By Jeff Hoening
31 feet, 2 parents, 3 kids, 1 cat, 8 days.
In past summers, our family of five has enjoyed a Caribbean cruise, a weekend trip to Disney World, and the obligatory pilgrimage to Washington, D.C. Each of these vacations were terrific all for a host of different reasons. But this year, the lure of the open road beckoned and we decided to rent a 31 foot home away from home from Suncoast RV Rentals right down Hwy. 301.
Imagine taking your comfortable and familiar home, reducing it to 15% of its normal size and you have our vacation in a nutshell. Thanks to the great people at Suncoast RV Rentals, we rented a beautiful fully-equipped 31-foot RV (recreational vehicle) and embarked on an eight day journey guided brilliantly by Google Maps on my wife’s trusty iPhone. Our itinerary included Georgia’s Stone Mountain Park, the original Chick-fil-A restaurant outside of Atlanta, North Carolina’s beautiful Blue Ridge Parkway, the Biltmore House in Asheville, and the touristy goodness of Gatlinburg, Tennessee.
The trip was more than a sight-seeing vacation, but a true adventure! We dumped sewer lines, hooked up 30 amp power (whatever 30 amp power is) and microwaved s’mores. The trip was as much about the journey as is was destination and created lifelong memories for our children ages 14, 10 and 9 (“Remember when we rented that RV that summer?”)
Traveling with your hotel room has distinct advantages. We saved time and money on meals by cooking and eating in the RV. RV park “hook-ups” are just a fraction of the cost of a hotel room. Each of the RV parks we stayed at were comfortable, quiet, and conveniently located. The air-conditioned coach slept all five of us…plus our cat, very comfortably.
Suncoast RV Rentals owner Wally Williams, who opened the business seven years ago, took us through a comprehensive orientation prior to our trip, including a test drive of the two-year old RV that actually still smelled new. They also provided excellent day or night technical support during our journey.
“We opened this business seven years ago,” explained Williams, 81, “because I had been retired for ten to fifteen years and my son convinced me to take my skills as the president of a supermarket chain and get back into business.”
“We are in the RV and motor home rental business renting to families corporations and sporting events. We have RVs from nineteen to forty feet long that provide a true home on wheels.”
Williams says that all of the 20 available RVs are privately owned and managed by Suncoast. Renters are taught how to drive, park and fill up with gas prior to a trip and a cleaning fee of $75 is charged per rental so that the RVs are left in pristine condition after each rental.
“Once our customers make a trip in these RVs, they become hooked,” adds Williams.
Rental prices range from $135 per day to $550 per day depending upon size of the RV. In addition to RV rentals, Suncoast RV also manages the rental of vehicles for both corporate and personal use. New and used inventory ranges from 24′ C Class to executive 40′ A Class vehicles.
For more information, or to view the inventory of RVs available, visit www.flarvrental.com or call 984-0107.
The Hoening family of Lithia was proud to become first time RV-ers on this summer’s RV road trip adventure.
