Vacation Home Rentals Blog

In surfing for Cabo San Lucas vacation rentals, this 4,000-square-foot vacation villa reared her gorgeous head.

She teased me with her glistening pool and convinced me to stay a while for the dreamy views of the Sea of Cortez from the lounge chairs and hammock.

But inside is nice, too.

All five bedrooms have their own patio and bathroom, according to the owner, and there’s even a separate one-bedroom casita for extra privacy. Golfers, the estate nests right on the Cabo del Sol green with a Jack Nicklaus golf course just steps away. The beach and downtown Cabo are also nearby.

It’s fun to be back in love, isn’t it?

Like all smart businesses, we keep our eyes on the competition.

Today, HomeAway announced the completion of $250 million in private financing, leveraging its footing in the world of vacation home rentals. But that’s good news for us, too.

The business model is here to stay especially as more Americans turn to renting their homes as a way to ride out the recession. Don’t lose your equity: Rent.

Before you go signing up at the competition, keep in mind that VacationHomeRentals.com gets more traffic per listing than any other site: 12.7 visits per listing, according to October data from Compete.com. Our listing fee offers more value, too–just $99 for the year against $299 a year at HomeAway. Most important: VacationHomeRentals.com boasts 11,200 properties, while the big guys have 118,000 listings.

The fewer properties for would-be renters to browse, the more exposure for your own.

Whether you’re seeking to rent a Florida vacation home or a Martha’s Vineyard vacation rental, it’s a wise move to list with us.  Bigger doesn’t ALWAYS mean better!

If you never thought you’d see the day when a New York City vacation rental was priced less than $200 a night, take a look at these two beauties found in our Last-Minute Deals section.

The first, a Soho vacation home, er, loft, is specially discounted to $175 a night between Nov. 20 and Nov. 27. The walk-up apartment is textbook Manhattan, a minimalist space with an open plan, high-end furniture, a 12-foot ceiling, a cast-iron column and street-facing windows. Past renters praised its proximity to Chinatown and Little Italy.

I give the second, a Chelsea vacation apartment, two days tops to rent at $150 a night (also for Nov. 20-27). Tourists, you wouldn’t find a deal like that in the most rundown side of the island. Here, you’re getting a kitchen, cafe table, modern white furniture and third-floor views to the quiet neighborhood below.

Jump on these steals before someone else does.

In a vacation home like this, you’d have to be carefree.

The desert oasis, located 12 minutes north of Scottsdale in Carefree (Yes, that’s the actual name of the city.), flashes that MTV “Cribs” quality, designed with amenities to make jaws drop.

While plenty of Arizona vacation homes have their Southwestern charm, this one outdoes them.

If there’s any doubt, check out the 3,000-square-foot great room. It’s so elegant and modern that it looks like the lobby of a luxury hotel. The windows gaze to panoramic views of the Black Mountain. Cozy up to two stone fireplaces or have a drink at the full bar while you watch movies on a giant projector screen.

The enclosed, circular outdoor pool  looks like it should be a photo on a brochure for a Mexican all-inclusive retreat. A firepit and waterfall could be the cherries on top of the sundae … if not for the …

INCREDIBLE wine cave.

Guests have to take an elevator down, which ups the “wow” factor.

Finally, there are two master suites, but those are footnotes next to the overall bling of the entertaining areas.

Anyone who has ever traveled with children knows what a production it can be to get from driveway to paradise. The airfares, the gas expenses, the car rentals -and man, the car seats – are enough to discourage parents from scratching those plans for the peaceful sanctuary of their own backyard.

Landlords, the trick to convincing families to book your vacation home is no trick at all: Make the experience as stress-free as possible. Whether you own an Orlando vacation home or Hawaii beach rental, you’ll need to frontload all the components of your home that make it kid-friendly.

Here are five strategies to do that.

1. Upload photos with kids in them.
Who can resist tots playing at the beach or throwing a football around the backyard? Depict the space in action so that renters can place themselves in the scene. Sure a clean house with perfectly styled furnishings is attractive, but no different than thousands of other listings competing for the same demographic.

2. Buy bunk beds or twin beds.
While teenagers may want their own rooms, little ones will go giddy for their very own mattress, especially ones dressed with Mickey Mouse linens.

3. Show off multiple “play” areas.
A swing set in a ginormous backyard is a given, but if there’s a den with a pool table, arcade games and karaoke machine, share that on your listing, too. Add old-school pastimes like books and board games for rainy-day activities.

4. Describe your location.
If you’re 200 yards from the Pacific, say and show that. If you’re one mile from Disney World, note that also. And always point out the conveniences nearby, be that a Wal-Mart for midnight diaper runs or public transit to the center of town.

5. Stock up on bulky items that families might have forgotten or didn’t want to lug from home.
Parents with young children will often pass on vacations because all their “stuff” would be too hard to transport. Make it easy on them. The investment of a Pack ‘n Play, crib, stroller, car seat and high chair will pay you off in the future, as renters will remember those amenities and spread the word to their friends.

And word-of-mouth is the best publicity of all.

To those with no plans for Thanksgiving weekend, make them. Here’s a Las Vegas vacation condo that shouts, “Singles Getaway.”

The beauty is, you can leave on Thanksgiving night if you want to. You’ll still have time to eat your turkey dinner, fall into a trytophan coma even and then grab a late-night flight to Sin City.

And for this price – $159 a night during weekdays and $225 on weekends – you’ll still have money left for the blackjack tables, especially if you split the two-bedroom, two-bath condo with your crew.

The Vegas vacation rental, one of four available from this property owner in the Meridian Luxury Suites near the Flamingo, bears a kitchen is so nice that Gordon Ramsay himself could cook in it. Check out the killer backsplash, stainless steel hood and extra large Sub-Zero refrigerator. The bed is swathed in crisp white and chocolate linens.

All the extras make it worthwhile, too. Guest have access to the squash and racquetball courts, 24-hour fitness center, dry-heat sauna, resort-style swimming pools and more. Proximity to public transit isn’t an issue with the Monorail nearby.

The property owner doesn’t play games. Notice the line, “Let’s make a deal. I will beat any offer you have from other hotels/condos/homes.”

So let’s play, players. It’s your hand.

Now that the little thing called the election has been settled, President-Elect Barack Obama is going to need a place to regroup when he’s not pouring over the financial crisis, two wars, alternative energy options and so on and so on.

Don’t all presidents have a second home? George Sr. had his Kennybunkport, Maine vacation home, while his son had the Crawford ranch. While the White House is an elegant lady whose halls have been walked by the finest dignitaries, somehow we doubt it’s a place where Sasha and Malia would feel comfortable jumping on their parents’ bed.

Here are a pair of vacation rentals in Luray, a Virginia getaway nestled in the Shenandoah Valley near D.C., where the Obama grils could let the dogs promised to them run wild.

Luray vacation cabin
This new log home near the Luray Caverns is definitely modest by presidential standards, but considering the state of the economy, it befits the mood of the times. The cute cabin stresses intimacy with its smallish rooms, stone fireplace, covered porch and hot tub. When the family tires of the White House kitchen, they can head here for home-cooked burgers on the grill and fun picnics under a private pavilion. Let’s assume someone else will be tasting their food first. What would make this even more perfect: A basketball court.

Luray vacation rental
So maybe the Obamas want to invite associates or extended family far away from the White House press corps. This is where they could take them. The five-bedroom beauty has a game room, open dining room, stone fireplace, hot tub with waterfall and two amazing covered porches that peep out to the Shenandoah Valley, a prime setting for bouncing his latest tax reform plan off his aides or relatives. Or not. Maybe it’s the place where Barack pens his next zinger of a speech by sunset.

Now wouldn’t that be a beautiful portrait.

America, you have a huge decision to make tomorrow. Think of it this way, politics aside, who would be more fun to rent a vacation home with: McCain or Obama?

And the bigger question: Which candidate’s state would make the best getaway: Alaska, Arizona, Delaware or Illinois?

Let’s take a straw poll using properties listed on VacationHomeRentals.com. These are in no particular order, but since Sen. Joe Biden’s home state of Delaware has never been featured on the blog, we’ll start there.

Delaware vacation home
During this campaign, Biden has been painted as a man who never forgot his modest roots. Well then he would certainly appreciate this purpose-built condo on Bethany Beach. The fifth-floor unit is steps from the pool and the Atlantic with patio chairs on a 25-foot balcony. There, you and Joe the Senator could swap ideas on clean coal technology and health care reform.

Alaska vacation rental
Gov. Sarah Palin would feel right at home at this log chalet thanks to luxe touches like a spa tub with glass mosaic tile, standup shower, gorgeous bedding and furniture. Maybe you and she could chat over hot cocoa by the fire about how she went toe-to-toe with the oil companies and prevailed, and also if she ever braved nearby Mt. McKinley herself.

Chicago vacation condo
The Obamas are city cats for sure, dining at foodie staples like Aigre Doux, Blackbird and Schwa. We’d bet Barack and Michelle would love this 23rd-floor penthouse suite for the very reasons all Chicagoans heart their city: Views of the skyline and access to world-class dining, nightlife and more.

Sedona vacation home
Sen. John McCain owns a home in the Sedona area, where this charming pueblo, which is located in an area of custom horse properties, hosts guests looking for a little bit of Southwestern flair. It mimics the style with Spanish-influenced furnishings, arched doorways and alcoves and 10-foot ceilings. John is reportedly a grill master so you could put him to work on those cowboy steaks.

And while you’re at it, ask him how he’ll bail us out of this crisis, will you?

The carol “Silver Bells” surely must have been referring to Chicago–no offense Manhattan–in its lyric, “It’s Christmastime in the city.”

No big city does it better when it comes to holiday style.

And I’d like to see the economic slowdown as a plus for hardcore shoppers to take advantage of all the deals on the Magnificent Mile, what has to be the most sparkly, elegant thoroughfare during the season in the U.S. While the street is mostly mainstream stores that you would find in other American cities–everything from Saks to Eddie Bauer–its beauty is unmatched.

This Chicago vacation condo is within walking distance from Michigan Avenue, Navy Pier, Millenium Park and a free trolley that takes tourists to all the downtown landmarks.

This two-bedroom, two-bath vacation rental peeps out to the lake and the architechural gems that make the Second City an incredible getaway year-round.

Not what you’re looking for? Check out other Chicago vacation rentals for your holiday spree.