Vacation Home Rentals Blog

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The  Boston Celtics are dueling my Chicago Bulls tonight, and I hope the reigning champs turn as green as the shirts on their back when they lose.

Am sick of Chi-town’s rep as the Second City, thanks to the Cubs, the frigid temps and Forbes recently naming us one of the most miserable places to live in the U.S.

WHATever.

If I had to live anywhere else, though, it may as well be Boston, another city on my top 10 list of classic American towns. There’s the Irish connection and sports fanaticism for my husband, the yummy seafood, the academic atmosphere, the charming cobblestone streets and stately brownstones. It would definitely be worth further inspection during a weekend getaway in a Boston vacation home.

As I’ve said before, the only way to get to know a city is to walk its ‘hoods, devour its food and down pints with its people.

So there you have it. Musings about my ‘Second City.’

Here’s hoping–no offense, New Englanders–it comes in as the runner-up tonight.

Maybe you were just about to part with a deposit for that dream Mexico vacation home, or shoot, maybe you’re in the airport now, en route to your Playa del Carmen beach rental.

Whatever your situation, the media hysteria of late has fueled your fears about going to Mexico. Hey, it’s unavoidable.

A scan through the headlines and images reveals politicians declaring states of emergency, 10 countries seeking bans on pork imports and airline travelers sporting masks. Is it safe to go anywhere?

Well, according to the CDC, while it’s perfectly fine to consume bacon, pork belly and other related products, folks are being encouraged to hold off on non-essential travel to Mexico. No need to play Russian roulette with your health, even if that diving trip in Isla Mujeres does seem like a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. It’s not. You can go again.

In fact, play it right, and you might score a deal out of it.

When the US Airways plane went down in the Hudson River in January, it got my friend thinking, ‘What if I booked our vacation right now?’ And he did. He scored a Kauai vacation package for hundreds off the typical sticker price. Obviously he didn’t go right away, but I’d bet airlines that fly to Mexico will be hurting for a while longer while the fears settle down.

Keep your eyes and fare trackers on high alert, though, and surf through our Last-Minute Deals.

Because eventually, this pesky little threat of a pandemic will go away. And by then, you’ll need a vacation.

Saturday is the 135th Annual Kentucky Derby, and you know what that means: Another excuse to booze while wearing a big floppy hat.

I learned of this Southern tradition when I was 17 and hired–don’t tell anyone–to concoct the best handcrafted mint juleps in Hampton Roads for a couple who’d been married on Derby Day and celebrated their union with a big bash every year. Fast forward to 2009 and I still cannot stand the smell of mint and bourbon. (Now mint tea–there’s a flavor I can’t resist.)

If you happen to be spontaneous enough to road trip to Louisville for the revelry this weekend, check out our Kentucky vacation homes. After standing brim-to-brim on The Infield at Churchill Downs, you’ll want more space to keep the party going at your rental (in a very orderly fashion, of course).

So what thoroughbred will be draped in roses this year? I’m not a betting woman, but with names like Win Willy, Papa Clem and I Want Revenge, they’re all winners in my book.

To date, 169 posts have been captured on Check-In, Check-Out, but there’s something that always brings me back to the Virgin Islands vacation homes.

It must be the blue.

I’ve seen a lot of stunners on this site, from enchanting Hawaii vacation rentals to South Pacific wonders, but the shimmery Caribbean waters in St. John, St. Thomas and St. Croix put the Virgin Islands on the top of my short-list for my next vacation.

Scroll through the pictures in the above listing to see why. Like the property above, a decent share of our listings sport private balconies, private pools, outdoor kitchens and views of the blissful bays. There would be absolutely no need to leave the house, but if you have to, be prepared for an eyeful of more emerald-wrapped coastline and unspoiled hilly green land that was named the best island in the Caribbean/Atlantic by Conde Nast Traveler readers in the 18th annual Readers Choice poll.

If you’re craving culture, seek a St. Croix vacation rental to explore Christiansted and Frederiksted, two towns dotted with pastel-colored Danish architecture, shops and rich in imperialistic and colonial history rooted in Danish, French, Spanish, West African and West Indian influences.

St. Thomas, considered the most chic of the island trio, teases with its duty-free shopping, world-class restaurants, historic structures, golf courses and yacht lifestyle. Oh, and just in case yours is up soon (or that’s stopping you from going there), you don’t need a passport to travel to the VI–it’s a U.S. territory.

For me, all these pluses and more make the urge to visit a strong, immediate one. It all goes back to the dazzling blue bays and the promise of one day licking Cruzan rum on my lips.

Soon, my love. I’ll find a way.

You’re confused. What would a vacation home blog have anything to do with food?

Think about it.

At least 75 percent of a getaway–shoot, sometimes 100 percent–is devoted to sampling the locals’ cuisine. Unless you’re planning to fully utilize that Viking stovetop in your vacation rental, you’re going to be dining out.

Because to be a tourist is to eat like the natives.

Having said that, I’m craving hot dogs, blue cheese and blue crabs this evening. I could easily score the first here in Chicago, but I’ll have to bank some vacation time to visit the next two places that have developed a national reputation for the pungent, creamy stuff and those hunky crustraeans that make my mouth water the minute my plane hovers Chesapeake Bay.

For blue cheese, book a Bay Area vacation home and drive up to Point Reyes National Seashore, which is known first and foremost for its wide open headlands, powerful breakers and multiple opportunities to hike and whale watch. San Franciscans also coo about the locally culled Point Reyes Farmstead Cheese Co.’s Original Blue, a creamy, silky, robust wedge that will be sure to impress all the foodies in your life as gifts, especially when paired with a nice port.

As a Virginia Beach native and former Floridian, I’m constantly on the hunt for the perfect crab. I’ve already found it back home: the Chesapeake Bay blue crab, the mackdaddy of crustraceans. Nothing has come close. My mom used to buy them buy the bushel, steam them in a stock pot, then dip the hunky meat into a sauce of white vinegar, pepper and lemon. This was no easy task by any means. We could sit around for hours cracking those pesky shells with our teeth, hammers, whatever we could find. It was a labor of love, though, and I’m happy to recommend the experience to anyone, even if you have to catch the creatures yourself.

Yes, the cost of a Chesapeake Bay vacation home is well worth it just for a bite into that jumbo-sized claw and hunky shell meat.

In fact, any getaway that involves food–street or high-end–and wine, is justifiable in my book.

The fact that Disney theme parks are giving away free admission on your birthday proves that Mickey and Minnie–like the rest of America–are hurtin’ for business. It truly is a small world after all, a small, small world.

The competition to lodge would-be tourists, however, is as ginormous Disney World and Disneyland themselves. If you’re an owner of a Disney Area vacation rental, it’s crucial to market your property in a way that stands out.

You do that by peppering your listing with solid, specific content.

This Kissimmee vacation home anticipates every question and answers them. It’s one thing to say your home is near Disney, but to actually describe its “upscale section of International Drive South, in the center of Orlando ’s tourist district” close to Disney World, Sea World and Universal with travel times next to each attraction is precisely the strategy necessary to secure trust from a consumer who may be on the fence.

The listing goes further with directions from the airport, along with recommendations for venues not related to the famous mouse at all. Because after four days of standing in 85-degree heat for The Magic Carpets of Aladdin, you may want to see something else. Like a gallery.

One factoid missing that I would have personally added to this description: The home of this, um, vacation home–Floridays Resort Orlando–earned the No. 4 rating out of 394 Orlando hotels by TripAdvisor. Not as great as No. 1 obviously, but still pretty damn good.

Squished into closets called “efficiency studios” and paying a mint for them, New Yorkers look forward to summer vacation for surf, sand and square footage.

Whether it’s a Hamptons vacation rental or Long Island vacation home, it’s always nice to have the hookup, that guy or gal with that sweet beach retreat for you to live out your Great Gatsby dream.

If that sounds like heaven, The New York Daily News says this is your summer to save big if you’re willing to be flexible with dates. In Long Beach Island, N.J., for example, August is the hottest month for the coming season, but June and July could be reserved for as little as $800 a week, the article noted.

A lot of travelers go the broker route, leaving it up to the middle man to gather information, then wheel and deal with the property owner to score the best rate once summer starts. The question is: Why do that, when all the information is housed right here? Worst-case scenario: You don’t get that Mattituck vacation home you had your heart set on and you find a better price at in a Catskills vacation rental instead.

You’ll still be getting out of that Cracker Jack box you call home sweet home–at least temporarily, anyway–and that’s a very good thing.

As summer vacation inches closer to rearing its highlighted, shade-wearing head, you’re in full-on homework mode.

Will it be a Cabo San Lucas vacation home or an Orlando vacation rental this year? A beach cottage or a lake house? As rough as it is out there, we’re still spoiled with choices.

And here’s one more: This week, BookingBuddy.com unveiled a section for vacation rentals, another sign that the segment is here to stay. I know, I know. One more darn site to click through.

But this one will actually save time, allowing consumers to stack up rental fees on various websites, including VacationHomeRentals.com. See how lucky you are? Besides an ad in the Yellow Pages–remember those?–and a Rand McNally map, bet your parents were lucky to have any resources for travel planning.

The fact that BookingBuddy.com, a site with 2.7 million unique visitors as of this March (according to compete.com), now lists vacation homes alongside cruises, vacation packages and hotels just goes to show travelers what a smart, competitive and now, mainstream, business model it is.

So if you’re in the market for R&R, consider a vacation home. On the flip side, if you own one, consider listing it here for broader exposure.

It’s a win-win.

Salon.com writer Robert Lanham cracked me up today.

In “Giving the recession the finger,” he describes the f–k it mentality embraced by some Americans in the face of mounting job losses, 401k annihilation and the $800 billion recovery (or spending, depending on your political stance) program pushed through by legislators. Even with all that, it’s as though a few are saying, “They can take our jobs, they can take our retirement, but they can’t take our vacation.”

While I’m no proponent of the newly unemployed raiding their savings for that Tulum vacation rental, those who are relatively secure in their gigs should take that deserved time off. And let’s face it: Pending layoffs are no secret. Unless you’re Joe Friendless who eats lunches at his desk and logs in and logs off without so much as a hello, you have a pretty good idea if an apocalypse is near. You think those shady bankers and auto workers weren’t prepared for the collapse of their industries?

No, for you folks, now would not be the time for margaritas and four-star resorts.

If you’re planning an escape, whether it’s a Mexico vacation home or Hawaii vacation rental, I highly suggest that you check out our Last-Minute Deals page. Because when consumers are hurting, property owners are hurting, too, and that’s your chance to swoop in to find a price that’s within your means.

I repeat: within your means.

The new mantra for the American economy.

As a parent, I’ve learned many things. Among them: 1) Bring a change of clothes. You never know when the bladder (or stomach) will fail. 2)Nothing makes a kid happier than Chuck E. Cheese. 3)When Chuck E. Cheese isn’t nearby, the promise of an amusement park works, too.

Count the Wisconsin Dells–the so-called water park capital of the universe–on the list of tot-approved distractions.

I’d never heard of the Dells until I moved to Chicago seven years ago, and since then, friends haven’t stopped raving about it. “I couldn’t get my son to leave the indoor water parks,” one pal said, while another couldn’t get over the fact that “it feels like you’re stepping back to the 50s” with its numerous lodge accommodations and deluge of families.

Combined with affordable Wisconsin Dells vacation rentals, the getaway should be more than on my radar. It should be this year’s summer vacation. The two-bedroom, one-bath cottage above is just $349-$699 a week, depending on the time of year.

The Dells counts more than 20 indoor and outdoor water parks in its repertoire, plus golf and ski options and the nearby Wollersheim Winery for mom and dad.

Hey, nobody said you have to play all day in the pool.