11 BEST HOLIDAY HOME RENTAL TIPS!
Renting a holiday home is often a more affordable option than staying in a hotel. They offer extra living space, private outdoor areas, fully equipped kitchens – even a pool or games room! Like any planning for any holiday, organisation is key to the ultimate relaxing and stress-free escape! Here are our 12 best and all-important tips for getting the perfect holiday home for you and your family or friends.
1. PLAN WELL AHEAD OF TIME
Most people typically plan holidays and book their accommodation months in advance and this is the way to go if you want to secure the home you really want on the dates you want. Plan early before bookings fill up to avoid someone else enjoying your dream holiday home.This is particularly true if your dates include peak dates like Christmas, New Years Eve, Easter and long weekends. Alternatively, if this is a last minute getaway, check directly with the holiday home owner/manager to see if you can get a last minute discount (at PetLet, we offer discounts of up to 20% for bookings commencing within 2 weeks).
2. CONSIDER STAYING LONGER OR TRAVELING SLIGHTLY OFF-SEASON
Here are a few great ways to get a good deal… Just like we do here at Pet Let, the per-night cost of a rental usually goes down the longer you stay, so adding a few extra nights can giveyou better bang for your buck! Also, planning a holiday duringthe ‘shoulder season’ – the period between low and peak travel season – can have many advantages, not only for the budget-conscious holiday-maker but those wanting to avoid crowds. So, avoiding school holidays and obvious busy times (such as festivals) and booking your holiday home as close as you can to peak season will give you the best chance of nice weather, fewer crowds and more money in your pocket! It really can be advantageous way of planning all your family holidays.
3. CHECK THE LOCATION CAREFULLY
One of the many benefits to a vacation rental is getting off the beaten track. However, we can sometimes get swept away with finding a gorgeous holiday home in a beautiful location at a great price and forget about checking out the location carefully. Is remote what you’re looking for (think the Coorong!) or would you prefer to be close to shops and restaurants (like Victor Harbor)? Is it walking distance to the beach or happy to save some money and drive with wet sandy kids and dogs in the car? If you aren’t bringing your car or don’t have one, is the home near public transport or can you get everywhere you want to go by foot? Is there a taxi service nearby? Is the house on a main road?
All the property descriptions on our Pet Let website include an interactive ‘Google’ map which has information on what facilities are nearby. This one tip is an important one, not checking out the location properly can sometimes result in a very frustrating holiday.
4. LOOK FOR PERKS
Many rentals come with unexpected extras, additional perks and freebies. Forexample, here at Pet Let Holiday Homes, we offer – depending on the property – private beach access, use of kayaks, NBN WiFi, Apple TV with free Netflix and Stan, use of pool, board games and books,wine & chocolates and the list goes on…oh and most importantly we are 100% inside and out Pet Friendly!You can either search by location or search by property but be sure to check out the property descriptions for the featured perks and bonuses.Because everyone loves a freebie!
5. CHECK WHAT’S ALREADY AT THE PROPERTY
Another tip for a more relaxing holiday is to check what items are already at the property. If you’re holidaying with kids or even pets, it is always nice when you don’t need to load the car up with all the paraphernalia they usually require on a day to day basis. High chairs, toys, cots, dog beds and bowls, and coffee machine(depending on the home) so it is best to check in advance when you’re browsing for a holiday home and see what is on offer. The less you are lugging around with you, the more enjoyable the experience will be.
6. IS IT REALLY PET FRIENDLY?
Some holiday homes designate themselves as “pet friendly” when really they mean: Your pet is welcome to stay outside in our back yard and pee on our grass. However, under no circumstances may your pet cross the threshold of our house. This doesn’t seem particularly pet friendly to us! In fact, its not pet friendly at all. Look for a holiday home that welcomes pets (dogs and cats) inside and who understands the special requirements of being pet friendly (such as extremely diligent cleaning and very regular carpet cleaning). There’s a lot more to being truly pet friendly than just clicking a box!
7. PAY SAFELY
At Pet Let Holiday Homes we give our guests the option of booking through our secure online payment system.You can pay by Credit Card, BPay, Electronic Funds Transfer or Gift Voucherand have peace of mind knowing that your payment is secure. If the property you’re interestedin can’t be booked by a secure form of payment, be cautious. Check also that the holiday home you are renting has genuine positive reviews. That way you can have confidence that it does exist and is a genuine holiday rental (rather than being a sophisticated scam!).
8. RESPONSIVENESS
Many holiday rental businesses operate 9 to 5, Monday to Friday. If you put through a booking enquiry at 6pm on Friday and you don’t get a response until 9am Monday, this can not only be frustrating, but also could pose problems if you need urgent assistance after hours. We know how important it is to be available for our guests in case there is a problem or issue, so our Pet Let Guest Services team works 7 days a week and can deal with questions, problems or issues super quickly.
9. STOCK THE FRIDGE
Cars are often packed pretty tightly when heading for a beach 
holiday, and sometimes there simply isn’t a lot of room for food. If there are supermarkets close to your holiday home, perhaps going shopping after your arrival is a better plan, or for the ultimate in convenience do your shopping online before you leave home, and arrange for delivery after your arrival. Both Coles and Woolworths offer online shopping in many popular holiday locations (including where most of our Pet Let properties are such as Encounter Bay, Pt Elliot, Goolwa, Victor Harbor and Middleton – whilst Coles delivers to Normanville and Carrickalinga).
The food will be delivered to your door – fresh and still frozen (if you have ordered frozen food). It’s a brilliant service and can save you bucket loads of your precious holiday time!
10. SET UP A SHARED BUDGET
If you’re planning your holiday with friends or extended family, consider setting up a shared budget in advance where you all put equal amounts of money into a communal fund for joint purchases like groceries, meals out, etc. It saves the effort of keeping track of who spent what throughout the stay and the stress of settlingit up afterwards.
11. BE ORGANISED ON DEPARTURE DAY
Check what cleaning you’re responsible for in advance, if any, so you’re not rushing around before check-out and be sure to note the checkout time also. This will save embarrassment and frustration when the cleaner arrives to begin their job and will help to ensure your holiday finishes on a stress-free note.
By keeping these tips in mind when planning your next holiday will ensure you have the most relaxing, hassle-free holiday possible at the best price and that is what it is all about!
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