Want a condo rental - HELP!!!

We are planning a get away in mid November to Hilton Head - want to rent a condo - have never done this before - where to I start - there are so many on the internet - but having never been there - how does one decide - so I am looking to you - Help - give me some websites or recommendations - PLEASE!!! I am grateful!

Want a condo rental - HELP!!!

for a start look at the STICKY ';Plantations'; on the top of the forum. It describes each of our resorts in some detail. You can then decide which resort most appeals to you.

You can then contact either a local rental company or look at the rental by owner internet sites.

For a first time renter, most times you are better off using a local rental company. Some of them rate their units by quality, while with the owner sites it%26#39;s Caveat Emptor.

The rental companies may cost a little more, but the quality of service may be worth the price. Some you can check are www.vacationcompany.com, www.islandgetaway.com, or www.resortquest.com

If you want to use an online owner internet site, then the two largest are www.homeaway.com or www.vrbo.com. homeaway uses several additional URL%26#39;s, but the listings are all the same.

The problem as i see it is the hyperbole of some of these listings. some of these units are not as well kept as those handled by the rental companies. So you need to investigate and have a conversation with the owner. Also ask for recent photographs.

Stan (hhiguy)

Want a condo rental - HELP!!!

Do NOT rent at SeaScape Villas. We are here right now on vacation and the place is old and very dirty-- including roaches. Rented with Hilton Head Rentals and Golf. I will never come back to this place

Mid of November isn%26#39;t too busy on HHI. So I would recommend to

1. read the sticky ';Plantations'; and any other information available

2. roughly decide where you want to go (or rather NOT)

3. look up which rental companies have the best inventory in that area, but make no reservations

5. when on HHI go to some of these companies and ask what%26#39;s available (should be plenty)

6. get keys and a map (or someone to accompany you) and check the units yourself.

We always do it this way. Many rentals on HHI are older and/or rather shady (which is nice in the summer but probably not in November), so you may want to check that out. Don%26#39;t trust what somebody tells you (beautiful and clean *yeah*) or what you see on a photo.

I personally love Sea Pines. Aside from its great beach it has two harbors and an interesting forest with boardwalks and plenty of wildlife information, just to name a few.

Hope you%26#39;ll have a good time. The island is beautiful.

oops, deleted #4 and forget to adjust the rest ...

Btw - we often rented through Island Getaway (www.islandgetaway.com). Never happened that we told them what we were looking for and they came up with something completely different. They were always very knowledgeable. Haven%26#39;t been there since several years, tho, so I don%26#39;t know the quality of the staff today.

If you rent with VRBO ask the owner if they have anyone locally servicing the home or condo. We rented a home through VRBO and the owner had a man check up on us all week to see if there were any problems. it was wonderful! When the pool wasn%26#39;t working he came over and so on...

We just got back from HHI %26amp; stayed at Seascape. The condo was nice %26amp; clean with no problems (other than the rain!). It is rented through Hilton Head Rentals %26amp; Golf as well. We will stay there again. I have had bad ones in Forest Beach %26amp; in Palmetto Dunes. If you get a bad one, make sure to let the rental company know asap. We have had them move us in the past because the condo was unacceptable. They also need to now so they can hopefully get the bad ones cleaned up.

I too rented from Hilton Head Rentals and Golf and got an excellent vacation home. The staff was very helpful with golf and restaurant recommendations. If you have problems with any home/condo rental you should always contact the management company. I%26#39;m sure they would help with any problems. Anyway, on my next visit I will use Hilton Head Rentals and Golf, Tom and Nancy are very accommodating.

Thanks for the helpful hints on reputable rental companies. We will look into the better rental companies mentioned and use them for our next visit. We have had a great time on the island this week once we killed the bugs in our condo and the moods perked up. We love this island and would love to own a property here.