<p>We have access to two family places both of which are very rustic. I love them for their change of place, though the one in Vermont can be chilly except in the main room in the winter. When we travel we tend to go for cheap on hotels so that we can spend on fancy meals. I remember one time we called to make reservations for a three star Michelin meal. They were very apologetic that they had no room at the inn, but that was fine with us, we stayed down the street at a very spartan business hotel at a fraction of the cost.</p>
<p>No, our tent trailer is quite a bit smaller than our house, but it does offer epic views and lots of fresh air!</p>
<p>We are travel “Bipolar”. We often camp in tents or stay in a “lodge” with pumped lake water and marginal sleeping accommodations. When we stay at a hotel we go for the 4-5 star variety. </p>
<p>It evens out nicely.</p>
<p>I am notoriously cheap, but I like a decent hotel room. I spend a lot of time reading Tripadvisor reviews and searching for the best rate. As a result, I usually get a pretty decent room for vacation. My house is also “pretty decent.” So I guess my vacation digs are comparable.</p>
<p>Now, we have a family cottage … I don’t consider it a “vacation” place, since my in laws live there all summer. 
My house is not luxurious, but it is nicer than the cottage (which I figure it should be — who wants to spend a lot of time cleaning a lake house?).</p>
<p>Like EPTR, we are travel bipolar. I have stayed in pretty swanky places and pretty cheap places. My house is nice, but lacks ocean or mountain access. I will give up comfort for location…in fact one of our most expensive vacations was 7days without electricity or real toilets, where you waded out into the river to pee. But the stars were amazing and the rapids heart-stopping and I would do it again if I could assemble the same group.
For stays longer than a few days we have gone away from hotels and to sites like homeaway for condos or houses. Especially for a group, like a family reunion, you can rent a fantastic luxury home for less than everyone’s hotel rooms.</p>
<p>When we were first married we stayed at cheap motels, where breakfast was a quart of Tropicana and a box of Entemanns. We jumped on a timeshare pitch as a way to upgrade our vacations. We sold it after 10 years, but it did force us into better vacation accommodations and we haven’t looked back. We don’t stay at Ritz Carltons, but I am willing to pay for views and proximity to beach, etc. </p>
<p>That said, we stayed in cabins that were one step above tent camping in Yellowstone, as I refused to pay big bucks for the lodges when we knew we would be out of the room the entire day.</p>
<p>Okay, I was just going to write about the lovely place we’re staying at right now, which I chose for proximity and splurged a bit. Tomorrow night we’ll be at a much more ordinary place. Yes, the Jr spring break college tour. We have a beautiful room with dormers. DH just turned out the light and I now hear a critter in the attic scurrying around. I’m totally skeeved out and won’t sleep! :eek: if it were earlier I’d say something, but not at this late hour. It is an old stone manor house converted to a hotel that is literally on the edge of campus (looks more like a small castle to me). DH thinks it adds ambiance. I do not.</p>
<p>Most of our vacation time is spent at our cottage in the summer. The accomodations are not near as nice as at home, but the relaxed lifestyle, view of the lake, the beach and the sunsets far make up for the comforts of home during the time we are able to be there!</p>
<p>OP, I’ve thought quite a bit about the “as nice as home” issue. When I was growing up, if the motel (yes, always a motel, not a hotel) had AC and a pool, it was nicer than home. </p>
<p>I have noticed that my standards have been raised over time, and it takes quite a bit of money to rent something nicer than home.</p>
<p>My parents were the last of their friends to buy a color TV, even though they built a very nice house, so when I was a kid staying at a Howard Johnson’s and watching “Hogan’s Heroes” in color was a big deal for me. </p>
<p>We’ve made quite a few trips to WDW. Originally, we stayed at the Ft. Wilderness Campground or off-site at a Holiday Inn. We only stayed on site in a hotel when I could get a great deal and were happy with a “moderate” or “value” location, which were pretty much on par with our homes at that time. More recently, we’ve stayed only at the “deluxe” resorts and have sometimes been disappointed that they aren’t nicer. One stay at a Four Seasons in TX spoiled us and we tend to measure other hotels against that one as well as against our home. </p>
<p>If we had a pool it would be difficult to persuade me to vacation away from home unless we planned to visit a specific cultural or historical site.</p>
<p>We travel primarily to the Marriott timeshares we own or trade into. They are either one or two bedroom condo-like units in places like Aruba, Hawaii, Hilton Head or Palm Desert. I think our condo, with its view of Lake Monona and our choice of furniture, is much nicer. </p>
<p>When we use Marriott Reward points for stays we get hotel rooms, which of course do not match up with our home.</p>
<p>Our in-town in Chicago has a spectacular urban view, but is smaller than our place in Madison.</p>
<p>I like to minimize cost and hassle, so I prefer to stay in a mid-to-low priced hotel with breakfast included. With 2 teenage boys to feed the family breakfast being included saves us at least $30-40 per day. </p>
<p>We do have a pool, so we never look for that amenity, but we don’t have a beach :-)!</p>
<p>If I’m paying for it, probably motel 6</p>
<p>If company pays for it, probably Holiday Inn Express</p>
<p>what? it’s not like they need the money.</p>
<p>Travel is a luxury, and I like and need a lot of that particular luxury. So go for cheap lodging to be able to afford tickets and experiences. Though given a choice, will take historic ambiance over luxury. Overseas, cheap and historic sometimes go together nicely. </p>
<p>At home, I have historic ambiance, and the most comfortable chairs, bed and couch imaginable. I don’t travel for comfort, rather to be challenged, for feasts of the senses, and those tend to occur outside the room where I sleep. I can sleep anywhere. So cheap is fine, though safe is worth paying extra for. </p>
<p>TSdad, I work with the same view as you, and yes, it is spectacular.</p>
<p>I’ve stayed at some rather posh properties historically. It is fun, but not on my list of requirements.</p>
<p>I live in a place that is a holiday destination for people from all over the world. My home and my view are pretty nice. It is hard to beat, plus I love my bath and bed.For the most part I like to stay at nice places. I spent many a night when I was younger in hostel and motel 6 type of places.
It also depends on where I am going. While on road trips I don’t need 4 or 5 star hotels when I am just stopping for the night. I am happy with a Hampton Inn, Comfort Inn, Courtyard level of motel. I want clean, a decent towel, free wi fi, free parking and prefer it to offer a simple breakfast. For destination travel I like to research and I go for location and usually make a list of several places I would consider staying at. I tend to go with the place that is offering the best rate. In those instances I prefer a 4 or 5 star hotel. A nice bathtub is important. I like luxury but not formal. My H hates a place with a stuffy feel. I don’t always spring for the view room since I have a view at home.
I don’t consider camping in the same catagory. I don’t mind a tent and sleeping on the ground. For me they are just two different types of vacations. I like camping but I wouldn’t want it to be my only way to vacation.
H’s favorite holiday travel accommodation is a bareboat monohull or catamaran sailboat. Bareboat means H is the captain and I am the cook. I always say that the view is great but for what you pay to charter a boat I could stay in the nicest resort and have room service.
Next week we are going to visit our younger D in her college town. The only room we could find is at a 2 star Best Western. The location is ideal but I have a feeling the place will be outdated and the towel small and rough. It is just 2 nights and I will survive.
When I was a kid we didn’t have much money and travel was always to see family. The highlight for us kids was that we usually had to stop one or two nights in route. That was our only exposure to a pool. I have some pretty fond memories of those car trips.</p>