You'll find the greatest concentration of units in New England, followed by Florida, Colorado and Hawaii. This new on-line booking service features around 15,000 privately owned rental houses and condominiums in resort areas of Hawaii, the West Coast, Arizona, Colorado, Montana, Utah and the East Coast. A search engine lets renters look for possibilities by destination, amenities and 10 types of vacation activities, from skiing to snorkeling. Most accommodations include floor plans, plus interior and exterior photos. Some, but not all, can be booked directly through VacationSpot, whose listings are particularly extensive in Mexico, Hawaii, Orlando and the Caribbean.
Travelers can search by region, style or keyword.
A millennium section spotlights several Y2K rental possibilities, along with a caveat that prices could be up to four times higher than normal holiday rates by September. Sponsored by about 350 property management firms who in turn represent more than 100,000 houses, townhouses, villas and condos in the USA, Mexico's Baja peninsula and British Columbia, Canada, this site emphasizes luxury properties. New Mexico, by contrast, includes just one agency, with neither a Web site link nor e-mail contact information. All units are booked directly through owners. Web Watch appears the third Friday of every month.