As summer slowly slips through our fingers, we can take some solace in the fact that once the kids head back to school, rates on travel, including package deals, hotel rooms, and vacation rentals, start to fall.

A dear friend in Denmark is a terrific hostess and enjoys entertaining guests, but has trouble finding the space to put them up in her small apartment. She has stumbled upon a wonderful solution to her constraints on space — she rents a holiday home for a week, and invites staggered groups of friends and relatives to join her there.
Her last choice of summer cottage couldn’t have been any more successful — it was about 10 miles from Kalundborg, a city with rail and ship connections, and only 200 meters or so from a deserted pebbly beach. It was on the west coast of the part of Denmark known as Zealand, some 65 miles west of Copenhagen. The house was rather small, but its quaint touches, such as a cobblestone walkway and a living grapevine draping over the kitchen table, made it the stuff of fairy tales. A couple of antiquated but functional bicycles in a shed gave us instant mobility.

I was curious as to how difficult it would be for someone from outside the country to take advantage of a cottage rental in Denmark, and I was pleased to see there are Web sites that make it incredibly easy. The first one I found, http://www.nicesummer.com/holidayhomes-denmark.asp , has plenty of offers, and the prices are reasonable, particularly if you choose time frames outside of the peak season, which runs mid-June to mid-August.

Some things worth knowing about rentals such as these — owners are likely to tack on fees for all manner of services, from cleaning charges to water and electricity usage. Fees might be based on a certain number of persons, and subject to increase should your guest head count exceed that.

Also, Denmark is a pricey little country, even for food, so to save even further, do the bulk of your supermarket shopping before crossing the border. And in more remote locations, you might feel rather lost without your own transportation.

A cottage vacation such as the one I recently experienced would admittedly not suit those looking for thrills and nightlife — but parents of younger children, folks who crave solitude, or an intimate group of family and friends might find this option a perfect choice.