Now that I have been 39 for a week, I am looking forward to turning 40! So, I have spent some time this week look at beach houses for our family trip to Nags Head next summer. I am already getting excited.
I assumed we would like a few things:
1) Oceanfront
2) Swimming pool
3) 7 or 8 bedrooms
In addition, most houses with this things also have a boardwalk to the beach, pool table/foosball table in game room, hot tub, and deck with ocean view. There are A LOT of houses that satisfy these basic requirements. So, I would like feedback on what else we would like in the house.
As I see it, there are four main decisions to make are:
1) Amenities: The "extras" make the biggest difference when it comes to price. The price range is ~$7,000 to up to ~$12,000. In general, the higher the price, the more modern the kitchen, the larger the square footage of the house, tiki bar near the pool, and/or the the addition of other gaming like ping pong, sauna, air hockey, home theater. So, what are we willing to pay extra for? larger house? tiki bar? Fancy kitchen? Or, would we prefer the lowest price? There will be lots of opinions here, but I am sure we can come to a consensus.
2) Location: I think there are three possible locations. We can have a house near the actual town of Nags Head (in town), which will be close to shopping, restaurants, and other tourist traps. South of the Nags Head has more upscale, newer homes and is quieter, but it is also away from the main area. Finally, North of Nags Head has the advantage of being near the Dunes and also also near activity. I see houses at all prices ranges in all locations. So, we should pick the location we want, regardless of price.
3) 7 or 8 bedrooms: This is not a big decision, but it looks like the 7 bedroom houses are slightly less expensive than the 8 bedroom. As I counted, the break down of bedrooms is: Nonna and Mom (1); Franco and Anna (2); Enzo and Eleonora (3); Mary Kay, Derek and Kids (4); Michelle, Paul, and Kids (5); Manuela, Chris, and Samantha (6); Deborah and Andrew (7 or 8?). Let me know if you have an opinion about this. If not an issue, we will just get whatever has the other things we are looking for. Again, the price seems to depend more on amenities than bedrooms.
4) Saturday or Sunday arrival: Do you prefer a Saturday to Saturday or Sunday to Sunday week rental?
To make a decision, particularly regarding amenities, I have included 4 houses for you to look at. All of these houses are "in town" close to the main drag in Nags Head and within walking distance of each other, just for consistency. I see similar ones in the other locations. These houses are of different price ranges due to different amenities. Take a look and see what suits your preference.
1) High Cotton, 7 bedrooms and 6 full baths, Saturday to Saturday, foosball table, $7,200 per week in July 2009
http://www.joelambjr.com/rental/house.html?ID=253&Avail=&Stay=
2) Sea Renity, 8 bedrooms and 6 full baths, Saturday to Saturday, pool table, air hockey, ping pong table, sauna, $8,600 per week in July 2009
http://www.joelambjr.com/rental/house.html?ID=770&Avail=&Stay=
3) Olivia, 7 bedrooms, 5 full and 1 half baths, Saturday to Saturday, pool table and foosball table, tiki bar at poolside, $8,700 per week in July 2009
http://www.carolinadesigns.com/cdfinal/asp/includes/oneprop.asp?propid=802
4) Amadeus, 8 bedrooms, 8 full baths, Sunday to Sunday, updated in 2009, pool table, sauna, home theater, elevator, updated kitchen, $9,300 per week in July 2009
http://www.carolinadesigns.com/cdfinal/asp/includes/oneprop.asp?propid=803
I would also like to throw out the idea of hiring a caterer to make us dinner a few nights. I think we could relax more if someone else cooked and cleaned up for us. But, again this is a matter of price, so let me know your opinion.
Ok, that is all. Email me back with your thoughts. I am happy to book the house and do the organizing. But, I would like to be sure that I get something that we all like.
