It was a group of six friends wanting to get away.
Why rent a luxury beachfront home for a trip
“We rented a six-bedroom house on the beach in Florida,” said John Peele, Mariposa, California. “We lived for 10 days in swim trunks and sandals. We walked out to the beach at night, stood in the water, and watched the moon.”
A friend getaway is one reason people rent luxury beachfront destinations in North America or anywhere in the world. Special events like graduation, milestone anniversaries or family reunions are often celebrated by renting a large luxury home.
“We rented one home for the bridal party and one home for the family,” said Sue Skidmore, Phoenix, Arizona. “It was going to be a destination wedding, and we decided to have a destination for the family.”
There are many reasons for deciding to bypass hotels and make your own resort for a family trip.
“Beachfront rentals can be very affordable when split among the group,” said Maria Maningas from the Philippines. “You can also save money buying fresh seafood locally and cooking at the rental instead of eating out for every meal.”
Why renting from a property manager beats AirBnB
The primary reason is that luxury property management companies individually vet and curate the offerings; they don’t take on every property offered. AirBnB does general inspections, and it accepts many different hosts. The offerings may or may not be exclusively for vacation rentals.
The host property owner generates each AirBnB listing profile, while property management companies offer organized and uniform listings. Through the specialized companies, the rentals are consistently maintained and cleaned. Quality from an owner-offered rental through a home-sharing website can vary greatly.
All of the luxury rental companies offer pre-planning assistance for ground transportation, area experiences and activities and full-time concierge services. Owner-offered properties are bare-bones.
“An (individual owner) property can have a long list of what you have to do before check-out,” Skidmore cautioned.
The property management companies take care of that so renters do not have to do so.
How to book a luxury beachfront rental
Skidmore said that you can use a property management company, a vacation rental broker like AirBnB or direct from a property owner. She recommends using a property management company in the destination.
“I would never rent from an individual owner,” she cautioned. “I prefer using a company that specializes in offering and servicing the rental.”
If you want to bring the family to a beachfront rental in South Carolina, enter “luxury beachfront rentals in South Carolina” in your favorite search engine. Moving past sponsored listings, you’ll find the names of real estate and property management companies that locally lease and serve the type of home you want to rent.
She Buys Travel found ten top-flight property managers for you: Luxury by the Sea: 10 Exceptional Beachfront Rentals.
Information from the property management companies and reservations can be made online or by email. It is good to have a list of questions you want answered when you contact the company before deciding to reserve.
What to know and ask before booking
Depending on the trip’s purpose, take a look at the local Chamber of Commerce events and activities calendar. It may make sense to avoid big event weekends because rental prices tend to skyrocket during a major tourist event.
If a specific location or property is desired, it makes sense to have alternate dates in case the home is already booked for the first-choice weekend. Maningas says to be sure to check what the weather will typically be at the time of year that you plan to book.
“Make sure the place is going to be well-stocked,” said Peele. “You want to know that there will be wood for the fireplace, propane for the barbecue, plenty of beach towels, and things like that.”
Skidmore, a veteran of multiple luxury beachfront rentals, said that many of the homes have small footprints and are three or four stories tall.
“That’s a lot of steps to climb up and down every day,” she said. “Many of those homes have elevators. Depending on the mobility of people in your group, you might want to place with one.”
Peele and Skidmore both recommend asking about the rental location in proximity to things to do and how to get there. Peele said that you want to know that there are places to go and eat nearby. Skidmore adds that you want those to be within walking distance so that you don’t have to drive everywhere.
Here’s the top advice from luxury resort renters
Read the contract
“Read the contract carefully before signing,” Skidmore cautions. “You might find that bad weather, even a hurricane, is not a reason for a refund if you cancel or end up with cabin fever from the storm.”
She said the contract would contain all kinds of warnings about how you will be charged for this and that, like smoking in a non-smoking home, failing to launder the linens and towels or breaking something, but little protection offering credits or refunds for when service at the property fails to meet expectations or promises.
Skidmore suggests specifically asking about maintenance response. When she and her family stayed at a luxury beachfront home, the refrigerator died on a Sunday, and the repair didn’t take place until Tuesday.
“That meant going three days without cold milk or cold beer,” she said. “We didn’t get any kind of credit for that inconvenience.”
Check the typical weather
“Check the weather in advance if you’re planning weather-impacted activities, like surfing,” said Maningas. “Weather, wind and waves can vary throughout the year, so be sure to have a backup plan.”
Know what the place is really like
Many property managers offer “concierge services” or promise “five-star luxury.” Ensure that you know what that means, what to expect and how quickly to expect it.
Skidmore said that they rented a luxury home in one upscale beachfront community only to find that the place was “pretty shoddy.” She also suggested making sure that the beachfront property meant that you had access directly from the house to the beach, or if there was a pool or hot tub, make sure it was exclusively for your use.
These tips apply whether renting through a property manager or taking a chance with reserving a non-curated property from a general listing website.
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