Hawaii Vacation Homes are short term rentals (usually a week to a month in duration) of private homes, estates, villas and cottages on the islands of Oahu, Maui, Kauai, Molokai and the Big Island of Hawaii. Available all year round, plan on booking well in advance for busy months (August, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Years.) By booking well in advance, we mean at least a year in advance and up to two years in advance if you have your heart set on a particular property.

Hawaii vacation home rentals range in size from cozy studios to twelve bedroom sprawling estates. Many of them are situated right on the ocean’s edge and are described as either beachfront (meaning there is a sandy beach) or ocean front (meaning there is no sandy beach leading to the water). Less expensive, but almost as nice are beachside locations, a term used to describe properties that are either across the street from the beach to as much as two blocks from the beach. Less expensive options for Hawaii vacation homes are usually described as ocean view or hillside properties. The nice thing is that with the exception of the Big Island, no matter where you are located, you are generally never more than a 30 minute drive to the beach. One thing to remember: all beaches in Hawaii are public which means that if you are in a beachfront property you’re apt to have people enjoying the beach right in your “front yard.”

One thing to keep in mind when considering renting a Hawaii vacation home the next time you travel to the islands is the economies of scale. Vacation rentals are not cheap. If your main consideration is price, you are probably better off thinking in terms of booking a hotel room; especially if you are traveling alone or with one other person. Large groups may actually enjoy a savings over booking hotel rooms much in the manner five people can travel in New York city cheaper by cab than by subway (depending on distance of course.) One other cost savings that can be enjoyed by the Hawaii traveler with vacation rentals is on meals. With a hotel, your only option is eating out. With Hawaii vacation homes, you’ll have use of a kitchen in almost all cases and can therefore save a considerable amount of money by eating in. However, if you’re like me, the last thing you want to do on your vacation is cook your meals, so this may be one of those cases that sounds good on paper, but ends up being less cost effective in reality.

A few other considerations apply: vacation rental homes in Hawaii almost always require a hefty security deposit (after all you are staying in someone's home) which is refundable as long as you respect the property, a cleaning fee which can be as much as many hundreds of dollars, and do not come with maid service.

The one thing for certain when you rent a Hawaii vacation home is that you will be away from the tourist crowd and you won’t ever be stuck in a crowded elevator on your way “home.” Additionally, especially on Oahu, the hotels tend to be located in the same area (Waikiki in Oahu’s case) while vacation rental homes allow you to put up stakes just about anywhere you desire on any of the islands. The choice is yours when traveling to Hawaii: hotel or Hawaii Vacation Homes.