by Jennifer Eblin

Created on: September 05, 2007   Last Updated: October 31, 2008

Finding your way to a good online rental of a vacation home is like swimming against salmon. I know because I had my best experience ever with an online travel agency, just after having my worst experience. The good websites are the ones that offer the renter many options and off-line support; the bad ones are the ones that take your money and send you information on how to buy vacation homes in Costa Rica.

My favorite website, and one I've used more than once, has a lot of features, but more importantly is user friendly. Users can simply insert the city they are interested in (or zip code), or go by state or region, offering more options. Browsing by state shows other options that user might not have been aware of previously. For instance, if I was interested in traveling to Charlotte, North Carolina and browed through the state listings, I might change my choice to Asheville based on what is available.

The site also offered more options than its competitors. Each hotel listed, also included the bonuses associated with your stay. It listed discount tickets to a nearby amusement park, discounted tickets to local museums, and even discounts or package deals, with local restaurants. The coupons were available upon check in.

The primary reason why this became my favorite site, was because it made planning the trip easier. It listed attractions located at each hotel/resort and attractions nearby. I was able to find everything from a miniature golf course to fast food restaurants in the area.

The downside with the bad websites is that many only list general concepts. They claim that there is a restaurant within 2.7 miles, for example, but without saying what kind of restaurant it is, or listing its name.

Since it had all local attractions listed by name, everyone can find those that appeal to them. A couple on their honeymoon is not interested in visiting the same places as a family with four children.

I only wish I could say the name of the website.

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