Once you decide it's time to go on vacation, it's exciting to start your search and begin sorting through options. Pre-kids, I was always keen on staying at a nice hotel or resort, but since our needs have vastly changed, it's been rental homes or bust. With two toddlers (and another on the way!), we need space, the ability to make noise (and not bother anyone), a full kitchen, washer/dryer, preferably a tub, space for cribs, a low-hazard environment, and plenty of other things. If you are also a parent, I'm sure you can relate! And if you're not, well, the following info is still very relevant no matter who you may be traveling with.
Here are some major things I learned from our recent Vrbo beach house rental on Long Beach Island, NJ, so you can avoid some of the pitfalls we were subject to!
#1 - I assumed it was a toddler-safe home, based on limited information available in the listing.
The reviews were fantastic. The photos even better. Water views to die for. And the location was exactly what we wanted. Except, what we got was not quite what was pictured. Within 5 minutes of entering the rental, I quickly realized that all the things that were not pictured were actually the bigger problem. Things like the multiple open staircases, unsafe decks, poorly placed furnishings and decor... even how low the stovetop was. At home, we don't have any of these issues, so it was a whole new (scary!) world when I realized we had to survive seven days in toddler-troubling conditions. The result? We didn't rest much. It was constant chasing, guarding, coaxing away from areas, rearranging, and serious limitations on where we could enjoy the outdoor space in a way that wouldn't put my children in harm's way. The moral of the story here is that just a few snapshots of the "best" parts of a rental do not (and cannot) show the whole picture of how a home is actually laid out IRL, and how all of the facets of said home function together to be conducive to your needs.
NEXT TIME I WOULD... ask the owner directly if they would categorize the rental as a toddler-friendly home, why or why not, and express our specific needs more clearly.
#2 - I didn't realize a home could be furnished or laid out completely differently than pictured.
Sort of feels like this would be an obvious thing... like why would you post photos of a home you're trying to interest people in renting if they don't accurately depict the home they will experience upon arrival? Maybe for some other guests it wouldn't be a big deal, but for us, the vast rearrangement of the rooms from what we saw when booking was absolutely detrimental to our vacation experience. To be specific, there were three bedrooms total. In the pictures, the master (with the deck and view) was the most spacious with a king bed, the second bedroom had a queen bed with a decent amount of space around it, and the third had a single set of twin bunk beds, also with some decent floor room opposite. However, when we arrived exhausted and ready to set up the two pack-and-plays for the kids to sleep in ASAP, we realized the owner had at some point swapped the furniture in bedrooms 2 & 3. To make matters worse, in order to say the rental "slept more" guests, they'd added an additional set of twin bunk beds in the same already tight space. The result? Now the queen bed literally took up the entire tiny bedroom it was moved into (we quite literally couldn't even fit a small stool as a nightstand because there was no room), and the room meant for the kids couldn't fit their pack-and-plays due to the unexpected double bunk beds that were there. After a few nights of playing our own unpleasant version of musical chairs with the sleeping situation, we finally figured out the best arrangement for everyone - but it wasn't ideal, was a totally unnecessary stressor, and honestly completely pissed me off, to put it mildly.
NEXT TIME I WOULD... confirm with the owner whether the rooms were currently furnished and laid out as pictured, or request new photos that accurately represent the space so we could better plan, or choose to stay elsewhere.
#3 - I thought all rental properties must be up to code.
If you follow me on IG, you saw a glimpse into our daily adventures and lots of shots of the home. What you didn't see were all the places we did not spend time, namely on the rooftop deck and utilizing the various stairwells inside and outside of the property. For all of the beautiful memories, there were unfortunately plenty of "WTF" moments you did not see. And that's because in those moments, we were panicked. Some of the unexpected surprises included incomplete banisters, open staircases, broken poles panels along the rooftop decks (the only thing blocking anyone from a 4+ story fall), dead or missing outlets in rooms, malfunctioning appliances, shotty electrical work, and inaccessible circuit breakers.
NEXT TIME I WOULD... ask if there is any maintenance or repairs required that will not be completed prior to our stay, and confirm that everything on the property is up to code.
#4 - I didn't realize the town could change/impede our beach-access.
This is not the owner's fault, but was definitely a problem. In a happenstance run in with the homeowner next door, we found out that the town had started a major beach reclamation project just three days prior to our arrival. Over ten dump trucks brought mountains and mountains of sand to form a dune with a 20'+ drop, literally right outside our property (and nowhere else looking down the shoreline either direction... what are the chances?!). We learned that this is a safety effort through the state to help counteract erosion and prevent future storm damage to the island. Our luck just sucked, but not worse than the prior renter's, who did not have any beach access whatsoever due to the active truck work - and that is literally why you pay the premium to have a waterfront home to enjoy, unobstructed, with your own walkway straight to the beach. For us, it was wildly inconvenient to have to deal with the aftermath, constantly having to check the tidal schedule to figure out when it would be safe to access the area, at risk of there being a direct and steep drop off a dangerous, sandy cliff to an untimely injury or worse. Not an ideal environment for small children to play in, and certainly not a great setup for anyone looking to enjoy the shoreline. We made the best of it, but I never would have thought this was something we'd have to worry about when making that deposit.
NEXT TIME I WOULD... ask if there is any beach reclamation or other city work taking place nearby that would impact or inhibit our ability to utilize the area as planned. Also inquire if there's any neighboring construction the owner is aware of, as the sound may impact our peaceful enjoyment of the space and sleep times for our family.
#5 - I didn't think a 9.8/10 rated property could ultimately be anything but exceptional, with dozens of consistently positive reviews over recent years.
Apparently, the world is full of wildly different people. All of us have different expectations, and thresholds for nonsense. Upon some self-reflection, it would appear that I admittedly have standards that are reasonably high, and possibly more than common awareness for what is legal/customary for rental properties. After our stay, I can't believe almost every single review was raving about this property. Hey, I'm all for a beachy-chic vibe, but this was not that. The home overall was tired, and in need of some serious TLC - all of which was not apparent unless you were physically there to see it with your own eyes. But all these folks had seen it... and they loved it! Sure, my needs as a pregnant mother of two toddlers are more sensitive than they would've been staying somewhere ten years ago, but I really researched because of this. I thought I did everything there was to do in order to make this the perfect vacation and little "babymoon" for me and my little family. I guess things happen, and I am surely much more knowledgable for planning future vacations, but I now know that no matter how many people fawn over a view or appreciate an idyllic beachfront setting, not all reviewers are reviewing from the same place in life. You can't take anyone's word for anything, and you still need to do your own due diligence to be sure it's the place for you.
NEXT TIME I WOULD... take into consideration that everyone's needs and priorities for vacationing are different, and not assume all good reviews are created equally. Moving forward, I'd take the "cons" listed (even if they're few and dated) more seriously, and ask the owner in advance if those concerns had been addressed since.
In conclusion...
I've accepted that my present needs in order to enjoy an actual vacation with my young family are very, very specific. And that is okay. But I can't afford (literally and figuratively) to assume anything, and it's always best to ask questions and get clarity in the areas that are more important for us. Right now, safety, convenience, and a well-appointed home with children in mind are of utmost priority, and I would not even consider another trip without being assured that all of those requirements will be met, and then some. As much as we love our kids, mom and dad need some downtime too. And happy parents will always result in happier kids. I learned to not compromise in our travels anymore for any reason, and I would encourage anyone else to do the same!