Explore the top 10 vacation rental websites for an unforgettable stay

While hotels are convenient, holiday homes and other short-term rentals provide a more unique travel experience.

Rooms at the Hilton in New York and Rome look the same, but a condo in Brooklyn would be very different from a cottage in Rome. Holiday homes also often offer more space and amenities. 

But booking a vacation rental is not without its challenges, and the risk factors associated with scam listings, damaged property, and host cancellations are a lot higher.

In this guide, we compare the top 10 vacation rental sites — including features, cancellation policies, and various pros and cons — so you can pick the perfect stay for your next vacation without stress. 

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1. Airbnb

💡 Ideal for: Booking entire homes (for large families) or long-term rentals (for digital nomads)

Airbnb is one of the first vacation rental sites that allowed homeowners to list their properties for rent. You can find your perfect stay on Airbnb, whether that’s a budget-friendly shared room in the city center, a large villa by the sea, or a cottage in the woods. 

Airbnb operates internationally and has flexible cancellation policies that suit both hosts and guests. There’s also a feature that allows you to filter hosts based on the ‘experiences’ they offer — so you can curate a personalized travel experience. 

Besides holiday homes, you can also book an experience on Airbnb, so make sure to check what kind of experiences are offered at your destination so you can consider it when you make your travel itinerary.

Pros

• There are millions of listings catering to all budgets and preferences.
• You can connect with local hosts and immerse yourself in the culture.
• You can go beyond the typical tourist trails and find yourself unique, out-of-the-way properties.

Cons

• There are chances of spam listings.
• Between Airbnb’s service fees, the host’s cleaning fees, and local taxes, Airbnbs can get as expensive as regular hotels.
• Sometimes, the host cancels at the last minute.

2. Vrbo

💡 Ideal for: Renting entire houses and large properties.

Unlike Airbnb, Vrbo (vacation rentals by owner) is an online marketplace that only allows homeowners to list entire properties (not just part of the house).

And unlike hotels, you can book your stay immediately. In most cases, you’ll need to send a request to the owner, and they’ll have to approve your stay. 

You can filter properties by house type — castle, cottage, bungalow, and more — and nearby activities. Cancellation policies vary by property.

Pros

• Properties are fully furnished with all amenities, making them great for extended vacations.
• Guests can get a ‘verified identity’ badge to prove their trustworthiness and increase the host’s chances of accepting their requests.

Cons

• Not suitable for solo travelers and small groups.
• The daily rates are higher as most properties are huge.
• There are limited listings — and not many city apartments or urban spaces to rent.

3. HomeToGo

💡 Ideal for: Comparing property costs in various rental sites

HomeToGo is the accommodation version of Skyscanner. This search engine centralizes vacation rentals from all over the web so you can explore multiple listings at the same time. 

There are plenty of filters to narrow down your choices, and even an option to toggle prices to show the cost per day versus the total trip cost, making it easy to budget and plan your getaway.

Pros

• Shows pricing upfront — no hidden fees.
• Has a flexible search option that allows you to view listings by simply adding the month you want to rent (like for a two-week vacation in July) rather than the exact dates. 

Cons

• It only lists properties from third-party sites, so you’re still dependent on their fee and policy structures.

4. TripAdvisor

💡 Ideal for: Booking hotels and vacation rentals in top cities worldwide.

TripAdvisor is a travel planning platform that includes a hotel booking and vacation rental website. Its AI assistant allows you to describe your desired stay — like “a luxury apartment in Trastevere, Rome” —  and generates a curated list of suitable options.

It’s also one of few platforms that allows you to book cruises in all parts of the world — from the Bahamas to Budapest and more. Which could be a great option if you’re thinking of going on a trip in November.

Pros

• The listings have genuine independent reviews (their fraud detection system removes fake or malicious ones), so you can make an informed choice — no hidden surprises.
• They provide a full refund if the property is not as promised or the guest can’t access it on arrival.

Cons

• Some travelers have mentioned that getting hold of their customer support team is difficult.
• There is a potential for scam listings when it comes to vacation rentals. 

5. Booking.com

💡 Ideal for: Getting good deals on hotels

Booking.com is one of the top vacation rental sites. It offers various properties, from apartments and villas to hotels and resorts.

The site is mainly known for its competitive pricing and clean, user-friendly website and mobile app. 

In addition to hotels, you can book flights and taxis, and sometimes free airport transfers are included. The company’s Genius loyalty program offers perks like room upgrades and complimentary breakfast.

Pros

• Booking.com doesn’t charge a service fee.
• Many properties provide free cancellation and require no pre-payment.

Cons

• There have been incidents where hotels canceled bookings to relist them at higher prices during peak season.
• There aren’t many unique rentals like Airbnb or Vrbo.

6. Expedia

💡 Ideal for: Frequent travelers seeking deals and discounts.

Expedia is one of the top 10 vacation rental websites with over 900,000 vacation rentals listed with detailed descriptions, reviews, and non-staged property photographs.

However, only hotels are booked directly through Expedia. For vacation rentals, you’ll be directed to Vrbo. 

A package feature allows you to book your flights and accommodation in one go, simplifying planning and offering additional savings. A map and filters will enable you to browse listings in a particular area.

Pros

• They run frequent promotional offers.
• They allow you to pay smaller amounts of your total trip cost over time with Affirm (a service for short-term loans on online purchases).

Cons

• While it has flexible cancellation policies, read the fine print, as some can be confusing.
• Additional service fees or deposits may apply for some properties and will be displayed at checkout, not on the listings page.

7. FlipKey 

💡 Ideal for: Those who want destination guidance while booking vacation rentals.

Another of the best vacation rental sites is FlipKey (acquired by TripAdvisor), which lists only vacation rental properties (no hotels).

It comes with all of TripAdvisor’s advantages — payment protection, user reviews, and more. Also, if you cancel your booking before 60 days, you’re eligible for a full refund, irrespective of the property’s cancellation policy.

Pros

• Each property has a note from the host on what level of interaction they can expect. 
• There’s a map that highlights the attractions and restaurants near your stay.

Cons

• FlipKey charges a booking fee ranging from 8% to 16% of the total booking value (excluding taxes).

8. Atraveo

💡 Ideal for: Renting individual holiday homes in Europe

Atraveo is one of Europe’s​​ best vacation home rental sites, with over 300,000 holiday homes and apartment listings.

You can also filter properties by distance to water and distance to the city center so you can find stays that suit your interests — like beach vacations or sightseeing.

Pros

• They allow only verified customer reviews, so it’s more authentic.
• The booking process is one of the most secure — the renter pays Attraveo, and the latter settles with the host, reducing the risk of scam properties.

Cons

• There are limited filters. For example, you can’t filter by neighborhood.

9. Tripping

💡 Ideal for: Researching multiple properties from different sites.

Tripping is another best vacation rental site for consolidating listings from multiple directories. And though it’s been acquired by HomeToGo, the results aren’t always the same, so you can use both when researching stays.

You can create a wishlist of properties for future travel, like researching stays in different destinations for a family trip in December, to align your booking with your budget.

Pros

• It aggregates over 10 million listings from various vacation rental sites.
• It shows hostels, hotels, and holiday homes, making it a great option for budget travelers.

Cons

• Limited filter options are available, especially for amenities and neighborhoods.
• Sometimes the prices on Tripping don’t match the price of the original vacation rental site.

10. Plum Guide

💡 Ideal for: Picking the best vacation rentals

Unlike the other vacation rental sites mentioned so far, Plum Guide takes a different approach. It prioritizes quality over quantity — you won’t find hundreds of thousands of listings. But every vacation rental property listed will be top-tier.

So if you’re looking to book something special for your vacation in August to, say, Ibiza in Spain, you might find something here.

They are also very people-centric in their approach. Real humans vet each property, and if a host cancels more than 48 hours after booking, Plum Guide will find you a comparable property, even if it’s up to 25% more expensive, and cover the difference.

For cancellations within five days of check-in, they will cover up to 50% of the cost difference.

Pros

• It handpicks the world’s best vacation rentals from over 25 different sites.
• It evaluates houses and hosts on 10 criteria and only then lists them on its website.

Cons

• It’s only available in around 60 destinations at the moment.
• A one-time fee of around $400 USD will be deducted from the payout of your first booking.

How to stay connected while on vacation

Now that we’ve seen which vacation rental site is best for different types of travelers, here are some final tips — particularly about staying connected with your hosts.

Unlike hotels, there’ll be a lot of direct contact with property owners during vacations, so find out the best ways to contact them.

Some hosts prefer interacting directly from the vacation rental site’s website, while others prefer email and WhatsApp.

Some even require you to call them on arrival so they can open the gates remotely — so ask them about that as well. 

This also means you’ll need reliable mobile internet — to contact hosts, talk to family back home, and even contact your rental site’s customer support team in case of issues. For this, we recommend getting an eSIM. 

Top eSIM providers like Holafly offer​​ coverage in over 200 destinations worldwide. Affordable plans with unlimited data start at $6.90 per day, and the cost decreases further for longer trips.

Purchase a Holafly eSIM and enjoy fast internet all over the world from the minute you land. Or, if you’re settling down for longer than a few weeks, consider Holafly Connect.

Sign up for the monthly subscription service and stay connected as you work and travel for longer periods of time or across multiple destinations.

Holafly Connect is available in three plans – including an unlimited data plan with unlimited hotspot – meaning you’ll never have to think about data on the move again!

An app that gives back

Get 5% cashback for another trip when you buy through the Holafly app.

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Based in Mumbai, Sharan Kaur Phillora has 6+ years of experience in the B2B writing industry. She has written for brands like Pocket52, Nexweave, Maze, NaNLABS, and Userpilot. When she's not working, Sharan can be found immersed in murder mystery novels or exploring Mumbai's streets on her bicycle in search of the perfect slice of pizza.

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