Sanibel Island Vacation Rental

Thank you again VRBO.com and HomeAway.com, our vacation rental is booked!

Using the app on our phones we were able to search Vacation Rentals By Owner in our desired Florida location of Sanibel Island.  In case you are wondering about Sanibel Island, it is a very family friendly, laid-back barrier island on the Gulf of Mexico western side of Florida.  It boast's "the world's best shelling beaches" so I'm excited to see for myself.


So how does one book using VRBO.com or HomeAway.com ?  It's super easy!  Use the search engine app on your phone or website online to narrow down a find that fits your criteria for location, price, number of guests/bedrooms, beachfront or mountain escape, even pet friendly.  Once you have found a few rental units you like, I urge you to read the reviews!  It will become very clear if a rental unit is legitimate and trust worthy.  We have had so much luck using these two websites (which seem to act interchangeably) but we have had the dismay of a vacation or two being not quite what we expected in the past.  Once you find a handful of options, I suggest switching to a home computer to the online version to inquire for more specific information.  If using VRBO, I don't suggest clickling the yellow button that says "book it."  Instead scroll slightly lower on the right side to find the light blue "email owner" or "email manager" button - click this.  And if using HomeAway, it's one simple orange button "request to book."  Honesty is the best policy so for the Sanibel rental my husband was very specific to request who and what we were looking for by basically emailing:

 ...you catch me drift.  Once you start getting your replies back, it will become clear to you which owners are easy to work with.  Personally I don't' care what the policy these kind of websites have, I like to make my own judgement if I can trust a person.  It's sad how many people out there are not actually legitimate, just trying to make an extra dollar, or simply dishonest and non-trustworthy.  And it's unfortunate that those poor behaviors can cloud over those with good intent.  With that said, I believe there is good in humanity!  And for our family, I find that a little leg-work goes a long way to figuring out if a particular listing will be a good fit and working relationship for a fun vacation!** Oh and I also want to add that remember not to pick a place just because it's cheap.  Remember that if you were booking a hotel, it would be far more expensive then renting a home away, so don't be stingy and you will be pleasantly surprised with the incredible places you will be able to rent!

Moving forward...  If you have narrowed it down to what place you want to rent, keep in touch with the owner or property manager.  This will be your point person for signing a contract and sending in payments.  Don't forget that they are looking for a trustworthy renter just as much as you are looking to find a trustworthy owner.  Payment and booking is easy as sending a check or using a credit card once a rental agreement or contract is signed.

Congratulations!

You are now on your way to a great

vacation home away form home!

The contract usually has information on how to enter the home once you arrive at your destination, usually consists of a lock box or a key.  My biggest tip is to respect the property as if it were your own home.  Do the laundry if you can, clean the dishes, take out the trash just as you would in your own home.  Now it's time to plan your outings and adventures you plan to take one on vacation!


**I'm not getting paid by VRBO or HomeAway for this review.  I'm simply giving a suggestion of the websites I have used and hold no responsibility for the use of their websites, nor do I hold any responsibility if you are reading this and try booking or have bad experiences.  I have had good vacations through these services and simply hope you do as well!