In the past, a romantic getaway often referred to a night or
two--or seven--in a gorgeous, five-star hotel room in one of the top
destination cities in the world. You'd order room service and enjoy each
other's company from the confines of your chambre de luxe.
Now, thanks to the great big, wide world that is the Internet, romantic,
traveling spirits have access to their choice of the most ultimate
getaway digs: private vacation rentals. Renting a house or apartment for
a week gives you more room to relax. These accommodations can be found
for a better price per night than the most upscale hotels, leaving you with extra money to enjoy romantic dinners and nearby attractions.
Finding the Perfect Romantic Vacation Rental
If you're not sure where to look for the best vacation rentals,
read about these five of the most popular, reputable sources for short
and long-term rentals. They are great resources for anyone starting a
search for the perfect, private, romantic getaway spot in practically
any corner of the world.
- Airbnb: Rent a vacation property from your choice of many great people in 34,000 cities spanning over 192 countries.
- ResortQuest: This is the site to find full-service rentals in the most popular resort destinations across North America, with 7,000 to choose from.
- HomeAway: With 675,000 listings, this site has worked hard to become one of the most popular vacation rental sites.
- Flip Key: In partnership with TripAdvisor, this listing site has 300,000 properties.
- VRBO: Offering 575,000 amazing vacation rentals from all around the world, this database is powered by HomeAway. It boasts no booking fees for travelers.
Create a Rental Wish List
Putting all of your wants and needs down on paper before you start
looking for your vacation rental will make the search process less
complicated in the long run. Vacation rental websites make it very easy
to search for exactly what you want if you know the specifications ahead
of time. Consider narrowing down the following options before taking
the plunge into one of the many sites filled with vacation rental
listings.
- Property Type: Are you interested in renting a loft, cottage, house, flat, apartment, room, rural cabin or other type of property?
- Amenities: Do you prefer to be in the center of a downtown area, close to shopping, restaurants and attractions; or would you prefer to be away from the hustle and bustle, in a secluded, romantic spot?
- Property Features: Property features vary greatly from rental to rental. You may want a fully stocked kitchen, a hot tub, private beach access, water views, a grand view of the city, solar/sustainable power or a number of other big features. You may also want to be sure properties have simple necessities, like a washer and dryer or air conditioning.
- Timing and Length of Stay: As property owners have specific dates available and some that may already be booked, having an idea of the date you plan to arrive at and depart from your rental will be helpful when searching. There is nothing worse than finding the perfect, romantic rental only to find that it has already been taken for the week you've been planning to get away.
Read the Reviews
When you're scrolling through the various amazing properties
available for rent, you may wonder if they are really as great as the
listings make them out to be. When you're cutting a large check to make a
romantic vacation possible, you want to ensure that you're getting what
you pay for. That's what makes the reviews on a listing your most
precious commodity while searching for the ultimate rental. One of the
biggest perks of using online resources to find your vacation rental is
the access to candid, honest reviews from the happy--or irate--people
who stayed at a specific street address before you.
Sometimes, everything you need to know about a rental listing is in
the review section. Does it really look like it appears in the
pictures? Are the water views as great as they seem? Does the cleaning
fee actually get spent on keeping the place spotless? When you find the rental that
screams "Romance!" and it has the positive reviews to back up your
vacation fantasy, you know you'll be embarking on so much more than a
trip; you'll be taking off on an unforgettable, passionate journey.
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