Weekend Word to the Wise (Rest & Relaxation)

Sometimes when we travel, we are in such a hurry to make our arrangements, we do a quick search, find what we think we're looking for and go. It's not uncommon. We're busy people and just squeezing in a few days away is a task in itself. Some of us have children, some of us have pets, weekends are busy and filled with all the things we can't manage to get done during the week. So when we finally make the decision to get away somewhere for a few days, we find the quickest solution and go with it.

But what if we were able to stop, take a breath, and take a minute to think about what our needs might be when we're traveling. Sometimes a hotel is our best option, but what if we could find something for the same price or less that helps us feel more "at home" than a standard hotel room?

I recently took a couple of days off work and my partner and I went to Port Aransas, Texas to spend some time on the beach. I found some very decently priced hotels very close to the beach but none of them accepted pets. (Our dogs don't like kennels and we don't blame them.) I did a search for cabins & bungalows and found some cottages two blocks from the beach. The price range for these cabins in the off season ranged from $69-$120 a night. We chose the medium sized cabin for $89 a night. Our cabin had a queen-sized bed, a small living area, a full kitchen and bathroom. The complex was clean and well lit at night. There were barbecue pits and picnic tables outside for guest use. Pets were welcome with no extra fees. And we were easy blocks to the beach.

Directly across the street from where we stayed was a chain hotel offering a standard room for $99 a night. They accepted pets also but with an extra $10 a night fee and did offer complimentary continental breakfast.

So, for less than the price of a standard room, we found a nice, homey place to spend a few days with our dogs in a cabin that was one of first beach cabins to be built in Port Aransas.

I suppose my whole point is that sometimes in the middle of our hectic attempts to make time for some well deserved rest & relaxation, it's good to take a deep breath, count to 10 and rethink your options. You might find you have more of them than you thought you did!