What other options are there besides hotel/motel for large families?

[Dianne-TX]

I have a friend who is a family of 8. They are going to San Antonio this summer and would prefer to not have to book two rooms. Camping will be too hot unless their are campgrounds with cabins and a/c. Know of any nearby that offer that? They don't have a camper with a/c. Are there some hotels that will allow more in a room? What other options are there?

[Miss Marple]

Vacation rentals by owner. http://www.vrbo.com

[mommaduck]

They can get connecting rooms and leave the door between open. This is what we have to do. The reason is usually due to fire codes. Even in cabins there are often limits. When I was younger, there were nine of us stuck due to weather and my family had to rent two cabins (duplex style, so we just took both sides).

[MrsBear]

HomeAway.com

VRBO.com

AirBnB.com

 

Extended stay hotels with two or three bedrooms as an option.

 

Hotels with suites to accommodate larger families/groups.

 

Also try a google search for local websites that have condos, homes and such available....sometimes you'll find something on the local site that isn't in the above three I listed.

[rieshy]

I have a friend who is a family of 8. They are going to San Antonio this summer and would prefer to not have to book two rooms. Camping will be too hot unless their are campgrounds with cabins and a/c. Know of any nearby that offer that? They don't have a camper with a/c. Are there some hotels that will allow more in a room? What other options are there?

 

My family just spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express. It was a suite (kind of) with 2 queens and a sofa that made into a double bed a small fridge and "kitchen" sink. There was also a recliner chair large enough that one dd slept in it.

 

It ended up costing only $10 more than a regular room and paying extra for a cot. Plus breakfast was included as well as a managers happy hour in the afternoon.

[Lily_Grace]

Here are some accommodations I found that might work for them:

http://www.sanantoniofamilyvacations.com/ (house that sleeps 8-12)

[Mommyfaithe]

I have a friend who is a family of 8. They are going to San Antonio this summer and would prefer to not have to book two rooms. Camping will be too hot unless their are campgrounds with cabins and a/c. Know of any nearby that offer that? They don't have a camper with a/c. Are there some hotels that will allow more in a room? What other options are there?

 

We rent a house or a condo big enough for our family. It comes out a bit more expensive...BUT, we bring our own food which saves tons on eating out....and saves our waistlines as well.

[Dianne-TX]

My family just spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express. It was a suite (kind of) with 2 queens and a sofa that made into a double bed a small fridge and "kitchen" sink. There was also a recliner chair large enough that one dd slept in it.

 

It ended up costing only $10 more than a regular room and paying extra for a cot. Plus breakfast was included as well as a managers happy hour in the afternoon.

 

How many were in the room? At least 8?

[Dianne-TX]

By the way, THANKS for all the quick responses!

[Mommyfaithe]

My family just spent the night in a Holiday Inn Express. It was a suite (kind of) with 2 queens and a sofa that made into a double bed a small fridge and "kitchen" sink. There was also a recliner chair large enough that one dd slept in it.

 

It ended up costing only $10 more than a regular room and paying extra for a cot. Plus breakfast was included as well as a managers happy hour in the afternoon.

 

We do this also, if we are only staying one or 2 days.....really nice accommodations....and again, they have a kitchen, so we can bring our one food

[Dmmetler]

We do HomeAway when we travel with my SIL and her family, which means 8 of us total. It's usually not all that much more than 2 hotel rooms would be, and it's a LOT more comfortable. Last year in FL we were able to rent a 3 bedroom house with a pool, washer/dryer, full kitchen and so on for about $1000/week, in an area where hotels are at least $200/night.

[Rosy]

Try Homewood Suites or Embassy Suites. We had 8 people in a two-bedroom suite and they provide lunch and a light dinner (the dinner was actually plenty for the kids, and we had brought along babysitters so we went out).

[J-rap]

We are a family of 7, and have run into that situation a lot since we travel a lot. Often in big cities, if you search hard enough, you will find independently-run hotels that include arrangements for larger families (in one room). Or, less expensive motels are often more affordable (as long as it's clean and safe, of course!), and then you can get two rooms. We have stayed at KOA's in their little cabins. Sometimes, older independent hotels that are a wee bit past their peak accommodate larger families, or are more affordable for two rooms.

 

In Europe, our family has stayed in hostels, but I know there are many in the U.S. too. They are often very inexpensive compared to hotels, and many hostels nowadays are geared to both families and independent travelers, not just backpacking youth.

 

Sites like hostelworld.com and hostelbookers.com list hostels and other inexpensive lodgings all over the world, even the USA. They might include older hotels where the bathroom is down the hall, etc. We've stayed at many of those.

 

I always compare all lodging against reviews in tripadvisor.com, just to make sure we know what we're getting into! You don't want to end up in a neighborhood where you're uncomfortable, or a motel that is a brothel!