Beach house rentals at America’s top coastal resorts, such as friendly Virginia Beach, make planning and enjoying a small family reunion easy and fun.
If your family members are scattered between Portand, Maine and Portland, Oregon, as well as points in between, you may be planning a get-together at one convenient location to commemorate that special birthday or anniversary. Renting a house that will accommodate several generations under one roof is not only economical, it enables your extended family to spend time together and have privacy as well.
• Cape Cod, Massachusetts
• Galveston, Texas
• Newport Beach, California
• San Diego, California
• Sanibel/Captiva Islands, Florida
• Virginia Beach, Virginia
Tips for Planning Your House Rental
Once you’ve reviewed the “virtues” of each of my favorite destinations, discuss them with other family members, determine how convenient they will be for all parties, and decide whether you’re heading East or West. Then you can determine with other family members how many bedrooms and bathrooms everyone will need. (Most rental vacation homes have one or more sofabeds and roll-aways for extra kids.) Allow as much flexibility in your rental dates as possible.
Several real estate agents I interviewed for this story mentioned that since large rental homes (5-6 bedrooms) are rare, they are often booked far in advance. However, they also mentioned that many families register their homes for rental only after the January 1st deadline each year. That means you’ll have the most choices of rental homes if you call the recommended agents early in the year.
What’s Special to Do in Virginia Beach, Virginia
Virginia Beach and its environs offer a variety of historical, cultural and recreational activities. Although the very popular main resort area can be crowded, there are some more secluded spots which are perfect for families. They include the “North End” and the Sandbridge area (see list of realtors below) in the southern end of town.
In addition to the usual beach activities, Virginia Beach’s Back Bay National Wildlife Refuge and Seashore State Park provide opportunities to view acres of beach, marshland and woods on foot and bicycle trails. The nearby Ocean Breeze Water Park (757/422-4444) is small, and great for the little ones.
This resort is also very well suited to families who like to keep busy; there are world-class attractions for all ages within a few hours’ drive. Daytrips from Virginia Beach include Colonial Williamsburg (800/HISTORY or 757/229-1000), the Children’s Museum of Virginia in Portsmouth (757/393-5258) which is operating out of temporary quarters during its 2010 renovation, the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk (757/441-2374), the Virginia Living Museum, a popular science center appropriate for all ages (757/595-1900) and The Mariner’s Museum (757/596-2222 or 800/581-7245) both in Newport News, and the Virginia Air and Space Center, which may be of more interest to the older children, in the pretty old town of Hampton (757/727-0900).
Contacts & Trip Planning Resources
Super helpful tourism information is provided free of charge by the City of Virginia Beach Convention and Visitor’s Bureau at 800/VA-BEACH
Recommended Rental Agents:
Siebert Realty: 877/422-2200 or 757/426-6200
Sandbridge Beach Realty: 800/933-4800 or 757/426-6262
Atkinson Realty: 757/428-4441
Photo courtesy of Virginia Beach CVB
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I had the best family reunion ever with primo events beach homes in virginia Beach. They gave me a beautifyl resort house and provided family games which made it fun for everybody.
Dennis Carini
New Jersey