When you get together not to impress one another but simply to share love and memories, you enjoy the finest rewards of travel.

Grandma and grandpa haven't seen the kids in months. You haven't seen your siblings in nearly a year. The cousins hardly know each other anymore. It's high time to get the gang together. But grandma doesn't want to cook and clean for everyone. And the kids don't want to spend a week sitting around grandma's condo with not much to do. That's why millions of American families--some 16 million a year, according to the Travel Industry Association--are taking off on vacation with three generations and sometimes four.

Families are meeting for a long weekend or a week, gathering at beach and ski resorts Thanksgiving and Christmas, sometimes taking their holiday turkey along.

These post-millennium-style family reunions are a lot different than those afternoon barbeques in a park, so popular a generation ago. In fact, organized reunions are getting so popular that growing numbers of resorts now offer well-priced family reunion packages. When there's a big group and everyone's splitting the tab, reunions can even turn out to be a bargain.

The solution is easy: rent a chateau. 

As long as you've got enough bathrooms and plenty of space to spread out, renting a house together can be a great low-cost option for a family reunion vacation. The kids can bunk together. Adults can share the cooking chores and food costs. Plenty of heart-to-heart talks will be had around the table early in the morning over coffee or late in the evening nursing that last glass of wine. Even better, you might be able to afford to go farther, specially in south of France.

Chateau de Saint-Martory is the perfect castle rental for holidays and  family reunions. Nested in the Garonne river valley, at the footstep of the Pyrenees mountains, this french chateau offers a unique lifestyle experience in one of the most beautiful regions of France.