December 10, 2006
Cameron Diaz, The Holiday, Vacation home exchanges
Apparently vacation home exchanges are becoming more popular thanks to the new Cameron Diaz movie, The Holiday. This movie is giving one website lots of free advertising so I might as well help the rich get a little richer:
HomeExchange.com now boasts 14,000 members with homes in over 110 countries. The most listings are in the United States with 4,700, but there are some 1,400 listings in France, 500 in England, nearly 1000 in Australia, and the list goes on.This movie review warns moviegoers to leave their brains at home, gives a plot synopsis, and concludes:
The film gets off to a sluggish start, and it's at least half an hour too long. Fortunately, the stars are likable enough to make sticking around bearable.
November 29, 2006
Saving money and making the right decision with vacation rentals
Here's an article where the author stayed in Buenos Aires for a week in a 2 bedroom apartment for $300. Split 2 or 3 ways (or even not split at all), that's a very affordable vacation! The article also warns you about checking the location (most residences are a bit removed from the main tourist attractions after all), and to be sure you can survive without a hotel cleaning person. I thought it was an interesting read.
October 1, 2006
Advice for finding vacation rentals online
Here's an article with some advice for finding vacation rentals online. Since, the popular vacation rental websites don't check owner's descriptions for accuracy, it is important for renters to protect themselves. Using one of the sites that has user reviews of each property would be a good start.
Many people expect the cost of vacation rentals to begin declining, since domestic tourism in America is declining and since more rentals are being made available. I was able to find rentals in Manhattan for around $100/night (although one of these came with a cat-sitting job). That's very competitive with any Manhattan hotel. Thos were for one bedroom places that sleep 2 or 3. $200/night seems to be the average in Manhattan.
Anyway, the article has links to several vacation rental websites and advice about getting something in writing before you send your money. If you're considering a vacation rental instead of a hotel on your next holiday, it's an article well worth reading.
May 9, 2006
How to search for vacation rentals
I'd like to talk about a vacation rental search engine, "the only comprehensive vacation rentals search engine online." As far as I know, this is the only site where you can search vacation rentals based on available dates and pricing.
So first I went to Italy, where there are over 500 properties listed. Then at the top of the page I set the search function to search in Rome, allow pets, and find properties between 100 and 1500 US dollars/month. There were only 2 results. However, when I reset the pets rule to "any" I came up with 16 search results.
I also checked out Japan since I plan to go this summer. I found a house in Kyoto for 93 US dollars/night and then noticed that you could read reviews. All were positive, and many reviewers left their emails so I suppose I could ask questions if I had any.
The last one I checked was Prague because one of my dreams is to spend a month living in Prague. From under 50.00/night 2 subway stops from the city center to 100.00/night for the place with a view of Charles Bridge, there's plenty to think about.