|
Website |
Descriptive Review |
International Listings? |
Ranking |
|
www.vacationrentaldirect.com |
VacationRentalDirect.com is a new site. It's very easy
to use and very fast. They will need to add a bunch of
properties, if that happens I would rank this site a 10!
$100 A YEAR TO LIST YOUR PROPERTY. Payment via PayPal or
Credit Card. Great source of
Houston
vacation rentals. |
Yes |
9 |
|
www.greatrentals.com |
GreatRentals.com has quite a few listings and a decent navigational
structure. Unfortunately, no pictures are displayed for the
listings, forcing the user to click on each listing to learn more,
which is very time consuming. Not a bad site, not a great
site. |
Yes |
4 |
|
www.a1vacations.com |
While I was
disappointed with GreatRentals.com, I was even more disappointed
with a1vacations.com. Poor navigational structure, no default
pictures for each listing and a confusing array of data make this
site very NOT user-friendly. On the upside, they appear to
have lots of listings. |
Yes |
3 |
|
www.cyberrentals.com |
This site is
not too bad. Pretty easy, great navigational structure.
The interface is professional and easy-to-use. Information is
displayed in a comprehensive, readable manner. Unlike
greatrentals and a1vacations, which look like Mom & Pop shops,
cyberrentals.com appears to be professionally managed and on the
ball. Many, many listings. |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.goin2travel.com |
Almost on
par with cyberrentals.com, but with fewer listings. A bonus is
that this site does display a picture of the listing first, thus
saving many unnecessary click thrus to crappy properties.
Goin2Travel is a colorful site with vibrant pictures and a easy to
use interface. This site will only get better as they ad more
listings. |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.vrbo.com |
VRBO
(Vacation Rentals by Owner) is a not so good site, about on par with
greatrentals, but a little better than cyberrentals. They have
a TON of listings and have been around for a long time. The
interface is marginal, and usability is pretty poor. Another
Mom & Pop type site. Ok if you like to put in your time. |
Yes |
5 |
|
www.escaperental.com |
EscapeRental.com is a relative newcomer. They have a little
over a 1000 listings compared to the 18,000 on sites like VRBO.com.
The interface is clean and pictures of the properties are presented
immediately. Navigation is simple and the listings are easy to
read. |
Yes |
6 |
|
www.mountain-lodging.com |
This site is
a nice site. It is very very bad. But it does has a few
properties that may interest those who are seeking a cottage or
cabin in the mountains, they seem to have inventory on both coasts. |
No |
3 |
|
www.premiercabinrentals.com |
Caters
primarily to North Georgia Cabin rentals. They have an ability
to check availability which is nice. Features maybe 5-10 north
Georgia rentals. |
No |
4 |
|
www.vacationrentals.com |
This site
has a ton of listings. The interface is simple and easy to
use. No pictures are displayed of the units, which requires a
user to click thru to each listing. Everything runs well
and the information is displayed nicely. Despite the lack of
map navigation, which would be nice, the site works and might be an
asset to those seeking a quality vacation rental. |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.choice1.com |
Voted "Best
of the Web" by Forbes Magazine. This sit has a lot going for
it, and I would agree it is one of the most noteworthy vacation
rental sites on the Internet. However, the interface is clumsy
and load times not the quickest. They do offer quick
pictures of rentals and availability calendars are prevalent
throughout the listings. However, I am just not that
impressed. Lots of listings and for that reason alone it
should not be ignored! |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.runawayrentals.com |
Another sort
of "Mom & Poppish" type of site. A few listings, a few more in
the larger states. Navigation is map driven, which is nice.
They have a few international listings, but not many. No
availability calendars, no guest reviews, no wonderful pictures,
etc.. |
Yes |
4 |
|
www.vrr.com |
I'm pretty
sure this site was created by one person armed with only FrontPage.
It has a few listings nationwide, and actually quite a few in some
of the larger states, but this should be your last place to look for
a vacation rental. |
No |
3 |
|
www.findvacationrentals.com |
Probably the
best vacation rental site on the Internet. They do not have
the most listings, but the way in which they present the rental
information is superb. They have great maps, and offer the
ability for guests to register and have emails sent to them when an
owner offers a special that meets their search criteria.
Additionally, they have a sections called "Owner's Specials" which
shows the most up to date specials being offered on properties
across the United States. Great site! |
No |
9 |
|
www.10kvacationrentals.com |
10kVacationRentals.com is a pretty good site. The site has a
ton of listings and tends to focus on resorts / vacation rental
aggregators, which offers a nice compliment to the other sites.
There are direct links to the websites of the resorts / inns.
Information is displayed well and is easy to use and read.
Lots and lots of rentals, this site has been around for awhile and
offer listings all over the world. |
Yes |
8 |
|
www.villa-vacation.com |
This site
has a very poor interface, not to mention the color scheme is
horrible. They also have a home exchange section. Appear
to have a great deal of overseas listings. One upside, they
offer a last minute deals section. |
Yes |
5 |
|
www.rentalo.com |
Rentalo has
a great feature which allows you to input your criteria, dates and
location and then they send out a mass email to all vacation rental
owners who have availability. They then email you back with
their best rates, more information, etc. Appear to have lots
of listings and the interface is fast and intuitive. |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.villasoftheworld.com |
This site
lists primarily exclusive villas (high $$$) all over the world and
in the US. This company has been around for awhile and they
have a pretty good website. Not the fastest and a bit too much
advertising, but the site is functional and pretty easy to use.
I got a bit turned off because it seemed sort of clumsy, there were
impediments to finding what I wanted, I think it was the site
layout. Nonetheless, this site has won accolades from the
press and rightfully so, if you are looking to spend some bucks,
check it out!! |
Yes |
7 |
|
www.trading-homes.com |
Acquired by
HomeExchange.com |
----- |
----- |
|
www.justfrance.com |
A not so
great site featuring vacation rentals in France. Pretty
pricey, and not much else to report on this site! |
Yes |
5 |
|
www.homeexchange.com |
I was just
talking to some friends about how great it would be if I could
"trade houses" with someone in another part of the world for a week
or two. So much money would be saved! HomeExchange.com
is a place where homeowners can list their home for $49.95 a year.
Browsing is free. You can contact people to trade houses, and
people will contact you to trade homes. I just signed up and I
can't wait to see who will contact me! The site seems very
easy to use and is a reasonable cost. I'll keep you posted as
to the results! |
Yes |
8 |
|
www.wimco.com |
This is an
interesting site. It is pretty comprehensive and features
villas and hotels in the Caribbean (specialty) and Europe.
This site has last minute specials and also features unbiased, very
informative trip reports. It is not nearly so easy to navigate
as rentvillas.com, but you get the hang of it. If you are
traveling to the Caribbean or Europe definitely check it out prior
to your departure! |
Europe and Caribbean |
8 |
|
www.rentvillas.com |
This site is
incredible! It is fast, and so so easy to use. It is
informative and actually makes you happy the more you use it.
There are pictures of every rental immediately. Descriptions
are clear and there are also remarks and ratings from previous
guests. Availability calendars are comprehensive and easy to
use. So much information and displayed wonderfully.
I LOVE THIS SITE! A MUST FOR ALL EUROPEAN BOUND TRAVELERS! |
Europe Only |
10 |
|
circlenr.com |
Nice little
site with just a few unique, reasonably priced properties in the
Twin Cities, Florida and Montana. |
NO |
6 |
|
www.virtualtourist.com |
This site
caters primarily to hotels, but has some incredibly cool, very
unique features. 1) It has an auction area with some very good
deals 2) There is a forum, where travelers can post questions and
members can reply. I found the site to very interesting and if
you are looking for a great deal, check out eh auctions section! |
Yes |
8 |
|
www.idealvacationrentals.com |
Not much
going on here! A few listings across the United States, but
not much! They do have listings across the world. Looks like
they have been around awhile but have not invested recently in new
technologies or in web site aesthetics. |
Yes |
5 |
|
www.vacationrentalspaces.com |
Actually a
nice site! Kudos! Easy to navigate, decent number of listings
both domestic and international. Does not appear to be highly
traffic'd. Take a look around! |
Yes |
7 |
