Group of 10 or more? Get the whole family together at a large cottage rental! We have sorted through our properties and created a list of our biggest, family-friendly properties!
As you get together with family over the holiday season, start making your summer plans.
Here is a list of Our Top 7 Questions to Ask Your Family When Planning a Large Cottage Rental Getaway:
1. Where do you want to go?
Getting on the same page in terms of location is essential. Do you need to be close to a town for quick shopping runs or a quick fast food fix, or is a more remote location acceptable to all? How far are your group willing to drive if they are coming from different places. What might be manageable as a 2 hour run from the city might be a real trek for the family a 5 hour drive away.
2. What dates work for everyone?
This is always a tough one. Everyone has different work schedules and trying to co-ordinate a dozen or more family members so that a particular vacation week works for everyone is a challenge. You can’t book anything until you are all decided on the dates, and need to ensure that once you’ve reserved accommodation, no-one backs out because the timing isn’t right.
Fortunately, there’s a platform that allows you to create a poll so that everyone can input their preferred dates in one spot. Doodle Poll is free for 14 days which should allow enough time to make a decision on the dates.
3. How much is everyone willing to spend?
That $8,000 a week cottage looks like it will be perfect to house everyone, and even seem reasonable to split 4 ways, if you are OK with spending $2K on your vacation accommodation, but if one of the families can only afford $1500, it makes it untenable.
Start out by establishing the maximum each family is willing to spend and work within the budget. Don’t even look at the places that are outside that number because that builds in a stress factor for those on a lower max figure. While one family may be willing to pony up a bit more and take the best rooms, it creates friction.
4. How will the cost be shared?
A large property shared amongst a group can be very economical and you need to work out how the cost will be allocated. Should a couple without children pay the same as a family of 5? It depends on how the accommodation is being shared. If the property has 6 bedrooms and one of them will be used to accommodate kids from two families, that might make up a different cost-share than if the kids will bunk in with their parents.
Get this sorted out from the start as it will stem any arguments that may break out later. Once dates are in place, have a family meeting and discuss.
5. Who gets the primary bedroom?
Well, this is a fun one and is worthy of a blog post in itself! Most properties have one primary bedroom that has an ensuite bathroom, although in some upscale cottages there may be a second suite. Don’t leave it too late to decide who is getting what bedroom. In fact the decision of who sleeps where needs to be taken long before you arrive and if your chosen cottage has a 3D video where you can do a ‘walkthrough’, make sure everyone gets to see it and then have the discussion.
You may decide that the vacation organizer gets the pick of the bedrooms which is a small reward for having the task of making this a great vacation. Also, consider family dynamics. Where babies and small children are sharing their parents’ bedroom they may need to be assigned a larger room so the bedroom configuration plays a big part too.
6. Are there pets or additional people involved?
Don’t make the assumption that any pets will automatically be boarded, so if you need to find a pet-friendly property, establish that before your search begins.In addition check with all the group members whether they are expecting to invite day or overnight guests at any time during the stay. Whatever size of cottage you choose, there will be a maximum occupancy, often determined by number of adults + children. If one of the families in attendance expects to have some additional kids, or friends stop by, even for a short time, it’s important you know this to ensure it will be OK with the owner or manager.
7. What additional amenities will be required?
You do not want to arrive on vacation to find your brother-in-law needed unlimited wifi in order to do some work, and your property is in a limited Wifi zone. Or another family member assumed there would be air conditioning and makes life miserable for everyone else.
Collect as much information on what is important to each group member. Use the free version of Survey Monkey and create your own survey that covers all the things that would make a vacation perfect. Explain that a property might not be able to meet everyone’s detailed expectations so allow them to choose one ‘must have’ amenity which would be a deal-breaker if they were planning. This will give you a better idea of what amenities you need to look for in the accommodation.
We have properties able to accommodate up to 29 guests (including children/babies)! So, whether three generations want to get together, you’re planning a family reunion, two or more families wish to vacation together, or you simply have a big family, check out our list of large family-friendly cottages and start planning your summer of memories!
There are so many benefits to booking large properties for a big family vacation.
Here are our Top 3 Benefits to Big Family Vacations at Large Properties:
1. Believe it or not, you will likely save money!
If 3 families typically spend $2000/wk for a standard single-family cottage, you can get a cottage for up to $6000. However, the majority of cottages that can sleep 9-12 won’t be that much, so you will likely get away with spending $1200-1700/family.
2. Save time in the kitchen
Coordinate meals ahead of time so that each person/couple is responsible for specific meals/appetizers/desserts/snacks/etc. Although your family may eat 3-5 times a day, you’ll likely only need to prepare one or two of those meals! Win, win! You can also do this with dishes and post-meal clean-ups so that one person doesn’t feel like their spending their vacation cleaning up after everyone.
3. There’s always a quiet spot and on the flip-side, always someone to play a game with!
The majority of large properties have two or more separate living areas, so if you want some quiet time to read a book or watch a movie, while the rest of your family is having a pool tournament, there is a quiet spot to getaway! While for those needing endless hours of entertainment, there’s always another member in the family around to play a game of cards or horseshoes!
So, get the whole family together at a large cottage rental with CLRM this summer!
