5 Important Questions for Vacation Renters

If you're interested in renting a vacation property for the first time, you may have many questions and the process can seem overwhelming. Many owners of timeshares, vacation condos and vacation homes rent out their unit when it's not in use, and most choose the Internet to advertise as it's the cheapest way to get maximum exposure. But with so many scams, pitfalls and paperwork to navigate, a simple vacation rental can turn into a confusing experience that you may no be familiar with. Using a company such as Vacations Only, with years of experience, pre-drafted contracts to protect both renter and tenant and safe, secure money handling procedures is the best way to enjoy a vacation rental hassle free. Here are some important questions you should ask yourself.

 

 

How much do I want to spend?
Prices vary and are often negotiable. Think of what you would spend per night on a luxury apartment in the size of unit you want. Keep in mind, vacation rentals usually rent for a week at a time. For example: I would spend up to $200 a night on a 2 bedroom apartment, so my vacation rental must be under $1,400 for the week. Because you're dealing directly with owners, the prices are typically negotiable, so don't be afraid to haggle a bit.

Where do I want to vacation this year?
Do we have a specific vacation destination in mind, a general area, or a climate? Many families like to visit Orlando, Las Vegas or Myrtle Beach for their vacations, some prefer a general area, such as “I'd like to visit Hawaii this year”, and some are fine to go anywhere hot, cold, tropical, or snowy.

What is the right size vacation rental unit for my family?
Timeshare rentals and condos usually come in studio, 1 bedroom, 2 bedroom or even 3 bedroom apartments. How many people will be traveling with you? Are you traveling with multiple families? Vacation Homes can often have 3, 4, 5 or even 6 bedrooms, perfect for group holidays and family reunions.

Are there any on-site amenities that we can't live without for our vacation?
If you're a family of non-drivers you certainly don't want to rent a vacation condo miles away from local attractions, shopping, dining and public transportation so a timeshare in a highly populated area would be best for you. If you have children maybe a pool is also essential if you're traveling to a warm climate.

What can I expect when renting a timeshare or vacation home through Vacations Only?
Vacations Only agents will handle everything you need. They will draft an agreement between you and the renter, book the reservation and take care of the payment. You can rest assured you're getting the best accommodation at the best prices, without the risk of getting scammed by a fly-by-night Internet posting.

 

Hotels vs. Condos vs. Vacations Only

When traveling, a lot of thought goes into your accommodations, after all, this will be the place you call home for the next week or two and you want it to be clean, comfortable and affordable.

 

 

5 Luxury Timeshares You Probably Can't Afford

Ritz-Carlton has long been known to set the standard in luxurious high-class vacation rental properties, and with their move into the world of fractional ownerships (multiple timeshare weeks), they have pushed the standards of the timeshare industry to new heights. For the average Joe, the prices on these vacation weeks is comparable to the cost of a nice home, but for society's upper crust, the Ritz-Carlton timeshare properties are where the elite come to play..

 

 

Ritz-Carlton – St. Thomas – Prices starting at $150,000
Located on the sugary white sand beaches of St. Thomas overlooking sparking waters on 15-acres of tropical resort property, the Ritz-Carlton – St. Thomas is the perfect place for those looking to for a luxury vacation filled with activities or just for pure relaxation. This resort is home to an infinity edge pool, a 5300-square-foot full-service boutique spa, salon and fitness center and a gourmet restaurant, this resort is the perfect getaway spot for fun in the sun.

Marriott's Grand Residence at Lake Tahoe – Prices starting around $160,000
The only non-Ritz property to make our list of Luxury, Marriott's Grand Residence at Lake Tahoe is situated just next to the gondola in the beautiful Heavenly Valley this sprawling complex offers high-class amenities with all the excitement of the surrounding Lake Tahoe area.

Ritz-Carlton – Jupiter – Prices around  $230,000
Situated in a quiet beach community just moments away from the the shopping boutiques and art venues of Worth Avenue in sophisticated Palm Beach, Florida, the Ritz-Carlton – Jupiter is an amazing resort close to the beach. The resort offers planned activities, luxurious accommodations, a world-renowned spa and a championship golf course on-site.

Ritz-Carlton San Francisco – Prices around $260,000
Located in the financial district, this Ritz-Carlton is just moments away from the cable cars, fine dining and shopping San Francisco is famous for. 24-hour concierge service, twice daily housekeeping and turn-down service are included as well as a world class spa, private lounge, fitness center, valet and heated parking garage.

Ritz-Carlton – Bachelor Gulch – Prices around $330,000
This prestigious resort located on Beaver Creek Mountain offers a panoramic view of the mountain ranges or ski areas from each and every villa. The resort caters to guests year round, with an abundance of activities located on site such as skiing, golf, swimming, spa, fitness room, tennis, fine dining and much more.

 

5 Not-To-Miss Celebrity Designed Golf Courses

Golf is one of America's favorite vacation activities. Vacation Rentals allow travelers to stay in the most ideal locations to enjoy their favorite sport. Golf appeals to all ages and no two courses are exactly the same, which makes for a challenging and unique experience each time you play. While traveling across the United States and the rest of the world, there are thousands of wonderful golf courses to choose from, but only a handful hold the qualities of a Championship course. These one-of-a-kind courses are created by world-renowned designers who perfectly integrate beauty with difficulty to create a fun but challenging experience.

 

 

One very exciting, and unique course is located in Orlando, Florida at Marriott's Grande Vista resort. This resort is home to the Faldo Golf Institute and is in a perfect location, only minutes away from Orlando's famous Walt Disney World, Universal Studios and SeaWorld. This is a one-of-a-kind 9-hole course dedicated to help golfers improve their skills. The course accomodates golfers of all ages and abilities.

Another great course located in the heart of Central Florida is the Orange Lake County Club. This scenic location is home to two Championship courses, as well as a 9-hole walking course. The accommodations encompass all of the comforts of home with one, two and three bedroom villas, studios and suites. This a wonderful location for families who love the game of golf and want to be close to all of Orlando's thrilling activities.

If you're traveling to beautiful St. Augustine, Florida then you definitely want to check out the World Golf Village. This area is home to great shopping areas, delicious restaurants, an IMAX theater and two exciting golf courses. King & Bear is named after two World Golf Hall of Fame members Arnold Palmer and Jack Nicklaus, and is the only course designed in collaboration between the two. You can also try your hand at Slammer & Squire, a 6,939-yard resort course which offers memorable par-3 holes, preserved woodlands and wetlands encompassing the true beauty of Florida golf.

If you're looking for a challenging course while traveling in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the Diamond Bent Creek Golf Village is for you. This photographic par 72 course winds throughout the foothills of the Great Smoky Mountains and is enticing to players of all ages. The course was designed by three-time Masters and British Open winner, Gary Player, and has been rated as on of the “Top Fifty Golf Courses in the South”.

While traveling in beautiful Montana there's only one place to visit to quench your thirst for the game of golf. That is the challenging Meadow Lake Golf and Ski Resort located just minutes away from Big Mountain at Whitefish, Glacier National Park and Flathead Lake. This 400-acre timeshare resort is home to a par 72 golf course with breathtaking views of the Rockies. It includes 7 holes bordering streams and lakes and has been rated as a 4-1/2 Star Course and one of the best 6 courses to play in Montana, by Golf Digest.

 

10 Ways to Sucessfully Rent your Vacation Home, Condo or Timeshare

Renting your vacation home, condo or timeshare is easier than you might think. The first step is to advertise. Choose an advertising partner that gives you the most TV, radio, print and Internet exposure. After you've begun to advertise, consider these 10 helpful tips.

 

 

Impress Your Renters by Preparing Your Vacation Property Like a Pro

When preparing your vacation home for rent, your goal is to provide an incredible vacation experience that will leave them wanting to return. A fantastic way to deliver a lasting impression is to offer all the luxuries of home and at the same time, make your renters feel like they've just stepped into a 5-star hotel room.

 

 

The first step in preparing your vacation home to impress your renters is to bring forth the sense of being on vacation by adding some flair. Since your vacation home is probably already furnished, it's doesn't make sense to replace furniture, however decorations and wall colors are easier to change. The best way to add some flair to your vacation home is to capture the theme of the surrounding area. For example, if you have a beach vacation home, your vacation rental should take after the ocean and sand. By simply painting a wall a sand color and adding some beach inspired accents, you can provide a wonderful beach vacation getaway for your renter.

Stop by the local "boutique" hotel and get ideas for color and wall decorations. Renters today will both enjoy and appreciate modern touches like wireless internet and iPod-compatible tabletop radios.

The next step in preparing your vacation home rental is to conduct a thorough walk through to remove all personal items and store them in a lockable closet. Once you've removed your personal items, you want to start adding items that will offer your future renters more convenience.

The kitchen is the most important room in the house and needs to offer the most convenience. Stock enough plates, glasses, mugs and silverware to double the number of allowed guests and a variety of cookware. Equip the kitchen with a coffee pot, as well as a toaster and a blender for added satisfaction.

When it comes to the bathroom, guests expect quality towels and plenty of them. A good rule of thumb is to provide at least 2 bath towels, 2 hand towels, and 4 wash cloths per guest. So if your vacation home sleeps 4 guests, you should provide at least 8 bath towels, 8 hand towels, and 16 wash clothes. Another great items to include in the bathroom are some toiletries and a blow dryer.

For the bedrooms, provide quality bedding, at least two sets of sheets for each bed, a mattress cover, and pillow protectors. Extra blankets, pillows, an alarm clock and a night stand lamp are also recommended for added comfort.

The living room should have enough sitting for the number of guests your vacation home sleeps, as well as a good size TV with at least basic cable, a DVD player, and a stereo. Extra items like movies, books, and board games are always a good idea for rainy days.

The most important thing to remember when preparing your vacation home is that it should offer all the comforts and luxuries of home, which is the reason why they are renting a vacation home and not staying at a hotel. By providing extra convenient items like wireless internet, washer/dryer, iron and ironing board, etc., it will add to your renters' incredible vacation experience.

 

The Importance of Keeping your Rental Ad Calendar Up-To-Date

When travelers first begin their vacation rental search, they usually have specific dates in mind. This is why an up-to-date calendar is so important. When a potential renter visits your rental ad the first detail they look for is the calendar.

 

 

If your calendar is not up-to-date, there are many assumptions a potential renter may have about your property.  They may assume that the property is no longer active and not on the market or that the property has no bookings because there is something wrong with the property.

By simply not updating your calendar, these potential renters will probably never make an inquiry about your property. On the other hand, by providing an updated calendar you can establish credibility by showing renters that you are serious about your vacation home rental business and that your calendar is always accurate.

Some may ask that if an up-to-date calendar is so important why do renters always inquire about date availability.  The reason is that they want to verify the dates because they have probably dealt with owners that didn't up date their calendars, which created a miscommunication. Another reason is because most travelers will inquire about several properties and when they receive responses about available dates, it makes it easier to narrow down their vacation rental choices.

When you are on top of your rental calendar you will benefit by having more inquires because an updated calendars show renters that you a professional and trustworthy. You will also stop wasting your time with date availability inquiries for dates already booked and received more qualified inquiries. Bottom line is that when you frequently up date your rental calendar you are being helpful by making the travelers search much easier, which in turn will lead to more bookings.

 

Creating an Effective Rental Ad

Creating an effective vacation rental ad may seem like a hefty task, but with the proper tools and knowledge, it's as easy as 1-2-3! Here are a few tips to ensure that you have the best looking, and most informative, vacation rental ad on the market.

 

 

Knowledge is POWER
Knowing your home, condo or timeshare inside and out is the first step to creating a great vacation rental ad. If your vacation rentals is part of a resort, visit the resort's website. On the website you'll be able to find photos, information about the room, amenities, local dining, entertainment, exciting activities, local attractions and more. Some resort websites will even offer a virtual tour of the resort and exciting features included. These websites are the best place to find everything you need to know about your vacation home, leaving nothing to question from potential renters.

Upload GREAT pictures
Include photos of living room, bedrooms, kitchen, jacuzzi/pool and anything else you'd like to show. You can also include an exterior photo of the resort so the renters have a good idea of the overall look of the resort. The more photos uploaded, the better. This will help potential renters see why they should rent your vacation home instead of staying elsewhere. .

TOOT your own horn
Have you remodeled recently? Has the resort undergone renovation? Is there a fantastic view, river, lake or restaurant nearby? Be sure to include all the things that you initially fell in love with. Chances are, others will share the appeal. Does your unit have an “iPod-compatible Stereo” or “Gourmet Coffee Maker”? If so, add it! These small features could be the deciding factor in getting your vacation home rented.

With these tips, you're now ready to create a highly effective vacation rental ad. Potential renters are looking for plenty of pictures and information about where they will be spending their getaway. Luckily, Vacations Only makes ad placement easy with everything you need to create your ad and rent your vacation home.
Navigating the World of Orlando Vacation Rentals

Orlando, Florida is one of the most popular vacation destinations in the world. Orlando is home of the Walt Disney World Resort, Universal Studios, SeaWorld and many other entertainment venues. Thousands of families worldwide flock to the Central Florida area for their annual vacation.

 

 

One of the best ways to stay in Central Florida is to rent a vacation villa in the middle of it all. The first thing you may notice when you begin looking on the Internet for vacation homes to rent, is that villa rentals in Orlando are often difficult to find. It may sound strange that Orlando, Florida, tourist capital of the world, has no vacation homes for rent, but it's true. Orlando is located in Orange county, Florida, and Orange county is not zoned for short term rentals. But fear not, brave traveler! Surrounding counties have an abundance of luxurious vacation homes for rent in quiet neighborhoods with excellent amenities.

Osceola County and Polk County are the two major locations for Orlando vacation rentals. These two counties offer plenty of wonderful vacation homes for rent in Kissimmee and Davenport. Kissimmee vacation rentals are the closest to all of the central Florida attractions with plenty of shopping and dining options nearby.

Kissimmee vacation villas are especially close to the Walt Disney World theme parks, water parks, and other attractions. Vacation rentals near Disney are wonderful for families who will be spending a lot of time in the theme parks, or for families with young children who may prefer to take a break in the middle of the day and return to their Disney vacation villa for lunch or a quick nap.

Vacation rentals in Davenport are slightly further away than vacation homes in Kissimmee but not by much. It may take anywhere from 15 to 30 minutes to get to Disney by car, but there are some distinct advantages to being a little further away from all the action. Vacation homes in Davenport tend to be newer, larger and quieter ... perfect for a relaxing or romantic getaway.

No matter where your Florida vacation rental is located, you'll find yourself wishing you had a rental car. Make reservations in advance. If you're a non-driver, consider a timeshare rental in Orlando, closer to the attractions.

Overall, vacation rentals in Orlando are far superior to similarly priced hotel or motel accommodations. Once you understand the various options available to you, the decision of which one to choose will be that much easier. Search Vacations Only today for beautiful vacation rental homes in Kissimmee or Davenport.