Renting a vacation home is, by far, one of my favorite things to do. I am an hour away from the beautiful beaches of Cape Cod and have stayed there many times. This summer, we were skipping the vacation home and headed north to the Canadian Rockies. Then COVID hit, and all our summer plans were canceled. We have all been home since March, and a much-needed change of scenery is in order. We rented a beach house in July for two weeks, and I can’t wait!
Over the last few years, I have learned a thing or two about what to look for in a beach house.
Here are seven things to look for when renting a beach house.
- Rent from a reputable source. The company should offer protection policies and guarantees. It should have updated photos on its site.
- Location, Location, Location. We prefer to be right on the ocean. If that was not feasible, we like to be at least within walking distance. Our rental this year is 1/10th of a mile from the beach, so not too bad. Another tip about location, stay close to town. It allows for easy access to restaurants, the grocery store, ice cream shops, and more. We can drive or choose to walk to these places.
- Prioritize your amenities. Do you plan on doing laundry while on vacation? If so, make sure the house has a washer and dryer. Do you plan on eating meals in or out? A fully stocked kitchen is vital, along with a nice grill for BBQing if you plan on eating at home. Does the house come with linens, beach toys, and beach chairs? If you are driving to your destination, it may not be a big deal to bring these items, but if you are flying, you want to make sure the house has these items. Does it have air conditioning? Some homes on the Cape do not have air conditioning. No air conditioning is a deal-breaker for me!
- Two words, NO CARPETS! It makes such a difference when the kids come traipsing through with wet, sandy feet. We prefer hardwood and tile floors in our rentals.
- Delegate the space ahead of time. This is particularly important when traveling with another family. A house may sleep 10, but 4 of those beds may be in one room. This may not work if you have a mix of older and younger kids or males and females. If the house has more than one bathroom (which I highly recommend by the way), assign each family their own bathroom.
- Outdoor shower. Keep as much sand out of the house!
- A shaded area outside to eat, sit, and relax. The sun can be brutal, so always nice to have a shady, cool spot waiting for you.
I hope these tips have given you some ideas of what to think of when renting your next beach house. If you have any of your own ideas, you would like to share, and please do. I would love to add them to my list. Happy vacationing!
