the vets around me vary in price, but even though i trust our vet, I trust the guy i take our pup to more, since I've known him longer. I think most importantly that you really "trust" who is taking care of your pets.
We have a chain of "resorts" near us where things like playtime, storytime, etc are all ala carte. The thing is that a place like that would be a waste for my girl. She's a rescue with a whole suitcase full of issues and will chose to spend the day in her crate, sucking on her blanket (so disgusting yet SO adorable) until I come home. So give her an indoor, climate controlled run, regular meals and her blanket and she'll be OK. Miserable but OK.
The last time that we boarded her at the vet I had to go back a few days later to pick something up. One of the girls who had taken care of Amber while she was being boarded came out to say hello. Amber raced right over to her and mushed up against her. Then, of course, she raced back to me...horrified that she was going to be left there again. But it made me feel so much better, seeing how happy she was to see this girl.
I think that pet resorts are great and I love the playtime and webcam ideas. Many pets are much more social than my girlie and would enjoy the pampering and playing. But like hereyago said, the most important thing is that you trust who's taking care of your pet. Because your pet can't tell you about their "vacation" when you get back.
The fact that the staff at my vet knows Amber and all of her issues, that a bunch of them are rottie people and that the vet is in a very visible area in case of fire or mishap (I'm paranoid) makes me feel much better.
But I'm still going to miss her terribly! I'm even sleeping on a blanket for her to bring along so that she has something that smeels like me. there may be three of us living here but she's definitely my dog

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OP, I'm glad that you found a solution. I always just figure in the pet boarding costs as part of the total vacation expenses. I refer to Amber as my "luxury". Instead of manicures and beauty salons I spend the money on kibble and kongs

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