A growing trend in the Arizona tourist industry is the increasing number of vacation rental homes offered across the Phoenix Valley. With the real estate explosion over the past couple years, many real estate investors are renting single family houses as a “home away from home”. Thousands of out-of-state visitors looking for affordable weekly accommodations should consider the benefits of a Phoenix vacation rental vs. a standard hotel stay for reasons of lower pricing, more square footage, more privacy and much more personalized accommodations.

(PRWEB) July 26, 2006 -- When you are shopping for your next Arizona vacation, does a rental home make sense when compared to a traditional resort or hotel? Yes, it does. One main advantage to a vacation rental home over a resort/hotel is the amount of space you get for the money. Many Phoenix vacation rentals are 1500sq. ft or larger and provide full size bedrooms, fully stocked kitchens, private pools/spas, and many other personalized extras.

For a vacationing family of 5 to stay in a mid level resort hotel here in the Phoenix area during the summer, which is the off-season, the pricing usually start at $150 for your standard 400-500 sq. ft. room with double bed, 1 TV, and no kitchen. With 2 people in each bed and one of the kids in a roll away, there isn’t much room to unpack, let alone relax.

Compare that with a 2000 square foot, 4 bedroom Ahwatukee vacation rental offered for $135/night ($950/week), with an endless list of special amenities. This very common vacation rental home features four large bedrooms, living room, family room, full laundry, 4 TV’s, high speed internet, fully stocked kitchen, private swimming pool/spa, BBQ, 2 car garage and it is located close to restaurants, shopping, spas, golf and more.

“It’s really a no-brainer when comparing a vacation home vs. a resort or hotel.” Explains David Drake, owner operator for www.rent-arizona.com and Drake Rental Properties, LLC. “For the amount of space and amenities you receive with a vacation home AND at a lower cost than most mid-level resorts, vacation homes offer so much more for you and your family. I think the only reason more people don’t rent vacation homes is that they don’t know about them.”

Drake suggests that visitors look for vacation homes that are owner-operated and offer a website that provides you with ample pictures and virtual tours so that you can see what the entire home looks like before you book.

Vacation rental homes are becoming increasingly popular among tourists from all over the world as well as in the US.

“I’ve had guests visit from England, Japan, Guatemala and even Iceland.” Drake said “Our guests from Iceland were here during February of 2005 and it rained almost every day. I felt bad for them but it didn’t stop them from sun bathing.”

The next time you are comparing accommodations for your next Arizona vacation, look into a vacation rental home where you may find more and pay less. For more information on quality Phoenix area vacation rental listings, visit us online at www.rent-arizona.com, or call us at 480-343-4057.