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Having heard it mentioned here before I used it for a booking for my sister here in my town and she got a very bad place. There were special circumstances that contributed to this though.
Now I am considering using them for a trip to some warm island to be determined. It will be a 50th bday for mr. oc in a year. My family of five will be going as well as one son's serious gf who may be a fiance by then. For this many a house makes more sense.
My questions are has anybody done this?
Going to an island will we have problem getting some basic food for the meals we eat at home. Just seafood, fruit, rice and maybe some simple breakfasts and snacks?
We are planning this trip a year out. Would you wait until much closer to the date to book a vrbo to be sure they will still be around then or book early so you can pick your choice?
With this large group we want to go somewhere with reasonable air fare from the east coast. Any tips on island choices. Almost any place I've thought of has decent choices on vrbo.com

I've done several VRBO vacations.......not all of them through that specific website, but it's pretty much the only way we vacation any more!

We've been pretty lucky and have never been disappointed!
This is the one I just booked yesterday:
http://www.islandparkidaho.com/pinehollowlodge.html

Paige - Sleeps 22! That looks like a great place. When are you going?


I've used VRBO before and have not had a problem with the property that I have rented.

I've used VRBO and cyberrentals, but only for rentals in the northeast. No problems so far. The best houses book early so if you see one that you really like and the price is right I would do it ASAP. Start now looking at airfares to get an idea of what you consider to be reasonable. Maybe as a group you might want to spend a little more and get a house with a staff.

Island food can be expensive for obvious reasons. A friend of ours who has a time share on St. Maarten ships coolers with staples and non-refrigerated items like juices ahead and only buys fresh produce and meats on the island. They claim it saves money and they get brands they trust.

Good luck!

VRBO means . . . . ?

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Vacation Rentals By Owner

I have used vrbo multiple times for rentals in the islands. I have never had a bad experience. Renting now isn't such a bad idea as some of the houses become booked far in advance.

As far as getting food in the islands, this is dependant on which island you are choosing. With some of the outer islands you would need to bring food with you and usually the airlines that service these islands have a baggage weight limit so planning in advance is helpful.

I am currently looking at Isla Mujeres for a summer vacation. Anyone been there before?

I've used VRBo a few times before and with NO problems

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Glad you asked. I've never heard of it.

It's a website of vacation rental listings.

We had a string of bad experiences with them while in the wedding in Florida planning stages- slow responses, no responses, misleading ads. I'm sure the wedding planning stress didn't help.

I wouldn't hesitate to use them, but I also wouldn't really trust them either- it is an ad after all. My parents do have a condo in Hawaii that they found there and love.

we use the site alot and have had no problems but we call for more details and extra pics. you have to ask exact questions.
and yes, book now for selection but what about full refunds due to the property being damaged by weather?? might want to check on that and get it in writting, part of the contract. lots can happen between now and then.

Some VRBO's are listed on tripadvisor.com so you can check to see if there are any reviews for the specific place you are looking at.

SMLCHNG wrote:

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Glad you asked. I've never heard of it.

Vacation Rentals By Owner

www.VRBO.com

you rent directly from the owner and can save lots of money if you take you time and do a little research

www.tripadvisor.com is a great review site

The Condo we rented in Panama City Beach was through VRBO. Ocean front with 2 bedrooms and fully loaded everything. And both bedrooms, along with the livingroom, had an ocean front view.
By going through the owner we saved about $500 for our 2 week stay.

sorry I didn't give more details. I discovered vrbo.com through numerous posts here and have used them a couple times since with good results. As others have said it is a site to rent vacation homes from owners and they have some very nice places. However, the site does not guarantee the properties. So you need to do some of your own research, perhaps request references or see how long they have been on the site.

We used VRBO to get a rental in a fancy-schmancy 2 bedroom condo in Destin....I contacted the lady who owned the condo personally, and she gave us a discount so we got the place for WAY less than if you go through the rental agency that is in charge of reservations.
So we LIKE it !!!

check with the airline to find out the minimum number of people that constitute a tour group. you might be able to get a better airfare....

Sidew13 wrote:

SMLCHNG wrote:

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Glad you asked. I've never heard of it.

Vacation Rentals By Owner

www.VRBO.com

you rent directly from the owner and can save lots of money if you take you time and do a little research

www.tripadvisor.com is a great review site

The Condo we rented in Panama City Beach was through VRBO. Ocean front with 2 bedrooms and fully loaded everything. And both bedrooms, along with the livingroom, had an ocean front view.
By going through the owner we saved about $500 for our 2 week stay.

A couple of observations about this, first VRBO can save you money however there are far fewer legal protections if the property isn't as advertised, along with the issues of fraud. So be very careful as it can be an expensive "savings". Also, Tripadvisor reviews should be taken with a large grain of salt given the revelations that many of the very positive and very negative reviews of properties are written by people with a vested interest, such as owners or their employees or family members and those who happen to be competing with the property in question.

As long as you keep those two things in mind VRBO can be a terrific option.

Just so you know group airfare generally is not the lowest airfare available however it does give you a locked in fare for everyone traveling, not just the early bookers. Domestically most of the airlines call any reservation with 10 or more a group.

Have a great time.

The Lost Manatee wrote:

Sidew13 wrote:

SMLCHNG wrote:

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Glad you asked. I've never heard of it.

Vacation Rentals By Owner

www.VRBO.com

you rent directly from the owner and can save lots of money if you take you time and do a little research
www.tripadvisor.com is a great review site

The Condo we rented in Panama City Beach was through VRBO. Ocean front with 2 bedrooms and fully loaded everything. And both bedrooms, along with the livingroom, had an ocean front view.
By going through the owner we saved about $500 for our 2 week stay.

A couple of observations about this, first VRBO can save you money however there are far fewer legal protections if the property isn't as advertised, along with the issues of fraud. So be very careful as it can be an expensive "savings". Also, Tripadvisor reviews should be taken with a large grain of salt given the revelations that many of the very positive and very negative reviews of properties are written by people with a vested interest, such as owners or their employees or family members and those who happen to be competing with the property in question.

And that would be the part where I said

if you take you time and do a little research

chippewa wrote:

mjeischen wrote:VRBO means . . . . ?

Vacation Rentals By Owner

Whats a vacation? I don't get any of those.