Source:
flipkey.com ~ by Lee Foster
I don’t know about you, but Thanksgiving sneaks up on me before I
even have the Halloween decorations put away. Suddenly everyone is
talking about food, the cost of airline reservations and who is going
where for dinner. Since I live in the city, work full time and am not a
good cook, I have found the perfect solution for Thanksgiving...
Rent a house in some great vacation place that is driving distance from home. In my case, the
Outer Banks
is a perfect. There are hundreds of great houses for rent and North
Carolina has been known to have a seventy-degree warm spell over the
Thanksgiving holiday.
For the more adventurous, find a place to reach by ferry:
Bald Head Island,
Nantucket, Oxford or Sausalito are great choices. Having a vacation
rental house in a magical place makes even the shorter holiday seem long
and the memories more lasting. When we travel for Thanksgiving, we take
along our traditional Thanksgiving accoutrements - special serving
dishes, placemats and napkins, holiday sweaters, family recipes and, of
course, a football.
In David Letterman style, I offer you my Top Ten reasons to rent a
vacation house for the Thanksgiving holiday. Counting down, reason
number:
10. There is Room for the Extended Family
There are lots of large houses available for rent and splitting the
cost between the guests makes them a better deal than a hotel – plus, a
hotel doesn’t offer common space for charades or pillow fights – not to
mention everyone cooking their favorite food and dining as a family.
9. Houses with Fireplaces & Mountain, Lake or Ocean Views
I live in the city, and my view is lovely, but not exactly
expansive - my neighbor’s roof is eight feet away. So I love having a
broad expanse of nature outside my window. I find it very relaxing - a
prime goal for my holiday. I do have a fireplace at home, but it
involves carrying in the wood, getting kindling started and leaving the
front door open to create the right draft for the flue. Turning on a
gas fireplace and watching the ocean sounds better to me.
8. Great Outside Activities at your Door
For some of us, Thanksgiving is the last gasp of outdoor activity
before clothes involving down are required. Hiking, kayaking, walking
on the beach and the traditional family football game all lure me
outside. Shopping in small villages at the beginning of the Christmas
season is also a treat.
7. A real Bed for Everyone- No Air Mattresses
Notwithstanding the improvement in air mattresses, they do not
compare with sleeping on a real bed. This perk also prevents a post
holiday trip to the chiropractor.
6. Multiple Televisions for Football Games & the Macy’s Parade.
Our family starts Thanksgiving Day with the Macy’s parade no matter
how many times we have seen the giant Snoopy and the Texas marching
bands. Having it on multiple screens is great. When the football games
start there will be no arguments over which ones to watch. They can all
be on, usually with large screen viewing. (This is time for non-fans to
participate in #8.)
5. Personal Chefs Available
OK, its not traditional, but it is possible. The property manager of
your house can let you know how to contact someone to do the cooking for
you. For those of you who find cooking to be the fun part of
Thanksgiving, some houses have huge kitchens that let everyone cook,
talk and drink in the same space. I have seen some kitchens on the
Outer Banks that could be their own vacation.
4. No one has to clean his or her house for company
No one knows that the towels are not clean and the beds are not
perfectly made at your house, because – no one is coming to your house!
Think of the hours saved and the “clean up your room” arguments avoided.
3. Off-Peak Pricing
If you have only rented a house “in season,” then you will be
astonished at how reasonable off-season rates can be at Thanksgiving.
The savings can be as much as 50% for the off-peak pricing. Some houses
even have additional discounts for Thanksgiving week.
2. Everyone is a Guest
Being the host can be an exhausting honor. Even when everyone shares
the cooking they don’t share cleaning the house and preparing for a
group sleep over. When you rent a house, everyone is a guest and no one
person will be in charge of making beds, putting out towels, setting
the table or cleaning up.
1. Maid Service when You Leave
How great is not cleaning up! You just drive off at the end of the holiday. I don’t even need the other nine reasons!
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