Cottage rental 101

Petula Brown

Embraced by hypnotizing steam from our four-person hot tub, my husband and I sipped chilled champagne to celebrate our wedding anniversary in North Carolina's Outer Banks. Blanketed by tingling bubbles as we gazed at the star-speckled midnight sky, only the most astute observer would know we're the parents of a toddler -- by noticing the baby monitor placed within eyeshot of our romantic interlude.

Such experiences explain not only the laid back appeal of the Outer Banks, but the benefits of cottage rentals as a family accommodation option. Most accommodations within the barrier island community 90 minutes south of the Norfolk Airport are cottages that are single-family homes rather than hotels. Sleeping upwards of 20 people and often including various amenities, cottage rentals can be a family-friendly alternative to the typical hotel/motel options.

For our family getaway, the two-story, four-bedroom cottage in the Northern Outer Banks community of Corolla was ideally suited to our three-person entourage. The nautical-themed interior complemented the views of lively ocean waves from the upper level. A private pool and hot tub were steps away from the house, so my husband and I could have couple time and, with baby monitor in tow, keep tabs on our little one. Our toddler got ample use of the cottage's high chair and crib. The kitchen was stocked with utensils that my spouse could use to make his signature dishes.

Creating a cottage rental paradise (kids included) in any locale is a manageable feat by taking care of business before as well as during the your vacation. Key steps include:

Identify rental must-have before looking at brochures -- We knew that an oceanfront property with linens and infant supplies (crib, etc.) were most important to us. Once we received dozens of brochures from agencies, it was much easier to narrow the playing field.

Investigate the host communities -- Know ahead of time if a locale caters to families. Quinn Capps of the Outer Banks Convention and Visitor's Bureau comments that facilities with a variety of amenities can appeal to a range of taste. One of the area's more family friendly cottage communities has "a golf course, club house, tennis courts and pool. During the summer season there are children's programs planned all the time at the clubhouse and pool. They also have a shuttle that will come and pick you up at your cottage and take you over to the club house, where the pool and tennis courts are, as well as the beach and there is no charge for the service."

Check if agencies participate in promotional activities -- By crosschecking rental agencies with tourism bureau promotional materials (visitor discount cards/coupons) as well as national programs (AAA, AARP, etc.) you may be able to snag additional savings.

Review contract details of the top two or three options -- As suggested by Ontario-based www.cottagesontheweb.com, "come to an agreement with the owner regarding liability of goods" that might be damaged during the course of your visit. When dealing with agencies, a contract's policies on damages (and willingness to negotiate) could vary between agencies.

Do a walkthrough as soon as possible after arrival -- Check and note the conditions of the property upon arrival. Any existing stains? Chipped fixtures? Pay particular attention to security issues. Monica Thibodeau, owner and manager of the Carolina Designs Realty in the Outer Banks suggest parents use due diligence by "checking for big intersections and that pool amenities are completely and securely fenced in."

Review the cottage guestbook -- If a guestbook is available, don't wait until the end of the stay to crack it open to share your comments -- learn from the experiences of others. During a casual skim of our cottage's guestbook our first evening, we discovered that multiple guests suffered from green hair after a dip in the pool. After a call to the agency the next day, the loop received an extra cleaning, which gave us the confidence to wade to our hearts' content!

If you go:
Finding cottage options -- The Vacation Rentals Manager's Association (www.vrma.com) is a great place to start investigating options no matter where you choose to vacation.

Getting to the Outer Banks -- Major airlines service the Norfolk International Airport, just under 85 miles north of the Outer Banks. From Norfolk, car rentals and charter flights (www.flyseaair.com, www.dillonsaviation.com) are available to reach the Outer Banks. For More Information, contact the Outer Banks Visitors Bureau, (877) OBX-4FUN.

Get Packing: Add houseboat to your options for a vacation

April 24, 2005

By Ed Perkins
Tribune Media Services

Travelers considering a vacation rental this summer might want to add a houseboat to their list of options. Available at a surprisingly large number of the nation's lakes and rivers, houseboats provide many of the same advantages as landlocked rentals - along with unmatched access to whatever water recreation activities appeal to you. Prices, too, are comparable to what you'd pay for a condo or cottage.

Think of a houseboat as a recreation vehicle or mobile home mounted on pontoons or a hull.

Typically, you get sleeping facilities for two to 20 people, a functional kitchen, at least one full bath with shower, air conditioning, and a deck where you can bask in the sun, sit in the shade, or fire up the barbecue.

Some provide one or more private bedrooms; others feature convertible sofas. Some marinas that rent houseboats offer small cabin cruisers as alternatives for one or two couples.

Houseboats are mobile, typically powered by a good-sized outboard or inboard engine. At an average speed of less than 10 knots, you won't win any races in a houseboat, but you can get away for some privacy in a cove or uninhabited stretch of river. And you can always dock, get your car, and drive off for local sightseeing or to stock up on supplies at a nearby market.

Rates are comparable to what you'd spend for a land-based accommodation, starting at about $1,000 a week for a small unit, to $3,000-$5,000 for a deluxe unit sleeping up to 20. At most places, you can also rent for weekends or shorter midweek periods.

Accommodation space on houseboats is distinctly tighter than you'd find in most land rentals, however. And, at least as far as I can see, those ``sleeps'' number claims are even more exaggerated than those for land rentals. As with vacation rentals, rates are highly seasonal, with the best deals in the early spring and late fall ``shoulder'' seasons. And, as with many land rentals, you'll find the best per-person prices if you form a group to rent a large unit, rather than decide to go as just a couple.

Arranging a rental is easy. One way to start is with a Web site that lists houseboat rentals around the world.

The most comprehensive I've found is www.houseboatrentals.com, where you can search for houseboat rentals in most U.S. states and Canadian provinces, as well as 15 countries/continents around the world. To satisfy my curiosity, I checked India, where, as it turns out, you can rent a houseboat for about what you pay in the United States. As with similar rental sites, Houseboatrentals is a ``portal'' with direct Internet links to individual rental companies. All of the places I tested showed rates and provided pretty good graphics and specifications.

Gordon's Guide (www.gordonsguide.com/houseboats) is similar, but shows fewer individual rental companies. Also, quite a few rental companies on the Gordon's site do not show rates online - a major disadvantage.

Several large multi-location resort operators rent houseboats. Among the better ones are Forever Resorts (www.foreverresorts.com) and Seven Crown Resorts (www.sevencrown.com). You can easily locate rental companies at just about any body of water by Googling ``houseboats'' plus the name of the lake or region. You can also search for the visitor information Web site for a vacation area, where you'll usually find links to local houseboat renters.

I'll have to confess that I've never rented a houseboat. However, I have friends who love the experience. And I often pass by Lake Shasta, Calif., one of the nation's busiest houseboating centers - a beautiful manmade lake, surrounded by mountains, with hundreds of shoreline miles you can explore.

I've also rented boats at Lake of the Ozarks, another important center. And for fall and winter renters, you'll find plenty of options in warm-weather areas, such as Lake Mead, Nev., (it's like spending a week in Grand Canyon) and in several Florida lakes.

Overall, a houseboat rental seems intriguing. Give it a thought.

Duty Free Shopping

(note: I always wondered about Duty Free and what i meant exactly, this article clears the air!)

By Jack Adler

The way a duty-free airport store functions remains an enduring mystery for some travelers. What sort of savings, if any, can be achieved and what merchandise is most likely to be a bargain?

One lingering misconception stems from the fact that duty-free doesn't actually apply to the buyer but rather to importers of merchandise who will sell it in ports, border cities, airports, cruise ships and airplanes for immediate export from the country. Duty-free, then, signifies that the importers can bring in certain items for resale to travelers who then take these goods out of the country, without being required, by the host country, to pay taxes and duties (or paying less tax and duty than importers selling the merchandise domestically).

Merchants, taking advantage of this regulation, can charge less for their products. However, there is no guarantee that these duty-free stores or outlets will pass their savings -- or any portion thereof -- on to customers, and there is often no requirement that they do. Keep in mind that items sold in duty-free stores at airports tend to be pricier objects and luxury goods are often the primary offering.

Since duty-free stores at airports occupy valuable space, their high rents are doubtless a pricing factor. One little-known aspect of duty-free operations comes from the possibility that some products are being market-tested at these outlets before being generally introduced to local stores. In this fashion, foreign manufacturers can garner a fairly swift multi-country response to their new products, without committing too much revenue to advertising and promotional costs.

Generally, goods that are subject to large duties and high luxury taxes are the better buys at a duty -free store. Depending on the country, the best bargains are on perfumes, liquor and tobacco products. If you know the price of these items at home, the duty-free savings will be clear to you. Usually, there is a limit placed on the amount of such merchandise you are allowed to import when crossing a border.

To look at United States and Canada as an example, liquor is very highly taxed in Canada while at an "American side" duty-free store, most American taxes are waved. When you purchase a bottle of fine Cognac, the price will be delightfully low, but Canadian customs law allows only one bottle at a time to be brought into the country by a tourist, duty-free. To prevent people stocking-up by running back and forth across the border, this rule applies to periods lasting several months, depending on the country, and you will be required to fill out a customs form describing your purchase. The same type of limitations apply to other items.

After you have made your purchase at the airport duty-free store, you may not see the item again until you are boarding the aircraft at which time your purchases will be delivered to you by an employee. This is to prevent usage of the merchandise before it is out of the country.

If you are traveling by land and crossing into another country by car, there is often a duty free shop near the border point. Your purchase will be sealed and the customs official at the border will ask you to declare the purchase when you cross. If you have purchased more than the law allows, duty will be charged on the overage or the item could be confiscated. If you are suspected of smuggling, you could be in for a long delay!

Handicrafts, when available, are not very good purchases. Such goods are locally made, so they have no duty placed on them -- with no possible savings to be passed on. Moreover, you can often buy these same handicrafts for less money at local markets in the relevant city, where store rentals are likely to be less. Frequently, travelers buy handicrafts at duty-free stores because the airport is their last opportunity to pick up a souvenir, or to get rid of some remaining foreign currency.

Some countries sell crystal, china and silverware at attractively discounted rates but making a wise purchase requires considerable savvy on the part of the traveler. The same applies to watches, designer accessories and items in these categories, that appear to be bargains; the designer bag could even be a counterfeit knock-off! Be wary, too, of heavily-advertised discounted items such as cameras and electronic goods. Many of these may be available for a lower price at ordinary discount stores back home.

It's wise not to simply assume that a duty-free sign means what it says, no matter how prominently it may be displayed at a store. Some businesses have been known to use this label very loosely. And, of course, remember that you still may have to pay duty on any "duty-free" purchases that exceed the import ceiling upon return to your own country. For Americans the U.S. allowance is $400 per person.