Great 'Cheap Holiday Rentals' Hunt. How to grab fab self-catering properties for less

Extrasupernan

Check on Ebay. I recently found a fantastic holiday cottage in the Yorkshire Dales ( a converted barn actually) and enjoyed a great weekend there for a fraction of what it would normally have cost. It turned out to have been a cancellation so the owner put it on ebay at a cheap rate.

Jelliebeen

Also, stay in touch with the owners of places you've already visited.They may offer you special rates of their own accord - nicer for them to have someone they already know and trust in, rather than a new person. Does rely on you not minding holidaying in the same place more than once though!

golddustmedia

Just a minor point, but this thread is supposed to be about TIPS on how to find good holiday deals. Not a series of adverts for peoples own holiday places etc. There is an appropriate area of the forum to post such offers already.

Stephenbw

I rarely stay in hotels on holiday, much preferring the additional space and flexibility you get with a rental, And of course it is usually much cheaper

In the Last 18 months I have used Cottages4you for a UK holiday, though they do have European properties also, and do late availability offers.

Villarenters for a last minute to Spain. This site also has the advantage that many of the properties can be booked direct online. I booked a 2 bedroom property for £250 for 2 weeks in March on a Thursday, then booked my flight (£70) and flew out on Saturday morning

and Homelidays to rent a house in Malta and an apartment in Lucca, Italy.

I have also used the other agencies already mentioned and some that specialise in particular areas and the only problem I have ever had was when I once booked a property in Nice for one week and Marseille for the following week. The day I transferred the deposit for the 2nd property into my bank the owners cancelled the booking. They refunded my deposit, but I lost a small amount in admin costs and currency conversion. Luckily I was able to extend the Nice apartment to 2 weeks.

jordylass

I can 2nd Last Minute Villas for a booking in Florida. You send through an enquiry with your dates and the owners come back with a price. I have been there quite a few times and now there are so many villas and so few rentals you can get a real bargain (flights aren't cheap though).
I've booked 5 weeks in a 3 bed house next summer for less than £1000.

Mags_Hanmer

crispcg wrote: »

I own a villa in Orlando and you can get some fantastic deals by booking directly with the owner. I regularly get asked for a discount either by people looking to book a year or more in advance or searching for a last minute bargain which I will gladly offer. Try ownersdirect.co.uk for worldwide destinations or lastminutevillas.net for Florida. You're sure to find a great bargain!

Hi there
Please can you tell me whereabouts your villa is and the owners direct reference number so I can check it out. Thanks in advance.
Mags

humbug_4

villatazmin wrote: »

Absolute bargain, a spacious country house sleeps 4 in mystical Essaouira,Morocco. Guaranteed sunshine,and get more for your holiday pound!! cheap flights with Ryanair to Marrakech,and 10% discount for bookings November December 2009


www.holiday-rentals.co.uk/84145

Bon Voyage

You should put this post into this thread that has been created specially for you to advertise:

http://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/showthread.html?t=1680959&page=6

Fawn

A website I use quite often is VRBO which has a good range internationally. My sister has also put me onto Craigslist which isn't the best website for searching options and not very visually appealing but you can find the odd gem. It's purely a classifieds website. My sister found a waterfront condo in Vancouver Canada. Happy hunting!

eabbie

Booking directly with the owner is definitely the cheapest option. To make sure the advert is genuine use a reputable website like those already listed or for holidays in the UK try the cottageguide website. I run a self catering property and advertise with them and also use them if I want to book a property myself. To make sure you get a decent place, speak to the owner direct either by email or phone and ask a few pertinant questions. See how friendly and helpful they are...most will be only too pleased to help. If they are reticent to answer your questions look elsewhere. Photographs are a help too. If there is only one blurry image, ask yourself why. How much effort have they put into advertsing their property. This will be some indication as to how much effort they put into looking after the property. The cheapest options will always be mid-week, out of season and last minute bookings.

donnalh

Ive worked overseas for 7years in the property rental business and would say it can vary between private and agencies (spain, portugal, cyprus, italy).
At the very least, most agencies have some sort of bonding to ensure that properties meet minimum health and safety requirements and that accurate descriptions are given to the person booking regarding the quality of the property and the local amenities.

Private renters tend to have a biased towards their property in effect making every enquirer see the rental property through their own rose tinted glasses....

I would say - always ask the right questions - exactly how far is it to the beach, how many local restaurants are there, is there any building work nearby, how old is the property, what is included in the price you are offering.

All the overseas markets are struggling for business at the moment so dont hesitate to ask for a reduction in price, most people would rather earn something than nothing (the pool filter still has to stay on whilst no one is there...) but dont be too cheeky as most holiday home owners know most of their neighbours......

For agency rentals, the better prices come nearer to the time of booking as some properties are with them on a guaranteed basis so the company is paying for them - empty or not.

Anyone has any other questions, please feel free to ask, its always great ot see someone getting a good deal and an enjoyable holiday!!
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