House hunting Trip

[lovebrentwood]

I'd pity a set of grandparents (regardless of age) taking four kids under the age of 5 to a beach town they've never been to, two hours away from their parents.

They could use up some time outside the food court at Triangle Town Center in Raleigh having the kids chase the water fountains spouting out of the ground. I think they are still running in October. Not sure. But if so, the younger kids would love it.

Then there is the little indoor playground in the same mall. That's a good energy-expender for the little ones, too. And all free.

[RobinE]

I would suggest staying at an Embassy Suites. Indoor pool and the huge breakfast gets the family set off to a great start. The State Fair is a great idea. I have also had friends and clients stay at the Hotel Seirra. It just opened last year and they do have suites with kitchens. One friend has 3 small children and had to stay there for a few weeks while their home was being renovated. She had only good things to say about the hotel. It is only now starting to cool down here. The water may still be warm at Wrightsville by mid October, but adding more driving for the family, may make things a bit more stressful.

[lovebrentwood]

I would suggest looking for corporate housing and independent temporary rentals. I sent OP a direct message with details. I think that would definitely solve the problem and is within their budget.

[annesg]

YEs....I was going to suggest vrbo.com. We did that when we took a trip to San Francisco and it was great!

[4kidsWow]

Mike Janquish, NewUser, loves brentwood, and others, thank you! I will definitely be adding the state fair, watching the fountains, and VRBO and the homewood suites to my list of research topics.

Most of all thank you for the consensus and clarity on staying in Raleigh. I was getting a bit lost in the details and that direction was exactly what I needed. This move is so long awaited and so exciting, but it is a little overwhelming.

We will definitely be staying in Raleigh and maybe take a big family trip to the beach (because it is the beach and all). This trip has a definitive purpose, but having all of us together for 5 nights is a rare luxury and hopefully we can have some great memories from the trip too.

Thanks again, I'll post any helpful findings of my househunting trip to for any future readers.

[audubonstreet]

You should check out vrbo.com (Vacation Rental by Owner) for a place to stay. You can save a lot of money, especially by getting a place with a full kitchen, so you don't have to pay restaurant prices for every meal. We've used it for several family trips in the last couple years (to a variety of places), and it's worked out well. BTW, we've found that rates can be negotiable.