Last year my family decided to take a short break from the routine and get away to a nice retreat. We agreed upon the place, the duration and the sight seeing that we would include in our trip. When it came to booking a hotel, we had plenty of options. However they all dried up when we learned that they were way out of our budget. Putting up our parents, ourselves and our extended families in a hotel required separate rooms for each group and this meant shelling out all our cash on the stay itself. What a non-starter!<br><br>One of us then logged on to the internet and came upon a vacation rental home. The idea sounded a little bizarre, after all we wanted to get away from all the chores and the familiar atmosphere to a nice, different one where we were served and everything was taken care of. A little time later, after we were left with no other options, we dug deeper into this concept and were presently surprised to learn that the prices were remarkably affordable and there were a lot of advantages and benefits of choosing a vacation rental over the tried and tested hotel room.<br><br>The vacation rental home was located amidst lovely surroundings. The home ensured that we all stayed under the same roof close to each other and still had enough space to breathe. A big lawn outside meant evenings spent playing games and spending time with the family. We managed to save a huge sum of money on the laundry since the home was equipped with a washer. This also meant that we needed to carry fewer clothes and pay lesser for our baggage while flying.<br><br>An issue that always came up on our earlier trips was leaving behind our dog at the kennel and not being sure how it was taken care of. The vacation rental allowed us to bring along our pet. The hotels that we frequently stayed at never allowed us this benefit. Something that we always missed on our hotel stays was being able to prepare our own meals.<br><br>The vacation rental home came with a kitchen that was fully equipped and with the first meal prepared by us; we were enjoying the comfort like it was our own place. From quick fixes to elaborate dinners, we made it all work and the entire family sat around the table having a wonderful time together.<br><br>The time came when we had to leave our rental home and it was not easy to do so. The family had reunited wonderfully, we had cooked together, we had had our meals together, though we went out separately to explore the region, evenings were spent together sharing memories and a good time.<br><br>We not only saved significantly thanks to all the facilities provided, we also enjoyed ourselves far better than if we had stayed at a hotel. The vacation rental home is ideal for large families or a group of friends but can be equally joyful for others.