October 2009

Maybe you’re a fan of us on Facebook, or maybe you follow us on Twitter. Or maybe you have know idea what we're talking about. If you have little clue about how to really take advantage of great vacation rental deals on the site, this blog's for you. Beyond getting inspiration over in our travel ideas section, there are many concrete, easy ways to search through deals on the site and ultimately nab the best one for your vacation.

Here are five easy ways to find the best deals on Vacation Rentals.com

1. Deals Search Tool
We aggregate all of our deals (and freebies) in one place on the site. You can see all of the current specials, or you can search for deals in a specific city. To do this, simply type the city name into the search box.

2. Email Alerts
Vacation Rentals.com now has traveler profiles! By setting up yours, you can sign up for weekly customized deals alerts. You can get updates on last minute deals, deals in a particular destination/region, and/or deals based on your interests (golf, for instance).
     
3. Blog
We tune you into our favorite deals of the day on this here blog. Sometimes we highlight a cool event that’s going on or a trendy but cheap destination that’s worth a visit. But nearly every single week day, you can find hot vacation rental deals right here.
   
4. Twitter
Over on our Twitter account, it’s all about the deals as well! Follow @VRDeals if you want to know what our “deal of the day” is, and keep tabs on the latest happenings on the site and in the travel biz.
    
5. Facebook
Along with Twitter, we also feature a “deal of the day” on our Facebook fan page. As well, you can browse our photo album “Ridiculously Cheap Wednesdays” to find uber-affordable rentals – you can look at their photos in one spot. We update this album every Wednesday!
    

There’s really no excuse for overspending on your next vacation, is there?

If you haven’t noticed yet, Vacation Rentals.com has a whole stock pile of great information available for your next vacation. We’re here to help every step of the way, from planning to execution! But we understand that you don’t have all the time in the world to sort through heaps of content. That’s why we picked out 10 of our favorite Top 10 lists. Read and enjoy.

• Top 10 Haunted Houses in America

• Top 10 Dog Friendly Vacation Spots

• Top 10 Ski Resorts with a Nightlife

• Top 10 New Years Eve Alternatives to NYC

• Top 10 Restaurants in the US

• 10 Best Move Theaters
  

• Top 10 Music Festivals

• Top 10 Cities to Visit in 2010

• Top 10 Winter Vacations

• Top 10 Ice Skating Rinks

Grab some R&R with the family on Amelia Island, a charming barrier island in Florida. Although it’s more than worthy of a summer vacation spot, Amelia Island is also a great place to spend the holidays. Winter on the island is just lovely, with highs in the 60s and 70s. Celebrate Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just live it up on your time off with cheap Amelia Island condo rentals.

Deal: $99/night
Details: 3-bedroom pet-friendly beach condo with pool access
Stay Between: 1/1/10 & 1/31/10

Deal: $85/night
Details: 1-bedroom pet-friendly condo with pool access
Stay Between: 10/13/09 & 11/30/09

Deal: $500/week
Details: 2-bedroom pet-friendly beachfront condo with rooftop deck
Stay Between: 10/5/09 & 12/19/09

Deal: $650/week
Details: 2-bedroom beach condo with pool access
Stay Between: 11/29/09 & 2/28/10

Deal: $150/night
Details: 3-bedroom luxury beach condo with pool and hot tub access
Stay Between: 11/9/09 & 12/31/09

Deal: Earn a free night’s stay (worth $117)
Details: 1-bedroom beach condo with pool access
Stay Between: 10/18/09 & 11/22/09

Deal: $750/week
Details: 2-bedroom pet-friendly beach cottage
Stay Between: 10/1/09 & 10/31/09

Deal: $850/week
Details: 4-bedroom pet-friendly oceanfront condo with pool access
Stay Between: 11/7/09 & 11/21/09


This is hardly all of our cheap Amelia Island condo rentals. Find more by clicking here!

Halloween’s right around the corner – seriously, the Lady Gaga and Swine Flu costumes are almost totally sold out! This weekend, leave a tub of candy out on your porch with a sign that reads “Take One,” and leave home for an exciting Halloween adventure. You can spot just as many cute costumed kids at Disney as you can in your own neighborhood, so don’t worry about missing out.

Here are some great last-minute Halloween deals!

Theme Park Thrills

Anaheim

• 4-bedroom pet-friendly home near Disneyland, $198/night

San Diego

• 1-bedroom condo in Mission Hills, $600/week

Disney Area

• 3-bedroom luxury condo minutes from Disney World, $444/week

Big City, Big Chills

Las Vegas

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly luxury condo with pool and hot tub access, $99/night

Manhattan

• 2-bedroom loft apartment, $120/night

Washington DC

• 4-bedroom home, stay 5 nights and get the 6th free (worth $225)

Dia de los Muertos

Puerto Aventuras, Mexico

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly beachfront condo with pool and hot tub access, $100/night

Read on for more Halloween vacation inspiration.

Do you have a place to stay on Turkey Day? If not, get one! Don’t turn your home inside out for Thanksgiving dinner – let someone else cook and clean! That’s right; we’ve got cheap Thanksgiving vacation rentals that have private chefs, loads of amenities, gorgeous views, and plenty of room for your immediate and extended family. Whether you’re planning a quiet beach escape or a 5-year family reunion, we’ve got the rental for you.

Playa del Carmen, Mexico

• $987 a week
• 2-bedroom pet-friendly oceanfront penthouse with pool and hot tub access

Costa Rica

• $1,150 a week
• 5-bedroom luxury villa with concierge, chef, pool, hot tub, and great views

South Lake Tahoe, California

• $125 a night
• 2-bedroom condo with pool and hot tub access

Sarasota, Florida

• $135 a night
• 2-bedroom beach condo with pool access

Jupiter, Florida

• $1,100 a month, traditional Thanksgiving dinner included
• 2-bedroom townhome near the beach with pool access

Bear Lake, Utah

• Book four nights and get one free (worth $900)
• 6-bedroom fully-loaded lakefront estate

Rocky Point, Mexico

• Book three nights and get the fourth free (worth $150)
• 2-bedroom pet-friendly beachfront villa

Lake Placid, Florida

• $200 a night
• 5-bedroom beach home with hot tub

Discover ideas for cheap Thanksgiving vacation rentals by reading our article, 20 Thanksgiving Destinations.

The big game is taking over Miami on February 7th! Will you be there? The very first deals for the championship game are starting to make themselves known on the site, so we picked out several cheap Miami area rentals that are available for the important weekend.

• 1-bedroom oceanfront condo with pool and hot tub access, $415 a night (with free food and drinks – worth $280)
• 1-bedroom pet-friendly condo in South Beach, book four nights and get the 5th free (worth $159)
• 2-bedroom South Beach condo, get a free night’s stay (worth $62)
• 1-bedroom ocean view condo with pool and hot tub access, less than $700 a week and free parking (worth $24)
• 1-bedroom beach condo in Fort Lauderdale, $2,400 a month

More and more lodging deals will be popping up over the next few weeks and months, so keep checking back for updates!

If you’re like most folks, you’ve experienced “Vacation Paradox,” wherein you feel unquenchably restless and desperate for R&R after returning home from vacation. Whether you got away for a weekend or week, it just wasn’t long enough. You want more!

…more sunsets on the beach, more piña coladas in the hot tub, more luxurious dinners, more snorkeling, more snowboarding, more sleeping in until noon, more losing track of time…

Face it. You work too much, and sometimes for too little. Instead of booking a 3-day beach getaway with your family, or a 7-day honeymoon with your new spouse, book a month-long escape.

Studies have shown that it takes at least 28 days to fully recuperate from life’s stresses and return back to them with energy and focus. This isn’t actually true, but that's beside the point - after all, I also made up the “Vacation Paradox."

If you can’t manage to get away for a whole month, you can still take advantage of cheap monthly rentals. Just split the cost with friends and family who can pick up where you left off! Make sure to run this strategy by the vacation rental owner, of course.

Cheap Monthly Rentals (broken down to an estimated nightly rate)...

Daytona Beach, Florida

• Ocean view studio with pool access, $16 a night

Venice, Florida

• 1-bedroom beach villa, $25 a night 

North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

• 2-bedroom golf resort villa with pool and hot tub access, $30 a night (plus no cleaning fee)

Tucson, Arizona

• 2-bedroom golf resort condominium with pool and hot tub access, $35 a night 

Bradenton, Florida

• 2-bedroom condo near the lake with pool and hot tub access, $39 a night

Catskills, New York

• 1-bedroom mountain view condo with pool access, $48 a night

Kissimmee, Florida

• 3-bedroom fully-loaded home with pool and hot tub, $54 a night

Vero Beach, Florida

• 1-bedroom beach home with pool access, $50 a month

You can find plenty more cheap monthly rentals by browsing the site!

Vacation Rentals.com has too many cabin rental deals to count, so we rounded up some of our very favorites for your convenience. Here are seven cheap cabin getaways that will get you closer to nature – whether that’s the beach or the mountains – and your budget.

Lake Lure, North Carolina

• 2 bedroom cabin, $80 a night

Osage Beach, Missouri

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly lakefront cabin, book 3 nights and get the 4th free (worth $125)

Gatlinburg, Tennessee

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly cabin with hot tub and mountain views, $115 a night

Flagstaff, Arizona

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly cabin near the Coconino National Forest, $125 a night

Branson, Missouri

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly lakefront cabin with pool, $89 a night

Blowing Rock, North Carolina

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly cabin with mountain views, $935 a week

Blue Ridge, Georgia

• 3-bedroom upscale pet-friendly cabin with mountain views, $750 a week

Browse many more cabin rental deals by clicking here.

We’re about halfway through October and time doesn’t appear to be slowing down, so it's probably a good idea to start planning your winter vacation. The sooner you book, the more you’ll save – so don’t wait until the last minute! Though, of course we deliver up lots of last minute deals every single day, so we’re always be here to steer procrastinators in the right direction.

Here are nine great winter vacation deals for December, January, and February travel. You can run away from Old Man Winter to sunny Florida, or give him a big hug at the Telluride Ski Resort.

Where: Navarre Beach, Florida
What: 2-bedroom beach condo with pool and hot tub access
Why: $675 a week
When: 10/25/09 to 1/23/10

Where: Hilton Head Island, South Carolina
What: 3-bedroom oceanfront condo with pool and hot tub access
Why: $1,162 a week
When: 10/17/09 to 1/16/10

Where: Key Largo, Florida
What: 2-bedroom oceanfront condo with pool and hot tub access
Why: $750 a week
When: 1/2/10 to 2/6/10

Where: North Wildwood, New Jersey
What: 3-bedroom beach condo
Why: $500 a week or $1000 a month
When: 10/1/09 to 3/30/10

Where: Destin, Florida
What: 1-bedroom beach condo with pool and hot tub access
Why: $62 a night
When: 9/18/09 to 12/31/09

Where: St Augustine Beach, Florida
What: 3-bedroom oceanfront condo with pool access
Why: $600 a week
When: 12/5/09 to 1/30/10

Where: Disney Area, Florida
What: 3-bedroom home with pool and hot tub access
Why: $382 a week
When: 1/1/10 to 4/30/10

Where: Manhattan, New York
What: Luxurious 2-bedroom condo
Why: $250 a night
When: 10/11/09 to 3/31/10

Where: Telluride, Colorado
What: 2-bedroom ski condo with mountain views and pool and hot tub access
Why: Every 4th night free (worth $205)
When: 9/29/09 to 3/28/10

If these winter vacation deals aren't enough to inspire a getaway, read Top 10 Winter Vacations for ideas.

Ah, New England. Let’s all give a nostalgic sigh together! Most of us have fond childhood memories of visiting the northeast, and we always look forward to returing. Fall is a great excuse to do just that – you don’t want to miss out on all the pretty foliage, after all!

Plus, we’ve got 10 fabulous New England vacation deals to enjoy.

1. Woodstock, Vermont

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly lake house with hot tub, $50 a night

2. Moosehead Lake, Maine

• 1-bedroom pet-friendly waterfront cabin, $325 a week

3. Lincoln, New Hampshire

• 1-bedroom condo with pool access, $650 a month

4. Mystic, Connecticut

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly cottage on the lake with hot tub, $665 a week

5. Stowe, Vermont

• 2-bedroom townhome with pool and hot tub access, $108 a night

6. White Mountains, New Hampshire

• 1-bedroom mountain cabin with hot tub, $100 a night

7. New London

• 6-bedroom pet-friendly beach house, book a weekend and get a free night (worth $200)

8. Bar Harbor, Maine

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly cottage, $892 a week

9. Bar Harbor, Maine

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly home, $892 a week

10. Westport, Massachusetts

• 3-bedroom pet-friendly historic home, $900 a week

Trade in those beach-worthy sandals for some ski boots. With winter fast approaching, it’s time to plan your annual ski vacation, or your first one… Trust us, even if you fall flat on your fanny several times in a row, you’ll still have a blast. Plus, your buddies will get a good laugh out of it, so it’s a win/win situation!

Whether you go to Colorado every year to hit the slopes, or just want to spend the holidays in the mountains, these cheap ski condos are worth a look.

Breckenridge, Colorado

• 5-bedroom pet-friendly ski in out townhome, $200 a night

Keystone, Colorado

• 2-bedroom ski in out condo with pool and hot tub access, book 6 nights and get the 7th free (worth $124)

Steamboat Springs, Colorado

• 1-bedroom condo with pool and hot tub access, book 4 nights and get the 5th free (worth $135)

Park City, Utah

• 1-bedroom pet-friendly condo with fireplace, book 2 nights and get the 3rd free (worth $80)

Big Sky, Montana

• 2-bedroom ski chalet with pool and hot tub access, book 5 nights and get 6th free (worth $150)

Whistler, British Columbia

• 2-bedroom luxury ski in out condo with hot tub access, book 6 nights and get the 7th free (worth $250)

Seven Springs, Pennsylvania

• 2-bedroom luxury ski in out condo with pool and hot tub access, $727 a week

We’ll continue to bring you cheap ski condos and other great winter lodging deals, so keep checking back!

Click here if you need a little inspiration for a ski vacation.

There’s a lot going on this weekend, so if you’re planning to stay home, you’re planning to miss out. We’ve got a handful of killer last-minute deals to destinations like Santa Barbara and Daytona Beach! Check it out…

Santa Barbara Beer Festival
October 17th
Santa Barbara, California

If you haven’t celebrated Oktoberfest yet, make up for lost time with unlimited beer tasting.

• 3-bedroom home near the beach, $1,040 a week
• 2-bedroom cottage with mountain views, $855 a week
• 3-bedroom pet-friendly home with pool, save $385 when you book a week

Clearwater Jazz Holiday
October 17-18
Clearwater, Florida

Enjoy two days of jazz from Tom Brantley, Boney James, and many others.

• 2-bedroom pet-friendly beach cottage, $49 a night
• 2-bedroom pet-friendly home near the beach, $850 a week
• 3-bedroom condo with harbor views and pool access, $967 a week

Sand Castle Days
October 15-18
South Padre Island, Texas

Watch artists construct stunning sand castle designs on the beach.

• 1-bedroom gulf view condo with pool and hot tub access, $90 a night
• 2-bedroom beach condo with pool and hot tub access, $600 a week
• Studio on the beach with pool access, $58 a night

Biketoberfest
October 15-18
Daytona Beach, Florida

Bikers take over the famous beach town this weekend.

• Oceanfront studio with pool and hot tub access, $50 a night
• 3-bedroom pet-friendly condo with pool and hot tub access, $396 a week
• 1-bedroom ocean view pet-friendly studio with pool access, $260 a week

You’ve got to see these luxurious vacation rentals to believe them. Click each property to see the beautiful photos and possibly take advantage of the deals! Each and every Friday, we feature ultra-posh vacation homes from around the world on our Facebook fan page.

Jackson Hole, Wyoming

• 6-bedroom ranch with hot tub and mountain views

Key Largo, Florida

• 5-bedroom oceanfront mansion with pool, hot tub, kayaks, and bikes

Ojai, California

• 5-bedroom villa with hot tub and mountain views

Santa Barbara, California

• 4-bedroom oceanfront villa

Santa Monica, California

• 4-bedroom pet-friendly beach houses

So, if you like this kind of stuff, make sure to become a fan and check up on us at end of the work week!

We all love vicariously living through the vacations of the rich and famous...the paparazzi certainly helps us do that! But maybe it's time to stop dreaming of a luxurious getaway fit for a celeb or US president, and make it a reality for us, Average Joe and Jane. Best of all, even though you may not be rich or famous, no photog's gonna be snapping shots of you in your bathing suit on the beach. Here are some popular rich and famous vacation spots paired with some great vacation rental deals.

South Beach
Catch a tan and maybe a glimpse of a celebrity in this posh party destination.

• $79 a night: Oceanfront studio

Cabo San Lucas
When the wealthy get away for a weekend, they make a beeline for Cabo.

• $89 a night: Waterfront condo with pool and hot tub access

French Riviera
The South of France really is all it’s cracked out to be.

• From €60 a night: 2-bedroom apartment with a pool

Aspen
Go for a ski down star-studded slopes.

• From $210 a night: 2-bedroom condo near ski lift

Lake Como
The water… Italy…what more could one ask for than a Lake Como-inspired coma of sorts? (Besides an affordable lake home, of course!)

• From €85 a night: 2-bedroom lakefront apartment

British Virgin Islands
This Caribbean hot spot is a favorite among the more, ahem, epicurean jet setters out there.

• From $925 a week: 2-bedroom pet-friendly villa, minutes from the beach

Fiji
It’s easy for the rich and famous to hide away here – they’ve got 300 something islands to pick from.

• From $800 a week: 3-bedroom beach house

Hamptons
Every year, New York City’s elite enjoy summer sojourns to this surprising beach destination.

• From $600 a week: 5-bedroom pet-friendly beach home with hot tub

Dubai
It’s flashier than Vegas. Enough said.

• From $169 a night: 1-bedroom apartment on the beach

Napa Valley
California’s wealthiest wine snobs come here for peace, quiet, and of course, bottles of vino from the country’s best vineyards.

• Stay 7 nights for the price of 6 ($165 value): 2-bedroom beach bungalow with pool and hot tub

Martha’s Vineyard
Thanks to its lucky New England locale and luxurious island vibes, “the Vineyard” is legendary for hosting ultra-powerful guests. High-ranking politicians – including many US presidents – flee DC for this sun-drenched retreat every year.

• From $750 a week: 1-bedroom pet-friendly home

Hungry for more luxury? Check out the 10 Most Expensive Cities to Visit.

If you’ve got a thing for cool architecture, skedaddle over to New York City this weekend (October 10th and 11th). Those with an eye for design are in for a really exciting time, as the upcoming openhousenewyork (OHNY) Weekend promises to be one of the biggest and baddest ever. Annually, stylish New York homes and buildings – old and new – open their doors to the public for free. That means you can pick the brains of the world’s top architects and designers, and pop in and out of impressive structures at your leisure, all the while oohing and ahhing at the magnificent visuals all around.

Enjoy Open House New York with these cheap rentals –

$209 a night

• 4-bedroom townhome with hot tub

$200 a night

• 2-bedroom loft apartment

$295 a night

• 4-bedroom home

$74 a night

• Pet-friendly studio

$199 a night

• Pet-friendly studio

For more information on New York Open House, click here.

The Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is already underway, but there’s still plenty of time to check it out. It’s not uncommon to catch sight of a hot air balloon in Albuquerque’s clear blue sky; the city enjoys temperate weather throughout the year. So, it’s no wonder really that the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta is the largest of its kind, attracting balloonists from all over the world. Don’t leave your camera at home! This event is one of the most photographed of all-time, and for good reason. (The best time to take a snap shot is at dawn during the evening Balloon Glows.)

The last day of the fest is October 10th, so book your rental ASAP!

• 3-bedroom mountain home for $800 a week
• 1-bedroom pet-friendly home for $125 a night
• 3-bedroom pet-friendly home for $135 a night
• 3-bedroom home for $175 a night
• 1-bedroom pet-friendly home for $1000 a week

For more information on the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta 2009, click here.

Vacation Rentals.com wants you to get sufficiently spooked this Halloween! This blog isn’t for the scaredy cats and chickens in the audience. We've tracked down the top 10 haunted houses in America. Plus, we’ve found some great vacation rentals to go with – proceed with caution…

Las Vegas Haunts
Las Vegas, Nevada

The scary story goes that an escaped mental patient bloodied up the Hotel Feoray with a murderous rampage. Some people don’t have any class. Thrill seekers can tour both the Asylum and Hotel Fear at the Texas Station Hotel and Casino during the month of October.

• Las Vegas vacation rentals

Terror Behind the Walls
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

During the 1800s, Philadelphia’s Eastern State Penitentiary was the last place on earth its prisoners – like Al Capone – wanted to be. Each inmate was confined to a single cell and left to his own devices. Talk about a bad case of cabin fever! While Terror Behind the Walls is a seasonal event, tours of the prison are offered year-round.

• Philadelphia vacation rentals

Seven Floors of Hell
Cleveland, Ohio

This massive attraction features not one, not two, but seven haunted houses. We’re especially curious about Scarecrow's Revenge.

• Cleveland vacation rentals

Netherworld
Atlanta, Georgia

The devil’s really in the details here. This world-famous haunt is filled with some of the best, or better yet - scariest, actors and sets in the biz.

• Atlanta vacation rentals

Headless Horseman
Ulster Park, New York
It may be tame, but it’s definitely not lame. Explore three haunted houses, a labyrinth, and hayride at this family-friendly attraction.

• Hudson Valley vacation rentals

The Darkness
St. Louis, Missouri

If you're the type of person who nitpicks every little detail of every movie you see, this one’s for you. You’ll find very little to criticize as you walk through this immaculate haunted house, with its superior special effects and set design. The Darkness undergoes a $150,000 renovation every year.

• St. Louis vacation rentals

Bates Motel
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania area

Hayrides are fun and all, but when you add pyrotechnics into the mix, they get rather unnerving. In addition to the top-notch Bates Motel haunted houses, the Haunted Hayride is a must-see (don’t close those eyes).

• Philadelphia vacation rentals

House of Torment
Austin, Texas

Nothing’s at all subtle about this haunted house, which has gotten even the manliest of men to let out a shriek (or two).

• Austin vacation rentals

13th Gate
Baton Rouge, Louisiana

This unique haunted house – both indoor and outdoor – is dreamt up by set designers and special effects experts right out of Hollywood. To boot, the 13th Gate is located in a former slaughterhouse, centuries old.

• Baton Rouge vacation rentals

Whaley House
San Diego, California

Your best chance at a real-live ghost encounter is probably at this historic estate. Although creepy animatronics won’t jump out at you at every turn, we're sure your spine will have its fair share of chills.

• San Diego vacation rentals

Don't agree with our picks for the Top 10 Haunted Houses in America? Share your suggestions with us on Twitter!