If you are looking for hotel stay alternatives in Lake Como, vacation rentals definitely stand out as something to consider. They are constantly gaining popularity but you need to understand that booking the vacation rental is not the same as with a hotel room.
Unlike the big chain hotels, every single vacation rental is different. That is why numerous mistakes are made, even when opting for luxury options like Luxury Retreats’ rental homes in Lake Como. Here are some that are really common. Avoid them for a better vacation.
Reading Descriptions Way Too Fast
In many different rental property descriptions you get to see things that are exaggerated. If you are careful and you keep reading you quickly find a lot of useful information you can take advantage of. For instance, you might see things like “no on-street parking” or “no A/C in the upstairs bedrooms”. Find hard facts nuggets that are buried all around romantic words. This is a clear sign of things that are not as great as they appear.
Skimming Reviews
Just as with the point mentioned above, various highly positive reviews can include caveats that are only visible if you read carefully. For instance, properties can have 4 or 5 stars ratings together with numerous really quick reviews that do not actually stay much. If you look more carefully you can find hidden facts that would make your stay totally unpleasant, like the fact that hot water heaters are small or there is not much space available in the showers. Such information is highly critical but you cannot see it if you do not carefully read the reviews.
Not Using Mapping Services
People have totally different interpretations of distance. What is “really close” In Lake Como for some can be quite a long distance away from others. What is really important is to use mapping services in order to see the exact location of the place that you want to rent. Using services like Street View or Google Earth will help you to quickly see exactly where the rental is placed. You can thus avoid the unwanted situation in which you are really far away from the attractions you want to visit in Lake Como.
Never Trust Online Calendars
Many vacation rentals offer online calendars but they are rarely properly maintained. As an example, in many situations you can end up booking a wonderful Lake Como vacation rental simply because late cancellations happened. If owners do not update calendars you can save quite a lot of money as you are able to book some very good places. Although listings may show that calendars were recently updated, you still want to send an email to the rental owner. Even if a position is not open, you might end up being contacted if a cancellation happens.
Not Considering Additional Fees
This is a really important thing you do want to know about Lake Como vacation rentals. Rates that you see when you do your search are often just starting points. This is especially the case when you see something like “from $x per night”. Only after you pick your dates you can see the final price. Remember that numerous vacation rentals do require cleaning fees, which are non-negotiable. There are also some that will require you to pay for internet, cable or even utilities. You can only know the potential and actual fees before the booking is finalized.
Assuming Owners Are Always Available
After you stay at hotels a number of times you quickly understand that it is important to have people to talk to about facts related to the rental. That is especially the case in the event a problem appears. Having someone that you can deal with can be really important. Unfortunately, with vacation rentals the owners are not always around or available. This is why it is a really good idea to ask about availability. See if there will be someone present that you can talk to in the event there is something you need help with.
Waiting Until The Very Last Minute
As you can see, vacation rental booking can be quite complicated. This only becomes more complicated in the event you wait until the very last minute since there are various things that you do have to discuss with the owner. Replies are sometimes highly delayed as owners take care of their properties during spare time. That is why you do want to have enough time available to finalize everything.
Not Checking Amenities
Most Lake Como vacation rentals do have everything you can possibly imagine but this is not always the case. When you expect to have clean linens, sheets, detergent in your dishwasher and access to laundry facilities without actually being told that this is the case, you set yourself up for disappointment. Do be sure you confirm absolutely all the amenities before you actually book. This is especially the case when referring to internet access. We tend to think this is a given but not all homes have WiFi access.
Not Talking On The Phone
Last but not least, never be afraid to talk with the owner about anything that is of interest to you. Even some short phone conversations are going to show you a lot that simply cannot be learned while discussing things through the internet. You get to see how owners talk, if they are forthcoming and how they actually answer the questions you have. You also get to see if availability is high or not, which is important, as highlighted above.
