Help using Holiday-rentals.co.uk
Please note: This site has been designed to work best with Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and above, Firefox 1.5+, Netscape Navigator 7.0 and and Opera on PCs and Safari 2.0 on Macs; we no longer support IE 5 for Macs as all support for this browser has been withdrawn by Microsoft.We have divided the help pages into sections:-
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The details you will find for each property
Each property on the Holiday-Rentals.co.uk site is described by up to 127 criteria. And there is daily availability and rental rates for up to 24 months in advance, plus up to 1,000 words of text. In order to make it easier for you to find all this information the pages are all laid out in the same format. This also makes it easier for you to compare properties.Each property page is laid out as follows:
- Title or headline
- Summary of the location and accommodation
- Up to 12 colour photographs with captions, plus a link to show all the photos if available
- A short description of the property
- Information about where the property is located
- The season normally available for renting, plus the latest availability - this is updated online by the advertisers, so it is usually very up-to-date
- Rental rates up to 15 months in advance, plus notes to the rental rates
- A checklist of accommodation and facilities.
- Further details about the property or the area
- Details of how to contact the owner or agent by e-mail, telephone or fax for further information, availability and booking.
Finding the property that is ideal for you
We realise that different people have different requirements and want to search for properties in different ways. We have developed a unique and powerful database that classifies all the properties on the Holiday-Rentals.co.uk site by 127 attributes, as well as price and availability for every day for the next 15 months.There are various ways of using the Holiday-Rentals.co.uk site to find a list of properties that are ideal for your requirements.
- Finding properties where you want to go
- Finding properties when you want to go
- Finding the type of property, and the facilities you want
- Finding the activities you want
- Finding the Holiday-Rentals.co.uk reference number you want
- Finding new holiday ideas
a) If you know the country or area where you want to go:
- Click on the "Property finder"
- Click on the required continent or country
- Click on the map (larger markets only) or select the specific region or area you wish to visit.
At any point in the geographical lists, you can click on a red "view all" link to see all the properties and refine by the criteria that are important to you, and search for properties in that area that meet those criteria.
b) If you know the specific place where you want to go.
- Go to the "Destination finder"
- Type in the name of the place.
- Click "Go"
Finding properties when you want to go
- Go to the "Property finder"
- Choose the country you want to visit
- Click on the red "view all" link
- Enter the date you want to arrive, and the number of nights you want to stay.
- Add any other criteria that are important to you
- Click search to receive a list of properties that are available on the dates you specified.
To encourage advertisers to keep their availability up to date, the properties are ordered by the date when the availability was last updated. So the availability for the properties at the top of the list is likely to be the most up-to-date.
The vast majority of advertisers do keep their availability totally up to date. However, a minority do not, and we have no means of forcing them to do so.
Most properties are rented on a weekly basis from Saturday to Saturday, but some take longer or shorter periods and start on different days of the week.
Availability information is given for up to 24 months from to-day's date. For availability information beyond this date, please contact the advertiser direct.
Finding the type of property, and the facilities you want
- Go to the "Property finder"
- Choose the country you want to visit
- Click on the red view all link
- This brings you to the simple search, where you can specify the type of accommodation you want, when you want to arrive, how long you want to stay, the minimum and maximum number of bedrooms required, and whether you want a swimming pool, or a ski or golf holiday.
- Click search to receive a list of properties that meet your criteria.
- If you have further criteria, click on the "Advanced search" button. This gives you a whole host of further options to choose from - location type, property type, price, facilities, local activities and suitability for children, pets, the infirm and wheelchairs.
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Click search to receive a list of properties that meet your criteria.
Finding the activities you want
If you want a ski or golf property
Click on the links in the left hand column of the front page. This brings you to a special selection of ski chalets or apartments, and properties on or near golf courses.
If you want other activities
- Go to the "Property finder"
- Choose the country you want to visit
- Click on the red view all link
- Click on the blue "Advanced search" button
- Go to the list of local activities and select the activities you are looking for. The choice includes swimming, sailing, horse riding, mountain biking, tennis, cycling, wind-surfing, walking, fishing and water skiing.
Finding the Holiday-Rentals.co.uk reference number you want
Enter the number in the white box labelled "Property number" at the top of any page.
If you have been given the Web page address of a particular property e.g http://www.Holiday-Rentals.co.uk/99.htm just enter the last numbers e.g. 99 into the property number box.
Finding new holiday ideas
On the front page is a list of special links to vacation ideas in selected countries. We will keep updating this list with new and topical holiday ideas. Just click on the link that attracts you!
List of properties
The list of properties returned in your search contains summary information about the property - its headline, its location in the form of a breadcrumb trail, the accommodation summary, the quoted rental rate range, both in the quoted currency and the currency you specified, and some key facilities.
To see full details of the property, click on the headline, or the "View details" link To check the availability, click the "Availability" link
Making a shortlist of the properties you like
Holiday-Rentals.co.uk has a sophisticated but easy to use 'Shortlist' function. You can add properties to your shortlist from any of the search results, and from any property advertisement page.Access your shortlist from the "My shortlist" tab at the top of every page. Then you can type in comments about the property, send a booking enquiry to the advertiser and remove properties from your shortlist.
If you want to be able to access your shortlist next time you visit the site, you need to sign up with your e-mail address and a password.
Troubleshooting
1. Problem: Text on the pages is not using a consistent size or font or the layout is broken.
Answer: This site has been designed to work best with Firefox 1.5 and Internet Explorer 6 on PCs and Safari 2.0 on Macs; we no longer support IE 5 for Macs as all support for this browser has been withdrawn by Microsoft. Given that upgrading is free and always contains the latest security fixes we suggest you keep your browser up to date.
2. Problem: The loading of pages is very slow
Answer:
(a) Free or very low cost internet access tends to be very slow at peak periods. You get what you pay for!
(b) Upgrade your modem to the latest spec.
(c) Upgrade your telephone line to an ISDN or Broadband, and get high speed access to the web.
Choosing how to pay for your holiday rental
There are a number of ways to send payment for renting a holiday home. Check with the individual owner about which payment methods they accept, making sure you read and understand the owner's policies on payment, deposit return and cancellation. If you have any questions about any aspect of payment, contact the owner directly by email or phone before you book the property.
Some payment methods offer more protection than others, so make sure to select one that you feel comfortable with.
Click here for information about Benefits and risks of each payment method.
Basic Internet Glossary
As with all new technologies, the Internet uses new words which can be confusing. Here is a short glossary which may help.Browser - the software that allows you to see a page on the World Wide Web. The two big ones are Microsoft Explorer and Netscape Navigator. They have each been regularly updated and are now both on Version 6+. The higher the number of the version you have, the more sophisticated things you can do on the Internet.
Internet Service Provider - the company who provides your access to the Internet
Links or Hypertext links -Web pages have links so you can "click" and jump straight to another point either on that page, or that site, or anywhere else on the Internet.
Web pages - one discrete file on a web site. Unlike a printed page, it can be of any length or width.
World Wide Web - the part of the Internet where you can see graphics, photos and laid out pages rather than just text. This is the www. That you see at the front of all web site addresses.
