Barbados Beachfront Vacation Condo

Following our blog about a vacation rental guest book, being the Best Vacation Travel Guide we received terrific feedback from owners telling about all the wonderful comments in their guest books. One of the owners has a beachfront vacation condo in Barbados, a place we would like to feature today for anyone looking for a Barbados Vacation Rental.
Situated in Holetown on the fashionable west coast, this one bedroom beachfront luxury condo has a spacious living/dining room and fully equipped kitchen with microwave, toaster, coffee maker etc. There is a full bathroom with dressing area, and maid service is included.

A large comfortably furnished balcony overlooks the beach and calm Caribbean, providing fabulous views both day and night. Outside there is a tropical garden and freshwater pool. The condo is conveniently located and is only a four minute walk to shopping centre, bars, restaurants, banks. CAR NOT NEEDED! It is 28 km from the airport and close to all tourist attractions. More info

The comment below from the owner of this home, contains quotes from actual guests who have stayed in this wonderful Barbados Beachfront Vacation Condo.

"We have found our guest book to be an absolutely wonderful "selling" asset, - folks read the comments from previous visitors and after dozens and dozens of "thanks for sharing your home with us" and "what an absolutely perfect location, we have never stayed anywhere as near to the sea before, and we will certainly come back again" plus comments such as -"we had a real ball, and can't wait to tell our friends what a super spot you have - you are so lucky to spend so much time there" etc. - plus "what wonderful people we met, how kind and helpful every one was and how well we were looked after" etc. etc. no wonder that prospective guests feel secure in the idea of spending a holiday at condo #1, - one family who were booked in from our ad on Ideal Vacation Rentals - was the Thomas family - they sent us an email which said in part "What can we say - A FANTASTIC time. Condo was excellent, weather hot, people really friendly. The island was more than we expected. THANK YOU more than ever for giving us our dream holiday. We would certainly recommend it to anyone" - so do read our guestbook on our website at http://www.barbados-beachfront.com/ - it is really informative and it is fantastic to get such great 'feedback" from visitors."

What better advertising can you get than the experiences of real guests!!

New Hawaii Bills for Vacation Rentals

Please read this if you own a vacation rental anywhere on the Hawaiian Islands as it affects all vacation rental owners in the state of Hawaii.

Aloha
Vacation rental owners need to know:
These two bills just came to the attention of a few vacation rental owners late last night (at the closing of the Kailua Neighborhood Board meeting). Apparently we have today in order to submit as much written testimony as possible and to rally people to attend an 8:30 a.m. hearing Saturday morning.

1. State representative Pono Chongs House Bill (HB) 1603
HB-1603 - Relating to Transient Accomodations
Requires each county to assess the extent of proliferation of illegal bed and breakfast establishments and other illegal transient vacation rentals and create a countywide plan to deal with illegal actiites and report to the legistlature. Bill also requires counties to increase enforcement.

This bill is scheduled for a hearing at 8:30 a.m., FEBRUARY 3 in ROOM 325. ALL TESTIMONY IS DUE IN BY FEBRUARY 02, 007.

2. State Senator Fred Hemmings Senate Bill (SB) 1295
SB1295: relating to Visitor Accomodations. Authorizes the state and counties to determine a finite number of visitor accomodations of all types (hotel rooms, B&B's, TVA's and time shares), to issue a state license and to fine illegally operating rental units. This legislation would not peempt any existing county zoning laws or ordinances regulating the maximum number zoned and allowed by each county. This will stabilize the total number of visitors on the islands at one time and the counties will need to address the carrying capacity for reach county. In no way will this legistlation supercede county rules and regulations and home rule. Operators of legal rental units will see increased demand and productivity since there will be a finite number of accomodations. The laws of supply and demand will work to the advantage of the industry's productivity.

Fax written testimony to: 586-6501 Cover page should include the following, To: House of Rep. Sergeant of Arms, Attention Committee for Tourism and Culture, Vice Chair Tom Brower, HB 1603, Hearing Feb 3, 2007,8:30 AM, Rm 325.


Vacation rental owners/supporters are asked to make an appearance Saturday, Feb. 3 at the Capital building, Rm 325 at 8:30 AM.

Visit the following website for more information on this issue: http://www.kokuacoalition.com/

Vacation Rentals By Owner

When we used to go to hotels, long before we knew there was such a thing as vacation rentals by owner, we would check in for our stay, pick up the room key and that was the last we would see of the hotel staff until check out time. This was all routine, until one day a friend told me that he and his family had rented from an owner in Hawaii and had experienced the best holiday they had ever had.

They advised me to go on the computer and do a search for vacation rentals by owner in Maui, which is where we were heading at the time. We had no trouble finding a condo that appealed to us, so we arranged to rent it for a month.

When we arrived at the condo, we were pleasantly surprised to find a letter of welcome, flower leis, a bottle of wine and a bouquet of beautiful tropical flowers.

There was a list of places of interest that we should visit, and directions for getting there. There was also a fascinationg guest book, filled with fun filled stories and recommendations af where to eat and places to visit. Read - The Best Vacation Travel Guide

The condo was oceanfront and each night the guests would blow through a conch shell, which is a Hawaiian tribute to the setting of the sun. At each sunset we joined with our neighbors in this little ceremony to say goodnight to the sun. We met so many wonderful people and had so much fun.

My family had the most wonderful holiday ever and it even led us to become vacation rental owners in Maui. We have met many owners over the years, and can say that they are fabulous people who get so much enjoyment helping families, friends, and couples to have wonderful holidays.

Vacation Rentals by owner create a two way street. The renters experience the holiday of a lifetime and the owners enjoy the satisfaction of having a worthwhile and rewarding business.

We thank vacation rental owners and invite you to comment on this article and leave a link to your vacation home.

Find some vacation rentals by owner on Ideal Vacation Rentals.

Top Ten Travel Destinations for 2007

A recent article by Sophia Banay 01.11.07, outlines the top ten travel destinations compiled by forbes.com for 2007. Following is a quote from her article.

"Once again this year, Forbes.com has compiled a list of where we want to go in 2007--and where you should, too. We spoke to industry experts and a few of our favorite globe trotters to find out what's hot this year, from wine tasting in Argentina to dune surfing in Africa and everywhere in between."

Below is the list of the Top 10 Travel Destinations For 2007:

Argentina: best wine tasting
Dominican Republic: best beaches
Ethiopia: best adventure safari
Honduras: best snorkeling
Laos: best sightseeing
Namibia: best family trip
The North Island, Seychelles: best splurge!
Oman: best bargain
Panama: best eco-tourism
Sri Lanka: best honeymoon

To read the whole article and view a slide show of the places go here

If anyone has any idea as to how they arrived at this list or if you have your own favourite travel destination we would love to hear your comments.

If you decide to visit the Dominican Republic and are looking for a villa to rent we invite you to search our Dominican Republic Villa Rentals

The Best Vacation Travel Guide

The guest book in a vacation rental by owner is the best vacation travel guide for your holiday destination that you will ever find.

We were condo owners in Maui for 12 years and our guest book became the best Maui travel guide that you could possibly get because it contained a wealth of information and tips left by our guests. It was full of comments which passed on the excitement and fun of so many wonderful Maui vacations. Better still, our guests themselves told of their favourite restaurants, snorkeling spots, drives, tours, walks and more which they were delighted and happy to share.

They also left nice comments about how they appreciated the special touches that we thought of to make them feel comfortable in their home away from home. No wonder, the first thing we would do when we arrived late at night on our flight from Canada, was to sit down and read all the nice comments our guests had left. It made us feel happy and proud that we had helped make their Maui vacation a memorable one. We also took advantage of the many useful tips on things to do and places to see, which were so graciously given from the real life experiences of our guests.

We know that this is how most vacation rental owners feel so we encourage you to try renting from an owner if you have always in the past stayed in hotels. We haven't as yet seen a guest book in any hotel room we have stayed in.

If you own a vacation rental and don't have a guest book yet, make sure that you put it at the top of your "to do" list and over time you will have the best travel guide for your area, as we did for Maui.

For links to vacation rentals by owner try Ideal Vacation Rentals

Internet Fraud Targets Vacation Rental Industry

Today's blog is about internet fraud that targets the vacation rental industry from time to time. As webmaster of the site, I receive copies of all inquiries sent out to owners, so the suspicious looking ones are very easy to spot. For those owners, new to this business, please read the question and answers below so that you will not be a victim of this fraudulant activity. This is also available on Ideal Vacation Rentals under the heading owners.

Q. As a vacation rental owner do I have to worry about internet fraud?

A. Unfortunately there are always people who use the internet for unscrupulous purposes. Over the last few years, there has been some internet fraud targeting the vacation rental industry. The most common of these scams involve fraudsters saying that they are booking on behalf of a third party. They usually want to book for a long period of time and they want to send you more money than required, usually by a certified check. They then, request that you send them back the overpayment balance. Their hope is that you will pay this back before their check has been found out to be fraudulent, which means that you would be out of pocket by the amount you sent back and it may be too late to rent your place to someone else for that time period.

Q. Is there any way to identify a person who is intending to implement this kind of fraud?

A. Usually emails from these fraudsters are written with poor grammar and often have misuse of capital letters such as i instead of I. Sometimes they tell you they are a doctor or even a minister attending a conference in your area. Often they don't fill out your whole form, just the comment section. They are usually very eager to pay and often say they are representing a third party.

Q. What is the best way to protect myself from being a victim of internet fraud.

A. The best way to protect yourself from internet fraud, is to not accept a check for more than the amount of the rental. If it is necessary to return money for any reason wait at least 30 days, or until a check has cleared before you return any money! To read more about internet fraud go to http://www.fraud.org for more information.

Below are two examples of emails from fraudsters that have been sent to our site.
Hello,
How are you today?,i'm writting to inquire about your property placed for rent on the property rentals ad.,and after series of choices,me and my family chose your property for our maiden visit to the United States.
I think your property will be just perfect for me and my family's vacation. We want to rent your property for ten nights starting from ( 03/15/07) thru ( 03/24/07). Get back to me asap if your property will be available for rent so that we can proceed with rental modalities. Hope to hear from you soon.
Warm Regards
Dr.Donald Miller

Good day Sir/Madam,
I am Dr. Philip Young of Regan Agency, based in London, UK.
I need to book reservation in your hotel for delegates from London coming for a Christian summit.
I need to know if there are free spaces for their accommodation. They would be 6 in Number and they would stay for 15 days starting from the 10th of June to 30th June 2005. I'll like to view your brochure also, to see what you have to offer.
Do get back to me quickly, as we don't have much time in our hands. Thank you and have a nice day.
Yours faithfully,
Dr. Philip Young.

If you have been a victim of internet fraud, we would be interested in your comments so that others may benefit from your experience.

Hotels vs Vacation Rentals Industry

It's time time to fight back at the attempts of hotels to force vacation rentals out of business.
Every year for the past twenty years, we have rented out our condo for transient accommodations. It has been a great time for us. We have met wonderful people who have come back year after year to their home away from home. Yes, it was stressful at times, keeping the place in top shape, but we loved every minute of it.
Our guest book tells a story of fabulous holidays that our guests enjoyed while staying in our vacation rental.
Most of these people, especially those with families, wouldn't have been able to come here because of the high cost of the hotels in our area, and we couldn't have afforded to buy our beautiful condo if we hadn't had the vacation rental income to help with our expenses.
As the big hotel owners continue to build more and more hotels to add to the tremendous number they already have, it just seems they will never be satisfied until they have complete control of the entire vacation industry. The vast majority of people can not possibly pay $500 or $600 a night for a hotel room, so they have to depend on privately owned vacation rentals for their family holidays.
It's time that the hotel owners accepted this, and quit trying to play God by putting pressure on their municipalities to try and discourage vacation rentals. By doing so they are depriving an average family the ability to go on a vacation.
Vacation rental owners collect and pay appropriate city or state taxes and all they ask in return is to be allowed to run their business in a fair and honorable way without being in a competition with hotels.
A home away from home, for those who can't afford the sky high prices of the big hotels is a service that should be recognized and respected. Vacation Rentals need your help.

Read a related article by Christine Karpinski entitled Vacation Rental Bans and Restrictions.

We invite you to leave your comments on this blog, especially if you have related experiences of your own to share.

For listings of vacation rentals by owner worldwide, check out Ideal Vacation Rentals