If you'd rather rent a couple of units so everyone has their space, the average price for a two-bedr

Even better, you won’t have to wash never-ending loads of towels or piles of dishes. In fact, you can gather the gang in a beautifully decorated home without doing all the work that typically entails, and without cooking at all — unless you want to, of course.
And you’ll have plenty of guidance chicago cubs tickets planning activities. chicago cubs tickets Sound too good to be true? All you’ve got to do for such a stress-free holiday is to celebrate at a vacation villa or condo rather than at your overcrowded house.
The Vacation Club Portico — once you pay the annual fee, you have access to a dazzling selection of homes around the world at a discount — has a special collection of holiday homes decorated for Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah with kitchens equipped with everything you’ll need to whip up a holiday feast, courtesy of Sur La Table , which sells cookware in its stores chicago cubs tickets and online. I was so taken with the kitchen at a Portico house in Snowmass, Colo., we’d rented this summer that I threw a dinner party for local friends.
With my sister-in-law there to help before my two daughters arrived just ahead of the dinner guests, we cooked up a storm — marinated flank steak and chicken, grill-roasted fingerling potatoes, green beans, a green salad and a stand-out dessert — brownies, fresh berries and white chocolate sauce.
We’ve rented apartments in Rome and Paris, condos in ski country in Colorado and Utah and villas in the Caribbean and we’ve never been sorry for opting out of hotels. I like having plenty of space, chicago cubs tickets especially now that fiancees and significant others are part of the equation and we’re also joined by extended chicago cubs tickets family. My gang likes being able to cook as well as explore local markets. It’s all part of the adventure. chicago cubs tickets Besides, anyone who has ever traveled with kids — no matter what their ages — knows it’s more relaxing not to have to go out for every meal — even better when there is someone else to do the dishes!
I remember in Paris sending the 12-year-olds out to buy croissants in the neighborhood for breakfast; In Colorado, exhausted after a ski day, we were happy to eat pasta or chili and not have to drag ourselves and the kids anywhere for dinner.
Here’s a tip from Nantucket chefs Seth and Angela Raynor, who cook for Portico guests on Nantucket: chicago cubs tickets Bring copies of your favorite recipes and make a master list of all the ingredients ahead of time. You can never be too organized for when the chaos of everyone in the kitchen sets in, they say.
If you don’t want to cook, a private chef can create a memorable feast for your family. In Tuscany last Christmas, the Gatch family — 16 of them — even shared Christmas dinner with the owners of the villa they had rented through Doorways . Ltd.
“The staff cooked, served and cleaned up each night,” said Milton Gatch, a retired professor. “It was extremely chicago cubs tickets nice.” Certainly it wasn’t cheap, he added, but less expensive — and a far more memorable chicago cubs tickets experience — than packing everyone into a hotel. They shopped for holiday gifts in the historic town of Lucca where the grandkids chicago cubs tickets went biking on the city’s famous walls.
“The biggest difference chicago cubs tickets between a villa and a hotel is the privacy,” explains Doorways’ Kit Burns. No one will look askance if the toddler has a tantrum, the tweens can go off safely on their own and grandpa can have a nap. You’re not paying either every time one of the kids wants a snack.
Maybe you want to hit the slopes as soon as you can — say Thanksgiving. Wyndham Vacation Rentals ( www.wyndhamvacationrentals.com ) is offering 25 percent discounts on ski rentals in Colorado (promo code CARVE) and equally appealing deals whether you want to gather the gang on Alabama’s Gulf Coast (PROMO code Thanks13), the Smokies or elsewhere.
It may be cheaper than you think to rent a house for the holidays — rates for the four-bedroom Portico homes start at under $600 a night. That’s chicago cubs tickets a bonafide bargain for ski country — considering the cost of four hotel rooms — if you split the cost with extended family.
You can save even more if you head to less crowded destinations, according to HomeAway.com , which offers more than 775,000 listings in 171 countries. For example, Sevierville, Tenn., is only 20 minutes outside of Gatlinburg (one of the top destinations they’re seeing for Thanksgiving), but it’s on average chicago cubs tickets around $50 less per night.
If you’d rather rent a couple of units so everyone has their space, chicago cubs tickets the average price for a two-bedroom/two-bath home on HomeAway.com is around $1,500 per week.  Wherever you go, make sure you get the name of an on-site contact or property manager who can help you in case of an emergency and make sure to get everything in writing. (I know of a case where the family arrived only to discover the place they’d booked and paid for had been given to someone else.)
Portico assigns you an “escapist,” kind of a super-concierge who can handle any special requests (say an appearance by Santa), while a villa company chicago cubs tickets like Doorways can offer special expertise in the region you plan to visit. You might prefer to deal directly chicago cubs tickets with the vacation homeowner, like you can on homeaway.com. Often, owners can be terrific resources.
Doorways’ Kit Burns notes that she’s seeing lots more multigenerational groups booking villas. chicago cubs tickets But like the Gatch family, you might need a year to plan. This holiday, she suggests, give everyone the gift of a trip to come.
Taking the Kids publishes two e-newsletters per month, filled with information and advice for families traveling with children as well as tips on destinations and special travel offers from sponsors.