Booking a vacation rental property opposed to a hotel for your next vacation may not be at the top of your list, but perhaps it should be. Vacation rental properties are increasingly becoming a more affordable, more luxurious and more efficient means of accommodation to more and more travelers. Vacation rental properties include private estates, condo-hotels, timeshares and fractionals. Although most may not have 24 hour concierge, what they do have will more often than not outweigh this marginal disadvantage.
For starters, if you're traveling with a group or large family, vacation rentals are much more efficient in terms of space and practicality. Hotel rooms are small, cramped spaces where you're lucky to get a sofa pullout for a second sleeping place. Vacation rentals have multiple bedrooms, bathrooms, living areas, even fully stocked kitchens. And not just private estates. But condo hotels and timeshare apartments also provide these same amenities. Having a kitchen at your disposal will greatly reduce the money you spend on food while on vacation, especially during extended stays. There are millions of vacation rental homes. It pays to do some research.
Vacation rental properties are also great for seeing a foreign land from the inside out. Staying on a private street, living amongst the locales, provides for a richer tourist experience than some theme park styled skyscraper hotel.
Remember to utilize an established management company when booking your vacation rental property. Or use the owner direct. Find out where the key pick up is, what the afterhours protocol is and other useful items. Also look into all fees associated with your rental: including cleaning, pet, extra persons and resort fees. Lastly, some of the higher end properties have extra boxes to check, such as chauffeur service, maid service, even butler service.
When looking for your property search on Google for vacation and estate rentals in the area you are looking for.
Read reviews, and if you can, try to get referrals for the exact unit you are staying in. Oftentimes, a condo hotel property will have vastly different conditions of rooms with different third party management and cleaning companies working within the same site. Also, try to speak to the owner/management company over the phone and not just by email. Although not conclusive, it will help to form an impression of the owner or management company.
Check the proximity of the property to places that you plan on visiting; e.g., attractions, local convenience shops, and eating places. Sometimes a property can look too good to be true and that's often because it has a poor location. Either far away from something or too close to a freeway or bad area.
Finally, carefully check all terms and conditions before booking, most importantly, check and recheck the cancellation procedures. Some properties charge a full one hundred percent cancellation charge even three months out.
No comments:
Post a Comment