Would you rent a house on vacation? We really like to rent places, since they're typically less expensive and more spacious than hotels (which is especially great when you have a child), and staying in a real home makes you feel like a local. Here are three amazing places, just for fun...
Above is a cheery place in Austin...
Here's Paris with a balcony...
And this San Francisco apartment is just a block from Dolores Park.We usually scout places on Airbnb, Homeaway and VRBO. If you're feeling wanderlusty, Airbnb has really fun round-ups.
Where have you rented houses or apartments before? Any recommendations? Any funny (or horror) stories?
P.S. Remember this California spot and this Hudson Valley home? Dreamy.
we rented an apartment in the marais in paris 2 summers ago for a week. it was perfect.
ReplyDeleteIn the last four years or so, this is how my family travels too--renting homes. It offers, for me, so so much more than hotels. In the past few years, we have rented places in Costa Rica, Spain and across the US with success. I almost always use VRBO and Homeaway.
ReplyDeleteThe places above are adorable...Love the paris flat!
someday, i'd like to do vacation house switch. you know, switch with someone, such as in new york. that would be so fun!
ReplyDeleteWe love renting houses on vacation! It let's you pretend that you're a local for a few days. I like it even better if we're traveling with friends.
ReplyDeleteWe've stayed here before and I highly recommend if if you're visiting Paris: Avenue Champs Elysees 1 Br
xo Naomi │ Be Ready Bravely
Always apartment rentals for us, I love living & shopping like a local. It's the way to go if you have a family.
ReplyDeleteOnly good experiences so far :)
We rented a house on top of a hill in the jungles of Costa Rica for our honeymoon. It had privacy, it was spacious, and we could see a dramatic view of a volcano from our windows. It was 20 minutes down a dirt road in a remote little town, which added to the adventure. We loved it! Highly, highly recommended!
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http://www.awordwithpenelope.com/2013/02/its-been-big-year.html
We rent all the time. I love having a kitchen for a basic breakfast, meeting the owners (locals), having more space and of course, saving some money! Usually airbnb, but have used VRBO and Homeaway. I also love looking back at where we've been! Somehow looking at past hotels doesn't provide the same magic.
ReplyDeleteMy favourite was renting an apartment (with AC!) in Barcelona this summer from the best host ever who gave us a custom map with all her and her bf's favourite spots. It was a gold mine! We felt so savvy ;)
I'm going to the US for the first time ever in a few months and I've been looking at Air BnB and VRBO - looking at places in NYC, they're a lot cheaper than hotels. Anyone have any personal recommendations of something cheapish and central for 2 people?
ReplyDeleteCan anyone recommend a good flat rental website for Asia? We're looking at South Korea and Singapore. Thanks in advance
ReplyDeleteWe are renting one in the Florida Keys with my family in May! With 3 different families it is easier, cheaper and will be way more fun to rent a house!
ReplyDeleteHow funny, my boyfriend and I just decided to go with a house rental when we are visiting Seattle this upcoming April, and we are so excited about it! The way one of my friends put it that we are visiting in Seattle, he said it would be cool because you would be in a neighborhood like the locals, and can have restaurant choices other than Macaroni Grill. We're looking forward to it!
ReplyDeleteI would love to rent an apartment in Paris for a month at some point in my life. I wouldn't think of going to a hotel because I can then do what I wanted and live by my rules and just enjoy things! =)
ReplyDeleteErgo - Blog
Since we just booked our tickets to Paris on Sunday, I am not having a hard time committing to an apartment on Airbnb. I have narrowed it down but they all look so amazing.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I have rented apartments in Paris and London, beach houses on Dauphin Island (a barrier island off the Alabama coast) and an old restored mansion in New Orleans. Next is another mansion in Seattle! I love having tons of room, being able to cook for the entire family, and getting to pretend I live in that city for just a few days. So far no horror stories!
ReplyDeletewe rent condo's whenever we travel for our extended family get togethers. we're mostly adults so this saves tons of space and money. we grocery shop as soon as we get to our destination for breakfast/lunch and get to splurge on dinners. we have always done it this way and I wouldn't travel any other way. (We mostly do this in beach towns which means we usually get a lot more privacy and room on the beach).
ReplyDeleteI love renting houses, it is pretty much all we have done for our vacations since having our two little girls. We've rented the whole gamet: from little cozy cottages to big, luxurious homes. We've found houses in the Berkshires, the Catskills, near Ithaca, on the North Fork of Long Island, Puerto Rico, San Francisco, Santa Cruz, Whidbey Island in Washington, and on the coast in Maine. The most beautiful one was a villa near Lucca in Italy. It is time to start looking again, so I'm excited to see recommendations from your travel week! The good ones have some plastic plates for the kids, a pack n play on site, and enough bathrooms for everyone. The best ones have a pool or are on the water! It is the perfect way to travel with grandparents, and other families. No horror stories yet, I'm keeping my fingers crossed we will stay lucky. As much as I love the thought of having a second home to escape to, I love the variety and new experiences of traveling to different homes and different places too much.
ReplyDeleteI love Whidbey Island! Could you leave a comment on my blog with the information about where you stayed there?
DeleteAnd Then The Doorbell Rang
We love renting on Cape Cod. It's a favorite spot for us in the summer. It's so great to have space and especially a full kitchen when you have a toddler. I also loves that my daughter has her own room where we can shut the door and she can still somewhat stick to her nap schedule.
ReplyDeleteWe are looking to rent in Cape Cod this summer. For a week? Any suggestions?
DeleteWe rented an apartment in New Orleans for our honeymoon. It was one block North of Bourbon Street right in the heart of the French Quarter and could not have been more perfect. It was so nice to have our own little home away from home and to be able to cook in the apartment if we didn't feel like eating out one night. We also had a cute little stoop outside perfect for people watching and chatting with the locals. All for a fraction of the cost of a hotel! I highly recommend going this route and would do it again in a heartbeat!
ReplyDeleteDefinitely agree that it's the way to go! The places above are gorgeous, I've officially got the itch to travel..
ReplyDeleteWe've had some pretty spectacular moments in rented places. It is fun to think that the owners have no idea that their home was the setting for our cherished memories. We got engaged on the balcony of a rented apartment in Barcelona's Barrio neighborhood. We got married in the backyard garden of a Brooklyn brownstone. And we spent a few nights of our honeymoon in a rented houseboat in Amsterdam!
ReplyDeleteWe usually rent a house in Maine. I love having an entire house for a week...or longer. Much better than a hotel (in my opinion)!
ReplyDeleteI love renting houses on vacation - especially with a group of friends. It makes it so easy and you can cook some of your own meals!
ReplyDeletehttp://ohhellothirty.com
I've always wanted to rend a Parisian apartment for a vacation to Europe. It's definitely on the bucket list. : )
ReplyDeleteHusband and I do this all the time - a cabin on an island 10 miles off the coast of Maine and a historic Beacon Hill apt in Boston for our honeymoon last summer, then a rustic cabin in the Shenandoah Valley for my birthday this fall. He just thinks "this should exist," googles it, and almost always finds it! Definitely the way to go - saves money and makes the experience so much more real and private.
ReplyDeleteLove this post! we've rented a big house on the russian river in wine country about an hour and a half from us (San Francisco) which was so fun! this Memorial Day we are renting a little farm house near Sonoma with a pool and my family is coming out to stay :)
ReplyDeleteMy fiance and I have found this to be our favorite way to travel. Two summers ago, we rented a cabin walking distance from the beach in Ogunquit, ME and the summer before we rented an apartment in the Marais in Paris. Both were amazing and unforgettable (and much easier on the wallet!). We love feeling like we're apart of our environments, being able to go to the fresh markets and cook like the locals do. Having our own cabin or apartment in the different cities allows you to really immerse yourself in the different cities.
ReplyDeleteMy family typically rents a place for Christmas - we've been alternating between Idyllwild and San Diego. San Diego is usually a condo and Idyllwild is a cabin. My husband and I like to bring our dog, so we look for pet friendly vacation rentals for our weekend trips, birthday celebrations, and anniversaries. We're celebrating my birthday this weekend at a little one bedroom cabin rental in Big Sur where we can bring our Golden Retriever. Big Sur isn't very pet friendly, but we've had great experiences with VRBO rentals where she can come with us. It's a great option!
ReplyDeleteHorror story! I rentend a room in a cottage house in London and the woman of the house was a nightmare! She had no regard for anything normal. No food in house, no clean water, mold growing freely above my bed without any worry, a crying child every other night locked in her bedroom while she run out to town for shopping or whatever, etc. etc. Felt as if I was trapped in a dungeon paying out of my nose for a bed covered in bugs, at least tell me I'm in the Amazon or something, but no, for a North London cottage home, it was very... disturbing.
ReplyDeleteI've rented cabins a few time with friends in Lake Tahoe - we had a great experience both times. I've never done this abroad, but I think it would be a fantastic alternative to a hotel for a longer stay.
ReplyDeleteAmazing house! :) I'm dreaming of bying an own house to me and my husband, hope that we'll get it soon! :)
ReplyDeleteKisses, Selina from Finland
We've rented several homes in New Zealand and had mostly great experiences! The house we rented on Great Barrier Island had the scariest drive in on a steep rutted slippery clay road and we were glad for the 4wheel drive vehicle we rented. Once there we loved the private beach and solitude!
ReplyDeleteI love renting as well! Just something about food shopping and making your own coffee and being on a residential street. My man and I traveled to the Olympic Peninsula in Washington State last Sept and secured an amazing treehouse (with a kitchen!) the food there is amazing and the treehouse was on a beautiful bay. Whenever we find ourselves stressed out living in NY we just think back to our time spent there... so peaceful
ReplyDeleteWhere? Link? We're headed that way this summer!
DeleteWe rented a house in New Hope, PA recently for a friend's birthday. The house was adorable, and within walking distance of town. It's fun to pretend to have a vacation home, and renting makes it easier to settle in and relax.
ReplyDeletehttp://thejunkdrunk.wordpress.com/2013/01/29/small-town-travel-log-new-hope-pa/
we love using vrbo! we've used it for a weekend getaway to brooklyn, friend/family fest to cabins (with hot tubs!) in lake kerr and asheville. and my parents just rented a house in naples florida for a wedding this spring. it's the only way to travel:)
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ReplyDeleteI'm split because I like the convience of a nice hotel like hot tub, room service, a clean room every day, but it would be nice to rent a little place if I were going to stay somewhere for more than a week.
ReplyDeleteI love the idea of renting a house, especially when you're bringing along kiddos! It seems a lot more convenient, especially since you can usually cook and all that, instead of going out to eat every night!
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely have to think about this the next time we plan a vacation!
http://www.fancyalterego.wordpress.com
My husband and I have used VRBO for various trips throughout the years. For us, it's the best and we feel it gives a more authentic experience than a hotel. It feels real -- as if we're part of the landscape and environment even if only for a few days. I like to pretend, what can I say?
ReplyDeleteWe've had great experiences renting in: Rome, Italy, Kauai, Crescent City, and Cambria. The only horror story we've had was a "no-show" in Florence, Italy. Luckily, we were not required to put down a deposit prior to our arrival and we were able to secure other last-minute lodging on a country holiday weekend, which was in fact, among my favorite. It all worked out, but it was a stressful experience to say the least.
Best!
Carmen
www.sixthandolive.blogspot.com
We are close to Cape Cod...I always tell my hubs we should rent a beachfront home for a week...close enough to still run home if we need something....far enough to feel like we are "away"!
ReplyDeleteMy husband HATES hotels (seriously - it is strange), so we often use Airbnb for our accommodation when we travel. My husband is an academic, so he travels to a lot of conferences, and this house/apartment rental option has made him so happy. I love it because you have the option to cook yourself and you can stay in really great neighborhoods that might not have a variety of hotel options. And it is often cheaper. We went to Iceland for a big conference a few years back and got to stay in the apartment of a local DJ, while all my husband's colleagues were in overpriced hotels (we paid $100 a night, they all paid $250+).
ReplyDeleteMy husband has only had one awkward situation - but he is so laid back and relaxed, he didn't mind. He was at a conference at university in small midwestern town a few years back, and all the hotels were expensive. He found a room on Airbnb (I wasn't travelling with him, so he was fine with just a private room), and when he got there, he discovered he was staying in a family home - and displacing one of the children! The were a family with 5 kids, and decided to try and bring in a bit of extra cash. He had a bit of a weird evening drinking wine with the mother when she told him all about their money problems, but other than that, it was totally fine.
Whenever my family gets together, we always rent a house or condo. Usually we use vrbo and have always had good experiences! With such a large family (three of the four children in my family are married and two each have two kids of their own) so we need a big house! We also LOVE to cook, so renting a house gives us the option to do that.
ReplyDeleteHere we go, now I'm going to spend all day dreaming about living in Paris :)
ReplyDeleteI did it about 6 years ago for a study abroad semester, and I think that now, after living in New York, I'd have such a deeper appreciation for good food and wine and museums and city life. Hoping to get back there for a week this summer...but a whole MONTH would be glorious.
i have been looking into this lately. there are gorgeous ones in hawaii for a fraction of a hotel room cost. i am from hawaii and aching to go back and stay somewhere with friends. awesome options.
ReplyDeletekw ladies in navy
I didn't want to block rooms in hotels in San Francisco for our wedding last September because there are SO many wonderful places to rent. I told all of my friends and family about airbnb and they found so many wonderful (and CUTE!) houses to rent that were so much cheaper than hotels. Plus they could pick the kind of San Francisco living they wanted. When we go on our honeymoon (to Italy!) I'm totally going to rent little flats. I can't wait.
ReplyDeletelove that austin home, a lot! i've browsed airbnb several times but always have a hard time actually finding availability...maybe i've just not done a thorough enough search?
ReplyDeleteWhat happens with cleaning during your stay? Does a housekeeper come in? Part of what I love about vacationing (in hotels) is never having to worry about making the bed!
ReplyDeleteI've found that with Airbnb it's always best to search with a specific date range. Otherwise you end up seeing lots of unavailable properties. Happy hunting!
ReplyDeleteexcept that this trend is absolutely destroying the housing market in these cities, especially san francisco and paris
ReplyDeleteWe've rented places in Amsterdam, Kiawah Island, and the Catskills to name a few. I love it... you can really stretch your budget and you (sorta) live like a local.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, there is something about staying at a lovely hotel or bed & breakfast that really does it for me too :-)
We started doing this on our honeymoon in Kauai and now try to rent a place if we're traveling in a group or staying somewhere more than a day or two.
ReplyDeleteI rented a house in Port Hope, Michigan a couple years ago! The house was a little small but it was pretty nice inside and it was on a great piece of wooded land. I loved the location, it was a cute small town with a ton of old fashioned shops that were still close to beaches! The only drawback was that it was advertised with as having a beach in the backyard and I would hardly call it that! It was more like a muddy and buggy puddle! xx
ReplyDeletehttp://thehonestfox.blogspot.com
I would love to do this, but we never have. I love to see places with good recommendations and would rather give my money to a local than a big name hotel.
ReplyDeleteI jJUST stayed at a place near Dolores Park via Airbnb (granted it was a room instead of a whole place). Typically once a year a group of friends will rent a house in Vermont during the ski season. It's so much more convenient and more fun (not to mention cheaper!) than all of us getting hotel rooms, plus part of the draw is cooking our meals together. I think, though, it depends on the purpose of a trip...if I want to relax and get away for a few days, than I might do a hotel or a B&B.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.linkouture.com
We have three teenage boys so getting one room in a hotel is difficult. We've rented houses in Maine, San Francisco, Paris, Tulum, the Florida Keys, Puerto Rico, Amelia Island, Cape Cod, and have an apartment reserved in Florence this summer! I usually use VRBO or Home Away. I'm always a bit stressed before we get to our rental, worried that it will be a dud for some reason, but we've always been really happy with our rentals!
ReplyDeleteWe have rented houses in Tuscany, Switzerland, Vermont, Prince Edward County, ON, and an apt in NYC. Great experiences all around.
ReplyDeleteMy mom rents out a house in Miami and has had great experiences with very nice renters. Her house is a fantastic place that is a great for people to stay with young families...in case anyone is interested: http://www.pinecresthouserental.blogspot.ca/
We rented a house on Hawaii and out at the coast in Northern CA.We loved both! You're right, you feel like a local. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you for this post! We have never rented an apartment or house for vacation, however this summer we plan too! This post came just in time! Thank you Joanna!
ReplyDeleteMy husband's parents have a time share in Vegas (off the main strip) and they have graciously let us trade in that time share for other locations since they never use the two weeks that they are allotted in Vegas each year. We have traded this time share for an apartment on the Vegas strip, we also traded their time share for a condo in Napa for our honeymoon. Both experiences were wonderful! In Napa we purchased groceries and enjoyed making breakfast together each morning. I realize this is not for everyone but my husband and I are foodies and we both love to cook!
ReplyDeleteWe are doing the time share thing again in September in Colorado. Our good friends are getting married and reserving a condo out there will be more comfortable than a hotel room.
When I was a child my mother rented apartments in Paris and London and Costa Del Sol Spain when we took those vacations. I remember all of those apartments being nice and well located.
Also, my parents own a home on Cape Cod in Wellfleet which is a rental each summer. It's a modest beach cottage, but very comfortable and 100 feet from the Ocean! Check it out here: http://www.capecodoceanviewrealty.com/rentals/all/32157_oceanside_cottage/
DeleteWe've never rented a vacation house before, but it's such a good idea!
ReplyDeletewe are renting a house for the first time this summer in chatham (cape cod) and are doing it because we have 13 mo old twin boys. i think hotels can get uncomfortable for longer stays, you have to keep your voice down, and we need space - lots of it! i'll be checking out your other posts on traveling with little ones for advice on what to bring!
ReplyDeleteI have yet to rent a place on vacation. I typically like having the room service and maid factor when on vacation. I do think it would be amazing to do in Europe though. Get a glimpse at life as a local.
ReplyDeleteMy family and I always rent because we're six, and hotels get expensive (and chaotic). We've done homeexchange.com several times and it's even better, you reeeeally get to feel like a local!
ReplyDeleteWe rent a house in the South of France every summer. It is so much cheaper than a hotel. And when you add in the self-catering factor, it makes two weeks away affordable. Two years ago we added on a 3-day stay in Paris renting a local's 2-bedroom apartment while he went on his own holiday. It was a small fraction of the cost a hotel would have cost us, especially given that for our family of four we would have had to rent two rooms.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I traveled to Dubrovnik, Croatia and the guide book said to find lodging at the bus stop. Apperently, locals will loiter at the stop and rent out their second apartments. We were a little nervous about the method, but Rick Steve's told us to do it...and you just don't argue with Rick. Sure enough when our bus pulled in, a friendly local named Dino walked up with a binder and showed us pictures and testimonials for his furnished apartment. We quickly flipped through the binder and jumped into a car with a stranger who didn't speak english. It was a great experience and Dino and his wife were just lovely!
ReplyDeleteWe rented an apartment in Vienna a few years ago for the first time, and it was wonderful. Definitely the best way to travel if you don't have family or friends you can stay with (or perhaps, even if you do!). Our apartment was in Leopoldstadt, close enough to walk to everything but far enough from the main tourist core to feel like we were living a bit like locals.
ReplyDeleteOoo, forgot to say, though, we went to Rome with my extended family and though my husband and I stayed in a hotel, my sister and her husband's family rented an apartment that turned out to be a disaster. No hot water, no towels, no privacy...and when they called to complain she was no help whatsoever. I guess you just have to be savvy and hope for the best!
ReplyDeleteYes!! My husband and I did this for the first time on our honeymoon a few years ago, we rented a studio apt in Paris from VRBO and had a wonderful experience. We loved it so much that my parents decided to do it for a bigger family trip and we rented a 3br apt in Paris with 5 of us, it was so nice to be able to relax together and have breakfast in the morning in our jammies and have a cozy place to hang out instead of someone's hotel room. We're renting a villa in Tuscany this spring, 6 adults and one kid. With a pool! It's really so wonderful when you have kids, so you can put them to bed and still have a fun night together!
ReplyDeleteWe rented a house in the Scottish borders in 2011. It's a great way to save money and feel a little more relaxed and fit in with the locals. We chose a place that was centrally located to a lot things we wanted to see and so we rented a car and did day trips (with one over-nighter) for a week. We covered a lot of ground that way, and we saved money in both food and accommodations, so we could afford to stay at little inns for the rest of the stay.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was growing up, we rented the same house on Cape Cod nearly every summer. The familiarity of that was really nice...kind of like our "pretend" summerhouse on the Cape!
I've rented an incredible entire four floor HOUSE in the west village, New York. It belongs to a well known writer/journalist. The place is incredible. It was around $350 a night and can sleep four.
ReplyDeleteI recently found a great little cottage in San Francisco in the Mission on airbnb.
We were the first to rent a great place in Montreal last summer, it was perfect. I've never had anything but good luck renting from airbnb. Most owners bend over backward to make sure you are happy. I'd like to eventually list my house for rent when I travel, but it's a complete disaster at the moment!
hands down, yes! My kids don't do well in hotels and last year we rented a cottage on St Simons Island. I would love to do it again soon. We had a large fenced in yard, space for us and grandparents (plus a kitchen), and a bike ride to the beach.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I always rent apartments when we go on holiday (or vacation as you guys say). My favourite place to find them is airbnb. We have stayed in amazing places in Amsterdam, all over Croatia and a few places in Vientam. We often books places for 3 or 4 nights then move to the next place. We are planning a trip to Sicily at Easter and have booked 3 apartments and are currently looking for our last one. x
ReplyDeleteThis is probably a really dumb question but how does this work? Where to the owners go when you're staying at their place? I don't understand how so many dates are available for people's homes....confused :/
ReplyDeleteLots of reasons - sometimes owners are out of town and like to rent their homes just for a weekend, or a few days if they are out on business.
DeleteAfter a few awkward first starts, we rented our first vacation home in Portland a few months ago. It was great! It was a gorgeous little one bedroom unit with creaky floors, a chicken coop in the backyard and a free breakfast of local produce provided.
ReplyDeleteOne thing I find hard to manage with vacation rentals is that the owners have every right to refuse you - this can be difficult if you don't have any renting history, as a lot of owners don't like to hire out to people they can't see have a good history. So it's important to make sure you get a review from any owners you rent from, and provide your own reviews for other people. :)
i love renting places for vacations- we did it in stockholm last summer through airbnb and it was awesome. we stayed in a residential, nontouristy neighborhood. the apartment wasn't that amazing, but it was so much nicer to come home to that at the end of the day than a hotel. and you can save a lot of money by eating in for some meals- rather than eating out or at the hotel for 3 meals a day.
ReplyDeleteI've used airbnb (at your recommendation!) to book a sailboat to stay on in St. Petersburg, FL LINK and a mountain home in Winter Park, CO (http://daniellesotherblog.blogspot.com/2013/02/winter-park-colorado-2013-with.html). Just used VBRO for the first time to book a home in New Orleans. I love it! Best way to travel!
ReplyDeleteYou get insider scoop on the places to go while you're in town. You can live like a local. And it isn't a stuffy hotel room or overpriced condo (with a 90 min meeting on buying a timeshare).
Whenever they go on vacation, my friend's Josh & Tran Wills rent out their awesome gallery/warehouse through airbnb. Amazing! https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/233339
ReplyDeleteI've had some great experiences and one horrible one using VRBO. Have had great luck with renting homes for my previous job's photo shoots in many destinations such as Tucson and Colorado. As a family, we traveled to Vieques, Puerto Rico and 4 weeks before we were supposed to arrive, the owner emailed and said we couldn't stay there anymore - and this was five people coming from all over the country for Christmas! It was a nightmare, but were able to find an even better home (luckily!) last minute.
ReplyDeleteI now work for a Luxury Destination Portfolio (Portico Club) that offers below market rates for luxury villas. It's a no brainer if you travel to higher end destinations and want the privacy of a home with access to amenities. Either way, sharing a home for a vacation often brings a better sense of authenticity to the vacation, which is very important to me and my family...
We used Homeaway to rent a house right on the water in Malibu for my 30th birthday party. It was great, such a deal and a beautiful place to spend a weekend celebrating! We're also about to use Aribnb for an apartment in Istanbul for a vacation with friends, and we've been finding some gorgeous places to stay for cheaper than a hotel! I love the idea of renting a home for a vacation instead of a hotel, it can really make you get a taste for what it may be like to live there.
ReplyDeleteYes! We used Airbnb a couple years ago when travelling in Italy. We stayed at a wonderful apartment in Brienno on Lake Como, an old farmhouse in Tuscany where our hosts invited friends and had a big barbeque (a great way to talk to the locals!), and lastly, an apartment in Rome which was the worst! The Roman place was packed with the owner's stuff. There wasn't enough room for our things. It was also dirty and their cats (which we knew about) woke us every morning at 6 a.m (we didn't know about that part). It's hit or miss. We definitely learned to only stay at places where they exclusively use it for vacation rental, that way it's empty, and to pay a little more to get closer to the sights.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I were backpacking and for three months, during the second month we rented an apartment in Istanbul. I found it on Craig's list. It was definitely off the beaten path in a kurdish neighbourhood, but I feel we really got to experience the city versus staying in a hostel in the more touristy areas! We ended up making friends with some fellow backpackers in Prague who met us there....so it ended up being four of us in the apartment which helped costs.
ReplyDeleteMy favorite part was the trucks that would drive through the street with a loud speaker. Peer out the window and you'd find out what they were selling....everything from fresh produce (my favorite was the cherries!) to portraits.
we did it in paris, and it was so amazing, felt like a real parisian! we got to cook in our own kitchenette (which after 3 months of eating out was a real treat!), and lie on our bed with views of paris rooftops.
ReplyDeleteYou tipped me off to AirBnb on the blog a while back and we stayed with a lovely guy in Hawaii recently, it was great and so cheap! It's great to stay in someones place and not a hotel!
ReplyDeleteClearly popular! Great post.
ReplyDeleteWe have two littles ages 5 and 7 and ventured to Europe with them in June for the first time. We rented places in Madrid, Paris, Florence (the girls could practically touch the Duomo from their window!) and Rome. In January we took them to the island of Alonnisos in the Greek Northern Sporades for several weeks and stayed in a gorgeous three bedroom there. We are hoping for Argentina next winter....
We rented an apartment in Paris during our honeymoon last May. It was through the company Paris Perfect and it was simply AMAZING. The apartment we rented was called the "Chablis" and had THE most amazing Eiffel Tower view. It was practically right below it! Completely unforgettable :)
ReplyDeleteEvery summer as a kid my family would go on a big vacation. There was 7 of us total so renting a hotel room was out of the question. My dad always rented homes and they always turned out great! It was so much nicer to be able to relax with space and a kitchen to cook in. We rented places all over the U.S. from Colorado, Minnesota, California, Florida.
ReplyDeleteI love to rent a house on vacation! I kind of hate hotels - I just feel like I can never fully relax in them and be myself.
ReplyDeleteMy husband loves hotels, so there's some push-pull there, but we really like being able to sprawl all over a house and have total privacy (i.e. no knock on the door from housekeeping, or noisy people next door/in the hallway). Plus, as lots of other people have mentioned, cooking.
My friend and I - as travel virgins - decided to do this when we went on a four day trip to Montreal! We loved it.
ReplyDeleteBecause we were kind of terrified of doing it, it was so nice having someone that felt kind of responsible for you. Our hostess was amazing, and we had a few text conversations about good restaurant options, minor issues we encountered with the apartment, and just chit chat.
Totally recommend the experience!
Your blog is where I first read about AirBnB, I think. Since then, I've stayed in a private room in an apartment in Portland for a tiny fraction of what a hotel would have cost, a cottage in Austin that had mini-goats on the property, and a cabin in the middle of the desert. We have an adorable house booked in OKC soon. I'd much rather my money go to the hands of local individuals rather than some big hotel chain and it's easier to find places that are roomy yet offer some privacy (my grandfather has been with us lately and can't be unsupervised).
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with you. I especially like to "feel like a local". We've rented houses all over the world and I have a house in the Bahamas I rent out all the time. It think it is a great way to vacation and to see the wold.
ReplyDeleteI've had this dream of being able to go to the beach and renting one of those older houses on the coast...not sure if there are any for rent,but they sure are delightful!I'd love to just take a vacation for a week there.Or I'd like to stay in a yurt.When I was younger I stayed with my brother and wife and their friends in one,and it's quite nice!
ReplyDeleteMaybe I'm an odd duck, but if I'm going to spend thousands of dollars on a vacation, I don't want to "feel like a local." I want to feel like I'm on vacation! I want the nice hotel experience--the room service, the housekeeping, even the little plastic key card. I want it all. I can stay in a rented home...at home. LOL! and my rented home back home is decorated just to my tastes and is furnished to my needs. Perhaps that's just me. <3 nice hotels.
ReplyDeleteWe love renting houses for our vacation. We recently rented a house for a week in Todos Santos, Mex. and had the best experience. We also love to cook so it makes it easy for us.
ReplyDeleteyup, renting houses, that's how we do it with two kids. we use VRBO and had great success renting a house in Tahoe, Russian River, Sea Ranch, LA and San Diego. however, when travelling sans kids, i love staying at hotels. room service, house keeping and the amenities, then it feels like a vacation :)
ReplyDeleteIf anyone wants to stay in Boston check out this listing!
ReplyDeletehttps://m.airbnb.com/listings/886920
wow, that is incredible! I would love to rent a house on the east coast or west coast and stay for a while.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I stayed at two different holiday houses in New Zealand for our honeymoon and they were both so good. Kiwis call holiday homes 'bachs' and we used the Book a Bach site to find this gorgeous little Lakeside Maisonette - http://www.bookabach.co.nz/baches-and-holiday-homes/view/4710 We then spent a week at Ohau House - http://www.lakeohau.com/ - and snuggling up inside while the wild winds howled around the lake and mountains outside was perfect.
ReplyDeleteWe've since moved to Kenya and have continued the holiday house tradition - we can highly recommend the stunning Jabali House - http://www.safarinow.com/go/JabaliHouse
I work in marketing for Airbnb and essentially live on the road in other people's apartments. From SE Asia to Japan, Eastern Europe to Spain, S American and across the US - the last year has been an insane amount of travel.
ReplyDeleteHaving a kitchen and my own space, sweet hosts to share their local tips on cafes and gourmet groceries and a place to make tea and listen to a record or read next to some great art and plants, actually keeps me sane. Here's some of my favorite spots: https://www.airbnb.com/wishlists/2841341
I LOVE renting houses/apartments for vacations! I also frequent FlipKey and TripAdvisor, but I find AirBnB to be the most "legit." I always book a vacation rental for my Comic-Con trip instead of paying twice as much for hotels around the convention center. It's a cozy way to stay!
ReplyDeleteI love renting places when I travel!
ReplyDeleteHere are 2 recommendations:
My husband and I spent 3 weeks for our honeymoon in this 1 room cottage in Hanalei Bay, Kauai http://www.vrbo.com/229392 We loved it.
I spent 10 days in this awesome place in Tropea in Southern Italy http://www.homelidays.co.uk/tropea/apartment-flat-9096en1.htm?Devise=EURO
We signed up for HomeExchange.com a few years ago and have travelled to so many great places (Melbourne, Paris, Cambridge, LA!) and stayed in homes for free. It's such a great way of travelling because usually they are family homes with toys for the kids, a nice kitchen for cooking, etc. One family even let us use their car when we stayed in their home! And to stay for free?!! It makes traveling so much more affordable. xx Courtney
ReplyDeleteHaha! Before I saw your caption, I KNEW that top house was an Austin rental. Unfortunately, last year City Council passed a law making it way more difficult for us to pull off the vacation rental thing. But I guess we'll see. SxSW is coming up.
ReplyDeleteMy husband and I have only had positive experiences with AirBnB. Last summer we spent a month in Europe and booked apartments in 10 different cities (we're both planners :). They are so much better than hotels!
My husband and I used airbnb for the first time in Madrid, Spain and it worked out great! You really do feel like a local and can make great local connections! It's totally changed our travel routine.
ReplyDeleteGreat blog post! - Ruth
www.ruthhanvey.com
Yes! We always rent houses when we travel. So much better than a hotel room, especially with kids. We have room to spread out, a kitchen, laundry.... its great. No need to sit around trying to be quiet when the kids are napping or asleep by 8. And, it is less expensive than a hotel too. We've rented near Disney, near the beach, when skiing... Homeaway.com is our favorite website to use.
ReplyDeleteHow lovely all these homes are! We found a yurt near Yosemite on Airbnb which we loved. We were on our honeymoon so we spent a lot of the time looking at the stars and making s'mores! Bliss!
ReplyDeleteMaria xx
www.cheekypinktulip.blogspot.com
What to say about this post, I must say pictures are very very good. Once I made a mind to get a house on rent for my vacation but I did not happen. After that this idea flushed on gutter. Now i am willing to get a house renting in reading to spend some time with family. This post encourage me a lot, thanks for this post.
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I’m in for a vacation, preferably a warm place. Argentina sounds great, right about now ! New Pope, best soccer player in the world, food and SUN !
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very nice information hear thanks,best rental homes is perfect destination for travelers to book private vacation rentals by owner including vacation homes, cabins, condos, villas, cottages and huts located in the florida and miami beach. Search, find and book your verified accommodations online or by phone in minutes a BestBookingsonline .
ReplyDeleteMany international tourists love to spend their holiday in a comfortable and home-like atmosphere. Along with offering a huge amount of privacy and security, a holiday accommodation will make the holiday different. As many people rent their accommodation through websites, one can easily choose and book the right holiday rental to suit his holiday plan and budget.
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ReplyDeleteLast spring, my girlfriends and I went on the most relaxing vacation in the Florida Keys. We found an incredible rental in the awesome Ocean Reef Community in Key Largo. Elaine knew Bob from Swenson & Ecuyer Realty and he found us this perfect condo right on the breathtaking Marina. Bob and his team provided excellent concierge service, that catered to our every needs. We did everything... scuba diving, tennis, sailing, golfing, etc.. The experience was amazing! You should check them out at www.swensonrealty.com or call 3053673600.
Vacation rentals are at amazing prices this time of year. Go and rent one now and you can get a great deal. They have places for the whole family to stay at or just a get-a-way for yourself!
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ReplyDeleteLast summer, my girlfriends and I went on the most relaxing vacation in the Florida Keys. We found an incredible rental in the awesome Ocean Reef Community in Key Largo. Elaine knew Bob from Swenson & Ecuyer Realty and he found us this perfect condo right on the breathtaking Marina. Bob and his team provided excellent concierge service, that catered to our every needs. We did everything... scuba diving, tennis, sailing, golfing, etc.. The experience was amazing! You should check them out at www.swensonrealty.com or call 3053673600.
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Indeed, having Madison apartments for rent as an option for vacation accommodation is a great idea. It is having everything you need and want in a temporary accommodation without having to spend too much.
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ReplyDeleteHi, This is really an amazing article post. Renting houses on vacations is really an amazing thing. Renting a a house will surely help in minimizing the total vacation cost and also save your money which you can spend on other things like food and dining, shoping, sightseeing etc. Thanks for sharing great stuff. :)
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for bigger families, renting a vacation home is advisable. They can fully maximize the place and enjoy it like their own. .
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If you want rental houses in New York for your vacation rentals then here I am sharing you a very useful resource to avail this facility with ease. I personally rented a house during my New York vacation rentals. It was a very good and memorable experience for me.
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