Accommodations

In planning this trip, one of the biggest considerations was where we would stay. Camping was out of the question this time. On a previous trip, we had camped and found that we lost time in setting up/taking down the tent and campsite since we moved around every few days. There were opportunities to stay with friends/family here and there, but not in the areas where we really wanted to spend more time.

We learned about the option of renting vacation homes and explored two websites:

http://www.homeaway.com/ and http://www.vrbo.com/. There is a lot of overlap between the two sites, but there are many, many listings on each one. Once you plug in your dates and locations through the server, you are connected to many possiblities for vacation homes. From there, you communicate directly with the owner by email or phone.

Renting a vacation home made sense for us, especially in the areas we wanted to stay more than two nights (I believe there is a 3 night minimum, anyway). The homes we chose had kitchen and laundry, as well as a number of other ammenities. These are not your uncle's dusty hunting cabin with a spoon, saucepan and four shot glasses. The kitchens in both places (Great Smoky Mountains and here in Mt Airy, Maryland, where we have been all week) have been very well supplied and the homes have been very, very clean. There have been plenty of towels and bed linens. The nice thing about working with the owner is that you know what to expect and exactly what is or is not provided. We had searched for a vacation home near Williamsburg, but the only listing that would fit our family mentioned the possiblity of mice and unpotable water. No thanks. But we were glad they were forthcoming with that information.

One thing to know about this option is that you do pay in advance and sign a contract, so it is less flexible than a hotel reservation, but we were willing to take that chance. Both places exceeded our expectations by far. Even though our commute into DC was long, we have no regrets about staying here in Mt Airy. To return home to quiet and peace every evening has been a gift. Last night, we sat on the porch and watched the weather (thunderclouds and lightning), the horses and the deer. Why go anywhere else?

You can visit our "home" in Mt Airy at http://www.windsongarabians.com/.

Our other option has been to stay at Econo-Lodge, Comfort Inn, etc, all part of a Choice Hotels; we joined their rewards program and hope to accumulate some points. Those have been fine, but we are now fans of renting vacation homes!