VRBO - Vacation Rentals by owner. Thanks to a reference from my sister, we rented (and will again in April) that lovely condo on North Myrtle Beach. It is listed on the VRBO site. This past summer my cousin from NC came to the area are rented a cute little summer cottage not far from us, also through VRBO.

We wanted to take our grandson on a trip and have been trying to think of something he would be interested in. We decided on taking him and his cousin to Niagara Falls in June. I really don't care to share a cramped hotel room with two 11 year old boys, so I was looking for a two bedroom Residence Inn type of hotel We want to stay on the Canadian side and I could not find anything. One hotel offered a family suite with two bedrooms but only one bathroom. I called a few hotels and asked about adjoining rooms, but none could guarantee that, so that option is out as well. A few hotels charge for parking, some charge "resort fees" and lodging can get expensive.

I looked on the VRBO website and found what looks to be a very nice, very clean apartment not far from the action in Niagara Falls area. There were very good reviews on the rental so I booked it today. I can cancel with full refund if I find something else I like better. However, this place has two bedrooms, two baths, wi-fi washer, dryer, the whole bit. It will also offer us the option to eat some meals in, as both boys are very picky eaters.

While I have not tried the air bnb, the VRBO seems like a good deal. Has anyone else booked rentals this way?

 

We have stayed in a few. The three houses we stayed in while in Hawai'i were all VRBO and they were very nice. We booked a house outside of Glacier NP for the Hood River S2Kdays thru VRBO and everyone liked it. My daughter lists there "extra" house thru Air BnB and has only a few problems.

There is always the chance something could go wrong but you have the same possibility with a hotel.

 

I would recommend staying in Niagara-on-the Lake. Have you looked at it at all?

 

I've used VRBO several times for rentals in the Poconos as well as other sites like Airbnb. A lot of properties are listed on both sites but I think VRBO is much more owner friendly where as Airbnb is more renter friendly.

 

We loved NotL and plan on going back this summer for the Shaw festival.

 

We've used VRBO and AirBnB a few times with great success. Our only complaint is that we've been finding that between the service fees, cleaning fees, and pre-assigned taxes, the price is getting as high, sometimes higher, than a local 3-star-perfectly-okay hotel.

 

I haven't. Isn't more of the "kid friendly" stuff right in Niagara Falls area?

I don't mind if the price is a bit higher. The apartment or Condo is much more spacious, one has the option to eat in, and even do laundry. That will work when traveling with two boys.

 

I think if we had kids in tow, that'd definitely push us over to even higher AirBnB/VRBO usage. Also, if we wanted to do more cooking in one spot that would definitely tip the scales. However for us, we use them mostly for wine and beer junkets, and we often go out to eat.

 

We love VRBO. We rent in Naples and their Home Away affiliate gets us great rentals. Very nice people to deal with and they are very responsive. I highly recommend them.

 

Have used them many times. In fact tomorrow night is the first of four nights at Lake Tahoe at one of their rentals. Unfortunately they were purchased by Expedia, I think, and now are adding fees on top of the rental charges I believe are BS. Will use them still, but not as happy as before.