The Best Vacation Rental Sites for Travelers

To help you sift through the options, I tested more than a dozen top vacation rental sites to determine which ones offer the best combination of plentiful inventory, useful filters, informative listings, and fair prices, without excessive hidden fees. I discovered that there's no single best vacation home rental site, but instead that each one has its pros and cons, suited to different types of travelers.

For example, some of the top vacation rental websites are better if you're open to both hotels and rentals. In contrast, others are more specialized to suit those who already know they want a vacation home, rental apartment, or private room in someone else's space. Some vacation rental sites make it easier than others to browse properties on a map or to contact the owner of a property to ask questions before your stay.

The name of this site is almost synonymous with short-term rentals these days, and its reputation as one of the best vacation rental sites is well-deserved. Airbnb offers an abundance of listings in the most popular travel destinations, and its site is cleanly designed and easy to use. A prominent map of properties accessible from the main listing page allows you to browse by location quickly. The main listings page offers useful filters right off the bat, including the number of bedrooms and bathrooms, price, key amenities, and type of accommodation—such as "entire apartment" or "private room in house." You can also scroll through a listing's photos right on the initial results page.

Once you click into a given listing, there's more than enough information to help you decide whether to book, including house rules, bed configurations, cancellation policies, amenities, reviews from past guests, and a full price breakdown (which typically includes things like a cleaning fee and Airbnb's own service fee). You can also contact the property's host through the platform if you have any questions before booking. Airbnb now displays the total price (before taxes) in search results by default, making it easier to see the full cost upfront.

Best feature: The site makes it easier to sort through hundreds of properties by identifying Superhosts ("experienced, highly rated hosts who are committed to providing great stays for guests"). Because standards can vary so widely from one vacation rental to another, choosing properties with this designation can help travelers feel more confident in their selection.

Cancellation Policy: Airbnb offers several cancellation policies for property managers to choose from. They include:

• Flexible: Cancel up to 24 hours before check-in for a 100% refund
• Moderate: Cancel up to 5 days before check-in for a 100% refund
• Firm: Cancel up to 30 days before check-in for a 100% refund; cancel between 30 and 7 days before check-in for a 50% refund
• Strict: Cancel within 48 hours of booking and more than 14 days before check-in for a 100% refund; cancel after 48 hours and more than 14 days before check-in for a 50% refund; cancel between 7 and 14 days before check-in for a 50% refund

Airbnb offers similar cancellation policies for long-term rentals (28+ days) that can be found here.

Booking.com lists just about every type of accommodation imaginable, from hotels and B&Bs to vacation rentals and apartments. This is a perk for travelers open to a variety of lodging options, while those who know they want a vacation rental will have to take the extra step of filtering out extraneous search results. (That's easily done via a "Homes and Apartments First" dropdown option at the top of the results page or searching by property type.)

Property listings provide a wealth of information, including amenities, guest reviews, house rules, and the option to contact the host directly through the site. The site clearly labels whether your booking is nonrefundable or if you can cancel without penalty up to a specific date. (In some cases, you'll pay less if you're willing to make a nonrefundable booking.)

Be aware of potential extra fees, which can be substantial depending on the property. For example, one property's listed price was a seemingly affordable $689 for seven nights in the Outer Banks—but when I clicked "book," the site added a 12.75 percent tax, $63.11 tourism fee, $105 resort fee, $130 cleaning fee, and $260 property service charge, taking my total charges to $1,406—more than double the original quoted price. However, none of these were Booking.com's fees; unlike Airbnb, Booking.com does not charge guests a service fee.

One annoyance: The site sometimes clutters up the search results page with sold-out properties, complete with a little "You missed it!" message. These are likely intended to create a sense of booking urgency, but many travelers will find it irritating to see options that aren't actually available.

Best Feature: The sheer breadth of offerings on Booking.com means you're almost guaranteed to find something suitable, even if it doesn't end up being a vacation rental.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies on Booking.com are dependent on the specific partner or property. Please pay close attention to the policy when booking, or check the property’s website (if applicable) for additional information.

Like Booking.com, Expedia offers a variety of accommodation types, but it has a dedicated vacation rental search page, allowing you to skip the filtering step. The site offers a good selection of results; however, for specific searches, I received some listings that didn't appear to be vacation rentals (e.g., TownePlace Suites by Marriott, Outer Banks Motel).

Expedia also features a map to browse through listings in an area, which can be toggled on and off from the results page. Filters are also available while in map mode, so you can set your preferences without going back to the results listings.

Once you click into a listing, you'll find photos, amenities, policies, reviews, and a list of nearby attractions. However, there is no way to contact the owner of a given property. The total price is not visible until you click "reserve," at which point you'll see an additional amount listed vaguely as "taxes and fees," with no detailed breakdown. On many properties, the site notes that you can save on the booking if you log in as an Expedia member.

Best Feature: The site has useful filters, such as "Business friendly," to help you find properties with Wi-Fi and breakfast, and "Family friendly," for listings that have "in-room conveniences and activities for the kids."

Cancellation Policy: Vacation rental cancellations are subject to specific property policies and must be canceled directly with the property host through the itinerary page in your Expedia account. Expedia allows travelers to filter search results by “fully refundable property” so guests can book with greater peace of mind.

The prime advantage of HomeToGo is that it's a hybrid marketplace, which means that you can book onsite or search through deals from many of the best vacation rental sites (including most of the others on this list) with one click. Persistent pop-ups and offers to sign in with Google or Facebook can be annoying, but once you've cleared them away, you can view numerous properties, displayed in a clean listing format or on a map. Each listing features photos that you can scroll through, as well as user ratings, the type of lodging, and where you can book the property (such as Airbnb, Hotels.com, Vrbo, or directly on HomeToGo).

One handy feature: You can toggle the price filter to show you either the nightly rate or the total cost of your stay, and then adjust your price range accordingly. Other filters include accommodation types (including an "instant booking" option), location, user rating, and amenities.

In most cases, when you click "View Deal," you'll be taken to the site where the property was originally listed. However, there are occasional properties where you will be directed to a HomeToGo listing page and fill out a booking request, which will then be fulfilled through one of the site's partners.

I occasionally found that when I clicked on a deal (particularly on Airbnb), I was not taken directly to the property I was interested in, but rather to a list of other rentals in my destination. Unfortunately, travelers will be familiar with this from other meta-search sites; sometimes a given deal is simply no longer available. I also sometimes discovered that the price on HomeToGo didn't match what was advertised on the original listing site.

Best Feature: Despite the occasional pricing glitches, this site is the closest thing the vacation rental industry has to a one-stop shop, as it lists inventory from hundreds of other short-term rental websites.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies vary by property and can be found in the “Terms and Conditions” section of the property details page.

Like Booking.com, Hotels.com offers a wide range of accommodation options, so travelers who know they want a vacation rental must use the "Property Type" filter on the search results page to exclude hotels, hostels, and other options. I appreciated the honesty of the note at the top of the page: "How much we get paid influences your sort order." That said, you can sort your results by star rating, distance from a given landmark, guest rating, and price, and refine the list with a variety of other filters.

There is a map view available, though I didn't find it very useful; it shows properties that don't meet your criteria by default, and by the time you screen those out, you're often left with just a few options (even if the site is showing hundreds of listings on the main results page).

The list view of results is more effective, displaying both the nightly rate and the total price for your stay, as well as guest ratings and location information. Note that you may need to weed through occasional "fully booked!" listings.

Once you click into an individual listing, you can see amenities, policies, photos, guest reviews, and a list of attractions within walking distance. One drawback is that there is no direct way to contact the owner or property manager. While a phone number is provided for "more info" about the listing, it does not put you in direct contact with the owner, but instead directs you to a general Hotels.com corporate phone number. Taxes and fees aren't visible until you click the "Let's book" button, and there's no detailed breakdown of where your money is going.

Best Feature: Many vacation rental bookings are eligible for OneKeyCash (formerly Hotels.com Rewards), so you can count your stay toward a future free night at either a hotel or a rental.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellations are subject to individual property policies and guests who wish to cancel a reservation must contact the property owner through the itinerary page in their Hotels.com account. Like Expedia, Hotels.com offers a “fully refundable property” search filter, allowing guests to weed out stricter policies at the start of the booking process.

Although it's best known for hotel reviews, Tripadvisor also offers vacation rentals, thanks to its acquisitions of FlipKey and HolidayLettings. (The sites share inventory, so searching Tripadvisor will turn up properties from the other two sites.) There are plenty of listings, which you can filter by price, number of bedrooms/bathrooms, distance from a landmark, and many other factors. The site also allows you to change the order of your results based on traveler reviews and the number of reviews, leveraging its extensive base of user-generated content.

The site features a mix of properties, some of which can be paid for online, while others require direct arrangements with the owner. (The former is generally preferable, as paying with a credit card is the safest way to go—and you'll be backed by Tripadvisor's Payment Protection guarantee.)

I found that photo quality can vary widely from one listing to another on Tripadvisor, whereas other vacation rental sites tend to have more consistently high-quality images. Otherwise, Tripadvisor's listings are generally informative, featuring traveler reviews, house rules, and an owner's profile. Prices and fees are spelled out.

Best Feature: The price on the listing results page is the final price you'll pay, including most taxes and fees—rather than the base rate, which is what most vacation rental sites list. Tripadvisor also lists both the nightly rate and the total cost.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies are not clearly stated on this site as they are on some others. There is an option to send a message to the owner through the site. Tripadvisor also gives property owners the option to waive their policy and offer a refund to guests who cancel their stay. If your trip is disrupted by unforeseen circumstances, please inform your hosts of your situation.

At Vrbo, you can browse by property type, from condos to cabins, through their catalogue of over 2 million vacation rentals. If you have an idea of the type of trip you'd like to take but aren't attached to a destination, you can check out their curated lists of properties by vacation type and nearby activities. The search results are displayed alongside a convenient interactive map, showing how far your rental is from your target destination. While this is a great visual, if you move the map even slightly, the site will recalibrate your search to show you new properties, which can be a nuisance.

The search results display the number of bedrooms and bathrooms at a glance for each property, along with both the nightly price and total price of the stay for the selected dates. Click into a result to see an in-depth and easily navigable description of policies and amenities, along with star ratings and traveler reviews.

Best Feature: Vrbo highlights Premier Partners that offer great guest service. The Premier Host program is invite-only, designed to ensure guests of a track record of success of its members. The program requires that all properties managed by members have an average rating of at least 4.6 stars, a booking acceptance of at least 99%, an owner-initiated cancellation rate of less than 1%, at least 5 Vrbo reviews, and at least 5 bookings or 60 booked nights.

Cancellation Policy: Property managers can choose from a list of pre-drafted cancellation policies provided by Vrbo, which include:

• A no-refund policy
• Strict: 100% refund if canceled more than 60 days before check-in
• Firm: 100% refund if canceled more than 60 days before check-in; 50% refund if canceled between 30-60 days before check-in
• Moderate: 100% refund if canceled 30 days before check-in; 50% refund if canceled between 14-30 days before check-in
• Relaxed: 100% refund if canceled 14 days before check-in; 50% refund if canceled between 7-14 days before check-in
• Property owners are also permitted to create custom cancellation policies. Please review the property page carefully before booking.

Aimed at taking the hit-or-miss guesswork out of vacation home rentals, Plum Guide has dedicated itself to what it refers to as “the science behind the perfect stay.” This site is highly selective in its properties, with only 3 percent of homes at any given destination passing its 150 criteria Plum Test conducted by their seasoned Home Critics.

With a real person team of Plum Experts available seven days a week to assist with any questions and an easy-to-navigate, highly visual website, the Plum Guide’s people-centric approach to booking will make your vacation rental experience easy and pleasant.

Best Feature: Plum Guide’s best feature by far is its selective criteria. You can be sure you’re getting what you see online. While this can be a blessing if you want the peace of mind that comes with knowing your accommodation has been given a professional seal of approval, it may restrict your options if your travel dates don’t allow for flexibility.

Cancellation Policy: Plum Guide offers a wide range of cancellation policies, with seven options available. These options range from SuperFirm60, which provides a 50% refund for cancellations made 60 or more days prior to check-in, to Premium Relaxed, which offers a full refund for cancellations made up to 24 hours before check-in. See their full list of options here.

Focused on eliminating unnecessary steps in the rental process, Sonder is a streamlined way to book your next vacation rental. Guests can check in, make requests, and ask for recommendations all through their phones. The site’s layout is straightforward to navigate—the search results are clean and simple, populating next to an interactive map that displays the rental's approximate location. Key amenities, such as in-unit laundry, parking, and access to fitness equipment, are highlighted directly on the search results page, allowing travelers to compare them at a glance without needing to click into the details of each property.

The streamlined design carries into the details pages, with clearly marked amenities for each property and information on parking, accessibility, and house rules readily available. The pages feature a brief description of the surrounding neighborhood, and there's an easily accessible phone and email contact for any further questions about each property.

Best Feature: Sonder's totally contact-free process is perfect for travelers who want flexibility during check-in and to have all their communications with their host neatly handled by a dedicated system.

Cancellation Policy: Guests can select their cancellation policy at the time of booking. Choose between the Economy Rate, which offers lower nightly costs but is non-refundable, or the Flex Rate, which is more expensive but allows for a full refund up to three days before check-in.

If you want the quality assurance of a big hotel brand without the big hotel feel, then Marriott Homes & Villas may be the right site for you. All accommodations come with 24/7 guest support, kitchen essentials, in-unit washer, bathroom amenities (including shampoo and soap), Wi-Fi, linens and towels, and a television.

The site features the same easy-to-use interface you expect from Marriott. The search function enables you to filter by destination, with travel dates as optional criteria to narrow your search. This is great for those early in their trip planning process or travelers who like to let deals dictate their itinerary. No destination in mind? You can click the “near me” option to see what weekend getaways are available right down the road. Properties on this site typically have upward of 30 photos in their galleries, so you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re booking.

Best Feature: Marriott Homes & Villas ties into the larger Marriott Bonvoy rewards program. You can earn points when booking or redeeming existing points on a vacation rental. Just set the results to "Show in Bonvoy Points" in the Filter & Sort menu to see how many points a booking costs.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies vary by property, so please review the policy outlined in your reservation. Marriott Homes & Villas' 14-day policy outlines the refund travelers can generally expect to receive depending on the time of cancellation. Reservations made 10 days or less before arrival or booked 11 to 14 days before arrival but canceled after a 48-hour window has elapsed will not be refunded.

Agoda allows you to book both hotels and vacation rentals through its online services. With over 5 million hotels and rentals available, booking through Agoda can seem overwhelming at first glance (my cursory search for a week in January in Kuala Lumpur returned just shy of 6,900 results).

Luckily, Agoda allows you to refine its catalogue with highly specific search criteria. Travelers can filter by the typical destination, trip dates, and number of guests, but they can further narrow their search through options such as

• Deals and discounts
• Number of stars
• Payment options
• Guest rating
• Specific amenities
• Property type
• Proximity to local attractions

This is great for whittling down your options as well as sparking some inspiration for how to fill your days at your destination.

Best Feature: Agoda will match any competing online price for their properties or refund the difference (in AgodaCash credited to your account). Once you know where you want to stay, conduct your comparison research to ensure you’re getting the best deal.

Cancellation Policy: Cancellation policies for each property are outlined on the details page under the Payment & Cancellation section. During the search, you can filter by properties that offer free cancellation.

If a break from your hectic day-to-day is calling your name, there’s no better option than Getaway. Getaway makes it its mission to give people the “time, space, and permission to be off.” Their thirty Outpost locations—focused mainly in the eastern and central parts of the country, with a few options on the West Coast—are comprised of minimalist cabins that range from approximately 140 to 200 square feet. The mini-kitchens at these properties provide only the bare necessities. Still, you can supplement your supply by opting for a $35 Sustenance Box, which includes some nonperishable meal and snack options. Other camping essentials, such as insect wipes and log bundles, are also available for purchase.

Each cabin has a fire pit, grill grate, and picnic table. The neighbors are close enough to be seen but far enough away that everyone has their own outdoor space to enjoy. Check-in starts at 3 pm with a personalized entry code sent to your phone, so you may not see another soul your entire trip. The trade-off for some time in the great outdoors is that cell phone service may be spotty or unavailable. However, there is a landline for emergencies and to contact the Getaway team. There’s also no Wi-Fi (and “never will be,” according to their FAQ), so be sure to download those Spotify playlists before the trip.

Best Feature: If you’re looking for the feeling of an off-the-grid escape but aren't truly ready to pitch a tent in the middle of the wilderness, this is the right rental experience for you.

Cancellation Policy: Bookings must be canceled at least 15 days prior to check-in to be eligible for a refund.

What vacation rental site is right for me?

The best vacation rental website for you will depend on your trip's goals. Travelers looking for a chic city apartment near the best nightlife spots won't have much luck on Getaway, while those just searching for the cheapest nightly rate may not need the extra vetting provided by Plum Guide. Determine your priorities—easy access to a nearby nature hike, in a family-friendly neighborhood, by the best restaurants—and let them guide which sites you book through.

Is a hotel or vacation rental better?

Hotels and vacation rentals both offer features that cater to different travel styles. Those who want the convenience of housekeeping, concierge service, and on-site amenities like dining and fitness centers may prefer the all-in-one feel of a larger hotel. Travelers who value privacy, want to experience life in a local neighborhood, or are traveling with larger parties may do better with a rental. Discover your travel style and determine the ideal accommodation for your trip with our comprehensive hotel versus vacation rental guide.

What is the cheapest vacation rental site?

Sites that offer points-eligible bookings, such as Marriott Homes & Villas, will be the most cost-effective option for rewards members. Metasearch sites and OTAs like Booking.com and Expedia have a larger inventory with more chances to turn up a bargain. However, there is no single cheapest vacation rental site. Each option on the list will surface great deals—it's all a matter of filtering and refining search results.

What is the best website for beach rentals?

Year after year, beach vacations remain one of the most popular types of getaways. Options for beach rentals will populate across all sites on this list (with Getaway being a notable exception). Larger sites, such as Booking.com, Hotels.com, Tripadvisor, Tripping, and HomeToGo, make it easy to compare deals on beach rentals from across the web. However, if you have a specific destination in mind, it's worth comparing prices at some of the smaller sites. There may be a hidden gem within the results.