10 tips for Selecting the Perfect Costa Rica Vacation Rental

10 tips for selecting the perfect Costa Rica vacation rental

Planning a Tropical holiday full of lush jungles, secluded beaches, & friendly people but not  expensive? Costa Rica is the place to go! But where do you stay, a resort or a private villa? Do you require long lines, crowded pools, babies jogging up & down the corridors? I think not.

Selecting the best Costa Rica holiday rental can be the difference between a great holiday & three where you feel like you are 'doing without'.

plenty of vacationers consider the Costa Rica holiday rental as 'just somewhere to stay' since most of your time will be spent in or on the water, or enjoying local attractions. Don't make that mistake. there is no reason to settle for less when, with a little planning, you can find a great Costa Rica holiday rental that you'll enjoy as much or more than the other parts of your holiday.

Remember, your holiday home is where you'll be sleeping, waking up, having lots of of your meals, & resting. 

If it rains or is unseasonably hot outside, you may end up stretched out reading a book to while away the day or wanting to watch three of your favorite movies on the DVD - assuming there is a comfortable sofa. & when you meet new friends, you'll require someplace lovely for entertaining. should not your holiday rental be a pleasant get-away with the amenities that make vacations a real treat? "A home away from home"

Here are 10 tips for selecting the perfect Costa Rica holiday rental:

With the web, a web site is the quickest most convenient way for you to get information on prospective Costa Rica holiday rentals. If there's no pics, you'll know right away to keep looking. Brochures, books & guides are lovely, but may have out-dated information. 

1. The single most important factor is whether or not you can "see" actual recent photos of the interior & exterior of the holiday rental. it is three thing to read a great description - & a number of them are  'complimentary' (sometimes overly so) - but you require to see what you are getting. 

With these lists as a guide, you'll be able to quickly eliminate those rentals that won't meet your needs. Your list might include proximity to the water, the number of bedrooms & bathrooms, type kitchen (full versus fridge & microwave), outdoor amenities such as decks & BBQ grills, ocean views, private pools, outdoor eating areas, tennis courts & other items important to you. 

2. List the amenities that are important to you, the ones without which you will feel incomplete. Next, jot down those that are lovely to have, but not deal-breakers if not available. 

3. List the activities that you require to be able to enjoy while on holiday. A morning activity like scuba diving, snorkeling or canopy tour then coming back to the villa to relax may be a high priority for you.

You also require to consider how close the holiday rental is to the airport. it is  important to know how far the rental is from your arrival airport. Some rentals can take a half a day's drive & after your flight even an hour's drive can seem an eternity. Your travel time back to the airport at departure can also frustrate your entire holiday. Enjoying your last morning of your holiday by a private pool instead of travelling for hours to the airport can be  important to you. For Costa Rica holiday rentals that are only 20 minutes from the Liberia International airport visit http://www.costarica-vacation-getaway.com. This will help you in selecting a general location.

On your secondary list, you might have things like a hammock for lazing about, or pool waterfall for the relaxing sounds. Exterior stereo speakers, to enjoy your favorite music around the pool. Ice makers to mix your favorite drinks,  in the heat of the day.

Some people feel that a great holiday is being able to walk or bicycle everywhere. Others don't mind a short drive, & still others think nothing of getting on a freeway to enjoy attractions. 

You also require to consider how close you require your holiday rental to be to the attractions. 

4. Identify your first, second & third choice of dates for renting the villa.

With several dates, you'll save time when making arrangements. 

If you prefer a holiday without the hassles of traffic, parking problems, crowds & long lines, select a villa located in the quaint waterfront town of Playa Panama, Costa Rica. Visit http://www.costarica-vacation-getaway.com to learn more.

If you find a villa that you really require & you have some flexibility in scheduling, having alternate dates ready allows you to book right then, saving yourself the time & hassle of having to re-check everyone's schedule & call back - & risking losing those dates in the interim. 

5. Call the telephone numbers for the holiday rentals that seem to meet your needs & speak directly with either the owners or the person who's handling the property.

Be prepared with a list of questions. This allows you to compare apples to apples, & keeps you from forgetting something important during the conversation. 

It also gives you a feel for the person who will be your contact should you rent the villa & then encounter a problem. If you don't get a warm, friendly welcome to your inquiries, don't expect anything different when you have a problem.

Other things to consider: Is there a welcome basket? Will the owner have essential items in the refrigerator for you, before your arrival? Can you make arrangements for tours? Are there plates, utensils, pots, pans & other essentials for eating & meal preparation - or will you have to bring your own?

Does the rental have air condition or do you have to depend on the winds to comfort you?

6. Ask what amenities are included.

You may learn of something that isn't on your list but is perfect for your designs. 

Does the rental have maid service? Last thing you require to do is make the beds or tidy the dishes, even if there is a dishwasher.

Does the rental have a washer & dryer? If so, you will not have to take as lots of cloths with you. Will the maid wash your cloths before your departure? Coming home with a suitcase full of tidy cloths is certainly a benefit. 

7. Inquire about restaurants, events & activities & other forms of local entertainment that are close by. Here's where your list of preferred activities comes in handy. You should be able to find links to local attractions, calendars & restaurants on the web site of your Costa Rica holiday rental. 

8. Are the owners local or do they have a management team helping 24/7?

Owners are a wealth of information about the area & can give you tips on great out-of-the-way places that aren't in the guidebooks. They also care about your enjoyment & comfort while at their villa. 

This can make a huge difference;  should something require immediate attention in the villa. there is nothing worse than calling the rental company about a stopped-up toilet & getting somebody's bored teenager who's manning the phones for the summer. 

9. How long has the owner been renting holiday rentals?

If the owner has worked with rental properties, they know what tenants expect & how to get things done. 

If this is a new venture, beware. The owner may be in it for "fun" & have no idea how to prepare the villa so that you can have a great holiday.

10. & last, when you look at the pics, can you see yourself having a great time there? 

If the pics make you require to go right now, & the answers to the questions above meet your satisfaction, you have found yourself a great Costa Rica holiday rental!

2 Secrets To Selecting The Right Hawaii Vacation Rental

2 Secrets To Selecting The Right Hawaii Vacation Rental

You've finally decided you and your family on going to take that long awaited dream vacation in Hawaii. You've decided that you want to go the vacation rental route for numerous reasons: privacy, comfort, location and cost effectiveness. Next, you probably Googled Oahu Vacation Rentals and are faced with the daunting task of choosing among some 175,000 web sites. Where to begin? Here's two secrets that will help you make the right choice so you can enjoy your stay in Hawaii to its fullest.

Secret One: Use a reservation service. There are several reasons for this. First, a single property vacation rental listing by owner will severely limit you to the dates that you can take your vacation. Vacation rental properties in Hawaii run nearly 90% occupancy, so unless you know your travel dates six months to a year out the odds are high that their property won't be available for the travel dates you had in mind. Second, the owner is only concerned with booking their own property so they will extol the virtues of their vacation rental and not mention any of the faults.

Secret Two: Make the right choice of reservation service. Make sure it is locally owned and operated. Websites like vrbo and findrentals (for instance) don't have a clue about geography, weather, attractions, events and the other necessary information required to give you the property that best fills your needs. For instance, let's say you want to whale watch but also want to vacation on Oahu. Your reservation service should be able to tell you that you need to stay on the windward side of the island if you want to see the whales. Another tip-off of services to avoid are those that do automated, credit card bookings.  Steer clear of these services as this implies they aren't interested in talking to you, they just want your money. Be wary of sites that have more than 100 properties….there aren't that many decent selections on Oahu, or any of the other Hawaiian islands, on the market. The more a service exceeds 100 properties, the greater the odds you'll end up in an overpriced, undesirable vacation rental. Here's another great hint. If a reservation service states that they have hotels or condos available in Kailua, or will have them soon, choose another service. Since, by zoning law, Kailua does not allow hotels or condos, you should realize that once again, this is a service that wants your money, not your piece of mind. Always ask the reservation service person you are talking to where they are located. Someone based in Las Vegas or Los Angeles won't have a clue about how to give you the best property for the vacation experience you have in mind.

With the standard vacation rental property terms being no refunds after you've paid your deposit, you absolutely want to make sure you make the right choice. A good reservation service will ask you questions about what you want to do and see on your vacation and will actually try and talk you out of a property you had in mind if they don't think it appropriate to what you had in mind. This is not an attempt to upsell you, it's more a matter of matching your vacation desires and needs with the perfect choice of vacation rental venue. One vacation rental reservation service that meets all these requirements is Pacific Islands Reservations. They are owned and operated by Ingrid Carvalho, who was born and raised in the islands, as were her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. She has been serving visitors to Hawaii vacation rental needs since 1996. She currently represents ninety vacation rentals on Oahu and another 90 vacation rentals on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. She has actually been to each and every property she represents--she even took most of the photographs of the vacation rentals you see on her web sites. She doesn't take credit cards but she's happy to spend time talking with you to make sure you get the right property to maximize the value and enjoyment of your vacation.

5 Countries To Visit Before You Die

1 - Egypt. King Tut, The Pyramids, The Valley of the Kings. The list is endless. But it’s just not the history and the culture, it’s the people too. Egyptians are some of the kindest and most generous people on the planet. They will welcome you into their homes in a second and even if they have almost nothing, they will share it with you.

An afternoon on the Nile with an Egyptian felucca captain sailing your boat as the sun sets over the Nile in Luxor is a once in a lifetime experience not to be missed.

Egypt, The Pyramids

2 – China. China is not somewhere people immediately think of when planning a holiday…but they should, and hopefully after the Olympics in Beijing they will. Even if you could only afford 7 to 10 days, an itinerary that takes in Beijing, Xian, a Yangtze River Cruise and Shanghai will be a great introduction.

And for an unforgettable experience, juts visit Guilin. Guilins landscape is amazing and totally unique. It can’t necessarily be called Mountainous as such, but the peaks that do rise, rise almost vertically up into the mist.

China Great Wall

If you get a chance take a ski lift up to one of the peaks and just stare in awe at the view, and if you are feeing adventurous, take a kart down a toboggan style run (about 3,000 feet in length) ! 

3 – Jordan. Handily located, if you plan it right you can visit Egypt and Jordan together to make a real trip to remember. Amman is a great city full of atmosphere, Petra is marvellous, but surely the can’t miss site is the Dead Sea. The only ocean in the world with so much salt in it, you actually float !

Jordania

4 – Hong Kong. Although there is much more to Hong Kong than just shopping, if you do love to shop, then Hong Kong is the place for you. A stroll along Nathan Road and a visit to the Temple Street market just HAS to be done. And make sure you have your bargaining hat on as haggling is as big a part of the experience as the purchases themselves.

There lots more to Hong Kong too. The great thing is that despite it being a modern city, there is tradition around every corner. Don’t forget to take a trip to Victoria Peak and enjoy the stunning views and remember that even if it’s misty, there are 2 guys at the top who will take your picture and transpose it onto a picture of what you should see if the weather where not so poor ! I also suggest a couple of half day visits out to Lama and Lantau Islands too. A great way to escape the hustle and bustle of the craziness that is Hong Kong.

Hongkong

5 – Thailand. Thailand suffers a little from it’s reputation of being a very hedonistic destination and while it is true that the is a very wild side to Thaialnd (especially certain areas of Bangkok, Phucket etc) there is also an amazing culture to immerse yourself in.

Thailand

There really is everything there, adventure, culture and even for the not faint hearted, a place about 1 hour north of Thailand where you can go in, yes go in, with real live tigers. No cages, no chains, just you and around a dozen tigers. For me it was a thrill of a lifetime and without doubt it is just one of the many reasons that Thailand is in my top 5 of places you need to visit in the world