Things to Know When Renting a Vacation Rental
The process for renting a vacation home differs from booking a hotel room. One of the many benefits is working with owners directly. Their personal interest in your stay and knowledge of the property are far beyond that of a hotel reservation center! This helps you make the best choice for you and your family. Sometimes it may take an owner a while to respond to your inquiry for a variety of reasons. So be patient, send multiple inquiries and follow our easy steps below to reserving a vacation rental - it's absolutely worth it!
My Palm Desert Adventure By Dorothy Snodgrass
Those of us fortunate enough to live in the wonderful, vibrant Bay Area tend to dismiss, indeed look down on other towns and cities in our Golden State. This is a totally incorrect perception, as I hope to prove in the account of my trip to Palm Desert last week. On January 9th, along with 27 members of the Emeryville Senior Center, we met in the parking lot of the old City Hall, and boarded a bus, with driver Greg and a very efficient tour director, Mary Soo-Hoo. Our destination was Palm Desert -- a ten hour trip given rest stops along the way and lunch in Fresno. Driving through the Mojave Desert we arrived at the Hyatt Regency Hotel on North Canyon Drive, too weary for dinner. Ah, but the next morning we woke to brilliant sunshine and had our first glimpse of this beautiful city with its Spanish Colonial architecture and massive Mount San Jacinto mountains in the background, to say nothing of row after row of soaring palm trees.
On our first full day we boarded the bus and headed to Indian Canyon Trading Post for an hour-long hike. We then had lunch at the Mizell Senior Center -- a bit fancier than our North Berkeley Senior Center. Lunch was a mere $4.00 and quite tasty. We next boarded the bus where a step on guide took us on a Celebrity Tour of Palm Desert. We were surprised to learn that Sonny Bono was once mayor; there's a life-sized statute of him in the center of town. Another very large house is that of Ann Miller, and Liberace had quite a mansion also. We had to peer through gates to see these residences. Frank Sinatra practically put this city on the map with his generous donations to charitable causes. His house contains seven bathrooms since he didn't want guests to wait!
One of our more exciting trips was that to the Living Desert, a wildlife adventure through the deserts of the world, which we viewed at close range on an open tram. Here we saw African and North American Gardens, a Village Watutu, giraffes, camels and a Petting Kraai, the latter a great thrill for children.
Perhaps the most entertaining event of our trip was the famous "Fabulous Palm Spring Follies", a show of gorgeous costumes, great legs, and, believe it or not, ravishing dancers in their 70's and 80's. Following that show we had a hosted dinner at Lulu California Bistro.
Our final day was a rather exhausting one, driving what seemed like hours through the Coachella Valley where we were rewarded with a superb steak dinner at the famous Harris Ranch Restaurant, where most of us got pleasantly stoned.
As all good things come to an end, the Sierra Pacific Bus headed back to Emeryville with everyone agreeing that the Palm Desert Adventure had been a huge success.
Palm Springs, California and the other cities that make up the Desert Resorts destination, is the ultimate desert oasis playground for outdoor adventure, arts and culture, gaming and entertainment. The desert climate guarantees sunny weather and the cities are nestled at the base of the majestic San Jacinto Mountains. Palm Springs, Coachella, Cathedral City, Rancho Mirage, Desert Hot Springs, Indian Wells, Indio, La Quinta and Palm Desert offer streets lined with palm trees, the best in shopping, art galleries and museums and renowned outdoor dining all amidst breathtaking scenery. In addition to luxury resorts and world-class golfing, the region has in recent years welcomed an influx of hip boutique hotels and landmark events like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. Palm Springs has a history as the holiday home of many Hollywood stars from the 1940s on and is known as the center of Desert Modernism" mid-century modern architecture.Desert Vacation Homes for Rent features the best vacation rental properties including private homes, condominiums, clothing optional resorts, gay resorts, bed and breakfast inns, and hotels throughout the Palm Springs and Palm Desert areas.
Known for our weather, unrivalled golfing, world class resorts and globally-recognized festivals like the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival, the Palm Desert market is a perfect fit for Virgin Americas chic new flight service, said Scott White, President and CEO of
Palm Springs Desert Resort Communities CVA. The airlines new nonstop and through flights from both SFO and JFK will lower fares and improve service in our market and allow more travelers to enjoy all that our unique region has to offer.
Our Directory of Palm Desert area Vacation Homes are book directly through the owners or managers of each vacation rental.
The benefits generally outweigh the potential negatives, with many vacation rentals offering more space (multiple bedrooms and bathrooms, separate living areas), more amenities (fully equipped kitchens, fireplaces, private hot tubs), convenient locations (on the beach, ski-in/ski-out, city centers in real neighborhoods) and greater privacy than a hotel, including the fact that many villa/vacation rentals give travelers the option of inhabiting real neighborhoods in their destination and living like the locals. As of 2006, vacation rental management has become a $10 billion industry and continues to become more popular.
Vacation rentals can range from budget studio apartments to lavish, expensive private villas in the world's most desirable locations, some with pricetags of many thousands per night and all the amenities you would find in any luxury accommodation (fully staffed, private beaches, boats, chefs, cooking lessons, etc) to cater to the guests.
A vacation homes for rent provide a fully furnished property, such as a holiday cottage, condominium, townhome or single-family-style home, often referred to as villa rentals in Europe. The client/traveler arranges to rent the vacation rental property for a designated period of time, many rent on nightly basis similar to hotel rooms, although the more prevalent vacation rental industry practice is typically weekly rentals. A true vacation rental is not for sale to the guest; rather, the owner of the vacation rental merely allows the guest to rent the property for a predetermined length of time.
Vacation and villa rentals are generally appealing for many reasons, some of the foremost being cost savings, more space, and no tips or service charges that are associated with hotel rooms. Villa and vacation rentals have kitchens for cooking, living rooms for gathering together and offer the appeal of living in a real neighborhood and soaking up the rhythm of the locals. In the United States, hotels often enjoy the advantages of brand recognition, familiar reservation processes, and on-site staff for problem resolution. For a guest, booking a vacation rental may mean stepping out of that comfort zone in order to garner some of the advantages they offer. Perceived cons of vacation rentals can include having to communicate directly with the property owner, being unfamiliar with the property, lack of on-site staff, and concerns about quality or cleanliness however, these are most often mitigated by dealing with villa or vacation rental agencies that manage vacation properties for owners and they offer many of the same services hotels offer to their guests, e.g., front desk check-in, 24-hour maintenance, in-house housekeeping, concierge service.
Many of the properties provide a secluded getaway retreat. These luxury vacation homes offer complete privacy and seclusion. We have other rentals that are open, expansive and are perfect for entertaining clients or friends.
Stay in the same homes the movie stars retreated to back in the heyday of Hollywood. Enjoy a vacation home with the architectural beauty of the 1960's. We offer many mid-century modern homes.
Here are just a few of the amenities many of our homes in Palm Desert have to offer:
* Salt Water Pools
* Private Pools With Waterfalls
* Dog-friendly / Kid-friendly Locations
* Golf Course / Resort Locations
* Dramatic Mountain Backdrops
* 360 Degree Mountain Views
* Chef's Kitchens
* Additional Guest Quarters / Casitas
* Master Suites
* WIFI / Wireless Internet
* Lush Landscaping
* Homes with Original Artwork
* Contemporary Decor
* Comfortable, Spacious Living Areas
* Homes With The Latest Technology
For Personalized Vacation Rental Services
Call 760.673.7478
