Vacation Rentals

[SarahS]

This is the place to discuss anything and everything related to vacation rentals. Do you prefer renting to staying in a hotel? What's the best way to find a rental property? Post your tips, questions and comments here!

Related Stories:
Vacation Rentals: Right for You?
Finding a Vacation Rental

[passportdiva]

Me and my family do both. When the destination is local, we tend to do rental, maybe b/c we trust/know the people of the country. If its in a country that is new to us, I think a hotel is safer.

[wrenegade]

We've been renting thru Gites de France for a few years & it works great. With one exception, each facility has been adequate to great.
This fall we are renting a deluxe apartment in Paris, 7th arr. Still only 60E per person. If it works as well as Gites de France I will be happy.

R Wren

[globetrotter]

Hi Sarah,

We have been renting villas and apartments for years now as travelling as a family of four including two teenagers it works out cheaper than renting two hotel rooms and gives us much more space and usually an extra bathroom. We have stayed in some fantastic places over the years - a fabulous loft apartment in Barcelona, a beautiful villa with pool in Majorca, a stunning apartment with roof terrace with views of the Colloseum in Rome, an apartment in isle de france, Paris, a troglodyte (part cave) house in Amboise France, a villa in Orlando etc.. Next month we're going to a loft apartment in Brooklyn.

Some of the websites I have used are: vrbo.com which is direct from the owner, holidayrentals.co.uk, ownersdirect.co.uk although I usually just key in the country/resort/city apartment rentals or vacation rentals into google and trawl through loads of sites until I find what I want.

Renting involves a lot of trust both ways. We have been lucky that we have never had any problems and have met some great people. The owners at the Rome apartment were particularly good, meeting us at the apartment with wine and fresh pastries, giving us loads of information on the city and attractions. I always check out any feedback from previous renters and e-mail the owners with an initial enquiry for further information. I would never pay a large amount upfront when booking and have let some places go when the owner has asked for more than 20-25% deposit. Usually I pay a deposit in advance, then the remaining amount on arrival. Owners usually also request a security deposit to cover brakages, excessive cleaning fees etc which you get back when leaving providing everything is ok.

As you can see I'm a great fan of holiday rentals. To us they offer more space for the money, far superior accommodation to affordable hotels, you get to meet some great people and if you want can live in 'real' neighbourhoods among local people.

[gr8it]

We would rather rent a property with 4 kids, hotels now require that we take 2 or 3 rooms, far too expensive unless they have suites.

best rental sites ive found are

homeaway.com
holidaylettings.co.uk
alwaysonvacation.com

favourite vacation - mt tremblant Canada

we stay in a mountain chalet, pic attached

[sophiecowley]

We use First Choice Vacation Homes and we have been very happy with them. Their site has just been revamped and they now specialize in cabin vacation rentals, coast vacation rentals, lake vacation rentals, village vacation rentals, and snow-bird bargains. It's a great site to use because the vacation property displays are showcased for easy browsing. And, from their news page, it looks as if they re-branding and opening a new site soon with even more features. Check them out!

[sophiecowley]

Heres the website: www.firstchoicevacationhomes.com

[janicejan]

We usually go to Europe for a ski holiday, and since we all went there as a family, it will be more expensive to rent hotel rooms, that is why we all stay in one chalet, were we can all fit inside, and all the necessities are in there, it's like our second home since we always do it..

[hieggelke]

Check out onlinevacationrentals.com for a great listing of vacation rentals by owners. Additional, location specific vacation rental homes can be found at northshorerental.com for the North Shore of Hawaii,
northmauirental.com for Maui,
and northtahoerental.com for Tahoe.

[nalukailodge]

Vacation homes are available in all kind of destinations, from a rustic cabin rental located at Paia on the north shore of Maui.
Vacation rental homes provide privacy, peace and quiet thing that are hard to come by in a hotel room. When you choose vacation home rentals over hotels you join the growing ranks of people who demand more value from their vacation accommodations.



Thanks for read me.

[Valerie09]

Me and my family do both. When the destination is local, we tend to do rental, maybe b/c we trust/know the people of the country. If its in a country that is new to us, I think a hotel is safer.

I agree! we also stay in a hotel if we are just new to a certain country. But if our vacation is just within our country, we are comfortable to do rental.

[rxhousing]

We should have a place for discussion regarding Corporate Housing as well... Isn't it?

[jocap]

Oh, yes, we're for the holiday home every time, if more than the odd night or two. We've had lovely places on Mallorca, and in France, with shared pools, and used apart-hotels in Germany, where there's lots of facilities on site, but your own little flat to come back to.
We also enjoy Centre Parcs, both in the UK and France, and caravan parks in Scotland, though their pine lodges are the best! We look for dog- friendly, in the UK and Ireland.
jocap.

[bahamalovers]

We love holiday rentals. We do it all over the caribbean and find it more personal, more "local". In Nassau Bahamas we also use a service called FoodStore2go where you get your groceries delivered to you without having to go to the grocery store. It saved time, money and my waistline. Owners of vacation rentals tend to be very nice-going further than hotels for personal service and advice. Some have even had us over for dinner or drinks! Don't get me wrong, we've stayed in some dives but we like the idea of not knowing what you're going to get. Tip-do try to ask for a less than one week rate - we often only go for 1-2 nights... never really been a problem. Another tip - Don't forget to give an online review of the property - these people live off of word of mouth.