Tips in Locating Your Vacation Rental

The honest truth is that renting a vacation apartment is not for everyone. If you feel that water continuously flowing from a 400 year fountain will disturb your beauty sleep or you have a notion that an air conditioner malfunction will destroy your vacation chances are you need to review some of these steps carefully before you blindly book a vacation rental.

• If you have your heart set on a popular destination consider the season and book far in advance ( this means 6 months -12 months depending on the location and time of year) because the supply will NOT exceed the demand, unfortunately you are not the only one itching to visit Paris in June or hang with the fashionable set in St. Barts.
• Is the rental, all inclusive and if so what does that exactly include? Will you get access to a private pool or beach? Does all inclusive include airport transfers, maid service, personal concierge service, local tax? If you do not ask you will never know and you maybe pleasantly surprised.
• Look for rentals that allow you to check in any day of the week. Try to avoid rentals that insist that you check in/check out Sunday-Sunday or Saturday-Saturday rentals. With these kind of restrictions it impedes on you securing the best possible airfares. It is always best to work with rental agencies that directly represent the owners of the property. It is cumbersome when you have to go through agencies who then have to go through property management companies who then deal with the owners.
• Do you demand the creature comforts of home? If you are sensitive and picky maybe you are better off in a hotel since renting a vacation property does mean accepting it for better or worse. Have realistic expectations and do not glamorize renting a vacation property. You are moving into a villa or apartment which includes neighbors, street noise and other distractions.
• If you are not staying at least a week than most rentals will not even consider renting to you. Let me rephrase that, the agents of course will rent to you but you will have to pay for 7 nights. There are some agencies that allow a 3 night rental with a penalty, ask and do not assume the booking policies are universal, they vary from agency to agency.

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