one year old!
 
Lizzy, I''m waiting for my friend to get back to me. I actually looked at the Nonantum for my wedding venue, so it was for a different purpose than what you''re looking at it for (if that horribly worded sentence made sense!). I can''t quite remember what the rooms looked like. From what I can remember though, the Nonantum has a more laid back vibe than the Colony. The Colony, again, from what I remember, has a somewhat more elegant feel. The brunch at the Colony is really yummy! I do remember that.
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I have stayed at the Colony, and the room we stayed in was a bit small but fine. I''d recommend going on Trip Advisor and seeing what people say about both hotels (and maybe others). It''s been a while since I''ve been to Kennebunkport, and there may be great places to stay that I don''t know about or haven''t thought of. I''ll let you know if I get more info.
 
I loved Maine - somewhere on the coast there would be fabulous!!
 
True, Sandbridge is nice (waaaay better than the oceanfront). Maybe heading there this weekend with the baby to take some pictures.

Virginia Beach is okay if you don''t mind driving some places....Busch Gardens is close by (45 minute drive pretty much), the Virginia Aquarium is fun and doesn''t involve a long drive at all and driving to see Colonial Williamsburg/Jamestown. It''s kinda the places around Virginia Beach that are fun. Downtown Norfolk for food and museums (catch a Tides Baseball Game---we suck but it''s fun!) is always a good time.

Threadjack...sorry!
(Sabine are you going to the Strawberry Festival this weekend? This would be your first year being able to, right?)
 
Date: 5/25/2010 8:06:36 PM
Author: NewEnglandLady
I''ve rented a house for our family to stay in (parents, sisters, nieces and nephews) both here in New England and down in the Carolinas. While I love living here, for a vacation I preferred the trip down south.

When everybody came to stay here in New England I felt like I was the host. I planned everything: dinners at restauarants that I liked, trips down to Plymouth and the Cape & Islands...and it was for my wedding, so I planned that, too. I was definitely considered the ''go to'' person since New England was my territory.

Also, as you know, even in the summer the water here is cold so the kids only played in the ocean for short periods of time.

Still, we loved it, so we planned another family get-together down south last year. We chose Isle of Palms, SC because I heard it wasn''t very crowded and it''s very close to Charleston (being close to a downtown location was something I wanted).

I loved Isle of Palms because it was laid back, not overly crowded, I absolutely loved the food around Charleston and there was TONS to do for kids and adults. It felt much more like a vacation for me because it wasn''t somewhere I could go for a weekend, you know?

The water was super warm and the kids played on the beach all day long. I really enjoyed the drive from Boston to SC (DH and I love road trips). Also the beaches on Isle of Palms are dog friendly year-round (an absolute must for me) which is virtually impossible to find here in New England. Kennebunkport is probably one of the more dog-friendly beaches in New Engaldn and you still can''t take your dog on the beach during the day.

If I were you, I''d head south. I absolutely love Bar Harbor and Kennebunkport, but I go to those places pretty much every summer because they''re close. I''d take advantage of the week you have and take the little road trip!
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Oooh! Ooooh! YES! I was just in Isle of Palms/Charleston last weekend and it was amazing! We stayed in Mt. Pleasant, which is halfway between Charleston and Isle of Palms, and it was perfect.

Of the choices you listed, I''d go with OBX. It''s gorgeous, very vacationer-friendly, and has a good mix of activities and relaxation.

But I still don''t think you can beat Charleston...
 
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