Lets talk a bit about accommodations while on vacation, then we will get right back to the food! If you are wavering between paying for a vacation rental or hotel, I suggest a rental. I have found from online research that nice rentals from beach-side homes to inner city condominiums are usually cheaper or at least comparable to hotel/motel/resort accommodations. And usually come with some of the same extras: pool, free WiFi, cable or satellite, free movie channels, local calls...You get the point.
Why does this come into play? You can cook your dinners at the rental. And by that I mean the evening meals (evening meals cost more at restaurants). Also (non food related) if you have kids and/or babies you can put them to bed in a separate room! With families it seems that hotels only REALLY provide a place to sleep, then you need to get out and about before someone gets hurt! ~ But let me get back to the eating part...