Home Away From Home

What could be more authentic than staying in a real home instead of a hotel on your next vacation? Imagine getting to know the neighbors and feeling like a local without having to sacrifice luxurious surroundings.

Rental homes are also great for families or groups of friends traveling together who pay considerably less than they would for a flock of hotel rooms while enjoying more space, privacy, and conveniences.

While I’ve previously worried about ending up in unacceptable circumstances (think dump), I believe the chances of that happening have been reduced by popular websites that make it easy to “out” the bad guys.

As I write this, a friend is packing for a trip to the Loire Valley, where he’ll be staying in a private home he’s rented for a week. “Anna,” his landlady-to-be, “has been helping make local arrangements” and he’s looking forward to meeting her in person.

Gary found his French digs through http://www.vrbo.com/, the granddaddy of the private residence rental websites. Vacation Rental by Owner offers 130,000 places to stay worldwide, and – as the name states - travelers deal directly with the owners.

A relative newcomer to this business, http://www.airbnb.com/ offers everything from a spare bedroom in someone’s home in New York to a castle in Yorkshire that rents for $2,000 a night. Payment is made via the website, where renters can post their experiences.

Upscale serviced apartments, primarily catering to business travelers, are available though several sites. One of these is the UK-based http://www.frasershospitality.com/, which operates in 13 countries and claims to offer “impeccable service and the caring touch of an indulgent mother.”

Luxury travelers definitely want to avoid CouchSurfing.com (don’t even think about it) and Craigslist, which has a reputation for misleading rental ads and information.

If you’ve used these or other sites to find a home away from home, will you post a comment and share your experiences?

Thanks – and bon voyage.

The Best Airport Hotels

In addition to spacious quarters, high-thread count linens, and agreeable service, my definition of luxury travel includes the indulgence of not having to start the day at the crack of dawn.

To take the pain out of early-morning departures, I often stay at airport hotels – not the lodgings that advertise themselves as “airport hotels” that are actually a bus ride away, but the honest-to-goodness roll out of bed onto the check-in counter places.

In my experience, The Fairmont Hotel at Vancouver International Airport (www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport) is the best of these. (See photo.) We recently stayed there enroute to King Pacific Lodge (http://www.kingpacificlodge.com/) in northern British Columbia and were really pleased with the rooms and facilities.

For starters, it was just a short walk from baggage claim to the escalator that whisked us up to the attractive lobby and reception area. Our room overlooked the runway, but soundproof windows kept the peace inside.

I didn’t have a chance to enjoy the spa or the fitness center where the indoor pool overlooks the departure level, but our dinner was excellent – especially the mushroom bisque – and the staff were all remarkably pleasant.

Insider tip: be sure to try the bread pudding on the breakfast buffet and the peanut butter cookies with afternoon tea. www.fairmont.com/vancouverairport

A train connects the airport to downtown Vancouver in about 30 minutes (good to know with the Winter Olympics coming up), which reminded me of another save-the-early-wake-up-call lifesaver: The Regal Airport Hotel at Hong Kong International (www.regalhotel.com/Regal-Airport-Hotel/Main/Hotel-Home/Hotel-Home.aspx).

Here, the staff magically greeted us in the beautiful terminal (I hadn’t given them our arrival time) and walked us over the covered airbridge to the hotel. I was surprised to learn that they offer seven dining and drinking venues as well as a health club and indoor and outdoor pools.

It was tempting to avail myself of the spa facilities or take the state-of-the-art train which delivers passengers to Central HK in 23 minutes, but instead we opted to visit nearby Hong Kong Disneyland. Only 10 minutes from the hotel, this turned out to be a “mini-Mickey” with limited shows and rides – but fun just the same.

The Fairmont and The Regal aren’t the only great airport hotels.

Others you may want to consider include:

• the Sofitel Hotel at London’s Heathrow Airport (http://www.sofitel.com/gb/hotel-6214-sofitel-london-heathrow/index.shtml)


• the Kempinski Hotel at Munich Airport
  (http://www.kempinski-airport.de/en/home/index.htm)


• the Hilton Hotel at Melbourne Airport (http://www.melbourne-airport.hilton.com/)


• the Grand Hyatt Hotel at Dallas-Fort Worth (http://www.granddfw.hyatt.com/)


• the Crowne Plaza at Changi Airport, Singapore (http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/)


• the Pan Pacific Hotel at Kuala Lumpur International in Malaysia (http://www.panpacific.com/KLairport).
  

These accommodations offer welcome convenience to luxury travelers who choose to enjoy their journeys rather than rush and worry about missing flights.

If you have experienced other airport hotels, I encourage you to post a comment below.

Thank you.