Maybe you were thinking about a Winter Getaway or scouting for a Summer Rental, Home Away is there to help.
Home Away (based in Austin, Texas) was started in June 2006 and offers a wealth of vacation rentals (some 65.000 according to their site) both in the US and Abroad.
I put them to the test with a Search in the Carcassonne and Perpignan areas of Southern France. The process was quick and easy. Most ‘rentals’ feature a photo of the property, the rental price per week, number of bathrooms and bedrooms and how many people it can accommodate. It lists amenities such as pools. If you like a specific listing you can then see if it is available during the time period you are interested in. I like the idea of the maps being broken down by regions and then by specific areas within them. It narrows the search and makes it more user friendly.
The notes on each region are also useful for people who never visited the area.
I look forward to using their services in the future.
Thanks to Erik Schonfeld of Business 2.0 The Next Net for bringing Home Away to my attention.
On the same topic, I wrote in March 2006 My Andalucian Roots about Casitas-Select which offers vacation rentals in Southern Spain.
Bon Voyage!