Vacation Home Rentals Blog

In the end, the IOC chose the sexy Brazilian newcomer to host the 2016 Summer Olympics: The girl from Ipanema.

Rio de Janeiro will be welcoming the world’s athletes to the games in 20 years, and while we’re disappointed here in Chicago, at least we lost to a formidable contender.

(Shoot, having lost the battle in the first round of voting, with just 18 of the 94 yeses secured, were we ever really a competitor?)

Let’s not focus on our nickname as Second City, though. What awaits in Rio are peepshow beaches, thrilling nightlife (This is the home of Carnival) and a hair-raising passion for sports. Chicago may have brought out its triple Os–Michelle, Barack and Oprah–but Brazil had a superstar as globally known in Pele.

Rio de Janeiro vacation rentals will emerge as overflow options–or if travelers are smart, alternatives to hotels–for international visitors. VacationHomeRentals.com lists some 34 vacation condos, like the spanky one above–close to the beach. Would it be wise to look now? Meh. You’re probably safe to wait until at least 2010, but it wouldn’t hurt to stroll around the site to familiarize yourself with the properties.

And if for some reason 20 years isn’t ample enough time to save for a South American getaway, there’s always Chicago vacation homes. Summer is when the city dazzles.

You’ve heard the expression, “When everyone else abandons you, at the end of the day, at least you have your family?”

The saying comes to mind after seeing a story in The Ledger, a newspaper in Lakeland, Fla., about how Floridians are taking more trips in state despite an overall decline in visits by international and out-of-state travelers. To survive this temporary slowdown, Florida vacation home owners will need to market to their own.

Jackie Ewing, a member of the Central Florida Vacation Rental Managers Association, cited a U.S. Department of Commerce statistic that Florida suffered a 4 percent dip in travel this year, reportedly the first since 2001. She encourages short-term rental owners not to overreact by slashing prices, but focus on creating valuable, well-timed packages and email blasts and using Twitter–a free marketing tool–to entice tourists.

Florida landlords: What tactic has worked for you? Do share.

So it isn’t exactly family vacation season, but you’re a parent, you think months, even a year, in advance. When three school schedules are involved–not to mention the money it will take to squirrel away for bathing suits, amusement park admission and random stuffed animals–you’re smart to plan now.

The question is: Where should you go?

Whether it’s winter or spring break, here’s our handy guide to the best family vacation spots in the U.S. (in no particular order)

1. San Diego vacation rentals
San Diego is the proud home to a zoo that consistently receives high marks for its educational exhibits, including the world-famous pandas, and Balboa Park, the largest urban park in the U.S. with a collection of 15 museums. With gratis IMAX movies and all the trains, cars, planes and dinosaurs to keep little ones occupied, the words “I’m bored,” won’t be a concern during this vacation.

2. Orlando vacation homes
America’s families have been visiting Mickey Mouse and Shamu for decades, but come spring 2010, a new kid will cast a spell on Orlando: The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Orlando Resort. The theme park cares about details, enlisting the help of the films’ production designer and art director to spin the fantasy of “reel life,” from Hogwart’s castle to Dragon Challenge, a pair of roller coasters that mimic the effects of the Triwizard Tournament.

3. Chicago vacation rentals
The former city of the First Family may add Olympics summer headquarters to its resume (The official announcement is expected this Friday, Oct. 2), but you’d be crazy not to plan your first visit before 2016. The Windy City stands tall with its picturesque skyline, global palette, landscaped streets (surprisingly tidy for a big city) and family-friendly attractions like the Lincoln Park Zoo, Navy Pier and Millennium Park. Before you leave, don’t miss out on the 96th floor view from the Signature Lounge in the John Hancock Building, the Bean (or its technical name, Cloud Gate) and awesome digital faces on Crown Fountain. Your kids will most certainly geek out.

4. Destin vacation condos
Florida’s Emerald Coast is rich in vacation condos–many of them brand new–and some of the most breathtaking sand you’ll ever sink your pedicured feet into. The tykes will spend hours in the lagoon-style pools, splash pads and waterfalls. When it’s time to crash, they’ll retire to their bunk or trundle beds while you chill out on the balcony with a glass of wine. When mom and dad are happy, everyone’s happy.

5. Yellowstone Country vacation rentals
Maybe it’s been awhile since you were struck with childlike wonderment. The country’s first national park will make you feel like a cowboy, bringing tourists up close with its rugged terrain and geysers.  Register your 5- to 12-year olds in the Junior Ranger program, an interactive trip that rewards explorers by schooling them on principles of ecology, geology and wildlife. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to stop and watch the buffalo roam and the deer and antelope play.

Is a Facebook friend’s association enough to convince you to rent a vacation home?

A company in Oregon hopes so. Second Porch launched a new application on the popular social networking sight that connects potential renters with properties. Whether it’s an Oregon coast rental or Florida vacation home, travelers will be able to “friendsource” those listings they like, make recommendations and weigh in on the rentals, some 300 since the site completed initial tests this summer, according to The New York Times.

Some folks, however, prefer Facebook without a side of solicitation. People visit to see their cubicle mate’s antics from the bachelor party last weekend or the ever-pressing, important news that Jane Smith is about to get her teeth cleaned. When businesses start creeping in, does it become annoying, and would you download this application?

Another issue to consider: What if this friend’s listing doesn’t measure up to your expectation? Often friendships go sour with a bad business deal.

VacationHomeRentals.com takes the legwork out of your vacation home search, showcasing thousands of cottages, chalets, mansions, condos and apartments all in one place. You’ll stumble across user reviews, amenities, even the closest airport in a clean, straightforward profile page.

And any Facebook user knows that you can attach a link to any status update if you’re really trying to push something.

Let us know what you think on Twitter @checkincheckout.

If the American dream is a two-story Georgian with a white-picket fence, then the Hawaiian dream is a beachside bungalow with a thatched roof.

Don Ho and Hollywood did a damn good job of selling the Polynesian paradise–who wouldn’t want to be greeted by a pretty girl with a lei and a mai tai? But visions of tiki bars and flowery shirts make us forget that wait, people actually live there. Full time.

In Honolulu, the city council will consider this week whether to allow new b&b licenses to be issued following a 20-year freeze, according to the Honolulu Advertiser. It seems that lots of Hawaii vacation rental owners were listing their properties illegally, and the residents were not happy about it.  As many as 1,900 homes were operating without permits, the newspaper reported.

In a state whose financial health depends on a steady stream of tourists, the practice isn’t a surprise, but something’s got to give for the local taxpayers who argue that their communities are being disrupted by noisy transients.

And now you have the podium. Honolulu landlords, how do you feel about the issue? Locals, what’s a resolution that everyone can live with, while still allowing for revenue to be pumped into the Hawaiian economy? Talk to me on Twitter @ checkincheckout.

A Dallas woman got creative while hunting for a New York vacation home. She bought a $25,501 lighthouse at auction instead, according to The Dallas Morning News.

Pretty friggin’ cool.

So what if the six-story home sits on a cement block off the shore of Lake Ontario and lacks a little thing called electricity. But once the renovations are all complete, that’s a story that won’t be topped at the dinner party: I own a lighthouse.

For the rest of us non-creative consumers who don’t have the first clue about restoring historically significant architecture in the middle of a body of water, renting a vacation home near a lighthouse (like the North Carolina vacation home above near Currituck Lighthouse) is the more reasonable alternative.  These stacked homes are built for families, but having been there as a single, I can say that the communities of Corolla, Duck and Nags Head bode well for solo or couple weekends, too. What’s more romantic than strolling along the beach with a lighthouse in the background?

I’ll tell you what: knowing that your temporary space has a heated saltwater pool and hot tub waiting for you when you come back from your walk.

Oh, and finding security in the fact that if the weekend somehow goes bad, you won’t have to swim back to shore to escape.

No offense, Miss Nolan.

For $8.75 million, you can bid on the home that Ponzi built: Bernie Madoff’s former private beach residence on Long Island.

The David Webb-designed house is surprisingly unflashy–fitted with Formica counters and on the smaller side compared with other properties, according to Fortune–considering its ex-owner pirated $65 billion from the people who entrusted him with their life savings and retirements.

Yet the new owner may feel a sense of giving back while enjoying those heavenly ocean views. All the proceeds from the auction and sale will go toward a fund for Madoff’s victims.

The rest of us, meanwhile, will be saving up for our next summer vacation at a Montauk vacation rental like the one above, a relative bargain at $1,500 a week to $3,800 a week depending on the month. The owner gushes about the area’s secluded dunes and virtually uninhabited coastline.

No wonder Bernie felt at home there. It was a hiding place.

Relax. This is a what if, and Dana Point vacation rentals would be affected if the city adopts a 10 percent bed tax to rental fees, according to The Orange County Register.

Hotels and motels already charge the tax, but for renters, would that make a difference? The optimist in me says that travelers will still find more value in a vacation property, which have all the amenities of home, making folks feel less like tourists and more like locals. And sure, while it is true that hotels provide daily housekeeping services, having to clean up after yourself is a minor inconvenience when what you’re getting are a full kitchen (to save money on eating out), washer/dryer, barbecue grill and bragging rights to a house that you would otherwise never be able to purchase yourself.

The Dana Point Planning Commission was set to discuss land-use standard for vacation rentals on Thursday, with recommendations to be made at a future meeting.

What say you, California vacation home regulars? Would a 10 percent hike make or break your plans? Hit me on Twitter @checkincheckout.

The Old Hawaii aesthetic–rooms with ricketty rattan loungers and tiki-themed bathrooms–is beloved by those looking to celebrate island life, but not everyone cares for a palm tree print on the shower curtain.

The listing above, one of several Waikiki condo rentals available, is Honolulu’s answer to the dingy, outdated hotels with its modern decor and amenities. Hello, split-system air conditioning, granite counter tops, full stainless steel kitchen.

The landmark Ilikai Condominium Hotel, seen in the opener to legendary series “Hawaii 5-0,” peeps out to Ala Moana Beach Park and is close to the Hilton Hawaiian Village (because surely, what is a visit to paradise without a taste of pig fired on a spit, lovely hula girls and fire dancers?). It has the look and feel of a condo you might see in an interior decorating magazine, thanks to the microfiber couches, high headboards and soothing tones of brown and cornflower.

But then you look outside and remember that you’ve come to heaven on earth. Call it Haute Hawaii.

Much to my surprise, a few friends have decided to take off to the Indianapolis Colts season opener this weekend–without the kids.

In fact, come September, it’s a yearly tradition they share with their neighbors, who also have minors.

What I can’t get over: How they can sneak in a trip at the beginning of a school year. What? Really? Parents can do that? Assuming you have a babysitter, why yes you can.

For moi, while being in Indy does have its perks (decent drive, but not too far if I needed to rush home), a long weekend in a South Beach condo rental is more my scene. Strolling for eye candy along Ocean Drive, shopping on Lincoln Road and cocktailing poolside remind me of days when Hello Kitty birthday cakes and school supply lists weren’t on my radar.

A long weekend, in this parent’s mind anyway, should be as disparate from your day-to-day routine as possible. A cure to the baby blues? Perhaps a cocktail on the roof at the Mondrian or a couples massage at The Biltmore are in order.

Incidentally, I would be going on the Indy trip, but we couldn’t get a babysitter. So I’ll save my mommy trip for a vacation in 33139.