If you travel fairly often, you’re familiar with the ins and outs of hotels: the cost, the inconvenience for large parties and the lack of resources for cooking—or even microwaving—a meal.
So, when you’re planning your next Panama City Beach, Florida vacation to escape a chilly winter, you might want to think about renting condos instead of just the standard hotel.
Lodging and Food Costs + Number of Travelers = Condo?
Paying for a hotel can eat up a huge cost of your budget, especially if you need more than one room, or even a suite. If you’re a family of six, with a few older kids thrown into the mix, it can be difficult and cumbersome to find a hotel to suit your needs for a decent price.
Condos offer more space, more bang for your buck, plus access to a kitchen. Sure, your teenagers love you and your younger kids, but probably aren’t interested in sharing a bed anymore, right? Renting could mean that your teens have their own space to retreat to after a long day with the family.
You can also save money by not eating out for every meal. Feeding a family of six at a restaurant for two to three meals a day can add up quickly. Condos allow you to grocery shop and cook on your own, a much cheaper alternative to eating out a dozen times in one week.
Panama City Beach condos are typically charged by the week instead of by the night. Obviously, you’ll have to pay quite a bit more to get the space you need, but can still come out ahead after you factor in the number of hotel rooms you would need, plus food costs and taxes. And, heaven forbid the kids order movies or play the pre-loaded games when you’re not watching!
Booking Process
Condo owners are usually looking to rent out their condos when they’re not there in order to make a little money to help pay the mortgage. It’s best to go directly through condo owners if at all possible. That means you’ll have to do a little research on your own and plan way ahead. It’s not as convenient or simple as booking a hotel, but can definitely pay off in the long run.
You can really snag an awesome deal by booking outside of the busy season and working with recent condo buyers who still have a lot of payments to make. Check out sites like Craig’s List to find temporary rentals until you’re ready to buy your own place! Or at least, we can all hope so right?
Services Provided
Staying in a condo means that room service will not be by every afternoon to clean your room. You’ll have to take responsibility for keeping the place clean for the owners and for future tenants. But, a lack of room service also means absolute privacy, no knocks on the door and no lost items. Make sure you think about proper condo rental etiquette and leave the space as neat as it was when you found it.
Taking the Plunge
When you’re ready to take the condo rental plunge, you’ll be pleasantly surprised to find that it can significantly affect your vacation experience. You’ll be away from hotels filled with crowded tourists and instead be able to relax in your own private condo—even if it’s just for a week.
Image by Keoni Cabral
