What are Vacation Rentals?

Pauline Kenny, February 2008

Vacation rentals are fully furnished and equipped apartments, cottages, houses or villas that are available for tourists to rent. They are usually rented by the week, most often from Saturday to Saturday or Friday to Friday. In some areas you can find rentals by the night or with flexible start/end days (changeover days).

Vacation rentals range in size from a cozy studio for one person to a villa suitable for a large group. Rental prices range from budget to luxury. Vacation rentals can be an economical option: they are usually cheaper than a comparable hotel room and you can save money by preparing some of your own meals. Also you get more space to spread out and more privacy. You arrive, unpack your bags and settle into your "home away from home".

Vacation rentals can be a more interesting accommodation option than hotels. They are frequently located in neighborhoods, villages or rural areas where you do not find many hotels so you have a chance to experience Europe from the local point of view. You are not in a tourist protection zone but instead are out taking part in daily life with the locals.

Your Home Away From Home

If you don't require a concierge and are willing to pay for your accommodations up front (deposit on booking, full payment before you arrive is the typical booking practice), vacation rentals are an excellent option. These are the basic types of locations for vacation rentals in Europe:

Stay in a city. Vacation rental apartments are available in all of the popular travel destinations in Europe. Rent an apartment in Paris, Rome or Venice. Stay in a house on the outskirts of Florence.
Stay in a village. Europe abounds in charming, distinctive villages. You are in a rural area, but have the benefits of shops, cafes and restaurants close by. Rent an apartment, row house or independent house in a village.
Stay in the countryside. The countryside in Europe is spectacular, full of family-run farms, managed woodlands and public footpaths (public access to walk in the countryside is guaranteed in most European countries). Rent a small house for two or a villa for a large group. Stay on a farm in an apartment or a cottage.

Regardless of where they are located, vacation rentals are apartments or houses that are fully furnished and equipped with linens and towels, cookware, cutlery and the basics you need for a comfortable stay.

You Say Tomato, I Say Tomahto

Let's get our terminology straightened out before we start. What do we call a furnished and equipped house or apartment that travelers rent by the week?

In North America - vacation rentals, vacation homes or the more glamorous villa rentals.
In England - self catering, holiday lets or holiday cottages. A farm stay is a B&B or vacation rental on a farm.
In Italy - they use the North American or English terms or agriturismo (agritourism in English), the name of the government program to encourage farmers to earn extra income by renting out rooms, apartments or cottages on their working farms.
In France - gîte usually means a vacation rental on a farm but can refer to any kind of vacation rental.
In German speaking countries - ferienwohnungen which translates roughly as vacation apartments or holiday flats.

For consistency we will use the term vacation rental. Whatever you call them, they give a traveler a place to call home for a week.

What to Expect From a Vacation Rental

There is no concierge, no daily maid service and no buffet breakfast. The local contact may not speak English. A vacation rental is decidedly different than a hotel stay. So what should you expect?

Local contact. If you book through an agency or directly with the owner, you will get a local contact (who may be the owner) to call if any problems arise.
Checking in. Most vacation rentals specify that you can check in after 4pm, to allow time to prepare the house after the previous guests have departed in the morning. You may be asked to phone the local contact with the approximate time of arrival so that they can meet you, or the key may be left in a hiding place for you. The local contact may need to collect a cash damage deposit.
House cleaning. Vacation rentals are cleaned before arrival and upon your departure, though if you're staying longer than a week, weekly cleaning and linen changes may be included. While you're not expected to scrub the place before you leave, it is courteous to leave the place tidy and in good shape. Do the dishes and put them away. Take out the trash. Leave the dirty towels and linens in a pile.
Supplies. In most vacation rentals "the cupboard is bare". There may be some spices left over from previous guests and a roll of toilet paper, but you are expected to go out and get the supplies you need. Some vacation rentals may provide a "welcome basket" with supplies for your first breakfast or some local products.
Groceries. Keep in mind that in many countries in Europe shops and groceries stores are closed on Sunday and holidays. It may be a rush to get checked in and then hit the shops on Saturday afternoon, so be prepared. Some properties offer a pre-check in grocery shopping service for a fee.
You are your own concierge. In most European vacation rentals you will be on your own. The owner or local contact may not live on site. The house may be a little isolated. While the local contact is usually available if you have problems or questions, they may not be around to offer tourist information. You will not have the level of service you get in a hotel - no room service or wake-up calls (except for maybe a local rooster!). This is independent travel at its finest!
Checking out. Most vacation rentals ask you to check out before 10am so they have time to prepare the house for the next guests. If you have paid a damage deposit in cash, the local contact may arrange to meet you on checkout to return your deposit.

I recommend taking photos of the inside of the house (just a couple) before you leave in case there is a dispute with the owner later. I have only heard of this happening a couple of times but some owners have charged renters an extra cleaning fee because they say the renter left the place in very bad condition (overflowing garbage cans, furniture moved, very dirty). A few photos will prove that you left the place in fine condition.

It is Not How I Pictured It!

If you check in and find a problem (e.g. an appliance that does not work), call your local contact immediately so they can get it fixed.

If the place has not been cleaned adequately, you can clean it yourself or ask your local contact to have it re-cleaned. Sometimes a place was cleaned after the last guests and stayed empty for a few weeks, so collected a layer of dust. In that case, I just do some dusting. Or the cleaner may not wash all the dishes, cutlery and pots and the last guests did not wash them well. In that case, I wash everything once before using.

The 24-hour freak-out. Now this may only be me, but I tend to create a detailed visual image of any vacation rental that I book based on the photos on the website and my overactive imagination. When I arrive, the vacation rental is not how I pictured it - how could it be? I have painted a picture of the perfect cottage in the perfect location with bunnies jumping around the yard and butterflies floating by. So, I always give myself 24 hours to get used to the new place and learn to love it.

I Really Hate This Vacation Rental

What if the place really is horrible and you don't like it and waiting 24 hours is not going to make a difference? All may not be lost. Immediately notify the agency/owner that you are not happy and tell them why. Ask if they can move you to another place. If they can't, ask if they will refund part of your money if you leave early. Don't expect this to happen - but a good agency might do this.

On a recent trip I thought I had found a great vacation rental in Italy. But when we checked in, we hated the apartment - it was very small and dark, with just a kitchen, bedroom and bathroom (no living room) and only one window. The agency I booked with had neglected to mention any of this and had recommended the apartment. We did not unpack and asked the local contact if they could move us. Luckily they had a lovely, larger, apartment available and moved us to it.

Most Vacation Rentals Are Fantastic

I want to end this section by making sure you understand that most vacation rentals in Europe are fantastic. The few serious disappointments that we ran into happened years ago. The standard of vacation rentals is better now than ten or twenty years ago and the tools you have now to research properties did not exist then. Detailed information about vacation rental agencies and properties is available on the web, in reviews (like we have here on Slow Europe), blogs, travel forums and other travel websites. You no longer have to just hope for good luck.

Steve and I have stayed in over 50 vacation rentals in Europe. We had a few lemons, but not one was bad enough to ruin our vacation. We left early once. We asked to be moved once. We sucked it up a few times. On the plus side, we stayed in some beautiful places which enhanced our vacation. I spent seven years running the Slow Travel website and forums (2001 - 2007). During those years I talked with thousands of travelers who stay in vacation rentals. I heard of bad experiences and bad rentals, but this was a very small percentage of the experiences. The overwhelming majority love staying in vacation rentals in Europe.

NEXT: Vacation Houses in Europe

Slow Europe

Traveler's Guide to Vacation Rentals in Europe