On VRBO I’ve ended up with two rentals that had no curtains in the main bedroom, so definitely check for that!
We have family members who own vacation rentals that are managed by local companies. Both companies place the properties on both Arbnb and VRBO as well as the management companies website. If you find a place you like it’s worth doing some research and seeing which way is the best price.
We are renting a place this summer at a lake and we noticed that many places didn’t include linens. We had rented this place last summer and had to cancel due to a wildfire, we hadn’t purchased the insurance so was not bye to get a refund. The compromise with the owner was he rebooked us for this year.
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Thanks for the suggestions.
I don’t see much that’s owned by a corporation, the one that I did the prices didn’t include taxes. I think the pricing is similar to Airbnb
A relative owned a property in this area and they managed it themselves and I wonder if that is common for this area because I’m not finding much managed by an outside company.
Although I’d rather rent a house, there is a condo resort in the area that has some places for rent. The weird part is that the condos listed on their site don’t have air conditioning but the ones listed on Airbnb or VRBO do. Even though I’m looking at September, I’m thinking AC is probably worth it.
I’m going to keep looking and reading reviews. I appreciate the advice.
I’m waiting on our son’s family to say if they want to come and then I’ll be able to make a decision. My husband told him they needed to make a decision soon-ish so we can figure this out.
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I keep thinking about doing a safari but…it’s such a long plane ride!
I did go to the safari park as San Diego and took their safari truck ride into the interior…not nearly as amazing but still lovely.
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My sister and BIL are going on a safari this fall. They’re stopping in London there and back to break up the travel.
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When we were looking to rent a place in LA for 2+ weeks, we found that VRBO was more expensive than Airbnb for same area. We found a super host with great reviews on Airbnb and rented from them. We haven’t used the place yet but I’m hoping all goes well. The owner has been very responsive um my Qs.
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When we went on our safari we flew LAX to Zurich and had an afternoon to explore and spent the night in a hotel near the airport before flying to Nairobi the next day. It helped but anyway you fly it’s a long trip.
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Same. I stayed in a rental a few years ago on my annual college girls’ trip. It was in a town where summer horse racing is huge and many people rent out their houses for extra income. The one we stayed at was someone’s house. There was stuff in the refrigerator (they gave us one shelf to use), stuff in the closets, make-up in the primary bath, hair care and razors in the showers - it was horribly uncomfortable (not my year to plan the trip or book the house - I would never!) I had to move a little girl’s stuffed animals off the bed before I could sleep. I couldn’t wait to get out of there!
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We did not go on a Safari, but we did visit two countries in Africa. Since we were staying with a friend, we just did the long plane ride to Capetown. We spent a ten days in Capetown, then flew to Rwanda where we spent 10 more days.
Instead of flying a LONG trip home from Rwanda, we went to Brussels for four days on the way back. It was holiday time and the Christmas markets were terrific. We were glad to break up that long plane ride home.
We had the options of flying to Geneva, Rome, Munich, London, Paris, Brussels or Amsterdam…depending on the airline.
My home airport is LAX, so good to know!
Thanks!
I totally agree with all you’ve listed. Also, and I’ve found this requirement the few times we’ve rented with Airbnb, I don’t want to strip the beds and put the sheets and towels in the washing machine. I don’t mind loading the dishwasher but waiting around to put the dishes away??? (One place wanted renters to run the dishwasher before they left and then put everything away.) Also, another place wanted us to take the trash out, which was fine, but it turned out that the trash barrels were in the back yard and we had to walk down a set of icy steps to the place where they kept the trash barrels.
Is this part of the Airbnb policy or is it something individual owners determine they want renters to do?
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We once stayed in a place where all the linens, and pillows, were super-perfumed. It was awful. Fortunately it was only for a couple of nights. It also seemed like people lived there normally. It just felt uncomfortable. There was a “big house,” a little cottage, and a trailer on the farm, and I suspect when people want to rent they vacate to the trailer. There may have even been a tent set up. It was a working farm, so there were people around during normal hours.
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I think it’s individual owners. We rent probably 3x/year and it’s a mixed bag on that stuff. I’m fine taking the trash out DURING the stay and ok with putting the cans out for service if it’s when we are there. Fine to start the dishes but putting away is ridiculous cause starting the dishes is one of the last things we do. — after all, departure is soon after breakfast!
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Individual Airbnb owners decide. We stayed at one Airbnb that asked us to start the dishwasher and washer before we left. But we didn’t have to wait until they were done. They asked us to put the trash in the main large outdoor can before we left. And that was it.
The most recent Airbnb (same city) wanted nothing. They just said…pack up and leave. Don’t worry about anything!
Both were super hosts on Airbnb, and that’s what I’d look for.
We rent a place at the Jersey Shore via a real estate company that handles rentals and sales. This year will be our sixth at the same place. For these, we do need to bring our own linens but that’s fine with us.
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If you think flights between continental US and Europe are long and rough, add some more hours if you’re flying from HI! It’s 5 - 6 hours from HI to West Coast of US and double to east coast!
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Even some property management companies have different rules for departure. They also change them periodically. The condo we like to stay in Hawaii has updated their policy that each bag of trash that is not taken out will be charged $25. The trash chute is a few steps from the door, so no excuse to be lazy! Previously, they politely asked to take the trash out. I guess many guests left a pigsty hence the change.
What I am getting to is that even if you remember the rules from a couple of months ago, they could have been changed.
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I mentioned upthread, or possibly on a different travel thread on CC, I do a reverse image search for a property I’m interested in to book and look for a local manager. Can’t remember when it didn’t work. Less added on fees with a local contact, and usually more flexibility. YMMV
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I think it’s individual owners - we stay in a VRBO 1 to 3 times a year. Almost all of them were pretty basic as far as taking out the trash, loading the dishwasher and turning it on before we leave. If we moved any furniture, we put it back but I don’t sweep or mop or anything like that (unless of course we were slobs and spilled something). We also look for only 4.8+ and many reviews- leery of those with few and overly complimentary. CLEAN is a big one to us and we can usually look at the calendar and see how busy they are. Fortunately, we have never had a bad rental but one of them had a wall vent not cleaned recently and had dust which creeps me out - told the owner but did not mention it on the review. It apparently had been hidden behind a sofa and they recently rearranged the furniture in the area and guess the housekeeper didn’t notice a new place to clean. I’ve never heard of bringing your own linens, that just sounds weird to me. I guess if you don’t trust theirs or don’t like the feel. VRBOs now rate their guests as well so, be aware, they may not like the way someone leaves a home either. A lot of folks don’t care for this, doesn’t matter to me.
LOVED our African safari but I don’t think thst is the right time of year for one. We are going to Australia/New Zealand in January. Looking forward to that!
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Did a safari to Tanzania years ago (pre retirement). Our flight connected in Ethiopia. That was an adventure of its own! It was the first long flight that we booked business class. If we did it today we’d spend a few days in the connecting country (which wouldn’t be Ethiopia).
That safari is near the very top of my favorite vacation list – and we travel a lot. It was a private tour we booked with another couple. Mostly stayed in nice tent cabins (“glamping”) in the national parks/reserves so we could start our adventures early in the day when animals were active. We had actual hotels/cabins booked along the way, mostly to take a long shower.