Vacation home dreams

[callie]

If you could have a vacation home anywhere in the US, where would it be?

Bonus points if it's lake or beachfront.

[ECB]

Definitely beachfront but w/ a pool. Infinity. Where exactly? Hmmmm.... Being reasonable, I'd want it in driving distance of where we live. But totally dreaming? I'd want to be somewhere where it's warmer more of the year. I'd want to look at the Gulf Shore, actually. I've heard a LOT of good things about that area.

Hmmm... dreams.

[Susie]

Saratoga Lake. I have two uncles who own side by side camps on the lake, and ideally, I'd like to buy one of them and live there 3 months a year. It would mean a 45-50 minute commute to work instead of 20. Totally worth it.

We actually legitimately plan to do it if we can ever swing it at a time that the opportunity arises.

[ssmjlm]

I've learned that any vacation home needs to be a close-ish drive. We used to have a family house in Boston, but it was 8 hours from my parents and 12 hours from us. It was sold last fall because no one was using it.

We're looking in the outer banks right now, with plans to buy sometime in 2015, depending on the market. While I would love to be oceanfront, I know better with hurricanes and noreasters.

[msmerymac]

A mountain lake? Vermont, maybe?

My dad DOES have a lake house that my brother and I will inherit. It's only about 1050 sq ft, 2 bedrooms, 1 bath. The best part is the 50 feet of waterfront and the patio leading right up to the lake. It's on Lake Ontario. The worst part is that it's in the middle of nowhere and I wouldn't want to live there year round.

The property was originally bought by my mom's grandparents in 1939 - they lived in the city about 15 minutes away, and the farmers along the lake started subdividing and selling up parcels along the water front. So they built a cottage (the original was about 600 sq ft) and would just move there for the summer. A lot of people in the area do the same - they have year-round houses nearby, and just move to their cottages in the summer, but still commute to work. Growing up, our year-round house was about 200 miles away, so when my mom didn't work in the summer we went up all summer with her and my dad came up on the weekends.

It's nothing fancy. I sort of die on House Hunters when people are looking for a vacation house and are pissed when they don't get hardwoods and granite. Um, that would make your vacation house nicer than my real house. Our cottage had a 13 inch black and white TV from the 70s until, like 1994. The whole point is being outside as much as possible, not having the nicest house.

[CloudBee]

Ala Moana Towers, Oahu, Hawaii

DH's aunt/uncle left their penthouse in that complex back in October, and moved back to the mainland. It was the BEST location. Within walking distance of a smaller beach on the edge of Waikiki, a stone's throw from an amazing mall, a few blocks from a huge Japanese department store, within walking distance of the financial district, and with views of the ocean, Waikiki, a harbor, and the mountains/rainforest. You can look out some of the windows and see a rain storm and rainbows over the mountains/forest, and clear sunny skies at the beach. It's incredible.

Their unit is on the market, but way, way out of our price range even for primary residence.

It's a wonderful dream, and I am so thankful we've had the opportunity to make many visits out there before they relocated back to the east coast.

Really, I'm not sure where else I would want a vacation home. Nothing within driving distance jumps out at me.

[schitzengiggles]

Crane Lake, Minnesota - a part of Voyageur's National Park, the beginning of a big chain of gorgeous lakes with spectacular scenery, ....and where DH and I met (working at a large houseboat resort), got to know one another, and married. :-)

[bostonmichelle]

Either on the coast of Maine or on a lake in NH. It would have to be driving distance since I'd like to spend all my weekends there.

[Deleted]

To also play my SCRU card, my parents have a lake place that my sister and I will inherit. It's in a great small town in a great location. We may have to bulldoze the house some day and start over.

[audette]

Well, my parents retired to their vacation home... Lake-access (it's in a gated property that has quite a bit of lake frontage, including a marina, but my parent's specific place does not directly overlook the water).


I think we probably should focus on getting a first home, before we consider vacation homes. We would most likely be interested in mountains for a vacation home, though...

[mbcdefg]

Long Beach Island, or someone else on the Jersey Shore, so we could drive there at will.

Boston would be cool, since we go there often and it'd be nice not to have to look for a hotel every time.

[Pom]

I'd take any of these, LOL.  Lake Charlevoix is gorgeous.


marthamishler.nmimls.com/lakecharlevoix.cfm


In real life, our vacation home is about 45 minutes from there.  Not waterfront, but close to the river between 2 of the larger inland lakes in Northern Lower Michigan.  We will upgrade someday, when we can spend more time there, probably to one of the lakes so we can have a boat.

[callie]

I need ideas people. Tell me where.

[Pom]

Jul 31, 2014 9:11:19 GMT -5 callie said:

I need ideas people. Tell me where.

Where are you now?  That would make a huge difference.  At the moment, we live 27 hours by car from our vacation cottage.  Not convenient, so I think that matters.

[callie]

Jul 31, 2014 9:13:02 GMT -5 Pom said:

Jul 31, 2014 9:11:19 GMT -5 callie said:

I need ideas people. Tell me where.

Where are you now?  That would make a huge difference.  At the moment, we live 27 hours by car from our vacation cottage.  Not convenient, so I think that matters.

I'm in the northeast but will most likely be moving in the future. We don't need to be within driving distance, I'm up for suggestions anywhere.

[ddi741]

Our retirement plan includes owning a condo at pawleys island. But if $ were no object, beach house with a pool

[msmerymac]

Jul 31, 2014 9:21:22 GMT -5 callie said:

Jul 31, 2014 9:13:02 GMT -5 Pom said:

Where are you now?  That would make a huge difference.  At the moment, we live 27 hours by car from our vacation cottage.  Not convenient, so I think that matters.

I'm in the northeast but will most likely be moving in the future. We don't need to be within driving distance, I'm up for suggestions anywhere.

Okay, NOT upstate NY, then, where my dad's house is (although the neighboring house is for sale!). It's hard to get to. I mean, it's off a major interstate highway, but you have to fly into Syracuse, which means direct flights from almost nowhere, and then drive an hour.

New England sounds nice, within driving distance of Boston, but it probably comes at a $$ premium.

[loskadoodle]

Islamorada, or somewhere in the northern Florida keys. Its on our 10 year list!

[callie]

msmerymac

A lakehouse in NH is on our short list. We lived up there for a few years and loved it.

bostonmichelle I see you mentioned that too. We can be neighbors!

[savan]

We just got back from a week in the Fl Keys. If we lived any closer we would seriously consider getting a vacation home down there. We loved it so much. Sadly, it's a 5 hour plane flight away.

[bryantpark]

Driving distance was a huge factor for us - ours is an hour by car but in a ocean side resort town. DH can also drive to / from work there to start or end the trips. Also easy for family to visit or better yet, babysit.

[savan]

Jul 31, 2014 10:02:11 GMT -5 @stalkermom said:

Jul 31, 2014 9:59:38 GMT -5 savan said:

We just got back from a week in the Fl Keys. If we lived any closer we would seriously consider getting a vacation home down there. We loved it so much. Sadly, it's a 5 hour plane flight away.

I am dying to go the the Florida Keys; we've never been.  Where do you recommend to stay? 

We've only been once and had two kids, 5 and 7, with us so take that for what it's worth.

We first stayed 4 nights at Hawk's Cay in Duck Key.  It was great for kids.  The complex is huge, they had 5 pools and a pirate ship splash area.  It's also centrally located so we were able to easily get to Bahia Honda State Park for a snorkeling trip, and Marathon for the Dolphin Research Center and any other shopping we needed.  They have town homes you can stay in which is great with kids.

All that said, if you don't have kids, I would not stay there.  It's really family oriented and I would not like it as much if it were just DH and I.  For just the two of us I likely would have looked into Tranquility Bay in Marathon or Cheeca Lodge in Islamorda.

We also spent 3 nights at Casa Marina in Key West.  I loved, loved, loved Key West and wish we'd had at least another day there.  The Casa Marina was great with kids but also would have been great as a couple.  I picked them almost exclusively for their beach.  DH thought it was a little too high end for us but I would stay there again in an instant.

[Pom]

Jul 31, 2014 10:02:11 GMT -5 @stalkermom said:

Jul 31, 2014 9:59:38 GMT -5 savan said:

We just got back from a week in the Fl Keys. If we lived any closer we would seriously consider getting a vacation home down there. We loved it so much. Sadly, it's a 5 hour plane flight away.

I am dying to go the the Florida Keys; we've never been.  Where do you recommend to stay? 

Butting in...
You can go the VRBO route or a hotel/resort depending on family or couples trip. I prefer to stay in Islamorada. Cheeca Lodge is good. We are planning www.littlepalmisland.com for our anniversary.

[drloretta]

We found a little house in a tiny town in NH that DH was drooling over. It just got a buyer, and they closed last week. It's very near a large pond that gets heavy summer use.

www.newenglandmoves.com/property/details/698378/MLS-4247757/835-Chesham-Rd-Harrisville-NH-03450.aspx

[scout8]

Coastal Maine

[Deleted]

I could spend hours looking at vacation homes. The only place we'd ever buy is in OCNJ. My ILs rent there part of each summer now, and have looked at houses to buy on and off. Unfortunately, what they want and what DH and I want in a house, in terms of location on the island are 2 different things. They want a SFH at the very northern end or on the bay, where it is quiet, and we want a duplex or townhouse closer to the fun/action of the boardwalk for the kids. #SCRUproblems

[Marmee]

I already have one thanks to my family in Norther WY I'm heading to in 2 days. It's 6hrs away & honestly that's too far. I'll keep it forever though...it's a mountain cabin with 3 ponds & a stream.

We're interested in buying a ski condo so that's what I'd buy if I was getting anything...I'm not super picky about where but within 2ish hours, ski in/ski out & access to a hot tub. Proximity is very important to me so we can use weekends. A beach place would be nice & plenty are affordable in NC (where we go usually) but it's so far we never could go more than once or twice a year.

[lishie]

We own a house .5 miles from a lake that's about a 90 minute drive for us. Spending the weekend on the lake in the country relaxes DH and I so much, and the boys love it.

Realistically I'd never use a vacation home any further away than that, because I hate long drives and we usually only use it on weekends. I wouldn't want to spend much of my relaxation time driving.

However, if I could have whatever I wanted, and I'd somehow be able to teleport myself there, I'd want an ocean front house somewhere close to Charleston, South Carolina.

[Deleted]

Ocracoke island, the southernmost island in the Outer Banks. It's teeny tiny and can only be accessed by ferry, so there's no hotels or commercial properties of any kind. All the tourists ride bikes, and the beaches are rugged and wild. Perfect bliss.

[Deleted]

Ocean City, MD