You guys know that we've just been on
our summer vacation, and today I wanted to share a handy website that
I've used a couple of times in planning our trips. Have you heard of Vacation Rentals by Owner? It's a site where you can search privately owned properties
when looking for a great place to stay.
With some of the listings, you deal
directly with the owner, but the majority are run by management
companies. Sometimes you may be staying in a personal residence that
is being rented out, or it may be a company-owned property.
We have used VRBO twice in the last few
years, and always check it out when we're headed somewhere new that
we're not familiar with. The first time we booked with VRBO was on
our 15th Anniversary trip to New York City. We decided
the general area of town we wanted to stay in, and then searched for
nearby listings.
We were able to stay in a flat in a
neighborhood near Times Square. It was a 1 bedroom with bath and full
kitchen and living area. The rate was much less than we would have
had for a tiny hotel room elsewhere. The kitchen was a major
benefit (although we ate out more than we planned to!), and we really
felt like locals when walking through the neighborhood up to the
flat, rather than tourists heading towards the hotels.
Our place was not lavishlike a fancy hotel, but
comfortable,
and I guess spacious in NYC terms!
and I guess spacious in NYC terms!
We also used VRBO for our beach
vacation last week. Once again, we were able to get a 2 bed, 1 ½
bath condo with a full kitchen, washer & dryer in the room, and
balcony overlooking the ocean, right on the beach, for less than we
could have rented a standard hotel room for. We made 1 trip to the
store for quick fix, easy meals and saved money by only eating out
one time. I also really appreciate the washer and dryer-I love
coming home from a trip with all of the laundry already done!
Nothing super fancy, but perfect for our needs and budget.
Best of all, this was our balcony. Right on the sand!
My only caution is to always make sure you know what's included and not included...parking? towels? paper goods? etc. Usually the listing is very upfront but the owner or contact person is very helpful
if you have any questions and need to contact them.
if you have any questions and need to contact them.
VRBO is the first site we check when
planning a trip. Have you ever used it?
Hmmm, maybe I need to check to see if VRBO is in Hawaii...
Hmmm, maybe I need to check to see if VRBO is in Hawaii...
I think this is my last vacation post-I promise to get back to house projects next week!