If you are planning to rent a vacation home, I'm sure you have a lot of questions. Below are the 5 questions that you must ask before you decide which home to rent.

1. What is the total cost (taxes, cleaning, parking and facility usage fees)?

2. Will I get a rental agreement in writing before I send any payments?

3. What is the Owners' written cancellation policy?

4. Does the Owner have previous guest references?

5. Who will I contact if there is a problem during my vacation?

Who doesn't like to save tons of cash on their vacations? We all know that taking a vacation can cost a lot of money. In fact, the average family might save for years to be able to afford a vacation trip such as going to beautiful, sunny Hawaii.

So just how did the Baker family save all this money? Well, they made a smart decision and chose to rent a townhome instead of staying in a hotel. While many people mistakenly think that a vacation rental will cost more than a hotel, this is in fact not the case. There are many beachfront properties, condos, villas and cottages available for your pleasure when you are searching for a place to stay while on a family vacation.

Many smart individuals, like the Baker family are learning that you can save big when you stay in a rental home for your vacation. Let's look at the many benefits of renting a vacation townhome vs. staying in a hotel.

Big Savings with a Maui Vacation Rental!

The Baker family saved big on their Maui vacation and you can too, once you know how. They saved over $6,500 on their seven day vacation by booking a vacation rental townhome instead of a hotel; booking directly with the vacation rental owner; and by not having to take their family of five out to a restaurant for every meal.

Let's take a look at the numbers for a minute to see how much the Baker family really saved by choosing a weekly rental instead of staying in a hotel. With a family of five, they would need two hotel rooms at the Westin Maui. These rooms would have cost $485 a night for each room for a total cost of $6,790. The same seven nights in their 2 bedroom Puamana townhome was only $205 a night or $1,435 for the week. This equals a huge savings of $5,355.

This first major savings comes because most hotels charge on a nightly basis. What may sound like a good deal in the beginning will really add up to be a lot of money when you stay for a couple of nights or even a couple of weeks. Most vacation rental properties will rent by the week or by the month and you can get a much better deal price-wise for a planned extended stay. Keep this in mind the next time you are comparing rates. Another thing to keep in mind is that hotels are very strict on the number of people that can share a room and many times you will be charged extra for each additional person.

But as we said, there is more to it than just those initial savings. For example, let's think about your meals. You have to eat, right? And if you are on vacation as a family, you will have a lot of mouths to feed. Eating out every meal can get very expensive. In a hotel, you might have a mini-fridge, but you will most likely not have anything to cook on and you also won't have storage options like you have in a vacation home rental. This is more than just convenience; it will also help you save money.

The Baker family saved on their meals because they were able to buy groceries and cook in their rental home. If staying in a hotel, they would have had to eat out every meal. The average meal for a family of five ranges from $40-$100. Even a fast food breakfast for five people could run around $35. If you multiply this by three times a day and seven days of vacation, the family would have spent over $1,000 in meals alone!

Instead, the family went to a local grocery store and paid less than $350 for food and snacks to last them the entire week of vacation. They ended up saving over $650 on meals alone. You also have to consider the fact that you don't have the aggravation of getting the kids ready to go out for dinner and you don't have to deal with the long wait to be seated while your children are getting tired and restless.

The last big savings for the Baker family came from booking their short-term rental directly with the owner. You too can locate vacation rentals by owner on the Internet instead of dealing with a travel agency. That saved them another $535 and brought their total vacation savings to over $6,500. Lisa Oliver, who specializes in Hawaii Vacation Rentals, on her website BestRentalsHawaii.com, says that booking directly with an owner can help you save 10% to 20% off of your next vacation rental. She also says that there are several other advantages to dealing directly with the owner of a vacation home. For example, you will have the opportunity to receive better and more personal information about the rental and the owner can provide you with suggestions for the best entertainment, snorkeling, shopping, etc. while on your vacation.

Added Benefits of a Vacation Rental

There are many more great advantages aside from the direct savings you get on your room. You also have the benefit of more privacy and a more personal vacation. It will feel like your own "home away from home" when you stay in a vacation rental. You're not surrounded by tourists only. Instead you get a better feel of what the area really has to offer by being a part of the local community with people that live there everyday.

The vacation home or condo that you rent will usually have many extras and added comforts such as a stove, microwave, refrigerator, bbq grill, toaster, blender, washer and dryer, and may even have a pool or recreation area at the home. A vacation home will also usually have reserved parking, so that you won't have to hike to your room from a large hotel resort parking lot. You can also find a weekly rental that has ground floor access. This way you don't have to wait for and ride in an elevator with strangers every time you leave your room. These are all benefits that can help make your vacation even more relaxing and enjoyable.

You can also enjoy more room for less money. The Baker family had a 1,218 square foot 2 bedroom Puamana townhouse vs. only 380 square feet for each hotel room they look at. Since they weren't staying in a big hotel tower, they also didn't have to worry about other guest making noise above, below and beside them. Some vacation condos may also have this issue, but unlike a hotel, a vacation condo allows you to decide if you want an end unit or one on the top floor.

Another benefit is the fact that no hotel can receive the personal attention that a vacation rental owner will provide for their home. They want to make sure everything is perfect for your stay so that you'll return or refer a friend. Many Hawaiian vacation homes are located close to the beach and if you search in advance it will be possible to reserve holiday rentals for your vacation.

Now that you are able to see how the Baker family saved on their vacation by staying in a beach house instead of a hotel and all of the added benefits that were included because of their wise choice, you're ready to save money by booking your own affordable vacation rental today.

- Written by Lisa Mason, a freelance writer that has researched and written travel related articles for numerous websites and publications.