Planning a family reunion can be both exciting and overwhelming, especially when it comes to finding the perfect accommodation for your multi-generational group. With thousands of listings available across a variety of platforms, choosing the right vacation rental for your family requires strategic planning.
Family reunion vacation rentals offer numerous advantages over traditional hotels, including more space, privacy, shared common areas, and often better value for larger groups. However, with so many options available, how do you navigate the endless listings to find that perfect home away from home?
We will walk you through everything you need to know about selecting the ideal vacation rental for your family reunion, ensuring your multi-generational trip creates lasting memories for all the right reasons.
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Why Choose Vacation Rentals for Family Reunions?
Before diving into the selection process, it’s important to understand why vacation rentals are increasingly becoming the preferred choice for a family trip over traditional hotel accommodations.
Space and Privacy: Unlike hotel rooms, vacation rentals provide ample space for large groups to spread out, relax, and enjoy each other’s company without feeling confined. Multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, and common areas ensure everyone has their own space when needed.
Cost-Effectiveness: When you factor in the total cost of multiple hotel rooms, vacation homes often provide better value, especially for longer stays. Plus, having a full-size kitchen eliminates the need for expensive restaurant meals.
Home-Like Amenities: From full kitchens to laundry facilities, the perfect rental offers the convenience of home, making longer stays more comfortable and practical for families with varying needs.
Flexibility: Vacation rentals provide the freedom to set your own schedule, cook meals together, and create an intimate family hangout experience without the limitations found in hotels.
1. Start with Space: Find a Vacation Rental That Accommodates Everyone Comfortably
A successful family reunion begins with finding adequate space for all attendees. When evaluating potential rentals, space considerations extend beyond adequate bedrooms and bathrooms.
Bedroom and Sleeping Arrangements
Start with a detailed list of your group’s sleeping requirements. Consider different family units, children’s ages, couples, and individuals who may need separate accommodations. Look for properties that offer:
- Adequate beds for each family unit or couple – no one needs to sleep on the floor
- Flexible sleeping options such as sofa beds, Murphy beds, or convertible spaces
- Age-appropriate sleeping arrangements for children and elderly family members
- Privacy considerations for different generations – don’t put the people who want to sleep in near the kitchen, since that’s usually where everyone hangs out in the morning
Use the advanced filters on vacation rental sites to specify your exact bedroom and bed requirements. Many platforms allow you to filter by bed types, including king beds, queen beds, twin beds, and bunk beds, which can be particularly useful for families with children. Be sure to check occupancy rates because you don’t want to run into trouble with the rental owner or property management company.
2. Check the ratings (we like to keep it at 4.8 and above)
Depending on the search engine, it may not be possible to see the guest ratings in order. However, it is easy to see the rating for each property and the number of reviews. This is a great way to narrow down the places you are considering, as the statistics are there at a glance.
We recommend using an average rating of 4.8 as a guide when looking at vacation rentals for a multi-gen trip. The ratings are on a scale of 1 to 5, left by former guests.
Guests rate the overall experience, cleanliness, listing accuracy, value for money, communication from the host, the check-in process, location and amenities. If guests have provided a good rating, it means this group accommodation and host will provide you with a pleasant stay.
3. Look for Superhosts or Premier Hosts
Airbnb Superhosts are hosts who have at least a 4.8 rating, with over 10 stays within a year (or over 300 nights over 3 stays). They also have a <1% cancellation rate and they respond to 90% of messages within 24 hours. This ensures that you not only get a great property, but your host and the hospitality you receive will be fantastic too.
Those looking for unique vacation rentals should consider Airbnb Plus. These outstanding accommodations are selected based on quality and design. They could be at the foot of a mountain, on the shore of a lake, or in the middle of a city. They are inspected in-person by Airbnb to ensure the quality is second to none.
Another bonus of picking an Airbnb Plus property is the added service you receive from Airbnb themselves. Their Airbnb Plus customer support team work with you and the host to ensure your stay is unforgettable.
VRBO offers a similar service with their Premier Hosts. Premier Hosts consistently provide great experiences for their guests. When you see Premier Host on a property, you can feel more confident about the property description, photos, and amenities.
4. Read the vacation rental reviews
Ratings are great for when you are searching for potential properties. But when one catches your eye, head straight to the reviews to find out more. Reviews aren’t just great for finding out more about the experience of staying at the property. They usually reveal little pieces of information that may not feature in the listing.
You can find out things like helpful advice the host gave the guest or advice the former guest would like to give you. You can also find out the specifics of any shortfalls the property or service may have. Sometimes it includes the distance to local towns or convenience to attractions. A map search can provide you with the same information.
5. Location
Another important factor to take into consideration when booking vacations for a large family group, is the location of the property. When searching for properties, it is possible to narrow down the country, town, city or a specific area on their map. If you know exactly where you want to stay, you can narrow it down a neighborhood.
When looking at a property on the site, the map features public transport stations as well as location. This is a great feature if you don’t plan on driving, and you want great transportation options.
6. Amenities and facilities
When it comes to amenities and facilities, make sure to check the options listed in the filters. Next, put a wishlist together so you can easily find the best property for a large group.
The list of filters on most vacation rental sites are fairly extensive and incredibly important. If you need parking, AC, a fireplace or a pool, select these filters. If you have small children, you’ll need to remember things like diapers, toys and wipes. These take up more space!
Use the filter function to select things like a high chair, an iron or a washing machine. All of these things will help you pack less, and make your trip more comfortable. You can even narrow your search down to places that have a fireplace, a hot tub and gym!
7. Accessibility
Filters are segmented into entering the property, getting around it, bedrooms, bathrooms, common areas, and parking. If you have specific requirements, you can make sure the property caters for you. There are several types of filters you can use, so you don’t have to route through the listings.
Vacation rental options for large families
If you are unable to find a property that works on Airbnb, consider searching their competitors. Our favorites include: VRBO and Plum Guide. Here’s the difference between them:
- Airbnb vs VRBO – Airbnb allows visitors to rent rooms within homes/condos, VRBO only allows for rentals of the house/villa, etc.
- Airbnb also allows the ability to book Airbnb experiences on their site (tours with locals). VRBO does not.
- Airbnb charges a 5 to 15 percent service fee on the reservation subtotal, VRBO fees are usually between 6 and 12 percent. CLICK HERE TO FIND YOUR VRBO PROPERTY! Or check out our favorite vacation rentals for large families in the US.
- Airbnb vs Booking – Booking.com offers a large variety of properties including hotels. Obviously, Airbnb does not. Staying at Airbnb properties carry a certain amount of risk (cleanliness, location, etc.), and Booking.com properties may not be centrally located. Do your due diligence on Booking.com. The nice thing is that many properties on Booking don’t charge a fee until your stay. CLICK HERE TO SEARCH ON BOOKING.COM!