Greetings from my rental in Antibes, France, where I’m staying for three days. My rental is terrific, and I will be giving it a full review after I leave (next stop is Provence, and I just came from Avignon). But first, I wanted to share with you my five tips for finding a great vacation rental. In addition to Antibes, I’ve stayed in rentals in Lisbon, Seville, Copenhagen, Newport, Breckenridge, Park City and St. John, USVI, so I consider myself somewhat of a pro.
Here are the five things that I always ask about when I inquire about a rental (even if it’s in the listing):
1. Is it in walking distance to… Well, in this case, I wanted to make sure it was in walking distance to the beach! And it was, as we’re less than a 10-minute walk to La Plage de la Gravette, pictured above. We’re also a 15-minute walk away from another beach. When it comes to a vacation rental, it’s all about location, location, location because hopefully you’ll be out and about a lot more than you’ll be in the rental.
2. Parking: Don’t assume that there will be free parking with the rental. Or even paid parking. In a resort town, parking is at a premium and not all properties come with parking. You don’t want to waste precious vacation time searching for a parking spot, so make sure that you understand what the parking situation is before you book. This rental in Antibes has an underground parking garage below the building.
3. Pets: If you want to bring a pet, you should always double-check even if it says pet-friendly. However, my perspective on this is the opposite. I don’t want where any pets have stayed recently because I have allergies. If it says “pet-friendly”, I usually rule it out but if it looks perfect otherwise then I’ll email to ask if any pets have stayed there in the past few months. Often there haven’t been any pets there recently (or ever) but the owner wants to attract more renters so they’ll allow pets. The flip-side to that is just because a listing says “no pets” doesn’t mean that there haven’t even been any pets there. So if you have allergies, definitely doublecheck about this. In fact, on two occasions, the owners have told me that they don’t allow other people’s dogs because they have their own pets that are usually there. This Antibes rental doesn’t allow pets, which is good by me.
4. Wifi: If the owner lists Wifi, then yes, they should have it. But if you can’t live without wifi then make sure to ask before you send in your money. Sometimes owners will admit it’s not very good and then you can decide if you’re willing to take the risk. Yes, my current rental has excellent Wifi and I’m using it right now.
5. Air conditioning: If you like air conditioning, make sure to ask if the rental has it.Often, I’ll assume that they have it but then it turns out that they don’t. I like having the option of air conditioning when I go to sleep, so I typically prefer a place with airconditioning. That’s not to say I wouldn’t stay in one without it, but I always like to make an informed decision. And yes, this rental has good air conditioning, which is lucky because it’s a humid night on the Cote D’Azur!
What do you look for in a vacation rental?
I guess we all look for different things. But that can also differ, depenading on what kind of holiday you are having.
Parking would only be a consideration for me if I was using the rental as a base for exploring further afield, perhaps the outskirts of somewhere… but in a city, I’d be making use of the public transport (such as the excellent Metro in Madrid).
Pet Friendly? I’m the opposite to you… as we would want to take ours with us (only within driving distance of where we live though – we don’t jet them around the globe for our pleasure). However, then we would want to check that there weren’t other animals around, as ours are great with people… but not great around other dogs. And as for cats… … … 😉 But if it were just hubby and I going away for a short city break, then it wouldn’t be a consideration.
WiFi – I’d want to go somewhere without it – as I find it hard enough to switch off from running the business as it is – I’d be too tempted to check emails etc if I could get online. I don’t even own a smartphone, because I can’t be trusted not to be on it at 4am ha ha! Hubby has one though – he finds it easier to switch off than I do.
That’s what makes the world, and the holiday industry so great though. Because everyone has different tastes… there is then a market for very different rental properties.
Great article to distract me from work this afternoon – thanks!
Elle xx
Elle recently posted..Spanish Recipe – Noquis Con Chipirones
Sounds like you’re a pro at this process. Great tips!
Terry at Overnight New York recently posted..Sofitel NY: Bastille Day Rev Up
excellent tips! we usually rent when we travel, too – it makes so much more sense for our family!
wanderingeducators recently posted..Travel Inspiration: Migrationology
Nice tips!
I always prefer to rent when travelling. Gives you a little bit more of a “living like a local” type vibe.
Not to mention the benefit in longer term rentals, kitchen being number one. Being a slow traveler it’s nice to be able to cook meals instead of killing my bank account eating out every day.
Devlin @ Marginal Boundaries recently posted..Comment on 10 Ways to Save $25,000 or More for Full-Time Travel by T.W. Anderson
Great tips! The walking distance tip is so crucial – it’s irritating (and expensive!) to have to take taxis and buses everywhere.
Micki recently posted..VIDEO: Hot Air Ballooning with Butterfly Balloons in Goreme Turkey
if we had a pet, clearly that would be there too. but A/c, wifi and walking distance is totally on my list too. i wouldn’t want to save in rental fees to find that i am discluded from everything i want and have to spend all the money on taxis. thanks. great tips. gabi
gabi klaf (the nomadic family) recently posted..Mistakes That You Can’t Take Back, Or Can You? RTW Life Lessons- Philippines
I consider all of those listed, except number 4. Great tips.
For better or worse, wifi is one of the top things on my list of things to look for as is central location to walk around (if it is in a city or beach- or even ski resort).
Elena recently posted..Instagram Thursday: Revisiting Cortina Italy
Awesome tips. My parents and I have been huge fans of staying in apartments and using rentals to plan our travels. My dad has finally gotten over his ebay addiction – and replaced it with rental websites!!
Cat of Sunshine and Siestas recently posted..CaminoFTK: Meet my Sponsors, Podoactiva
We are usually looking for the odd combination of a remote location with wi-fi. I’m always amazed to find places in the middle of the rainforest with wi-fi – crazy!
Mary @ Green Global Travel recently posted..Exploring Rio Secreto, the Riviera Maya’s Amazing Underground River
These are good tips. I recently had someone say yes there was wifi and then find out it was only wired. Not good for two people with multiple devices!
Kate recently posted..New York Packing List To Live Like A Local
Great tips. We use rentals quite a bit, and I would add a couple.
– be sure you know what floor it’s on and whether there’s an elevator. Our last two rentals were a 5th floor walkup and a 4th floor walkup, so this is fresh in my mind. In the end, the views were worth it in both cases, but also in both cases, we arrived after long days of traveling and it was not a great surprise.
– read all the reviews and if there’s something important to you (wifi, kitchen, hot water) pay close attention to what people say about them
– If there are no reviews of a property, tread carefully. We had good luck, though, one time where we asked for a discount on a property that had not been reviewed, and they agreed. The place was fantastic.
As we are doing this type of search regularly for the summer, our top priorities are Wifi, AC, Parking and then activities for kids or pool as a bonus.
Heidi (@WagonersAbroad) recently posted..Who Let The Dogs Out?
These are awesome tips!
I totally agree that “pet friendly” properties are a turn off. I have asthma so certainly wouldn’t want to be exposed to pet hair.
Bethaney – Flashpacker Family recently posted..How to Find Cheap Flights in Australia – Half Price Jetstar Flights!