There’s no denying that Airbnb has become an essential vacation rental resource for countless travelers the world over (for us too!), but it certainly isn’t the only game in town. Depending on the type of vacation home you’re looking for, there are ample alternative options to Airbnb.
We’ve put together our go-to list of vacation rental companies that we lean on whether we have something very specific in mind regarding amenities or design aesthetic or are simply looking for more choices for a popular destination or travel period (hello, last-minute holiday planners—we see you, we are you). These are 14 of the best Airbnb alternatives for finding vacation rentals.
1. Vrbo
- Best for: Sheer inventory and variety
- Book now: vrbo.com
Long before there was Airbnb, there was Vrbo (pronounced ver-bo, a name that derives from its original incarnation as Vacation Rentals by Owner), a platform for vacation homes dating back to 1995. Where Vrbo really thrives is in the size and scope of the inventory, with more than 2 million homes throughout the world. It’s rare for the site to not have availability in a popular vacation destination for a popular season (clutch for all those last-minute planners out there). The search results really run the gamut from lower-priced, no-frills homes all the way to over-the-top stays, like the Scandinavian-inspired modern farmhouse, pictured at the top of this article, in the upper hills of California’s Ojai Valley.
With an eye toward catering to families, only entire homes are listed on Vrbo—no shared spaces. Given the site’s longevity, there is a solid stockpile of user reviews for many of the properties to help flesh out your booking decision. Plus, Vrbo is owned by Expedia Group, which means the site has the tech-backing to ensure a seamless booking experience, including easy change and cancellation options.
2. Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
You can live like a member of the Rat Pack in Frank Sinatra’s old Palm Springs house.
Courtesy of Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy
- Best for: Hotel lovers
- Loyalty program: Marriott Bonvoy
- Book now: homes-and-villas.marriott.com
One of the world’s most recognizable hotel companies entered the vacation rental market in 2019 with Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy. The result is a large and well-curated collection of properties perfectly suited for travelers who love the consistent cleanliness and service that hotels and resorts offer but want the space and unique amenities that vacation rentals provide. Experienced home management companies oversee the maintenance and operations of the residences, ensuring that homes are professionally cleaned and always come with guaranteed standards, such as Wi-Fi, in-home washers, premium bed linens and towels, and provided toiletries.
The collection features more than 140,000 high-end homes throughout the United States, Mexico, the Caribbean, Europe, Africa, and beyond, and they range from beach condos to sprawling English manors, Caribbean villas to Frank Sinatra’s midcentury Palm Springs paradise, pictured above. Homes & Villas by Marriott Bonvoy also has a series of “Curated Collections,” homes that are organized into such categories as Homes with Pools, Drive Worthy Gems, and Mountainside Destinations.
In addition to the properties themselves, one of the strongest benefits of the Homes & Villas product is that Marriott Bonvoy loyalty members can earn and redeem points when staying at the vacation homes.
3. Boutique Homes
- Best for: Architecture buffs
- Book now: boutique-homes.com
On this architecture-first home-rental site, you can search properties by design style (including midcentury modern, Bauhaus, and brutalist) or browse through a collection of houses by notable architects. Homes are filled with design items you’ll crave for your own home: The modernist Casacosta in the Canary Islands, for instance, is decorated with a Man Ray mirror, Joan Miró paintings, and Koen Vanmechelen’s oversize chicken photographs. Newcomers to the platform include Camp Double Oak, a Bauhaus-inspired, biophilic glass cabin by architect Anthony Weber in the Pocono Mountains, and Palais Hassoun, an Indo-Moorish pink palace surrounded by palm and olive trees in Marrakech.
4. Kid & Coe
The Mostyn Gardens Residence in London includes a delightful play area in the kids’ room.
Courtesy of Kid and Coe
- Best for: Families with young children
- Book now: kidandcoe.com
“If a holiday is going to be relaxing, the kids have to be happy,” Kid & Coe managing director Caitlin Ramsdale told AFAR about the booking platform’s travel philosophy. Any parent or caretaker knows this to be absolutely true. Kid & Coe aims to make kids (and their parents) happy by offering 1,000-plus private homes, home swaps, and hotel listings geared very thoughtfully to families (including the London home above).
The tight-knit team (all parents themselves) carefully selects properties that are stylish and comfortable and that come stocked with such items as cribs, highchairs, toys, books, and swing sets. The site’s filters allow families to search for specific amenities that cater to different ages and stages, such as a bathtub, pool gate, bed rails, stair gates, and game console. There are detailed notes about each residence (“the stairs are steep so young children should be supervised,” for example), and some of the homes come with additional perks that can include optional babysitter, nanny services, or personal chef services provided upon request.
5. Oasis Private Collection
- Best for: Tapping into local expertise
- Book now: oasisprivatecollection.com
The Oasis model takes everything you love about hotels (cushy towels and bedding, brand-name toiletries, whiplash-fast Wi-Fi) and applies it to stylish, contemporary home rentals in nine countries throughout North America, South America, and Western Europe. Afraid you’ll miss a hotel concierge? Each guest is assigned a “guest experience specialist,” a local expert who is on call around the clock to handle check-in and check-out, arrange airport transfers, make restaurant recommendations, or stock the fridge or minibar upon request. Other perks include access to local fitness studios, spas, and private clubs.
6. Welcome Beyond
- Best for: Design lovers
- Book now: welcomebeyond.com
You will be hard-pressed to find more visually stunning homes than Welcome Beyond’s collection of more than 400 design-centric and unique residences (listings also include boutique hotels, yurts, tree houses, lodges, and private islands) located in nearly 50 countries. The majority of the homes are in Europe, but there are also a handful in the United States, and others scattered throughout South America, Africa, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
While they are all extremely easy on the eyes, the pricing and services cater to a wide range of tastes and budgets. Some of the properties have the option to include a private chef, butler, personal mixologist, or concierge who can arrange private boat trips, restaurant reservations, and other activities. Such amenities help elevate the bookings from a vacation home to a truly memorable getaway.
7. Cuvée
Triple C Ranch in Colorado is just one of the over-the-top stays available for rent on Cuvée.
Courtesy of Cuvée
- Best for: Over-the-top luxury homes
- Book now: cuvee.com
Cuvée is a collection of luxury homes and villas (including a private island in the Bahamas), in destinations such as Aspen, the Hamptons, Los Cabos, Lake Como, Tuscany, St. Bart’s, and even Rwanda and Tanzania. In addition to having all the bells and whistles you would expect from expansive mansions (think extras like cinema rooms, arcade games, wine cellars, professional chef kitchens, infinity pools, and more), most are ideally situated oceanfront or with epic mountain and landscape views. Among the standout properties is the Triple C Ranch (pictured above), a private ranch on 250 acres in Silverthorne, Colorado, where you can snowshoe, fly-fish, hike, or ride horses. Across the collection, the homes include impressive features such as a local concierge team, daily housekeeping, a chef-prepared welcome reception, a premium-stocked bar, and refreshments and snacks stocked in the pantry and fridge.
8. Noirbnb
- Best for: BIPOC travelers
- Book now: noirbnb.com
Noirbnb was cofounded in 2015 by Stefan Grant after he had a terrible vacation rental experience: Neighbors called the police on Grant while he was staying at an Airbnb in Atlanta. The resulting company is one that aims to provide a better and safer experience for travelers of color by celebrating and supporting them. Noirbnb relaunched in November 2020 with a freshly updated website, complete with new features that make it easier for hosts to post their listings and for users to find and book stays.
Some of the site’s most popular destinations include Los Angeles, New Orleans, Miami, Las Vegas, Seattle, Atlanta, and Negril, Jamaica. There is also a Noirbnb concierge service, which builds customized itineraries for travelers, including transportation, accommodations, and activities based on their tastes and interests.
9. Vacasa
Vacasa lists perfectly polished homes such as this three-bedroom modern cabin in Idyllwild, California.
Courtesy of Vacasa
- Best for: Reliably well-appointed homes
- Book now: vacasa.com
Vacasa is a vacation rental management company that handles bookings from start to finish, ensuring that all rentals are vetted and professionally cleaned between stays (housekeepers must follow a comprehensive cleaning procedure after every stay, including sanitizing and disinfecting high-touch areas) and that renters have a 24/7 point of contact should issues arise. The service consists of more than 44,000 homes in destinations like Hawai‘i, Colorado, Montana, Oregon, New England, Florida, and California (including the Idyllwild cabin above). Renters can preview rentals with virtual 3-D tours of the homes (a particularly handy feature for getting a proper grasp of the layout) and can filter by interests such as ski-in/ski-out, hot tubs, pools, dog-friendly, bikes, and kayaks, among others. A corresponding Vacasa app lets users access their vacation rental details after they book.
10. Plum Guide
- Best for: Stays curated with as much scrutiny as the Michelin guide
- Book now: plumguide.com
After building buzz in London, Paris, Rome, and Milan, this U.K.-based vacation rental and home-sharing platform set its sights on the United States. Its newer collections in New York City and Los Angeles include Tribeca art lofts, Silver Lake bungalows, and epic mansions with 90210 zip codes. Before a place is listed on the service, Plum dispatches a “home critic” to vet available rentals for criteria like exceptional design, responsiveness, cleanliness, and more nuts-and-bolts details, like fast Wi-Fi and strong water pressure in the shower. They developed the test by interviewing psychologists, designers, hoteliers, architects, and travelers to find out what makes a perfect stay.
11. The Thinking Traveller
The Roellia Villa, in the Greek Riviera resort town of Porto Heli, includes an infinity pool, a gym, and a basketball court.
Courtesy of the Thinking Traveller
- Best for: Finding your Mediterranean bliss
- Book now: thethinkingtraveller.com
If the second season of HBO’s The White Lotus had you fantasizing about running away to Sicily, a great place to start your lodging search is this collection of 320 over-the-top villas scattered across the Mediterranean. Founded in Sicily in 2002 and then merged with a similar company based in the Greek Isles in 2021, the Thinking Traveller prides itself on being the “only keyholder” for each of its properties, meaning you won’t be able to rent them through any of the bigger services like Airbnb or Vrbo.
The current roster includes dreamy locations in Italy (Sicily and Puglia), France (Corsica), and throughout Greece, from the mainland to many of its diverse island groups (like the Cyclades and the Dodecanese). Villas run the gamut from grand restored masserie (rural southern Italian estates) to clean-lined architectural gems overlooking Greek beaches, and you can refine your search with such amenities as infinity pools, beach access, and tennis courts—or in-villa cooks if you’d rather leave it to the professionals.
If the DIY nature of a villa-based vacation makes you nervous that you’ll have to do too much planning instead of relaxing, you’ll be happy to know that the Thinking Traveller also allows you to book guided experiences in many of its destinations, including wine-tasting in the shadow of Mount Etna, riding horses on the beach on Corfu, or boating off the turquoise coastline of Paxos.
12. HomeExchange
HomeExchange’s network of swappable homes includes chic urban spaces like this apartment in Paris.
Courtesy of Home Exchange
- Best for: Finding that one person’s home is another’s vacation treasure
- Book now: homeexchange.com
As the 2006 Nancy Meyers rom-com The Holiday proved, swapping homes can be a transformative experience—and don’t assume your humble abode won’t be on other people’s wish lists! Whether you have a suburban house with a pool or an urban pied-à-terre in the heart of the action, you probably have a hot (and swappable) commodity on your hands. Enter HomeExchange, a service with more than 150,000 subscribers in 145 countries. For an annual membership fee of $220, you and your family can begin trading stays with other homeowners.
The library of homes on the market for a trade is surprisingly diverse, including a hillside home in northern India with views of the Himalayas; a rainforest tree house within the city limits of Cairns, Australia; a Tuscan wine estate that dates back to the 14th century; or a Moroccan penthouse with 360-degree views over the kasbah. You can also search for particular amenities or qualities, including pet-friendly homes, homes with barbecue grills, kid-friendly homes, and homes with swimming pools. Best of all, the company is a certified B Corp that is fighting back against mass tourism by, as it says, valuing what already exists.
13. Edgar Suites
Edgar Suites rents out high-style apartments throughout Paris, including this historic 17th-century building near the Louvre.
Photo by Yohann Fontaine
- Best for: Stylish apartments in France
- Book now: edgarsuites.com
Planning a trip to France? Then consider a stay with boutique rental company Edgar Suites, which rents apartments in buildings throughout Paris, Bordeaux, Lille, and, coming soon, Cannes. Its commitment to quality, service, and consistency is more in line with that of a boutique hotel than a self-service apartment. A responsive, 24-hour concierge is available on WhatsApp to help with anything from arranging a driver to the airport to storing your luggage for a few hours after checkout, and staff members regularly check each apartment to make sure everything is in working order. If you’re arriving with kids, they also provide kits with things like coloring books and family-friendly city guides to keep your little ones entertained.
Plus, these apartments are beautiful—the types of places your cool architect friend might book. Each apartment is uniquely designed, making use of salvaged and upcycled furniture as well as decor from local artisans, painters, and sculptors. Edgar Suites also owns or rents the entire building in which its apartments are located, guaranteeing that you won’t be disturbing any locals below you. Each building has an accessible apartment option. And many of the buildings themselves come with unique stories: The Louvre building, for instance, is a 17th-century historic structure in the shadow of the namesake palace that was once a museum itself.
All of Edgar Suites’ apartments are available for rent on the Airbnb platform but also directly through the company’s website. Discounts are given for longer stays; if you’re booking for fewer than three nights, contact them directly for availability.
14. onefinestay
Soak up the sunshine in this two-bedroom St. Martin slice of paradise.
Courtesy of onefinestay
- Best for: Caribbean villas
- Loyalty program: ALL - Accor Live Limitless
- Book now: onefinestay.com
Onefinestay’s hand-selected collection of homes is operated by Accor Hotels, with a special focus on Caribbean villas, in places like St. Bart’s, Turks and Caicos, and St. John. The platform’s 4,500 homes, villas, and chalets in more than 50 destinations are professionally managed and always include a personal welcome to the home, 24/7 customer support, and housekeeping service. Guests have the option to add any number of services, including grocery deliveries, a private chef, childcare, and spa treatments.
Members of the ALL - Accor Live Limitless loyalty program can also earn and redeem reward points when staying at onefinestay homes. Depending on their ALL status level, guests can get special benefits like personalized offers, complimentary bottles of wine upon arrival, and early check-in or late checkout.
Nicholas DeRenzo and Jessie Beck contributed reporting to this article, which was originally published in 2020 and most recently updated on July 22, 2024, to include current information.
