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Q: Are bed linens and towels included in the vacation rental fees?
A: All vacation rentals have sheets for every bed and sofa bed, bath, hand and face towels, pool or beach towels, and kitchen linens.

Q: Is the high speed internet or wireless?
A: Every vacation rental we manage EXCEPT the Maine cottage, has high wireless internet. In Oceanside there are quite a  few free hotspots and internet café’s if you find yourself wanting to work elsewhere. Our favorite is Jitters Coffee Pub at the corner of 101 and Surfrider on the east side of 101. The Oceanside public library has free internet.

Q: How much money is due when?
A: For most rentals 25% of the total is due upon reservation and 75% is due 60 days prior to your arrival. For unusually long stays or large amounts, we may be able to make alternative arrangements.

Q: Can you hold a place for me for a few days, a week, or until I decide?
A: Because each vacation rental is unique, we do not, as a rule, hold dates. Our rental agreements can be accepted electronically or via fax, we take online bookings, and we accept eChecks and major credit cards to make the process easy.

Q: What is your cancellation policy?
A: We encourage those who may have to cancel their reservation to purchase trip insurance and due to guests’ requests, we now offer Trip Insurance via Travel Guard for just 7% of the non refundable charges (typically this is just rent). There is a 25% (of the total) cancellation fee if you cancel your reservation-no exceptions. If you cancel within 60 days of your arrival, there are no refunds. Refunds outside of this policy are at our discretion.

Q: We are really neat people; can we clean the place ourselves and skip the normal cleaning fee?
A: No. We must ensure that each guest has a BETTER vacation rental experience. That means we are responsible for cleaning. Its vacation, wipe up, gather the linens, put out the trash, but let someone else clean the place!

Q: Will you consider a small dog / declawed cat / well behaved hairless dog / etc?
A: If a vacation rental is pet friendly, the advertisement and listing will say so. (Our Tradewinds property is pet friendly). If it says no pets, we mean no pets. Our guests expect it. Pets are not allowed at North Coast Village per a Homeowner Association Rule. We are happy to help you find a kennel at your destination if you desire.

Q: Can we smoke on the balcony, the patio, with the windows open?
A: No. All units offered by BETTER Vacation Rentals are strictly non smoking. Smoking is never allowed anywhere on any of our properties. Some of the locations (ex: Roberts Cottages) also enforce no smoking policies on their grounds. Smoking in a unit is cause for eviction.

Q: Your guest limit says “A” can we bring 1 more and they can sleep on the floor? Or We have “A” people plus a baby (toddler, etc.), is that ok?
A: No. Our occupancy limits are strict. We don’t make exceptions. This keeps our properties nice and our neighbors, owners, and homeowners associations happy.

Q: Do I have to pay the tourism fee or hotel tax; I saw listings on vrbo that do not collect tax?
A: Yes. Our vacation rentals are legal and we pay all of our hotel, tourism district, and business taxes and licenses. These taxes help to keep the areas you visit as nice as they are. We comply to the letter of the law. BETTER Vacation Rentals is licensed by the CA DRE as a Real Estate Broker, though we specialize in short term rentals. Note that a CA Real Estate license is required of property managers who lease for 30 days or more in the state of California…make sure your property manager is operating legally and paying taxes so your rental will be in compliance and available when you arrive.

Q: What time is check in? What time is check out?
A: Check in is any time AFTER 3 PM. Do not arrive early at your vacation rental; we need this time to prepare your vacation home for your stay. Check out is at 10 AM sharp. Again, we need this time to prepare the vacation rental for the next guest.

Q: Can we have early check in? Or late departure?
A: That depends. During the height of the season, no; back to back rentals require a tight schedule from our crews. At other times we may be able to arrange something ahead of time, and for a small fee. Fees are used to compensate the people who do the work to prepare your vacation rental…to adapt their schedules or hire more help. HOWEVER, please do not call for early arrivals and late departures on the day of arrival or departure at your vacation rental, we will not be able to accommodate you and you will be charged an extra day’s rent for late departures.

Q: Will you take $xyz for our stay?
A: Our prices are firm and fair. We will occasionally offer last minute specials, and encourage you to sign up for our email list,  follow us on Twitter or Facebook, or return to our web site often where we will post any vacation rental specials.

Q: You state a 3 (or more) night minimum, will you make an exception?
A: That depends: on the unit, the season, the owner, the circumstances. It never hurts to ask.

Q: Are your vacation rentals handicap accessible?
A: That depends: on the unit and your needs. Please inquire. We’ll try to put you in a unit that will suit your needs.

Q: Are the pools heated?
A: The pools at North Coast Village are heated year round. We don’t control the thermostats, but at this time they are comfortable for most people year round. The pools at Palm Valley Country Club are heated in the winter, but not in the summer (no need). Some of the spas may be turned off in the off season, but since there are 46, there is always an “on” one nearby.

Q: How far is the beach? If you click on the links below, you will see aerial photos where available.
A: At North Coast Village, the entire complex of buildings B-G is on the beach. The A part of the complex is across a small one way street, “The Strand”, from the beach.

San Miguel I is on The Strand which is a one way street that separates the complex from the sand-very close to the Oceanside Pier.

Roberts Cottages are steps from the beach, across "The Strand."

Tradewinds vacation rentals are steps from the beach, just across a very narrow strip of "The Strand."

Palm Desert and Palm Valley Country Club are about 2.5 hours from the beach.

Mussel Cove in Georgetown Maine is on the coast, but it’s not a beach. The nearest beach is about 10-15 minutes away: Reid State Park, and we provide the pass with your rental.

Our Carlsbad rentals are a few blocks from the beach across a dedicated crosswalk with a light.

Q: Are all your units at Palm Valley Country Club on a golf course?
A: Yes. Every unit at PVCC is a golf course unit. There are two courses: Championship and Challenge. Our vacation rental is on the 9th fairway of the Championship Golf Course.

Q: Is there air conditioning?
A: North Coast Village: Most vacation rentals at North Coast Village do NOT have air conditioning. If a unit does have air conditioning it will be a portable kind that vents through the window and is used to cool the bedroom only, and it will be posted prominently in the vacation rental’s amenities. Most vacation rentals have ceiling fans that are sufficient to move to ocean air through the home to cool it at the beach, though there are those occasional heat wave days. Many vacation rentals have standing fans-please ask about cooling if this is a concern and we will try to help you choose the right beach vacation rental.

San Miguel: No

Roberts Cottages: No

Tradewinds Vacation Apartments: No

Carlsbad: Please ask.

Palm Desert: Yes there is a newer reliable central air conditioner at our Palm Desert Vacation Rental. We ask that you use the air conditioning responsibly.

Maine: No there is no air conditioning at our Maine cottage vacation rental. There are fans to move the coastal air. We recommend closing the water side/eastern facing blinds in the morning mid-summer to avoid overheating of the upstairs bedrooms. Typically a fan and an open window will cool these bedrooms for sleeping.

Q: Are there a washer and dryer in the vacation rental?
A: That depends on which vacation rental you choose. In Oceanside there is free(for your first service-$5 there after) pickup/dropoff service available and laundry is approximately $1.25/lb if you would like someone else to do it for you-arranged through a local company.

North Coast Village: There are only 25 out of 550 condos that have “grandfathered” rights to have in unit washer & dryer. We currently manage two of these (not all are rentals): F105 and G11. There are convenient on site laundry facilities (5) for all of the other vacation rentals at North Coast Village.

Roberts Cottages #20: Yes-stacked.

Tradewinds Vacation Rentals: No. There is a coin operated laundry room on site.

Carlsbad: Yes Palm Desert: Yes

Maine: Washer only…Ocean View Laundry Line, Indoor drying rack. Laundry services in Bath Maine, 20 minutes away.

Q: You Charge for "Normal Departure Cleaning." What do we have to do upon check out?

A: Full checkout instructions are available at the below links for our vacation rentals. In Oceanside, CA "stress free/express check out" is available for a small charge. Please ask.

North Coast Village Departure Checklist for BETTER Vacation Rentals' Guests

Tradewinds and Roberts Cottages Departure Checklist for BETTER Vacation Rentals' Guests

Carlsbad, Palm Desert, and Maine are posted at the properties, but are similar to the above links.