The decline in home values, particularly in Florida, has made renting a vacation home an attractive summer vacation option. When people think beach vacation, Florida has certainly been among the top choices on everyone's "A" list. The weak southern real estate market, coupled with a faltering economy has made the beach destinations a very attractive summer option. It used to be that the winter time was the only time to go down south. Now with attractive rental prices, particularly in the summer, the state attracts year-round vacationers.
A Beach Vacation or a Golf vacation?
The winter has been the best time to go golfing in the south. However, all of the finest golf courses in Florida are certainly open year-round at attractive prices. Although in the summer, with temperatures at times in the 90s, only the most stalwart golfers will typically hit the links during mid day. That's why the beaches and gin clear waters are championship sunning and swimming areas.
Florida has wonderful beaches on its east coast, west coast and of course, the Panhandle. The Florida Keys have surprisingly few real beaches, being most notable for the diving and fishing. Each of the areas has different qualities:
- Northeastern Florida Beaches - Hard packed sand great for walking.
- West Coast (Tampa and points south) - Calm tranquil waters and sandy beaches.
- South Florida Beaches - Tropical blue green waters and an unrelenting sun.
- Panhandle Beaches - White sand, blue waters and a relaxing ambiance.
- The Keys - Five different types of fishing and the best diving in the country.
Vacation Condos, Vacation Homes
One of the best things about vacationing is that anyone planning a vacation can find excellent accommodations over the internet. There are numerous internet sites offering private vacation rentals and depending upon one's preference, there are choices at either end of the vacation spectrum. Typically, most fine hotels can be booked through the hotel's site. However, booking a vacation condo or private home can be accomplished over the internet as well, where a prospective vacationer can deal directly with the owner. In some cases, real estate firms also can handle this transaction, as well.
The primary advantage of staying at someone's vacation home or condo is that a vacationer can often get much more space and bring many more people. The cost per person is generally much lower. For instance, in various locations in Florida, it's possible to rent a six- or seven-bedroom home that can accommodate up to 15 people. All of the homes and condominiums have complete and modern cooking facilities. Also, many of the homes have multiple bathroom facilities and other amenities such as swimming pools and steam rooms.
Finding the Best Internet Vacation Sites
There are several large internet sites where a prospective vacationer can do very complete vacation research. Among them are:
- VRBO.com
- HomeAway.com
- VacationRentals.com
- CyberRentals.com, as well as others.
Many of the online rental sites are very specific to an area and may concentrate on a city: Fort Myers, Naples, Sarasota or Ft. Lauderdale, etc. One can even find Florida rentals specializing in vacations where dogs are welcome.
If you are looking to rent from a private individual, it's important to perform a little due diligence and perhaps check references. Typically, accommodation services, on the other hand, such as real estate firms are licensed by the state and protect their reputation by only managing high quality properties. Therefore, whether one is looking for a beach resort or beach home, the reputation of company will ensure that what is rented meets the vacationer's expectations.
Florida offers a summer vacation that will delight the beach lover, golfer, fisherman or diver. The best deals are available now because of the weakened economy and the slide in real estate values. Renting a home or privately owned condo has many advantages for those on a limited budget and a family vacation.
Nick Schklair - Nick Schklair, author, writer and business consultant has published a work on business startups in today's economy.
