Editors’ Note: We are huge proponents of vacation rental homes, especially as they pertain to group and family travel. The Vacation Gals receive many submissions for guest posts, and we cannot accept them all (or even half of them). However, when one comes across our desk that is so infectious and enthusiastic about some form of travel, it’s an “easy yes.” SanFranciscoGal’s enthusiasm for vacation rental homes and her own family vacations made it easy to say yes to her contribution.
Some people absolutely dread family reunions – the unnatural amount of face time with relatives, the “what’s your life plan?” conversations, the wild ruckus that ensues when the younger cousins drink a little too much orange soda. So, I think I’m in the minority when I say, I actually love family reunions!
I’ve decided that this must have to do with the fact that 1) I actually enjoy most of my relatives, and 2) we’ve nailed down a pretty good system that revolves around renting two vacation homes for the reunion.
See, these reunions with my dad’s side of the family necessitate room for 21 people (my dad has four siblings, each with one or two kids, plus grandparents). And since they all live in Seattle, we often hold the reunions in Lake Tahoe, California and Bend, Oregon.
The great thing about both of these locations: they’re chock full of vacation rentals. And you know what? We’ve never not rented out vacation rentals for our family reunions. We have three important reasons for this.
Reason #1: Obviously, we need the space. And renting vacation homes is the only way to get space, plus convenience. Can you imagine renting seven to ten hotel rooms, scattered throughout the hotel with no central meeting space? Add in the task of trying to remember who’s in which room… No thank you!
Instead, we usually rent two homes: one to serve as the “party house,” in which we’ll all gather for big dinners and our “party night” (more on this later), and one to serve as the mellow house, where the grandparents and young kids — who need to get to bed early — stay. We also try to make sure the two homes are only a five minute drive away (or less).
Reason #2: The entertainment aspect. In both Bend and Lake Tahoe, most of the bigger vacation homes come with a hot tub and an entertainment room that usually includes a pool table, big screen TV, board games, DVD player, foosball table and sometimes if we’re lucky — a bar area (the adults’ favorite).
Having all these entertainment options keeps the kids entertained, while allowing the adults time to mingle, unwind, nap – without hiring (or assigning) a babysitter.
Reason #3: Party Night. Usually on the last, or second-to-last night of our reunion, we have a party with an outrageous theme that necessitates costumes, wigs and creative cocktails. Past themes have included Saturday Night Fever and Gilligan’s Island (see photo above). We make sure to hold the party in the house with the biggest kitchen and most complete entertainment room.
Party night gives us something to look forward to during the week. Whereas at some family reunions, the energy level might decline as the week goes by – for us, it increases! I mean, how can you not laugh seeing see your loved ones dressed in neon orange jumpsuits and Albert Einstein wigs?
Do you have any tips for family reunions? Better yet – do you have any party themes for my next family reunion?
SanFranciscoGal Sarah Gemmel is a California native who absolutely loves to travel. She spends her days helping people find unique vacation rentals with local flavor at Inhabit Vacations, and blogging about vacation rentals and her crazy family on the Inhabit blog.

Great post, Sarah. We rented a beautiful log home in Estes Park last summer for my sister-in-law’s wedding, right on the front door of Rocky Mountain National Park – gorgeous! It was our first experience with renting a place like this as a young family, and having the grands, brothers-in-law and new side of the family – the grooms’ fam from NYC – was simply amazing! You see vacation homes in the movies all the time and Hollywood tends over glamorize the concept…but it never seems “real”. However, with a bit of research, great deals can be found…which lead to even greater memories! Welcome to the VacationGals – looking forward to more of your posts!
Hi Dave,
Thanks for the comments! Your vacation rental experience in Estes Park sounds amazing! Nothing like a vacation home to get everyone together in one place. It’s true, you can often find great deals and low prices for rentals, especially if you’re traveling in a big group. Once you go “vacation rental” you don’t go back!
Nowadays everyone wants to make money and provide housing for rent; vacation rentl homes are best way to do so