Holiday Rentals
 

Hi,

Just wanting some info on holiday rentals, they seem to be much cheaper than hotels and apartments is there a reason for this? My partner and I and our then 20 month old will be spending at least 3 - 4 nights in each place we visit and they look like a great alternative to hotels. Any feedback would be great :)

Thanks!

Places we are planning on staying are San Fran, Los Angeles, Las Vegas, San Diego, Boston, New York, Washington DC and Orlando.

what is a holiday rental -- what are the listing sites?

No go in NYCas short term rentals are illegal.

>> they seem to be much cheaper than hotels and apartments is there a reason for this? <<

Well, one can't generalize. Some are cheaper, some are more expensive. And hotel rates range from well less than $100 a night to the sky's the limit -- depending on the city/season.

For instance in summer they almost give Las Vegas hotel rooms away $55-$75 is very common. At the same time same quality hotel will be $300+ in NYC.

Not quite sure the distinction between 'holiday rentals' and apartments. A vacation apartment is simply a holiday rental in a city/urban setting. As jubilada says - you can't rent short term apartments in NYC. 99% are illegal.

fishee: >>what is a holiday rental -- . . .<< wouldn't you understand that to mean a vacation rental??? All the usual subjects for listings - vrbo, real estate agencies, individual owners . . .

Sorry guys I was on Tripadvisor and they call them holiday rentals they are listed on such a common site and there are so many of them advertised that I couldn't see them being illegal but this is the reason I ask as I am from Australia and obviously don't want to do anything that is illegal but they just looked like such a great alternative.

Don't worry, they aren't illegal in most places. They specifically are illegal in New York City.

The UK, Oz, the States - all have different terminology. Whether you are talking about self catering, vacation rental, holiday let . . . all a the same thing. A house/condo/apartment rented out for short periods. Normally they are un-serviced. Which is just one reason they are often cheaper than a comparable full-service hotel or B&B.

Oh awesome thank you yes terminology is very different.

Oh, I love apartment rentals and have had very good experiences with vrbo and homeaway in both the U.S. and Caribbean. I look for postings that have been there for a couple years combined with positive feedback. If the listing is brand new, I'm much more careful.

Make sure the listing info about where the owner or manager lives matches up with the name and area codes that you're contacting, etc. I find the apartments to be a great alternative to hotels when traveling with a baby and wanting access to a kitchen.

That's so good, well I might just have a look into it and speak to my travel agent aswell as see if we can find some. Think in our case with a young daughter its going to be a much better alternative in some places :)

Many of the rentals will even offer a playpen or crib for your daughter without charge.

The only issue with apartment rentals is that you usually cannot cancel close to your travel dates and get your money back. So if there are contingencies in your itinerary and you like to modify plans as you're on the road, hotels have much better policies about canceling last minute without penalty.

You look like you'll be traveling for a long time so thought this might be relevant for you. Good luck and have a wonderful trip!

We have a VRBO (Vacation Rental by Owner) in the countryside just outside of Healdsburg California. Its a nice way to travel, esp. with a baby. You don't have to worry about keeping a child quiet in a hotel. We are licenced both by the county and city. Altho vacation rentals in the city of Healdsburg have been shut down by the city for noise and are usually not legal. A vacation rental can offer you more space, a kitchen of some sort, and often a garden or play area for children. Its a much better deal than a hotel, unless you HAVE to have clean towels every day. We now use VRBO where ever we travel.