Photo Credit: Miss claeson
When it comes to winter lodging for your vacation or weekend getaway, what comes to mind? These are things you need to think about before you plan your next trip. Instead of automatically opting for a high-priced hotel or ski resort, why not explore the many different choices available through vacation rentals? There’s a wide variety of accommodations available at all the major U. S. and North American winter destinations, including condo-hotels – offering the best of hotel and condo amenities and services, ski-in and ski-out chalets, and spacious private homes.
Consider the following before you decide on your winter lodging. These are things you can’t – or shouldn’t – do without.
- Space – How much room do you and your family need in your winter lodging? Why cram everyone into 1 or 2 pricey hotel or resort rooms when you can have plenty of space in a vacation rental? In many cases, you’ll spend either less or about the same amount of money, but the upside is that you’ll have adequate room to sleep, relax and enjoy your winter vacation so much more.
- Privacy – No need for constant traipsing up and down the halls by other vacation travelers when you book a vacation rental. You’ll feel more relaxed knowing that the accommodations you choose have private entrances, or more exclusive and restrictive entrance and egress, and that you won’t be sharing public spaces with countless other families.
- Accessibility – How close do you need to be to the ski lifts or other winter recreation? Check out the many ski-in and ski-out rental accommodations available and gauge whether or not you even need to rent a vehicle during your stay. Numerous winter resort towns have free shuttles that can take you to/from lifts, as well as major attractions nearby.
In addition, a little pre-planning on your part can really make a difference during your winter getaway. Save time and money with these tips:
- Packages – Some vacation rental sites even offer discounts on lift tickets and/or package deals. Check for early reservation specials as well.
- Book Flights and Accommodations Early – Everyone knows you have to pay top dollar for booking at the last minute – if flights and accommodations are even available. And, your choices will be extremely limited if you procrastinate. For the most popular winter activity destinations during holiday season, it’s wise to get your selection nailed down well ahead of crunch time. For some hot resort properties, this means booking up to a year in advance. And, for flights, be careful of connecting flights to out-of-the-way locations, as these can be pricey.
- Buy Stuff in Advance – Here’s a no-brainer, but it’s a tip that many families fail to take advantage of. You can purchase groceries and supplies in advance of your trip and have them delivered to your rental accommodations to be on hand when you arrive. This is particularly helpful when you arrive late at night and need to have breakfast fixings available for your hungry family the next morning. Beyond food, book daycare and babysitting services before you arrive, schedule ski/snowboard lessons for the kids and after-ski or other recreational activities. This saves precious time when you’re at your destination – time you can better spend being with your family and enjoying all the winter paradise has to offer.
- Book Dinner Reservations – Especially during peak holiday seasons, if you want to eat a 6 p.m. dinner with your kids, better book reservations before you leave home. If you want to get the lay of the land before you make a commitment, your hotel, resort or condo concierge can help you snag reservations while you’re there.
- Plan Trips with Other Families – Kids love to have their friends along, so why not plan a trip in conjunction with other families? Another benefit of traveling with, or meeting friends at the winter destination is that kids will have mates around during ski or snowboard lessons. It always helps to have a friend with you when you’re with someone you don’t know, like an instructor. Plus, they’ll probably get a lot more out of the instruction and the recreation.
- Pre-book Multiple Day Lessons – Speaking of ski and/or snowboard lessons, instead of having to register and pay for these each day you’re there, why not book a multi-day package of lessons before you leave home? You can probably get a discount for doing so and you’ll save precious time during your time away.
- Use Free Restaurant Delivery – After a day of hard skiing, snowboarding, snow tubing, ice skating, dog sledding, snowshoeing or other winter recreation, sometimes the last thing you want to do is cook – even if you have all the room in the world in your vacation rental. Take advantage of the free restaurant delivery offered and just relax and wait for your meal to arrive.
Where’s the best winter lodging? Well, that depends on the requirements that you and your family have for your winter getaway. Choose areas that specialize in the types of winter recreational activities you all want to do and check into winter lodging in those locations. Weigh and balance travel time, special package deals, discounted lift tickets, rentals or lessons, other travel attractions and things to do après ski. Major ski resort areas in all regions of the country offer plenty of variety, but some are better for downhill skiing, for example, than others. For family getaways, be sure the location has lots of activities designed especially for children. Above all, get it in gear and check out winter lodging now.
