Holiday rentals - where to find?

It's been so long since I've been on holiday, I've forgotten how!

I'm looking to book a week at the beach, Gold Coast or Sunshine Coast.

What are the best websites to find week long holiday rentals? Is it sites like Wotif, Stayz, AirBnb? Or is there something better out there?

I always use air bnb these days. Cancellation policies vary quite a bit at the moment so have a look around for one that suits.

We stay at the Sunshine Coast every year and book directly with the accomodation and get a better rate that way. But that does depend on what type you are wanting to stay in, obviously wouldn’t work with a private house on Airbnb.

I use a lot of sites like booking dot com and air bnb.

It’s not great as these sites take commissions (20%) but a lot of accommodation, especially in regional areas, still do not have direct online booking capabilities. For me it’s convenience - I don’t want to talk to a person to get the best rate.

Stayz dot com

I usually use Stayz. DH uses Air BNB. A lot of places will advertise in multiple locations.

Even just a google maps search brings up a lot of places these days.

Wot-if is better for hotels and motels.

Also, if you’re going to a holiday town, the local real estate agents often have a holiday accommodation arm and they handle a large bunch of holiday rentals, worth contacting them too. Again, I’ve found homes on Stayz that also were managed by the local real estate agents. There is a lot of overlap.

We mainly use bookings.com and I think Satyz possibly a while ago, hotels direct these days seems to be better for us

I have found that the mega-sites like stayz, airbnb and booking.com to be very heavily booked out due to people not being able to go O/S. If you know the area you want do a search on local websites / booking agencies as you may find better and cheaper accommodation.

I have used both Air BNB & Stayz.

Everywhere, but then I've now got a lot of time on my hands and thoroughly enjoy the planning part.

As per pps, some places are on different sites at different prices.

I tend to only use airbnb for the sorts of places you don't find on the other sites, and places which are a bit different from your usual holiday home. Like 'The cabin in the back garden' which was heaps of fun but I swear was probably the woodshed in an earlier time, with the loo and shower a quick sprint away. The one I'm about to book today is a corrugated iron shack in the NT, probably wouldn't make it to any other site than airbnb. I avoid airbnb for cities where it's been a problem for them.

I do direct if they have a proper website, and it's cheaper. It certainly does cost them money to be on booking.com but for some, it means not having to have their own website.

It makes for a fair bit of detail and paperwork if it's a longer trip over various countries, but if it's just one holiday, it should be no problem.

Good luck. Where are you going? ETA, whoops in between reading and writing I'd not remembered that you'd said.

I use a range. Stayz, Airbnb, hotels.com. Booking.com. If it’s a hotel or resort I contact them directly.

Be careful of the cancellation policies on Airbnb, they are often less favourable than the other sites. I wouldn’t use them for interstate travel at the moment with unpredictable border closures.

Thank you, all!

It wasn't easy, but week at the coast booked!

I use a range. Stayz, Airbnb, hotels.com. Booking.com. If it’s a hotel or resort I contact them directly.

Be careful of the cancellation policies on Airbnb, they are often less favourable than the other sites. I wouldn’t use them for interstate travel at the moment with unpredictable border closures.

Thanks for the warning. We are currently looking for Perth, and NT, and some still have the same old cancellation policies, but most that I'm looking at now have full refund on cancellation up to a few days before the stay, which is great.

I'd probably not have remember to check though, if you hadn't mentioned it.

I use a range. Stayz, Airbnb, hotels.com. Booking.com. If it’s a hotel or resort I contact them directly.

Be careful of the cancellation policies on Airbnb, they are often less favourable than the other sites. I wouldn’t use them for interstate travel at the moment with unpredictable border closures.

 

Thanks for the warning. We are currently looking for Perth, and NT, and some still have the same old cancellation policies, but most that I'm looking at now have full refund on cancellation up to a few days before the stay, which is great.

I'd probably not have remember to check though, if you hadn't mentioned it.

There is one place in West Perth we do not recommend to stay at it was an apartment hotel and it should have been condemned - but we were looking into Darwin but it will either be UK or Cairns for us next

I use a range. Stayz, Airbnb, hotels.com. Booking.com. If it’s a hotel or resort I contact them directly.

Be careful of the cancellation policies on Airbnb, they are often less favourable than the other sites. I wouldn’t use them for interstate travel at the moment with unpredictable border closures.

 

Thanks for the warning. We are currently looking for Perth, and NT, and some still have the same old cancellation policies, but most that I'm looking at now have full refund on cancellation up to a few days before the stay, which is great.

I'd probably not have remember to check though, if you hadn't mentioned it.

That’s good to hear. I was browsing Airbnb for places in the NSW Hunter Valley for early next year and I was surprised how many of them still had the old policies where you lose a fortune if you cancel.

I use a range. Stayz, Airbnb, hotels.com. Booking.com. If it’s a hotel or resort I contact them directly.

Be careful of the cancellation policies on Airbnb, they are often less favourable than the other sites. I wouldn’t use them for interstate travel at the moment with unpredictable border closures.

 

Thanks for the warning. We are currently looking for Perth, and NT, and some still have the same old cancellation policies, but most that I'm looking at now have full refund on cancellation up to a few days before the stay, which is great.

I'd probably not have remember to check though, if you hadn't mentioned it.

 

That’s good to hear. I was browsing Airbnb for places in the NSW Hunter Valley for early next year and I was surprised how many of them still had the old policies where you lose a fortune if you cancel.

Interesting. I wonder if Vic regional are the same as NSW regional? It might be because I'm looking at two places where people have been about to move about freely for a while, so there's no 'rush' of bookings from those within the state.

I read this morning that Vic makes up the largest percentage of WA visitors, 1/3, which surprised me, and the tourism operators worry that people will make bookings elsewhere if they can't be sure of the borders.