We rarely travel as a family. On one hand, we miss out exploring new places and exposing the kids to different countries and cultures. (They can be heard whining that they’re the only ones in their classes that haven’t been out of the country.) On the other hand, we are lucky to have a beautiful place on Cape Cod where we can spend a good portion of summer and a little place in Florida where we can escape in wintertime. And I’ve been on some pretty amazing press trips in the last few years, with trips to Venice, Copenhagen, Helsinki, and Kennebunkport.
At one point we were talking about taking the kids to London. It would be easy for our first big excursion. Wherever we go, whenever we go (at this point plans are non-existent), I think it would make so much more sense to rent an apartment than stay in a hotel. Hotels are luxuriously wonderful for romantic getaways, but when traveling as a family, it would be so much easier, not to mention more economical, to stay in an apartment (or, you know, a villa) with a kitchen and roomier living space.
There are so many sites that showcase vacation rentals, be they short-term apartment rentals in urban centers or fabulous villas in the countryside, all with galleries of photographs of customer reviews. I browsed through a number of them, and came up with these 18 vacation rentals, in cities all over the world, from Santa Fe to Santorini to Sydney and Copenhagen to Costa Rica to Capetown.
These vacation rentals not necessarily the absolute best, most decadent or distinctive, as that would have taken a ludicrous amount of time, but they are all really appealing, from the photographer’s loft in Miami to the casita in Santa Fe to the mid-century modern apartment in Reykjavik. I’d be happy to take up residence in any of these apartments for a week, family in tow.
Industrial loft
Santorini • Luxury Retreats
Villa St. Saturnin
Provence • Haven in Paris
Villa St. Saturnin
Provence • Haven in Paris
Miami • Airbnb
Urban apartment
Berlin • Nomads Apt.
Pott’s Point apartment
Sydney • Contemporary Hotels
Penhouse apartment with view of Hyde Park
London • Urban Retreat
Adobe home
Santa Fe • Two Casitas
Houseboat
Amsterdam • Houseboat Rental
City center apartment
Copenhagen • Airbnb
Penthouse apartment
Reykjavik • Boutique Homes
Studio in Copacabana
Rio de Janeiro • Airbnb
Villa with panoramic jungle and ocean views
Costa Rica • Luxury Retreats
Loft apartment in historical building
Barcelona • Home Away
Vineyard estate
Napa Valley • Home Away
Medieval watchtower amidst olive groves
Tuscany • Luxury Retreats
Contemporary beach house
Sydney • Contemporary Hotels
Sydney • Contemporary Hotels
Capetown • VRBO