Affordable options for a summer vacation rental for family w/4yr old?

Looking for an affordable (less than $2000 a month) summer home to rent for one month that is within a 2 hour drive to San Francisco (my brother just moved there). It needs to be furnished, have at least one bedroom (prefer two) and located within a reasonable distance from stores and activities for kids. I would love to be near a local park, green market, or a downtown area appropriate for kids.

We are hoping not only to enjoy our vacation and visit family, but also keep an eye out to see if we want to move to the area. My husband and I are both teachers and currently live in Florida. We NEED to get out of the Florida heat before we melt! haha!

Thank you in advance for any suggestions you might offer.

Sincerely,

Michelle

San Francisco (California) Santa Rosa (California) Northern California (California)

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answered by

Aaron from Ithaca

I would recommend checking out options on AirBnB and Craigslist in the East Bay, especially around Berkeley or El Cerrito. There are great neighborhoods for restaurants and tons of things to do at UC Berkeleyand elsewhere in the area that are family friendly. Living in the East Bay will also have good public transportation options (BART) for getting to and from San Francisco. Rents have been going up in the Bay Area but usually a good metric is that the further away you get from the cities, the rents will be more manageable.

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Valerie
Great Bay Area answer, Aaron! I grew up in the Bay and these are good recommendations. I wanted to let you know that we've helped you geo-tag the places that you mentioned in your answer so that they appear on a map next to it. You can also do this yourself in future answers by simply typing the @-symbol and then the name of the place as you're typing your answer. Check it out!

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answered by

Fernando

I would suggest you taking a look at some of the South Bay neighborhoods - Downtown San Jose is starting to emerge as a great area with numerous entertainment options. One thing that sticks out for you family is the Childrens Discovery Museum STA (1).

- Downtown Campbell is a little quieter and more of the suburban feel to it, but it also has a great downtown and some parks to visit.

- There is also Mountain View and Cupertino to check out. Morgan Hill is a tad further but it might be within your budget.

All of these places are less than an hour drive to San Francisco (not counting the terrible traffic) however you need to be aware of the high cost of living out here. Not to say $2k is impossible to find, but it might be difficult.

Hope this helps