Vacation

[lovebugmama]

DH and I are looking to plan a vacation in August with our 3 kiddos. They are 6, 4 and 2. We are thinking of either Puerto Rico or Central America. Our ideal vacation would be a place on the beach. A cottage or house or something along those lines where we don't have to encounter frowning adult faces.

Does anybody have any experience going this route? We have never deviated from the resort/package type trip. We're not sure where the best place is or how to go about finding a nice, private, reputable place. Any and all input is greatly appreciated!

DH refuses to plan anything without hearing from you more experienced travelers.

Thank you Thank you!!!

[Caneel]

What is your budget?

We have twice rental houses/cottages on Provo in the Turks and Caicos Islands. It is easy to get to by air and there are tons of one the beach rentals. Food (even at the grocery store) is very expensive, which is a bit of a downside.

We also love the USVI but on the beach rentals are few and far between but there a lots of options within a short drive (like 10 minutes) and many houses have pools. A rental car would be a must.

What time of year are you thinking of travelling?

[lovebugmama]

Caneel, thanks for responding. We're hoping to find a cheap little bungalow type place - less than $1K per week. The only month that works for our schedule is August. I know it's going to be hot and hopefully we will avoid a hurricane. We definitely want a beachfront and not a rental car.

[Alison's Mom]

I've had some good luck with vrbo.com. It stands for vacation rental by owner, and is like Craig's List but for rental accommodations. I'm pretty sure the owners are not screened, so it's buyer beware. However, I've had good experiences with them - just be careful and check out cancellation policies, kid friendliness, and probably best to pay with your credit card so if the unit is grossly misrepresented, you have some sort of recourse.