Whether you are planning a big group adventure or a weekend away and want to stay in a place that feels like home; skip the hotel, and rent a house! Since we like to surf, while living in New York we would rent houses on Long Beach for the weekend so we didn’t have to schlep on the train and fight the ‘Hampton’s’ crowd. It’s great! The house you choose to rent will have all the amenities you need (since you selected your preferences) and all you have to do is go to the market and stock up. It is pretty simple and gives you complete freedom; you can blast your music, take over the grill (I don’t see a hotel being ok with that) and make as much noise as you want; as long as you don’t disturb your neighbors:)
A good friend of mine is leaving Brazil (sad), so instead of having a a regular ‘going away party’, a bunch of us decided it would be more fun to rent a house in Buzios for the long weekend and give the proper send off. Like most houses and apartments in Brazil, our house came with a maid and a cook (it’s fantastic, I know). We took turns going to the market and the staff would whip up whatever we asked for, making sure to have a full breakfast spread set up for us whenever we stumbled out of bed. As you can see from the picture above, we had a great dining/ entertaining area with a Churrascaria style grill, Tip: for a small fee you can hire someone to come cook for you (a special churrascaria master). Talk about the perfect dinner party (below)! 
The weekend was a total blast full of swimming, surfing, drinking and dancing with friends. If you want to have a fun weekend like this, it’s easy and best enjoyed with a bunch of your friends (so you can rent a ridiculous house like this one). 
How To Rent The Perfect Vacation House:
1. Try to plan ahead, especially if you are considering renting a house for a long/holiday weekend (those usually get booked up pretty fast)
2. Check multiple websites. My recommendations: VRBO, Homeaway, VacationRentals, airBnB, and FlipKey.
3. Make sure you review all of the amenities so there are no surprises when you get there
4. Review the contract and make sure you understand what you are responsible for (utility, cable, house keeping, etc)
5. Negotiate! Almost every cost of a vacation home rental is negotiable, from the amount of the deposit to the weekly or monthly rent. If the person renting the home out is unwilling to budge on either of these items, see if they’ll throw in an extra day’s or week’s rental at a slightly lower price. If the property isn’t booked and you know it, this can be a great leverage point when negotiating.
6. If you notice any existing damage, take a picture or let the person know when you arrive so that you aren’t blamed for something you haven’t done / won’t have to pay for damages.
7. Contact Number! make sure to get the owner or landlord’s phone number just in case there is a problem like a burst pipe or a loss of electricity. You’ll be glad you did!
Round up your friends, pick a destination and enjoy!
If you want more info about Buzios? Read more here
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