smart travel tips, vacation rentals news


Visiting the City of Los Angeles


Jun 24

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Los Angeles vacation villas, Los Angeles guide

Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Las Vegas and Miami are must see U.S. destinations. Visitors in these cities can choose to stay in American hotels or American vacation rentals such as Los Angeles vacation villas. Los Angeles is a fairy-tale city with iconic neighborhoods such as Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, Venice Beach and Malibu that are mentioned in the Los Angeles guide. Los Angeles is a very large city with plenty to see and many Los Angeles vacation villas. Use a Los Angeles guide to get around. A week of holidays in Los Angeles with a Los Angeles guide will give you a taste of this truly iconic city. Malibu is a place to visit or stay amongst the stars in a hotel or wonderful Los Angeles vacation villas.

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When a Vacation Villa is the Best Choice


Jun 22

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Vacation villas, Holiday homes

Renting vacation villas has become a new trend in the hospitality industry all over the world. The introduction of internet was instrumental in the development of this new industry. Renting holiday homes offers plenty of benefits from added comfort, space, affordability and the possibility of a large group spending their vacation under the same roof. Vacationers with special needs, young kids or special eating preferences appreciate spending their vacation in vacation villas. Families with young kids prefer to stay in holiday homes as it is simply more practical.

Feeling at home in a nice vacation villa is a unique experience. If you are traveling with a large group, staying at a hotel can get very pricey. Renting 4 rooms in a nice hotel can run from $300 to $1,000 per night/per room. The math is compelling in favor of vacation villas. The full-size kitchen found in holiday homes helps to keep your vacation budget under control. Restaurants can be quite expensive, especially when you eat out for breakfast, lunch and dinner with about 12 people. If you are traveling in a moderate to large size group, vacation villas are the way to go.

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Choosing Between Vacation Villas and Vacation Apartments


Jun 17

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Vacation villas, Vacation apartments

The best choice between vacation villas and vacation apartments depends on many different factors including where the vacationer wants to go. Seaside resorts and countryside resorts may offer an equal amount of vacation apartments and vacation villas whereas urban areas are mainly made up of vacation apartments. Finding vacation villas in Paris, London or New York is possible but quite difficult. When you do find them, they are usually far from the center or quite expensive.

People traveling in larger groups usually prefer to stay in vacation villas while smaller groups are perfectly comfortable in vacation apartments. Budget is another factor to consider. Vacation villas tend to be more expensive than vacation apartments. Vacation apartments vary in size from a simple studio to a 3 bedroom apartment. Vacation villas tend to be larger with a minimum of 2 bedrooms ranging all the way up to 6 bedrooms. Vacation apartments rarely have more than 3 bedrooms and are therefore not suitable for larger groups of vacationers.

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Florida Makes it to the Best Beaches List


Jun 17

Posted: under Best of..., Destinations and Places.
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Best U.S. Beaches, Travel tips

Florida International University’s own professor Dr. Stephen Leatherman is perhaps better known as Dr. Beach. Every year, Dr. Beach puts out a source of popular travel tips, a list of the Best U.S. Beaches based on 50 different factors including safety, sand quality and environmental management. Two of Florida’s beaches made it to the 2009 Best U.S. Beaches list.

The list features travel tips regarding beach destinations. His recently released 2009 Best U.S. Beaches list follows:

1. Hanalei Bay, Kauai, Hawaii
2. Siesta Beach, Sarasota, Florida
3. Coopers Beach, Southampton, New York
4. Coronado Beach, San Diego, California
5. Hamoa Beach, Maui, Hawaii
6. Main Beach, East Hampton, New York
7. Cape Hatteras, Outer Banks, North Carolina
8. Cape Florida State Park, Key Biscayne, Florida
9. Coast Guard Beach, Cape Cod, Massachusetts
10. Beachwalker Park, Kiawah Island, South Carolina

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Another Way to find Travel Deals


Jun 17

Posted: under Airlines News, Airport News, Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News, Plane News, Transportation News.
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Travel tips, Vacation deals

A lot of travel businesses are offering travel tips and vacation deals nowadays. You will find lodging discounts at places like Escaperental.com and Luxvacationvillas.com or vacation deals offered at Travelzoo.com. Voyij.com is a website that hooks you up with a whole other batch of travel tips, discounts and vacation deals.

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When using Voyij.com, just type in your departure airport to get a list of travel deals that you qualify for and can use immediately or within 3 months. The different vacation deals include hotel, airfare and vacation packages. Click on any search result to get the destination weather forecast, travel tips and Yelp reviews. It does it all for you.

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Average Cost of Staying in a Hotel vs a Vacation Rental


Jun 16

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Miami hotel costs, Miami vacation rental costs

More and more travelers are monitoring their expenses. Those who still allow themselves to enjoy holidays would like to save as much money as possible. One thing you can do to significantly reduce your vacation’s total cost is to make the right choice between a hotel and a vacation rental. Consider more than just the unit price per night. For example, you may find some Miami vacation rentals for the same price as a Miami hotel room. Consider, though, that Miami vacation rental costs offer more space than Miami hotel costs. Miami vacation rental costs also include a fully-equipped kitchen where you can prepare your own meals instead of eating out for breakfast, lunch and dinner. Miami Beach has many delicious restaurants but most do not meet budget standards. Consider whether or not your Miami hotel costs or Miami vacation rental costs includes a parking lot where you may leave your car for free. Otherwise you will have to pay a garage fee, valet fee or days worth of parking meters. Some Miami hotel costs include free internet access while others may charge an average rate of $10 for internet. See below for a detailed comparison between Miami hotel costs and Miami vacation rental costs.

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Miami Vacation rental
Room Price: $117 per night
Parking: Free Parking (option)
Internet: Free
Dining: $9 per day (based on $45 of groceries for 5 days)

Historic Miami Hotel
Room Price: $200 per night
Parking: $15 a day
Internet: Some are free or an average price of $10
Dining: $37 (per person, per day)

Based on a 5-day vacation for 5 people:

Miami vacation rental:
Room Price: $585
Parking: $0
Internet: $0
Dining: $45
Total: $630

Historic Miami Hotel
Room Price: $2,000 (2 rooms for 5 people)
Parking: $75
Internet: $50
Dining: $925
Total: $3,550

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Comparing Vacation Rentals and Hotels in Miami Beach


Jun 16

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Historic Miami Beach hotels, Miami Beach vacation rentals

We based our comparison of Miami Beach vacation rentals and hotels in Miami Beach on units of the same price. Your typical small South Beach hotel is normally located on Collins Avenue or on Ocean Drive. Collins and Ocean Drive are the busiest streets in Miami Beach. They are not the most tranquil by definition, specifically during the weekend when traffic tends to get heavy. Historic Miami Beach hotels are mostly 2-story buildings with small lobbies and an average of 20 to 30 rooms. Each of the historic Miami Beach hotels stands against the next, blocking views and are sometimes a bit suffocating, especially with such small rooms. The average room in the historic Miami Beach hotels is around 150 square feet. The advantage is that historic Miami Beach hotels are right in the middle of the action and half a block from the beach. Small historic Miami Beach hotels do not usually provide any amenities, restaurants, pools or beach chairs.

letoile

We analyzed a 1 bedroom Miami Beach vacation rentals apartment in the L’ Etoile building. L’ Etoile is a 4-unit Miami Beach vacation rentals building surrounded by tropical landscaping and located on a quiet street. It was originally a villa but is now fully updated and offers parking as well as a wonderful pool. L’ Etoile is within 2 minutes walking distance from Lincoln Road and 6 minutes to the beach. Miamihabitat.com, the management company, will lend you bicycles to facilitate getting around the Art Deco District. The 500 square foot Miami Beach vacation rentals apartment is fully equipped and furnished with everything you need including a full kitchen and a convertible sofa in the living room to accommodate 2 extra people.
You can stay in a hotel or an apartment for the same price. We know both kinds very well and we believe that Miami Beach vacation rentals bring superior value. Analyzing the reviews of historic Miami Beach hotels on the new Travelpost website, we see we are not the only ones. People are rather unhappy with historic Miami Beach hotels and rate them an average of 2.04 out of 5 (see report).

Hotel
Front desk
TV
Wi-Fi
Daily cleaning
No pool
No Kitchen
No Parking
Paid phone
Small space
Non-rehabilitated bathrooms

Vacation Apartment
Property manager
TV
Wi-Fi
Daily cleaning on demand
Pool
Kitchen
Parking
Free local phone
New bathrooms
Bikes provided free
Concierge service included

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How Budget South Beach Hotels Fare with Consumers


Jun 16

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News, Restaurants News.
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South Beach hotels, South Beach hotel reviews

Traveler reviews and forums are among the latest trends in tourism websites. Consumers want to voice their opinion and other consumers like to get unbiased opinions on accommodations. Forums and travel websites are where past visitors can exert their power. Nowadays, travelers don’t trust travel agents or hotel websites anymore. Tourists want to read other travelers’ comments and other unbiased travel tips to prepare for their trip in Paris, Hawaii, Anguilla or Miami. Vacationers read and write testimonials on everything from restaurants in New York to Flamenco shows in Barcelona or Miami Beach vacation rentals. We analyzed South Beach hotel reviews and ratings posted on the new Travelpost.com website which provides in-depth information and reviews by people that actually stayed in the South Beach hotels. We only selected South Beach hotels we considered budget hotels (from $80 per night to $200 a night). This website calculates a grade from 0 to 5 (worst to best) for each of the South Beach hotels. The analysis of 2 dozen South Beach hotels provides a surprising result of South Beach hotel reviews. Their South Beach hotel reviews state that travelers are mostly dissatisfied with Miami Beach hotels with an average rate of 2 out of 5. Reviews on other websites for vacation rentals shows that vacationers have a better experience when they stay in holiday rentals.

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Analysis conducted June 10, 2009

Hotels

Henrossa: $50-$100 - 1.3 Rating by Travelpost.com
Princess Ann: $89-$140 - 1.9 Rating by Travelpost.com
San Juan: $80-$193 - 3.2 Rating by Travelpost.com
Altantic: $89-$199 - 0.5 Rating by Travelpost.com
Tropics: $92-$115 - 3 Rating by Travelpost.com
Starlite: $90-$162 - 1.6 Rating by Travelpost.com
Boulevard: $100-$202 - 1.6 Rating by Travelpost.com
Kent: $105-$272 - 2.9 Rating by Travelpost.com
Claremont: $102-$344 - 1.6 Rating by Travelpost.com
Maxime: $104-$215 - 1 Rating by Travelpost.com
Cavalier: $106-$295 - 3.3 Rating by Travelpost.com
Viscaya: $112-$126 - 2.5 Rating by Travelpost.com
Days Inn: $114-$216 - 2.2 Rating by Travelpost.com
Beach Comber: $115-$195 - 2.3 Rating by Travelpost.com
Haddon: $117-$338 - 1.9 Rating by Travelpost.com
President: $119-$223 - 2.7 Rating by Travelpost.com
Island House: $119-$250 - 1.9 Rating by Travelpost.com
Royal: $125-$339 - 0.5 Rating by Travelpost.com
Colony: $126-$299 - 2.6 Rating by Travelpost.com
Geneva: $128-$235 - 0.5 Rating by Travelpost.com
Greenview: $127-$229 - 2.5 Rating by Travelpost.com
Dorchester: $128-$258 - 1.8 Rating by Travelpost.com
Shelly hotel: $130-$288 - 2.2 Rating by Travelpost.com
South Beach hotel: $132-$275 - 3.5 Rating by Travelpost.com

Average Rating 2.041666667

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Comparing Miami Beach hotels and Miami Beach vacation rentals


Jun 15

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Florida, Lodging and Hotel News.
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Miami Beach hotels, Miami Beach vacation rentals

Miami Beach was created in 1915, (read about the history of Miami) and most Miami Beach hotels were built in the 30’s and 40’s. Low cost Miami Beach hotel rooms (from 80 to $200/night) are within those charming historic Art Deco buildings. The average historic Miami Beach hotels are small and made up of about 20 to 50 rooms distributed among 2 stories. Most historic Miami Beach hotels offer limited amenities and usually do not have pools and gyms but they are located 2 minutes from the beach.

portofinotowerexterior

On average, the Miami Beach hotels rooms from this era were small and normally around 150 square feet. The bathrooms were also small. Throughout the years Miami Beach hotels were renovated. Still, hotel rooms are small compared to more modern buildings, where, by law, hotel rooms need to be at least 400 square feet.
Miami Beach vacation rentals are found within historic buildings in the art deco district or in luxury buildings such as the Yacht Club, Portofino, The Flamingo or the Setai. No matter their budget, vacationers will have plenty of choices. Travelers on a budget will likely stay in Miami Beach vacation rentals located in the art deco district. For the price of a hotel room, vacationers can have more space and a fully-furnished apartment in Miami Beach vacation rentals.


Vacations Rentals in Florida

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The Rise of Travel Forums, Latest Tourism Website Trend


Jun 15

Posted: under Destinations and Places, Lodging and Hotel News, Restaurants News.
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Vacation rentals, Travel forum

The latest trend on tourism websites is to display reviews that customers write about hotels, worldwide vacation rentals and restaurants. The 2009 traveler wants to have a travel forum where they may voice their satisfaction or complaints about hotels or worldwide vacation rentals. Most travel forums let vacationers express their feelings, as do hotel network sites such as Expedia or Hotel.com. Vacation rentals websites such as Miamihabitat.com also publish reviews by people that actually stay in the rental properties.

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Travelpost, a travel forum owned by Kayak.com, gathers reviews from all different hotel network sites and publish them in a well-done and easy-to-use website. Vacationers can get thorough information and book worldwide vacation rentals through this travel forum site or their favorite hotel network sites. We really love this travel forum site and recommend you use it to plan your holidays.

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