Vacation Home Rentals Blog

It’s been awhile since a boat beauty has cruised into the blog, but when it does, it’s like that perfect crest of surf approaching the shore. It makes me giddy.

This San Diego vacation rental, one of several California vacation homes on our site, happens to be a yacht. What perfect way to end the summer than on a boat?

The Ohani Pacific docks at the picturesque Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina, where bachelors and bachelorettes can descend with their entourages on a Brut-fuel night of dancing and taking snapshots by
starboard. (Check out picture seven in the listing gallery for laughs. Now that’s the group I’d like to be doing Blueberry Bombs with.)

For chiller nights, owners will arrange a San Diego Bay cruise from  two hours to a half day tour of up to six hours. If that two-carat cushion cut Tacori is up your sleeve, then maybe this is the place to propose. Cue music. Cue sunset.

And here’s one more surprise: Yacht guests will have access to hotel amenities like the pool, fitness center, hot tub and tennis courts. When it’s time to retire for the night, though, you’ll hit the curved beds in one of two state rooms. How cool is that? Pretty darn cool.

To many travelers, the term b&b brings to mind visions of colonial furniture, lace curtains and Grandfather clocks. That’s why you stay in a b&b, no? For the charm?

Well other versions of the b&b exist.

I found one in our Seattle vacation rentals.

This modern home dubbed Chelsea Station, which is split into four apartments, is the city’s answer to the more formal, historic b&bs you’re accustomed to. With its spa-like bathrooms with seamless glass doors, kitchenette with stainless steel touches and sleek patio (with nary a wicker lounge chair in sight), it’s the hipper, more stylized solution to your traveling needs.

One former renter noted that walking into the home was like “stepping into a magazine makeover.”

The spot’s proximity to downtown Seattle, Pioneer Square, Pike Place Market allows travelers to take advantage of Seattle’s reputation as a walking city. Don’t forget to take snapshots of the Rose Garden across the street, along with companions feeding giraffes at the adjacent Woodland Park Zoo.

And just in case you’re wondering, one mainstay of b&b remains: breakfast. It wouldn’t be a b&b otherwise, right?

It’s no secret that any chance a woman can get her face exfoliated and patted with expensive, fruit-smelling creams, she’ll jump on it. If her BFFs happen to join her on spa-cation, even better.

Getting any ideas?

At the Brian Head vacation rental above, one of many Utah vacation homes listed, guests are treated to head-to-toe pampering right on premises. The $77-a-night property sports its own day spa where your bones will get the relief they need and your skin a new glowing sheen. Don’t want to leave your room? Arrange for therapists to come to you.

Guys, there’s another reason to visit the resort: It’s a winter wonderland with 400 inches of Utah powder and hundreds of miles of downhill, cross-country and single-tract trails for skiing, snowboarding, snowmobiling and tubing. So if you and your lady are snow bunnies, this is the place to be.

During the fall, the Brian Head area explodes with color, from lovely wildflowers to postcard-perfect meadows close waterfalls, ponds and streams. Bring your mountain bike and fishing rod to play in Mother Nature all day.

And then retreat indoors to renew those bones in the hot tub.

Now that’s a distraction everyone can enjoy.

President Obama spent the first day of vacation practicing his golf swing in Oak Bluffs, Mass., a bulletin that made it to the AP and The New York Daily News, among many other news outlets.

The President made a plea to reporters not to bother his daughters while they relaxed in their Martha’s Vineyard rental, and rightfully so. When you’re 10 and 8, the last thing you want to see is a long-lens camera peering at you while you’re at the pool.

Still, given that the commander-in-chief was covered by the press today–while on the greens–it begs the question: Does any president really ever get to enjoy a vacation?

What do you think? Hit me @checkincheckout on Twitter.

Sometimes the pool, as in the case of several of our Panama City Beach condo rentals, blows the ocean right out of the water.

Regulars at these resorts love the beachfront access, of course, but the pool is where they wind up spending most of their days. Some highrises have poured millions into their installation. The free-form one above is one of the largest in the Panhandle, a network of bridges, jumping Dolphin fountains, island with tiki bar, plus a hot water jacuzzi shaped like a star.

Think of the hours you’ll spend floating on a raft in circles or lazily wading in the sun.

The area is also blessed with lots of condos that offer gyms, spas, saunas and steam rooms, while some also have indoor pools.

With all that man-made fun, you’ll hardly see your room. Just don’t forget to get the requisite photo by the seashore.

Oh summer, we hardly knew ya.

Do you really have to go? Please grant us one more chance to build a sandcastle or walk on the beach. After the year we’ve had, don’t we deserve it?

If you haven’t taken that summer vacation, here’s your chance: Escape to the state where the season never really ends in a Florida vacation home.

While folks in other states hunt for trench coats and sweater sets, flip-flops and sundresses can be worn well into November in the Sunshine State. So if you missed out on planning a vacation for these last two weeks of August, have faith that you’ll still get to be sun-kissed in the fall.

The Port Charlotte vacation home featured above is one of the best deals seen yet, renting for just $600 a week through Oct. 3. After that, it jumps a mere $50 a week to $650 until Dec. 19. The figures don’t lie. A four-bedroom house–with a pool even–for less than a nightly rate at an upscale hotel.

There isn’t much to do in Port Charlotte but golf or hit the beach, but for those who haven’t taken vacation yet, that would probably suit them just fine.

With two weeks left of summer, is it too early to be pushing for fall bookings?

Of course not.

While no one wants to be reminded that the season of sandcastles is slipping away, it’s the savvy marketer who understands the necessity to pounce weeks ahead. Case in point: The owner of the Vermont vacation home above knows his/her customer–a nature buff–and is offering 15 percent off for a weekly rental between Aug. 30 and Oct. 15.

The five-bedroom home sprawls on 50 acres and connects to the Kingdom Trails network in the Northeastern part of the state. Visitors can bike, hike and watch for the random deer or moose. (Yes, moose.) And if the words fall foliage excite you like a cup of warm cider, you’ll most certainly have to make the most of your camera to capture Mother Nature in all her amber, gold and brown splendor.

Winter rates jump to $1,800 a week from Dec. 15 to April 15–so it does in fact pay to be the early bird.

Just don’t market Christmas in July. Now that’s a real turn-off.

Dear owner of the Connecticut vacation home who wrote The Wall Street Journal to get advice on how to market her property for sale,

List your cabin on vacationhomerentals.com.

It’s an option that will allow you to ride out the stormy housing conditions and build equity in your home–with other peoples’ money. Why sell when you don’t have to? If you do receive a offer, it’s a safe bet you won’t get asking price. (Sorry, but you can’t take it personally given the state of the union.)

The site currently boasts just three Stonington vacation rentals, which would be a boon to your home if the price is right, the photos sparkle and you distinguish why your home is better than the rest. The vacation rental pictured, for example, trumpets its nearness to two private beaches and a ball park, huge selling points for families.

I also second the pointers from the WSJ columnist: Enhance your green areas by planting shrubs and trimming them to adequately showcase the lake, blitz the social media sites and offer incentives to entice renters in the forms of canoes or a free night’s stay.

Most important, if your property isn’t moving on the MLS, it’s time to get it on vacationhomerentals.com.

French agency Pierre et Vacances took the unusual step of offering up to 150 euros in money back to any customers staying at its properties if a vacation is spoiled by bad weather. In the case of rain, the company would determine travelers’ “Sunshine Insurance” by analyzing satellite photographs taken by the French national weather service.

It’s a nice bit of protection and all, but why risk gloomy weather when you don’t have to? If sun is what you’re after, you’re better off staying right here in the United States.

Florida vacation rentals are givens, but if we’re talking summer vacation, Las Vegas vacation rentals qualify, too. This week, for instance, tops out in the low 100s, according to weather.com, with next month’s temps not dipping much lower. Add the $138 round-trip airfares and value-priced vacation condos like the one on the infamous Strip above ($149 a night during the week, $249 on weekends), and it’s a win-win.

Sure, the idea of basking in the French Riviera or traipsing around gay Par-ee appeals to us all, but does it make sense while the dollar is still weaker than the euro? If you lose your money at the tables, at least you’ll still be able to walk away with a tan–and bragging rights that you spent a weekend in Sin City.

Save Paris for spring.

Just like songs, some movies make you want to go on vacation.

How many of us wanted to don white denim capris a la Baby and run off to the country club resort in “Dirty Dancing?” How many of us wanted to frolic around Paris just like “Amelie” or Carrie Bradshaw in Manhattan in “Sex and the City?” (In royal blue satin Manolos, ‘natch.)

These silver screen story lines are the stuff of our fantasies.

The Outer Banks vacation home where Richard Gere and Diane Lane fell into each other’s arms may not be available for rent, but lots of other beauties capture the romance and natural beauty of the Atlantic coastline. And talk about space. It’s no wonder why Kate Gosselin took her brood to Corolla for a family vacation. The homes are typically ginormous with multiple rooms on several levels, pools, game rooms and beach access.

Although it must be said, if we all had our choice, ladies, we’d take a getaway with Richard Gere any day.