Wish it was easier to find hotel rooms for big families! (OR/WA coastal areas)

[mommaU4]

This post if half question and half rant. (Okay, mainly rant, lol) We are a family of 6, two adults, four kids (2 teens and 2 preteens). The hardest part of planning family vacations has always been finding a hotel room. Most places only allow 4-5 people. I realize this is nothing new, and I am sure this complaint has been posted many a time here on the budget board. I just had to vent.

We are planning a road trip for June 2013. We live in Vegas, and will be driving from here, up through CA, and then along the coast of Oregon and Washington. I can't wait! I am hoping for a very nice, scenic, (peaceful? nah, not with four kids!) drive. But, booking hotels is probably going to take me from now until next June to complete!

It's easier to find rooms at places near big tourist destinations. For example, Orlando or Anaheim. We never have a problem finding large, reasonably priced, family suites there. But, we are going to be stopping in towns that are a bit smaller, with more "mom and pop" type of places. Looks like we are going to have to book two rooms at most places. With each room running between $120-$160 a night, that's going to add up fast! And, frankly, most of these places are decent, but not worth paying double for.

But, what can you do. Just another hurdle for those of us with large families. I did find a website called SixSuitcaseTravel and it has helped some.
I was just wondering what other families with 3 or more kids do? Just suck it up and book two rooms? Or have I been missing some magic secret all these years? Anyone familiar with hotels/motels along the Oregon or Washington coast that are clean (we don't need fancy), and would work well for a large family??

Thanks for any tips, or advice! Or for anyone else with a large family who just wants to commiserate with me! lol

 

[descovy]

Not specific to the PNW... but have you tried Embassy Suites? We are a family of 5 (so granted on the cusp of "big") but it has always worked well for us. Many hotels say no to 5, but never a problem there...

You can get 2 beds (queen or double?) and the couch in the second room is a double. Also a full breakfast, and if you get a good one... free happy hour!

 

[mommaU4]

Not specific to the PNW... but have you tried Embassy Suites? We are a family of 5 (so granted on the cusp of "big") but it has always worked well for us. Many hotels say no to 5, but never a problem there...

You can get 2 beds (queen or double?) and the couch in the second room is a double. Also a full breakfast, and if you get a good one... free happy hour!

We've used them before. Places that have rooms with two queen beds and a sofa sleeper are usually what I look for. A free breakfast is an added bonus!

Something tells me I won't be as lucky on this trip. Smaller towns seems to equal less hotel chains. It makes each area more charming, but harder to find a room. I just have to keep reminding myself it will be worth it with the sights we are going to see!

 

[ChrisinNJ]

We were also lucky to get mini suites at 2 different Hampton Inns to and from Disney. They were double size rooms with 2 queens and a queen sized pull out couch. They had 1 bathroom and a mini kitchenette with fridge, sink and microwave. Worked beautifully for our family of 5. We just bought a motorhome, so looking forward to some great road trips over the next few years!!

Good Luck finding hotels. We are 1 person less than you but I understand your frustration.

 

[JessB320]

I grew up in a family of five kids, and now have a family with five kids so I feel your pain. There are houses to rent all alone the washington and Oregon coast. Some may only rent for a week at a time but some do nightly rentals as well. Some are through hotel chains, best western use to have a ton in Lincoln city Oregon, others are private lIf you google vacation house rental and the city you plan to stop in along the way I'll bet you start finding some options cheaper that 2 hotel rooms.

 

[mommaU4]

Good Luck finding hotels. We are 1 person less than you but I understand your frustration.

Thanks! And, enjoy your motor home. That sounds like a great way to road trip!

 

[mommaU4]

I grew up in a family of five kids, and now have a family with five kids so I feel your pain. There are houses to rent all alone the washington and Oregon coast. Some may only rent for a week at a time but some do nightly rentals as well. Some are through hotel chains, best western use to have a ton in Lincoln city Oregon, others are private lIf you google vacation house rental and the city you plan to stop in along the way I'll bet you start finding some options cheaper that 2 hotel rooms.

Hmmm, thanks. I'll have to look into that. I didn't bother to check out rentals because I figured they rented by the week, and we are only stopping for a night or two at most places. It would be great to find some that rent nightly. And, with five kids, you sure do know how hard it is!

 

[theworldneedscolor]

I wouldn't get a second room. Many places offer a roll-away and you could take turns with a sleeping bag. I would highly recommend rentals though. Many times I have stayed the weekend at the coast at a house, it's great.

I'm from Oregon, and it really is beautiful. Be prepared for rain, though!

 

[Bungle]

The looking glass inn in Lincoln City offers two bedroom suites. Ours had two kings, and a fold out queen along with the option of a roll away. Breakfast is also included. Mo's is across the street and the tiki hut is within walking distance. Not sure if that area is one of your destinations but it always works great when we go as a larger group.

 

[Abbeys_mom]

Have you tried KOA? We just stayed at our first one last night (Manchester, on Hwy 1 before Mendocino) and it was FANTASTIC. We had our own bathroom, a microwave/toaster/coffee pot, a queen bed and a set of bunks. They had bigger "Kabins" and "Lodges" available, and some would easily sleep six or more. It looked like the campground had a ton of great things to do, we were there for a cheap room while exploring the area for a quick impromptu trip.

Granted, we did have to bring our own bedding and towels so there is some work involved, but I was also able to make dinner and breakfast in the deluxe "kabin". We absolutely loved it and would do it again - especially that particular one. I am much more of a "Glamping" kinda gal, I don't do regular camping. I don't know about others, but it was so clean and cute. They are all over, so if you have room for bedding in your car, it might be a great solution.

 

[mjantz]

Even though we are just a family of four we rent vacation homes a lot instead of hotels. More room & a kitchen. We love each other but can only handle so many nights of close quarters!

 

[ORDisneyfans]

Are you coming through Medford? The Super 8 in Central Point right off 1-5 has suites with 2 queens and a sofa bed. They also have an awesome pool with a huge water slide? We are locals and I just stayed there for my Dd's 10th Birthday slumber party. Myself and 5 girls. It was about $110 and includes breakfast Buffet. Nothing fancy but the kids loved the pool!

 

[Swimalie]

We lived in Oregon for several years and stayed at the La Quinta in Newport when it first opened. It is a nice hotel with a neat view and right next to the Aquarium. I believe it is around $80 a night. You'd probably still have to get 2 rooms but the prices are lower. I also second the idea of renting a house. There are a lot of nice rentals along the coast.

 

[formill]

We have 4 kids and have always had this problem too. I usually try and look for suite hotels- Comfort Inn and Suites and Residence Inns etc. Residence Inns are usually really nice as have full kitchens and often 2 bathrooms as well. We have also gone the KOA route and stayed in lodges-some do have bedding-other campgrounds also have mobile homes they rent out and come with full bedding. I will also use priceline and book two rooms then call hotel and see if can get connecting rooms.

 

[DawnM]

You can rent motor homes if that would be of interest to you.

The last real road trip we took (ie: staying in different hotels different nights) we stayed in Residence Inns for several nights in different locations. We also stayed in a Hyatt because DH had a conference in Montreal. I would NOT recommend that as it was set up for a business single person to stay.....it was TIGHT. But it was free so we managed.

We bought two fold up mattresses and always bring at least one of them to Disney. Even if we stay in a 2 bedroom condo it is easier to keep that on the floor than to pull out the sofa each night. They do take up room though.

Dawn

 

[4HppyCamprs]

I grew up in Northern Cali but my DH had never been so when we went to San Fran for a wedding we went up the coast and stayed in crescent city then over through grant pass and down to my hometown (ironically the most expensive place) we stayed at Best Westerns.

On another note your talking about the trip makes me want to do it all over again. I love the PNW and miss living out there.

Have a super trip!

 

[Aliceacc]

Just seconding the use of http://sixsuitcasetravel.com/

It's a site specifically devoted to finding hotel rooms for larger families.

 

[dougsmom98]

Just seconding the use of http://sixsuitcasetravel.com/

It's a site specifically devoted to finding hotel rooms for larger families.

I agree. This is a site that we have used in the past.

 

[maggiew]

We have a family of four. But when we bring my mom or my niece along with us, we usually stay in a Springhill Suites (by Marriott). Includes breakfast.

Maggie

 

[PatMcDuck]

I was just wondering what other families with 3 or more kids do? Just suck it up and book two rooms? Or have I been missing some magic secret all these years?
Thanks for any tips, or advice! Or for anyone else with a large family who just wants to commiserate with me! lol

I have 4 kids. What did I DO? Well, for WDW, we joined DVC in 1995 and booked the 2 bedroom villas. At the time, they did not have family sutes on property like they do now. We DID cook in the villa for most dinners, too. Anywhere else? We had to get 2 hotel rooms. Seriously, with 6 people you NEED NEED 2 bathrooms, don't you? When kids were younger, we could sometimes get the adjoining rooms, which was nice.

Even in that 2 bedroom villa, we used air mattresses and the pull out couch, teen aged boys would not share a bed, and DD (only girl) did not want to sleep with a brother.

One trip to Cedar Point, we stayed in a room that slept 5 (one son was not with us, so we had 5). It was horrible. I booked concierge, thinking that would give us some SPACE, but it did not help. Teen sons were going to the lobby to use the bathroom at times, and 5 sleeping in one room was crazy (DH SNORES really bad!) We laugh about that trip now of course.

Your older kids won't be traveling with you forever, either, it is a short term problem, if that helps.