VacationSpot.com Will Send You into Dreamland!
Written: May 11 '01 (Updated May 16 '05)
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The Bottom Line
VacationSpot.com is a good service to try. The photographs are what keep me coming back.
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Vacation travel sites, on the world wide web, are often very fun to navigate through and they make it fast and easy to plan your trip. This site, VacationSpot.com, is an affiliate of Expedia.com and it adds convenience and enjoyment to your search for lodging, with a database of more than 25,000 resorts around the world.
Features of This Service:
VacationSpot.com is exclusively a lodging travel service. It does not offer any other vacation- related services of its own. However, it does have links, on the main page, to other travel services. These links, for flights, car rentals, currency converter, weather information, etc., will take you into Expedia.com.
To search for a hotel or resort, you begin by clicking on the “Find a Getaway” tab, on the main page. You will then be taken to a screen where you can select the region and country that you wish to travel. The countries are broken down into the following regions: United States, Mexico, Carribbean, Europe, South Pacific, Canada, Central & South America, Asia, Africa, and Middle East. Remember that not every country is included, in each region. For example, the Central and South America region includes only six countries (Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Costa Rica, and Peru), even though there are many more.
After you select the country you wish to travel to, you will then have the opportunity to enter search criteria, to narrow down the selections. You can narrow down your selections to include only places with skiing, waterfront, golf, etc. You can also limit your selections to resorts that fit within a specified price range. I found that its best to leave the selection criteria wide open, and then look at the resort pictures and select the one you like best. If you enter too many criteria, you will miss out on many good resorts, some of which might be very close to what you’re looking for.
The best part of this site is the pictures of the resorts! Be warned: they are all very enticing and you may have a hard time holding back from clicking the reservation icon! You can click directly on the resort picture, and you will be taken to another screen which will show the original picture enlarged, along with a few thumbnail pictures, on the right- hand side of the screen, to click for more views of the resort.
Each resort includes a description; amenities; policies; cancellations and refunds; deposits; availability for different units; and prices. And, on many resorts, there is a section that shows comments and ratings from people who have visited the resort. They show a rating, from 1 to 10, on service, value, attractiveness, and an overall rating. Not all resorts show this, because people have to go into this site and post the ratings and comments. The more popular a resort is, the more likely it will have ratings and comments.
There’s also a special feature in this site called “My Spot”. You have to register first, to use this. It allows you to save your favorite resorts to your own personal file. This allows you to keep track of the ones you like, and it provides a way to e-mail them to other people.
When you’re ready to make a reservation, you just click on the icon and fill- in your personal information. Some resorts offer quick, on- line booking. The availability is checked instantly and you can complete your reservation on the spot. Others require that you book on request. This means that you have to wait for VacationSpot.com to check the availability and get back with you, via e-mail. This can take up to 48 hours and, if your desired dates are available, you have 24 hours to accept the offer. Please note that you must setup an account with the site first, to check for availability or to make a reservation.
Customer Service:
VacationSpot.com has a section of frequently asked questions, which can quickly answer any basic inquiries that you might have. If you don’t find your answer here, you can call or e-mail your question.
Final Thoughts:
This is a very good lodging web site. It doesn’t provide any other services, but it does have links into Expedia.com to assist you with all of your other travel needs.
What I like best about this site are its resort pictures. Even when I’m not planning a trip, I like to just browse through all of the resorts in this site, just to look at the great pictures and dream about where I would like to travel.
The only minor problem that I’ve had with this site is that it can sometimes be a little slow, when it’s searching for resorts. My anticipation probably makes it seem longer than it really is, but it could use a little more speed.
If you’re searching for a place to stay, make sure that you check out VacationSpot.com. The site is fun and easy to use, providing lots of information and easy on- line booking. If nothing else, you should try to check this site out just to look at the resort photographs. They are most enjoyable!
Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Other Popular Travel Web Sites:
American Express Travel
Cheapairlines.com
Travelnow.com
Cheaptravel.com
Hotel Discount.com
Bestfares.com
Hotwire.com
America’s Vacation Center
Expedia.com Flights
Expedia.com Hotels
Expedia.com Cruises
Travelocity.com Flights
Travelocity.com Hotels
Priceline.com Flights
Priceline.com Hotels
Vacations To Go
Flycheap.com
LowestFare.com
Mytravelco.com
Placestostay.com
Orbitz.com
Cheaptickets.com
Recommended:
Yes
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