Remember the good old days when the holidays approached and everyone was buzzing with excitement and the family was making plans for their pilgrimage to grandma's house.  Though grandma was thrilled with the tradition, it soon became a bit too stressful with a growing family and all the necessary logistics.

            Note:  According to the American Psychological Association, holiday stress has a particular impact on women who end up taking charge of the many activities (meal planning, house cleaning, shopping) surrounding family get togethers. 

Today's families are super savvy and many have turned to BeautifulPlaces to rent a “grandma's” house that fits their needs….and have the concierges at BP handle all the details from stocking the house, hiring staff, arranging activities and dealing with all those pesky personal details.

BeautifulPlaces' VP of Guest Experiences Sarah Carroll was first to spot the 'grandma's house' trend.  “I was hearing the same story and requests over and over.  'Our family has outgrown grandma's house.'    'We're looking for a new destination to gather and spend the holidays.'  'Please help us plan a great family getaway.' Or the most common, “Mom and Dad are tired of playing host and want to enjoy the holidays this year.”

Carroll has a helpful checklist she uses when working with families planning on renting a “grandma's” house whether for a holiday getaway, a milestone celebration or a family reunion:

• Appoint one member in the family as the key contact.  Someone who is responsive and will act as mission control for all questions and information….and who knows the budget!
• List ages of all in group (and any physical limitations)  All homes are not created equal:  too many steps or an ungated pool might not work
• Determine location type desired. Some families prefer a home close to town, activities, shops while others want a more remote self-contained property. For others it's simply a temperature decision: hot vs cold climate!
• Activities and Services required.  Basically take the temperature of the group.  Some families prefer staff while others are self-reliant.  Some like to have a pre-planned itinerary while other's like a list of suggested things to do.  For instance, some want an escorted hike; others just want rented bicycles in the garage while others bring their own bicycles and just want a local map of the best routes.  For some a large TV and DVD collection is their 'sport' of choice.
• Food.   Mealtimes are so important but families have different styles and traditions.  “One family sent me their favorite recipes and I had the pantry and refrigerator stocked with all the ingredients so everything was there when they needed it,” added Carroll.  “Another group sent me the menu as they were bringing everything with them and just needed me to make wine pairings…which I did and had delivered to their door.”  A private chef can also be arranged for those who truly want to relax.

Once a destination and house are selected, the real planning begins as Sarah and her team work to ensure the home reflects the family's needs and expectations with a series of more checklists (what to pack what to bring); suggested itineraries plus places to shop, local events, and insider tips.

And one more thing adds Carroll, “I always put grandma's favorite flowers in her room”.

Ideal “grandma” house in Sonoma California:

Casa Sebastiani – home to generations of the Sebastiani wine family; modeled on a stone Tuscan villa; In this kitchen, Mama Sebastiani tested the recipes for her bestselling book, Mangiamo! Let's Eat, and prepared food for many joyous families gathers.

http://www.beautiful-places.com/villas/casa_sebastiani 

Link to other large homes in Sonoma   

http://www.beautiful-places.com/location/all_villas?location=Sonoma+County&No_of_Beds=5

About BeautifulPlaces

BeautifulPlaces (www.beautiful-places.com) offers guests an authentic lifestyle villa vacation experience in a variety of destinations around the world – the wine regions of Northern California and Italy...the resort areas of Mexico, Costa Rica and the Bahamas…the winter playgrounds of Telluride, Snowmass and Aspen…the Caribbean Islands of Mustique, Barbados, and the US and British Virgin Islands…and the jet set hideaways of The Hamptons, Nantucket and Palm Beach.    In addition to a select portfolio of villa and estate rentals, BeautifulPlaces' concierges handle all personal arrangements; plan custom itineraries; create unique experiences and; provide insider tips about the destination; and are available 'on the ground' 24/7 to assist guests.                                                     

 In 2014 Condé Nast Traveler again named BP president Liza Graves one of the top villa rental specialists in the world and Travel + Leisure magazine recognized BP as one of the world's best villa companies.    Travel Weekly honored BeautifulPlaces with its Gold Magellan Award recognizing it as a top performing company in the hospitality industry.  The BeautifulPlaces experience has been featured in top media outlets including Departures, Travel + Leisure, The Today Show, USA Today, Robb Report, Forbes, AARP, Condé Nast Traveler, ABC's The Bachelor, Travel Channel's Dream Villas and CNN.  BeautifulPlaces is headquartered in Sonoma, California.  For more information, call 1.800.495.9961. 

Media contact:  Arlene Winnick  Arlene@beautiful-places.com  310.274.6430