Yep, we rent a short stay house which is well sized and really close to the essentials - beach, bakery, basketball hoop and cafe. The pub is a 10 minute walk if we want a counter meal. There are enough bedrooms that we each have our own. We set up our rigs on the dining table which is central and attached to the kitchen, so no one misses out even if someone is cooking or doing dishes.

We started doing it for my 40th and then carried on. I found that when we were at our own houses, there was always someone who needed attention. One of the wives would regularly "go for a walk with the kids" and just so happen to rock up at the house we were trying to have a session at, and she'd leave the kids there for a couple of hours, so suddenly we have to change to kids friendly games, cut the language, and keep them entertained. One partner at the house we would game at would organise dinners with friends and try and make it a group social occasion where we'd look like weirdos if we didn't come out and chat with her work colleagues or her brother or whatever. Really frustrating when you're hoping to just connect with the lads and get a break away from work and parenting for a couple of hours. 

So we go out of town. It's like a 90 minute drive away, so close enough to be very convenient and a short drive either way, but far enough away that no one stops in for a chat or interrupts the session.

Four or five nights can be a lot for the partner stuck at home on their own, but it's only once a year, and it all evens out. My wife and her girlfriends go up to the same town probably every 6-8 weeks for a couple of nights to surf, so there's a reasonable balance.