Go Vacation Houses

[Boyan Atanaschev]

HomeToGoreceived the first place award in the vacation rentals category by Newsweek and Statista for its excellent guest relations, ahead of other vacation rental providers including Airbnb, Booking.com, Vacasa and Vrbo.

The Lighthouse Keeper and Assistant Lighthouse Keeper's Residences (duplex) are historical, Victorian-period, houses with period piece furniture. They feature a fully equipped kitchen and dining room, a living room with TV and DVD and a library. Upstairs are three bedrooms with two queen-size and two single beds and a bathroom. Linens are provided

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Rental homes can be a great way to bring multiple or extended families together for shared experiences while also giving people their own bedrooms and spaces for privacy and downtime. The OBX has several professional management companies that can help you match your inters and needs with the best suited Outer Banks rental property.

Rental homes on the Outer Banks can be a great way to bring multiple or extended families together for shared experiences while also giving people their own bedrooms and spaces for privacy and downtime. The OBX has several professional management companies that can help you match your interests and needs with the best-suited Outer Banks rental property. Before choosing your perfect vacation rental, make sure you find Which OBX Island is Right For You.

Can't decide between oceanfront or sound-facing? Should you use a management company? Let us help answer those top first-time questions you have like when to book, what is the "off-season," and are there any deals or payment plans for these places to stay on the OBX? For answers to these questions and more, check out our How to Rent a Vacation Home on the Outer Banks blog.

One of my absolute favorite headlines from The Onion reads "Mom Spends Beach Vacation Assuming All Household Duties In Closer Proximity To Ocean." I love it so much because that's me. I'm that Mom. And nothing makes me happier.

As most of you know, my favorite way to vacation is to rent a beautiful house somewhere I love, surround myself with people I love, and spend the entire vacation pretty much never leaving the house. We buy too many groceries, we eat too much food, and we leave the oven at 350 for the majority of the trip so we're always ready for whatever the day brings.

One of the joys of renting a vacation house is that you just never know what you are gonna find when you get there. I spend hours looking at Airbnb or Vrbo searching for the perfect house with the perfect kitchen, imagining what small appliances live where and which drawer they keep the cutlery in. Despite my most erotic kitchen fantasies, I always show up to the house, do a quick inventory, and am always left audibly gasping "what the actual fuck?" at the lack of essentials that are missing. Thankfully, I have gotten my vacation rental house pack list down to a science, so no matter what, I am prepared for (mostly) anything.

Today I'm sharing three variations on what I pack to achieve iconic Vacation House Mom status: Doing The Least, Pretty Standard, and Doing the Most. I'm also including some Grossy extras (because I'm extra) to provide the The Full Grossy experience from enamelware, coolers, and reusable napkins and table cloths and cleaning supplies. All items are linked for you to find out more information about them and purchase!

Smiley Spoon: You know they coming with me! I just love that they are always down for a smile, a chat, or a selfie. Smiley Spoon has been everywhere with me and loves to travel. In a way, they are my own personal Flat Stanley but he's also a wooden spoon, which is required for most of my recipes!

Quarter Sheet Pan: Yes, I have rented homes that do not have a baking sheet. Serial killers, I know. Thankfully a quarter sheet pan is the perfect thing to have around for a few cookies, a roasted anything, or for prep work. It also fits in most tote bags!

Maldon Sea Salt: I buy my Maldon in bulk because duh. I also keep a travel container full of it so I can grab it and go! I don't bring a big container of it, just enough to top my salads, pastas and to have as table salt during meals!

Kosher Salt: Kosher salt is extremely important to me (because pasta!) and I use a lot of it in my cooking (because pasta!). Most houses I go to have some form of it available but, I like to know that when I arrive at the house and everyone is starving and looking at me, I can make a quick pasta dish with properly salted pasta water. It helps me sleep at night!

Red Pepper: I also buy my red pepper flakes in bulk because we like to keep it spicy. I keep a travel container full of them as well so I can grab it and go! Just like the sea salt, I don't bring a big container of it, just enough to top my meals.

Unicorn Magnum Pepper Mill: Fresh cracked pepper is a non-negotiable! This specific pepper mill is also not negotiable. I fill her up to the brim with peppercorns before every trip, and she treats me right the entire time. And, despite what you just read, I can assure you this is not a sex toy.

Stainless Steel Measuring Spoons & Cups: You would think that most homes would have proper measuring cups and spoons, but girl, I have seen some shit! Somehow, some way, they will be missing the ONE cup or spoon you need, and then you end up using a quarter cup to scoop your four cups of flour for Grossy's Chocolate Chip Cookies. This is obviously unacceptable, so just pack your own and thank me later!

Microplane: Not a vacation goes by that I do not get asked to make Grossy's Garlic Bread and Grossy's Vodka Sawce and if you wanna make a lot of people happy with minimal effort, I recommend you do the same. You cannot do it without a microplane, so throw her in the bag, babe.

Wine and Bottle Opener: Have you ever seen eight people launch into a frenzy when someone returns home from the liquor store, only to discover that there's no wine opener in the house? It's not cute! Stick this one in your sports bra if you must, but bring her.

3 Knives: You really only need 3 good knives at all times: A Classic Chef's Knife, a Serrated Bread Knife, and a Paring Knife. If you have this holy trinity on hand, you'll be a cut above the rest, always. Knives are a very personal thing, and I like the way mine feel in my hand so I always bring them with me. Plus, I know they are in ship shape and sharp. Food52 sells a great set of these 3 knives that I love!

Le Creuset Dutch Oven: Pots and pans are a BIG issue in rental houses. By that I mean, they just never have ones big enough! Having my largest dutch oven with me truly gets me through MOST of my emergencies. Beyond it's most obvious uses, I have been to known to use it as a mixing bowl, a salad bowl and a trifle bowl in desperate times! Plus, you can pack tools inside of it. Legends only!

All of our Doing The Least items stay with a few more added essentials. The Pretty Standard variation is the set of items I take with me to get me through most of my favorite vacation recipes and to handle any curve balls that the rental house may throw it at me.

Vegetable Peeler: Peeling veggies can be a big time-suck when you are preparing a meal for a large crowd and most vacation rentals I've visited don't have one. I like having my trusted peeler with me so I know I can move fast and feed the masses faster!

Serving Spoon: Serving utensils are really important to me when putting a meal out on the table. I always pack my favorite serving spoon just in case the house doesn't have any proper serving spoons. Serving meals with cereal spoons will ruin an entire vacation for me, truly.

Pastry Brush: I always rent a house with a grill, and nothing relaxes me more than reapplying BBQ sauce on meat as it gets charred and crisp on the coals. A silicone pastry brush is my magic wand as I master the grill 'n' chill.

A Baking Dish: Baking projects are my favorite way to relax, and that's what vacation is about. I always bring a solid baking dish so if I decide to make an Any Fruit Crisp (the star of most of my vacations) or some Cinnamon Rolls or a new recipe from whatever cookbook I have packed with me, I am always covered. This dish also comes in handy for serving food as well as marinating meat or fish.

Dried Oregano: After salts and peppers, dried oregano is most frequently used in my kitchen. I buy it in bulk as well, so it's worth packing in my bag! You may have another herb or spice you use all the time, and I say bring it along.

Knife Sharpener: Yes, we brought our own knives. But we can also sharpen the ones we find in the house, which I consider an act of good will and "paying it forward." Plus, I like to put everyone to work chopping away in the kitchen, so lots of good knives means lots of happy helpers!

Half Sheet Pan: It is impossible to have enough half sheet pans on a vacation. You can use use them for prep, baking, grilling, serving, and carrying your food. They are an MVP on this list, for sure!

Enamelware. Ok, so if you you know me you know I love my vessels as much as I love my food. Sadly, I cannot bring my entire collection of ceramics with me on vacation, but I can take my entire collection of enamelware. It's perfect for serving food, food prep, and also comes in handy for arts and crafts moments like tie-dyeing or candle making. Enamelware is available in all shapes, sizes, and colors! Here are a few essential pieces I recommend starting your collection with.

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