Homeaway/vrbo users

[lauree1183]

We have never used homeaway.com or vrbo.com, however we are considering it for our January Puerto Rico trip. A few of the places we are looking at have no reviews yet, do you typically veer away from these types of places or is the general consensus that things will be ok?

Also a bit concerned about cleanliness and any other problems we may have. Any tips? Anything else we should know before booking a homeaway.com or vrbo.com stay?

Thanks Ladies!

[neonpink]

I have used VRBO. I do like to read reviews if they are available. If not If the pictures look good and I can pay for it in a secure manner I would do it.

I was just in Puerto Rico earlier this month. My husband and I had a fantastic time exploring the rain forest in a Jeep. It was a fun place to visit.

[Deleted]

I used vrbo to book a condo rental in Hawaii but I did pick a place with reviews.

Though a brand new place may not have reviews and someone has to take the leap!! I'd google the address just to see if anyone on another site had posted anything.

[Deleted]

Jun 5, 2012 9:20:51 GMT -5 @lauriergirl28 said:

I'd google the address just to see if anyone on another site had posted anything.

This! We have booked places with both and have never had any issues but both homes we booked had reviews.

[steamboat185]

I use vrbo frequently and have had very good luck. Email the owners to get a feel for the property and trust your gut if a listing seems off or the price is way to low make sure you ask questions.

[sunny]

generally I only consider places with a good number of reviews. only if I can't find something with reviews will I start my way down the other pile. however, I've never picked a place with 0 reviews.

[aurora]

I've used vrbo a number of times with no issues and don't look too carefully at reviews most of the time, which isn't very smart, but I've been lucky so far. I think property owners have to pay to get listed there so at least that cuts down somewhat on the chances you'll encounter a scam.

[shaynaatl]

I will only look at places with reviews.

[sarahsas]

We used VRBO to rent in PR. It was a great experience. You can google the place and find it on other sites sometimes, or at least reviews of the complex it's in, if it's a condo. It did have two very brief reviews. You can always ask the owner for references!

[mesjms]

We use Homeaway when we went to Hawaii. The only issue I had was they said it was a house right on the beach and it was a house behind a house on the beach. Didn't let it spoil my vacation though.

[1morgana]

We have used VRBO a few times and have always had success. I just paid for a cottage that I'll be visiting with girlfriends in two weeks. I always go with ones that have reviews. It's great to talk to the owners on the phone (vs simply email) as well. Good Luck and enjoy your future trip!

[hz80408]

We used it for the first time for 3 cities in Europe this spring. Two of the places had reviews and one didn't. All of the places were pretty much as shown in the pictures and we had no major issues. It's great if there are reviews to look at, but I wouldn't automatically rule out places if they didn't have a review.