Part 3 of "Traveling On Amtrack"
The tickets were booked, the travel items had been purchased and now the search begins for our VRBOS..
So as with other parts of this journey..I have to take the children into consideration first. I needed places to stay that offered them a view, an area to play, an experience, a kitchen I could cook their meals in and maybe some swimming spots.
You may ask; why a VRBO and why not just stay in a hotel/motel? Well that's a pretty easy answer. On this trip we wanted to experience a few different towns. We also like to have our space, a yard to run in, nature to explore. That is hard to accomplish in a building on cement with about 50 other families nearby. 😊
I also personally love a kitchen and if possible a washer and dryer. Having a kitchen meant that we could grocery shop and make some homemade meals verses eating out the whole trip(we did eat out sometimes) and ultimately feeling sick because of all of the items we don't typically consume.
The washer and dryer helped so we could pack less and wash a few loads mid trip and then rewear outfits.
Most of the time when booking a VRBO you can place a deposit down to hold it and then a week or two before the trip pay off the remaining balance. After you book it they send a confirmation and then a few days before you will receive a message either from VRBO or from the owners themselves. In the message will be any rules they would like you to follow, tips and restaurants in the area that they like, as well as a passcode for the front door as apposed to a key.
You can look at the reviews before booking and know what you will be experiencing before you arrive there. People are pretty honest about what they did or didn't like in their written reviews.
We searched for two full days and explored all options various different homes would give us.
So for our first city: Florissant, Colorado.
We wanted to stay in this area for a few reasons: Garden Of The Gods, A little shopping, Colorado Springs is near, The Dinosaur Museum and it was also not a far drive from the bus station that we would be arriving to.(A Whole Different Blog😳)
Ok so here it is..One of the best places you will stay.
Twin Rock Cabin
This home offered a lot of things we needed. It has a kitchen, a washer and dryer, plenty of space to sleep with a master bedroom and then a pullout couch. The one thing that I was wanting more than anything was to have my kids experience "rock climbing". Staying here I knew they would have the memory of climbing on huge rocks near by. We spent a few hours outside exploring and taking pictures. Now having a new experience as a Mother of a son; they have no fear. Climbing on cliffs, walking through claustrophobic cracks, and running on top of flat rocks that drop off very quickly. Shockingly no one got hurt and I slowly came out of my nervous wreck of a shell.
Our last night in the home, while eating dinner: our 5 yr old son said "I loved climbing the Rocky Mountains". Every mothering part of me was absolutely thrilled.
The view is amazing and the window when you first walk into the home has a beautiful waterfall. The waterfall also provided myself a moment of relaxation...In bed with a cup of coffee, before any of the children had awakened, and the sound of the falls. Ahhh
I left a note to my Husband in one of the books there in the library to hopefully find in the future because I know we will for sure be back again.
Our second home away from home was a good change from the first. It was in the mountains and had wonderful views but lots of acreage to walk on as well.
Westcliffe, Colorado
The house offered a dishwasher, a full kitchen which allowed us to cook most of our meals, and a loft along with a living room with a pull out couch. The pullout couch was next to a reclining chair, the fireplace, and the TV. It was so cozy and we had a fire every night even though it was not needed for a heat supply. Between the living room and kitchen seated a bar where we took turns playing each other in battleship. Something that we all found joy in and actually continued to play at home. We bought two battleship games and have carried on a new tradition of competing during family game night.
This home brought us much needed family time. We talked, we watched movies, we played games, and we cooked meals together. We got time to sleep in, time to cuddle, tell late night bed time stories, and gaze into the fireplace. My husband and I enjoyed the stars at night and a few cups of coffee on the balcony with the sunrise. We really needed this home on vacation. We all did.
One of the cooler things about this homes location, besides the beautiful views of the mountain in EVERY DIRECTION, was that it was not to far away from town. In this town we found one activity that we try to do on every vacation...swimming. The local swimming pool at an activity center was open and for under 20 dollars we all swam for the day. They had pool toys and it was clean. There was only one other family there besides us. The children had a blast and I personally appreciated the very clean bathrooms/changing room to get dressed in afterwards. They even provided a hair dryer.
The other thing that we loved about the house was the mouse hunt. They hid little statues of mice throughout the home and after we packed the car we walked around and found everyone we could; it was a nice ending to our stay.
These were the best two VRBOS we could find and they totally live up to their expectations. Each had their own qualities about them and provided our family with great hospitality. For the price of each, compared to a hotel, you just can't beat it.
Have you ever used VRBO for your overnight stay on vacation? Wilson Wonders
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