Tremblant Lifestyle

Hawaii — The beachfront estate that will serve as the holiday-season headquarters for President-elect Barack Obama and his entourage should offer all the comforts of home—and then some.Workers on Saturday were busily preparing the property for the future president, his family and a group of friends from Chicago in advance of Obama’s arrival in Hawaii during what was Saturday evening on the U.S. mainland.Nestled along a white-sand beach rated among the best in the world and with a view of a lush mountain range, the home they are believed to be vacationing in has a stone privacy fence.So what does the President of the ages know that many other travelers’ may not know? Obama, the Blackberry toting President elect and his family understand the advantages of renting a vacation home as opposed to staying a hotel.Advantages of Vacation Rental HomeMost private vacation rental homes offer considerably more space than you will find in the typical hotel room often at a reduced cost. Now, families can vacation together and still have “room to breathe. Private homes offer excellent flexibility. Unlike a typical hotel room, most private vacation rentals include kitchen facilities. You don’t have to eat out for every meal (but of course you can if you want too!). Vacation rental homes often contain many personal & convenience items that will increase the comfort of the guest. Many vacation homes are used frequently by their owners and as such, they are not like the typical “sterile” environment found in hotels and other “vacation establishments”. No one gives a property more attention than its owner! Homeowners and rental agents are often able to provide you with tips and hints that only the locals know. This can make a huge difference in the enjoyment of your trip. Many of the homes listed on Your Travel Buddy Vacation Rentals and other rental sites are offered DIRECTLY from the OWNERS – Rent direct from the owners and save. Renting a private vacation home offers the affordability, exceptional value, and personal attention that you deserve. “Having a President that understands the value of and uses the vacation rental industry will certainly be a boom for our industry” said Brent Vanderstelt, owner of Your Travel Buddy Vacation Rentals, (a free vacation rental directory) and Your Travel Buddy, (an online travel booking search engine).

Are you stressed out? Thinking about a vacation? If so, where are you planning to vacation? Are you thinking of a vacation home? If you are, then it is probably time to buy one! There are some lucky people out there who already possess a vacation home. A perfect place for a get away during the weekends or to enjoy those long summer days. A place to escape from the hectic city life and to quietly relax where you will find all your stress melting away. You would also want to get a vacation home to make those holidays even more memorable.
Now, we may have people who have their vacation homes within driving distance only so that they could visit it more often. But we also have people who buy homes down in the south so that it is nice and sunny. If this kind of property is not used very often but maybe just once or twice in a year, one may want to go for an option called ‘timeshare’. This would mean that one would have the accommodation during their vacation at that specific time. The vacation home would be shared by another individual or family as well when they require it. This would avoid you the cost of maintenance throughout the year and you would only need to pay during the time you are there. This option is being quickly adopted by people who are looking to buy vacation homes now.
The winter time, and not just the sun, is also enjoyed and preferred by many. These people generally like to ski, snowboard or get engaged in various types of winter sports. The timeshare is a viable option for them too. Buying a vacation home at these locations, which would only be visited for a few months during winter, is not very feasible. So rather than leaving the home empty for a larger portion of the year, one would rather opt for timeshare.
You would chose your vacation home depending on the kind of person you are and what you generally enjoy doing. If you are a person who enjoys water sports like swimming, fishing or boating, you would find yourself somewhere near the water front where you would have ready access to water. The time that you spend here would determine the kind of vacation home you will invest in.
To find a nice vacation home is really not that difficult but it depends on you and your family’s requirements and to understand what best suits you. The choices offered by the real estate market would include cottages, condos and time shares. You must assess how much time you will actually spend in a vacation home before you venture out to invest in one. There would be no point in buying a beautiful home that you would only visit once in a year. So it would be wiser to opt for a timeshare in this scenario. If you are able to vacation for only two weeks or so in a year, a timeshare would be the best bet and a better choice. Also if you find yourself working during weekends, then a vacation home would be a smart idea as you would use this very often.
Whatever type of investment you want to make, you will find a lot of real estate agents if you just care to flip through the yellow pages or browse the internet. They would be more than ready to help you find the perfect place for yourself or your family.

Orlando vacation homes offer a degree of personal luxury accommodation that hits the spot and makes you feel like you are really on holiday. You don’t all share one room at home, so why do it on vacation?

Some people want their holiday homes to be just like their own – why? If that’s what you want, then pass on Orlando because that offers better! If you wanted your accommodation while on holiday to be just like home, why not save the expense and just stay at home? Nope – no matter who you are, prince or pauper, while on vacation you want something special.

How about a 5 star hotel? Think about it. Apart from the cost, are you happy spending your vacation in one room. What if you have kids? Most do in Orlando – what is its biggest attraction? Are you at ease in a hotel room, wondering what the little darlings are getting up to in their own room(s)? Or are you all sharing? If that’s your idea of a relaxing vacation, then . . .

How about a 4 or 5 bedroom vacation home, with the same number of bathrooms and a 50 inch home cinema system? How about a Bose system? Or TVs and DVD players in every room, with an Xbox or the latest Playstation? How about all that for half the price per head than an average hotel room? Did I mention the spa and pool?

Orlando vacation homes exude Luxury with a Capital L, and unless you are in the Bill Gates range, there is no hotel to beat them – period! Certainly not for value for money. It’s a very difficult decision to make – no, not between a hotel and a luxury Orlando holiday home, but between which vacation villa, apartment or condo to go for. A lot depends on the size and composition of your party.

How much would a hotel room cost you per head, with private swimming pool, pool table and air hockey, 55 inch home cinema, Bose surround sound and more? I don’t know, but let me tell you this – an 8 bedroom Orlando vacation home sleeping 16 is less than $35 each a night. Fabulous for a group of friends – or a large family visiting Disney! In fact it’s doubtful if a family of even 10 could afford Disney if they had to use hotel accommodation, let alone 16!

If that’s too expensive ($35?) try a vacation condo in Orlando that sleeps 6, set in a luxury gated executive community with pool, cinema and a host of other amenities for under $19 each a night. Tell me where you can get a high quality hotel for that price in Orlando! Not only are you all under one roof, but you know the kids are safe and secure.

Think about it: you have a busy day at nearby Disney World and the first thing that you want to do when you get back is to relax just like you would at home. Why sit on uncomfortable desk chairs, when you can have a luxury leather sofa to lie back on, or out to the pool deck and relax with a martini – home made and mixed to perfection. No expensive hotel bar bills. No slamming hotel doors or others in your group waking you up.

Windsor Palms Resort, for example, offers vacation homes for your Orlando vacation that will feel just like home or maybe even better. The houses have anywhere from 4-6 bedrooms, which can comfortably sleep anywhere from 8-12 people on vacation. They are set in a gated community far enough away from the hustle and bustle of the city, but close enough that major attractions are only a few minutes away. They even offer buses that will pick you up at the resort to take you to places like Walt Disney World, which is only 2.5 miles away.

With vacation homes, you don’t have to worry about fighting for an elevator up to your room, or worrying about your car in the parking lot. With your own Orlando vacation home, you can have peace of mind knowing that you have privacy and security.

Warm and sunny Orlando can get pretty hot, so pools are a must in this part of Florida – in just about any part actually! Why share the pool with everyone else at a hotel when you can have your own – with spa! There’s no need to feel self-conscience or embarrassed because you cheated on your diet, and nobody else’s towels are covering the loungers. They are all yours!

Hotel rooms can be stuffy and unsettling. Even if you don’t spend a lot of time in your hotel room during your Orlando vacation, you still have to sleep. A vacation home feels more inviting to a person than a hotel does. After a while you might even forget you are on vacation, and get used to the life – don’t! Your personal pool and Jacuzzi, your own games room and your luxury TV and sound system – they have to be left behind, unless you can afford a full-time vacation in Orlando!

The wide range of vacation accommodation in Orlando offers you all the amenities of home, and then more. They have anywhere from 4-6 private bedrooms, their own personal swimming pools with a spa, fully equipped kitchen, TVs and DVD players, laundry equipment and fully furbished family room areas.

Next time you are taking a holiday in this part of the USA, keep in mind that Orlando vacation homes offer luxury holiday accommodation that hits the spot in every possible way, and gives you that wonderful feeling of relaxing at home – but in total luxury and pamperedness, if there is such a word. Perhaps there isn’t, but it sure feels like it

There is wide range of Orlando vacation homes available within 15 minutes of Walt Disney World Resort, and more information can be found at www.qualityvillarentals.com where details are available of accommodation from condos and town houses to luxury villas.

Do you own a vacation rental website and are asking yourself “which vacation rental availability should I use”? As a vacation rental owner, I had to ponder this question myself. After all, a Google search reveals that there are lots of free and paid options available. But which is the right vacation rental calendar to use?

HomeAway (www.homeawayconnect.com), formerly Renters.org, really simplifies the rental of your vacation home and is FREE to use. You can save time with the day-to-day details of your vacation rental, so you can focus on what’s really important- finding the right guests and making them feel at home.

Weather you rent a little or a lot? HomeAway Connect can help you.

How it Works

Already have an account on Rentors.org, HomeAway Network (A1Vacations.com, CyberRentals.com, GreatRentals.com, HomeAway.com) or VRBO?

No sign-up or registration process is required. You will be automatically upgraded to the new Reservation Calendar.If you don’t have an account, follow these 4 easy steps to get one.

As vacation rental owners, we use the FREE HomeAway calendar because it allows you enter renter’s information, arrival time and special instructions, and contact information.

What is even better, it works across the HomeAway Network that currently includes about 8 paid vacation rental directories and your own personal site, and our FREE Vacation Rental Listing site, Your Travel Buddy.

So, when you make a reservation and you update your HomeAway calendar, just ONCE! Your calendar is automatically updated on all sites where it is featured.

You do not have to list your vacation home on the HomeAway Network to get a free calendar, but we highly recommend it, as we have our vacation homes listed with them, along with our own personal vacation rental website and our FREE Vacation Rental website, Your Travel Buddy.

HomeAway Network and VRBO is the largest network of paid vacation rental services and get receive millions of hits each and every day. The cost to advertise your vacation home on the HomeAway Network is just $299.00 per year.

We are not associated with the HomeAway Network, but we know vacation rentals and we use their FREE vacation calendar and paid listing services.

Please feel free to list your vacation rentals on our FREE vacation rental advertising website and be sure to include your HomeAway calendar link to your listing. We all could use additional free advertising and bookings.

Vacation time may be several months away, and you may be starting to think about where and what might be the perfect vacation this year – the beach, golf resort, SCUBA diving, skiing, maybe just sight seeing? And you think about places you have been – and the problems you have had. You cannot forget the time you went on vacation and discovered that the rooms that were really too small, or the room service was bad. There was also the time that the people in the next unit were loud and obnoxious, and the primary reason you had taken a vacation was to find peace and quiet. If only you could have the comforts of your home magically transported to your fantasy destination, then you could have had the perfect vacation.
Well, your dream arrangement is (almost) possible – you just have to look at vacation rental of a home, condo or cabin instead of hotels, motels and resorts. If you’ve never tried a vacation rental, there is a whole world of opportunities out there, just waiting for you to discover them.
Lots of people have vacation homes or condos that they use only part of the year. Many of these people rent out their places when they know they aren’t going to be there to use it themselves. The process is a little different than pulling up in front of a Best Western or Holiday Inn, but the principle is the same – you get to use a room or set of rooms where you are able to reside, for the length of your vacation.
Normally hotel, motel or resort rooms are relatively small. So things can get a bit tight, particularly if the kids are along, or if are there or two, three or four couples who have a routine of vacationing together. By renting a vacation home or condo you will get more space, some privacy, and you may be able to get luxury features you haven’t been able to install yet under your own roof. Another thing – you can find vacation rental units of practically all kinds, practically anywhere in the country – or, for that matter, in the world.
There are literally thousands of places available that are private homes, condos, cabins, etc., available for vacation rental. And, the facilities available in these rentals range from rustic to lavish, comfortable and spacious.
There are thousands of companies around the world acting as agents for owners. Many of these agents have listings in every state of the United States, plus Mexico and the Caribbean. They are really just booking agents, but they have information on a huge number of properties in a large number of locations. They have listings in Central America, Africa, Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the South Pacific. Unless you had your heart set on a vacation in Antarctica, it doesn’t seem like there can be much of anywhere that you will not be able to find vacation rentals.
Most agents found online and offline have vacation rental homes in US destinations, and many also have access to international listings. On the Internet, you will be able to find listings provided by agents – and vacation rentals by owner. At most websites that cater to the vacation rental industry, listings will contain a full inventory of what a particular property has to offer the vacationer and most of those listings contain several photographs, including interior and exterior photos.
Many vacation home rentals can be found near the center of major tourist areas, such as Disney World in Florida, or near beaches – perhaps even on the beachfront – in many coastal states. Other vacation rental homes are located out in the boondocks, such as in the wooded and mountainous regions of Arkansas, Colorado or Tennessee.
For instance, there is the 4-bedroom, 2.5-bath, lakeside, log home at Presque Isle, Wisconsin, located on the shores of Presque Isle Lake, an hours’ drive south of Lake Superior. The property is a rustic wilderness stone and log cabin on top of a ridge, with sleeping space for up to 14 people. Overlooking the 1500-acre, crystal clear waters of Presque Isle Lake in the North Woods, this log cabin receives guest’s year-around. During the summer, many families enjoy the swimming off of the cabin’s lakeside dock, and anglers enjoy an ample supply of trophy Muskie, Walleye and Bass from the dock and by boat.
Let’s say you are thinking about taking the family to Breckenridge, Colorado for a week of skiing or snowboarding fun. A short search on the Internet will give you a sizable list of resorts or hotels to choose from. They have nice rooms, food service, probably a pool, and transit service to the slopes. But what is available in a vacation rental?
There are more than two-dozen vacation homes available in Breckenridge, Colorado. You can access descriptions and photographs of many of these homes. Facilities range from units that sleep 6 to exclusive townhouses that provide sleeping quarters for up to 22 people. Rates start at $70 per day to $20,000 per week. That would seem palatial to me. I wonder if the rates are negotiable?
Finding exactly the right-sized home, with the desired amenities, for the price you are willing to pay will take some searching. You should really take the time to decide what kind of a place you really want, the amenities, and how many people will be going with you, before you start going though lists. Of course, some people go to Breckenridge in the summer, rather than during the winter for the ski season, and rentals are available, even during the off-season.
With a vacation rental you get more space and special amenities compared with a conventional hotel, motel or resort. The cost per square foot is usually less, but the amount of space is usually more. You have more privacy, but you will probably have to do your own cooking and wash your own dishes. As with everything else, you have to decide how you want to spend you time and your money – what do you value and how much is it worth to you?
Picking and booking the right vacation home may require some time, but it is also time well spent with people you love. Compared to the hotel experience, a vacation home rental is an excellent option that you should consider for your next vacation. It might create that perfect memory you have been looking to achieve for your family.
Suppose, instead of Breckenridge and skiing, you are interested in a week at the beach, a weekend in the woods, or a week following your favorite NASCAR event. On January 20th, 2008, it is estimated that four million people will be in Washington D.C. for the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. Hotels were sold out weeks ago… but there are still plenty of vacation rentals in the greater D.C. metropolitan area, looking for renters. Some people are even renting their homes to visitors coming in for the inauguration and taking the opportunity to visit grandma, while someone else is renting their home.