Need help finding a vacation home for next year
July 28, 2009 8:15 AM
Family vacation suggestions, please. Looking for great place to get bicoastal family units together in middle of U.S. Lake/ocean with beach. Rental house. Close to major airport.
Every summer, family units from California and Massachusetts get together on Lake Michigan near Benton Harbor, MI. It's a wonderful time, with everyone (1 set of grandparents, 2 sets of parents with total of 4 young girls) in one house. We can walk down a staircase to a nice beach with not many people around. The lake is calm most of the time and almost warm enough for extended water play. The biggest drawback, at least for the parents traveling with kids, is getting there. Its really expensive to fly & rent cars. We fly to Chicago, rent cars and drive 2+ hours to get there. If we don't rent cars, there are less-desirable bus and train options which are not very convenient. It can be a pain with kids and associated stuff.
So for next summer, the parents are proposing a new location. Grandparents say, okay, you find it, we'll talk. Here's what we're looking for:
-Somewhere close to major airport (within 1 hour) (but not chicago if possible.)
-Beach access
-Warm water (freshwater preferred but not required)
-Large houses for rent on the water (4 bedroom minimum)
-Other nearby attractions for variety and/or rainy days
Every summer, family units from California and Massachusetts get together on Lake Michigan near Benton Harbor, MI. It's a wonderful time, with everyone (1 set of grandparents, 2 sets of parents with total of 4 young girls) in one house. We can walk down a staircase to a nice beach with not many people around. The lake is calm most of the time and almost warm enough for extended water play. The biggest drawback, at least for the parents traveling with kids, is getting there. Its really expensive to fly & rent cars. We fly to Chicago, rent cars and drive 2+ hours to get there. If we don't rent cars, there are less-desirable bus and train options which are not very convenient. It can be a pain with kids and associated stuff.
So for next summer, the parents are proposing a new location. Grandparents say, okay, you find it, we'll talk. Here's what we're looking for:
-Somewhere close to major airport (within 1 hour) (but not chicago if possible.)
-Beach access
-Warm water (freshwater preferred but not required)
-Large houses for rent on the water (4 bedroom minimum)
-Other nearby attractions for variety and/or rainy days
If you're willing to consider Canada, I grew up on the shores of Rice Lake, and it is beautiful.
About an hour from Toronto (a little more from Pearson Airport, since Rice Lake is East and the airport is west). With the added bonus that Toronto is a fantastic city to visit if you want to spend a little time doing something urban.
Index of Rice Lake Rentals
posted by 256 at 8:23 AM on July 28, 2009
About an hour from Toronto (a little more from Pearson Airport, since Rice Lake is East and the airport is west). With the added bonus that Toronto is a fantastic city to visit if you want to spend a little time doing something urban.
Index of Rice Lake Rentals
posted by 256 at 8:23 AM on July 28, 2009
Door County, Wisconsin , which is the peninsula that juts into Lake Michigan and creates Green Bay, might fill the bill. It's about an hour from the Green Bay Airport. In addition to water-based recreation, there's endless hiking trails, cultural activities and quaint towns with good ice cream shops. In addition to such sources as VRBO, there are businesses that specialize in renting waterfront homes to visitors.
posted by carmicha at 9:08 AM on July 28, 2009
posted by carmicha at 9:08 AM on July 28, 2009
Traverse City has its own airport, and the scenery up there is gorgeous (more so than the Benton Harbor area, IMHO); there's plenty of summer homes and cottages up there, and I don't doubt that you could rent a cottage there for a week or two. You'd still have to rent cars, but truth be told I'm having trouble figuring out how you could get a widely dispersed group of people together in a picturesque, non-urban locale without both flying and driving.
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:22 AM on July 28, 2009
posted by Johnny Assay at 9:22 AM on July 28, 2009
If you would like something completely different, fly to New Orleans (cheap on Southwest), see the city, and drive about 2 hours east to Gulf Shores or Orange Beach, Alabama. Large houses directly on beach, beautiful beaches, lots of restaurants, nice area. Or houses on freshwater lakes in the area also.
posted by ehoenig77 at 9:52 AM on July 28, 2009
posted by ehoenig77 at 9:52 AM on July 28, 2009
How about somewhere in MN? My favorite place there is Grand Marais, which would be too far. But there are many, many lakes and cabins (many of which are really actually houses) within an hour or so of MSP.
posted by lunasol at 12:39 PM on July 28, 2009
posted by lunasol at 12:39 PM on July 28, 2009
My family held a reunion at Lake Tahoe in summer 2002. We didn't rent waterfront property but I'm sure you could find something (depending on your budget).
posted by shiny blue object at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2009
posted by shiny blue object at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2009
My family has a 80 year old beach house on a bay near Gulf Shores, Alabama. It has 4 bedrooms, sleeps at least 10, has a great kitchen/dining/living area, and is 45 minutes from Pensacola and 75 minutes from Mobile airports. The bay water is quite warm, there are canoes and kayaks, and the Gulf beaches are 45 minutes away. It is in a rural, residential area, no hotels or condos. The closest food or gas is 10 miles away.
Rental is about $2,000 a week. Memail me if you want additional info.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 2:30 PM on July 28, 2009
Rental is about $2,000 a week. Memail me if you want additional info.
posted by Midnight Skulker at 2:30 PM on July 28, 2009
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Our family of 10 (aunt, uncle, cousins, grandparents, and my family) would rent a cabin, which is right on the golf course. The main lodge is easily bikeable for the pool and restaurant, and a number of trails and the lake itself are bikeable for recreation.
Only warnings: mayflies, mosquitos, and zebra mussels. The mayflies may not be a problem, since we always went in late June which seems to be their season, and mosquitos vary depending on how humid it is. The zebra mussels make some parts of the beaches hard to walk on without shoes.
posted by olinerd at 8:22 AM on July 28, 2009