Good afternoon everyone, I hope your week is going well. A few weeks ago, Laura and I went to Hawaii for vacation. During that trip, we stayed at a total of 3 Vacasa Vacation Rentals on Maui and Oahu. I have 7 different Vacasa stays under my belt, so I wanted to reach out to readers to see if they had any questions about booking or staying at Vacasa properties. A few months ago, I wrote Stop Ignoring Vacasa Vacation Rentals! Get Awesome Condos for 13,500 Wyndham Rewards Points per Night. I also wrote Booking Vacasa Vacation Rentals with Wyndham Rewards Points is Really Easy (Just Call). With that said, here are the Vacasa properties and dates of my past stays:
Cons of Booking a Vacasa Vacation Rental
No two Vacasa properties are the same and each has their own quirks. If you are a first time Vacasa member, I wanted to share some of the gotchas to look out for. For a recent stay in Kihei on Maui, this property has a full washer and dryer in the unit – which is perfect for washing clothes if you are there for a longer stay. Unfortunately, when you do the virtual tour (and show up in person), you will see that there is a sign on the washer that says the washer and dryer are for the owner only and that guests need to use the shared washer and dryer units downstairs in the common area.
At a recent stay in Kahuku on the North Shore of Oahu, you should note that the only bed is in the loft with a low ceiling – which could be an issue if you are taller than 5 feet.
Lastly, at a recent stay in the Mendocino Headlands in Northern California, this artist studio has a pretty small bathroom, shower, and sink. Always do a virtual tour of any property you are considering to see if anything is a deal breaker for you.
Pros of Booking a Vacasa Vacation Rental
To me, my favorite part of staying at Vacasa properties are the views. It makes the previous cons seem a little smaller. Typically these places are individual homes or in smaller condo buildings with beautiful views, free parking, free WiFi, and no resort charges. Here are the views from our Vacasa in Kihei on Maui and Princeville on Kauai.
I already mentioned free parking, free WiFi, and no resort charges, but when you book your Vacasa stay with Wyndham Rewards Points, you do not pay any cleaning fees, booking fees, or accommodation taxes either, which should save you a few hundred bucks vs. booking with Airbnb or VRBO.
Speaking of saving money, if you have the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card, you get a 10% discount on award stays, so a 1 bedroom Vacasa costs only 13,500 Wyndham Rewards Points per night. If you are short on Wyndham Rewards Points, you can instantly transfer Citi ThankYou Points and Capital One Miles to Wyndham Rewards at a 1:1 ratio. Since those points are worth a penny each, a 1 bedroom Vacasa only costs $135 / night (13,500 Wyndham Rewards Points = 13,500 Citi ThankYou Points = $135), which is a huge discount from the retail price per night.
I love dining at great restaurants as much as the next person, but if you eat out every meal on vacation, the costs really add up. Most Vacasa properties have full kitchens with a full size refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, stove, etc. so you have the luxury of eating in for some of your meals. We usually check into our Vacasa, bring in all of our suitcases and bags from the rental car, and then go to the local grocery store to pick up breakfast cereal, soft drinks, alcohol, lunch food, and maybe a frozen pizza. One trip to the grocery store is usually about the price of one nice dinner, so having a full size kitchen helps you can stretch your money further on vacation.
Last but not least, most Vacasa properties have a pool (which you have access to) and maybe even a beach that is walking distance from the rental. If you are close by to a pool or beach, most Vacasa properties will have beach chairs, beach towels, and maybe even a beach umbrellas, boogie boards, or beach toys that you can use during your stay. In case you are wondering, the photos directly above and directly below are from the Poipu Vacasa that we loved.
There you have it. Some cons and some pros about Vacasa, now bring on your questions for me. If you have any questions about booking Vacasa Vacation Rentals or redeeming Wyndham Rewards Points for your stay, please leave a comment below. Have a great day everyone!
are there Vacasa rentals outside of the USA?
Yes, I se plenty of locations in Canada, Mexico, and other parts of North America. Just search for the country you are interested in or drag the map view to search different countries: https://www.vacasa.com/search?maxbeds=1&place=/usa/
I saw something in one of your other posts about a max rate of $350 per night. Will vacasa rentals not work with wyndham points if they are over $350 per night?
There is not an exact number but it seems that between $350-$400 is the max Wyndham Rewards will pay for Vacasa stays per night.
Could it be a 2 bed 2 bath as well ?
Yes, but the price would be double: 15k x 2 = 30k or 27k if you have the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business CC which gives you the 10% discount.
Does the cap double when redeeming for 2BRs? (i.e. a ~$700 cap)?
Hi Robert, I believe so, but I’ve never booked a 2 bedroom Vacasa.
I think the average cost per night including taxes and fees should be less than $300 (if I not mistaken) for applying 15k points/night redemption. I will let Grant confirm since he ha slot of redemption experience.
Grant already answered you above. And you are wrong. It is the rate before taxes/fees.
Hi James, thanks for confirming. Have you booked any Vacasa stays?
Not James, but I booked a condo on Maui that was $352/night before taxes and fees (so certainly well above with taxes/fees included) that I was able to get for the 13,500 points/night
Hi Joseph, thanks for sharing. It doesn’t seem like it’s a hard $350 limit, but you were probably near the upper end of the range. Hope you enjoyed your Vacasa stay in Maui :)
Thanks for your posts and this AMA! Seems like a great use of Wyndham points. Have you been able to check in earlier than the scheduled late afternoon time? I’m looking at a Waikiki condo with a 4pm check-in time but will be arriving on an early morning flight. Or, if not, were you able to use the condo facilities while you waited for the check-in? Interested to see how you handled that situation, or if there’s a best number to call to inquire – Vacasa, the condo, Wyndham? Thanks!
Hi FW, what I recommend is to wait for the email with the lockbox code and then you should be able to use the condo. Depending on if the condo was used the previous night or not, you should get the lockbox code email around 11am-3pm. Depending on the facilities, you may need a pool key from inside the condo. Please let me know if you have any other questions.
Thanks for your quick reply about checking in early! So have you ever heard of using the lockbox code early and getting charged for an early arrival? I’ve read that Vacasa sells late checkout for a fee
Never been charged a fee for early checkin. They don’t even have a CC on file for me when I pay with WR Points. They do sell late checkout but it’s usually like $50-$100 for 2-3 extra hours. Not worth it in my opinion.
Good to hear. Thanks, I feel more comfortable trying it out, especially if there’s an open date before my booking. I’ll report back. Thanks, Grant! You’re awesome. Cheers!
Happy to help, I hope your next Vacasa stay goes well. Let me know what you think after you check out :)
One trick I found out to stretch your points is to book 1 bedrooms that include a loft. The loft is essentially a second bedroom, but you still only get charged the 1 bedroom fee of 15K a night instead of 30K a night.
Yes, that is a good tip. I don’t think there is a way to search for Vacasa properties with a loft, but you may be able to look through a few options to see if a loft is listed or shown in photos.
is there a max amount of points per vacasa reservation? Does a 6 bedroom for instance rent for 90k points a night or is there some absolute cap on redemption cost that anyone is aware of? So far I’ve found that if the property is around 400 or less PER bedroom it is bookable with Vacasa. This is from my experience of talking with reps on the phone looking for stays in the 30A area in the Florida Panhandle.
That’s a great question but I have no idea on the nightly cap for points. If you find out, I would love to know. Thank you.
Would it be possible to split a reservation between 2 Wyndham accounts? For example, book 5 nights with points from one account and 2 nights with points from another. TIA
That is a great question. I’ve never tried but I think if you called Wyndham Rewards, they should be able to pull points from 2 different accounts to book a single Vacasa vacation rental. Please report back if you try :)
There are occasionally rentals below $350/nt before taxes and fees which can’t be booked. Also some over $350 which can be. I used to think the $350/nt was a hard number below which anything could be booked but doesn’t seem like it which is frustrating.
I’ve noticed that too. It seems like a soft limit of $350 / night, not a hard limit.
Hey Grant, I recently applied for a Wyndham earners credit card. Do you know when I will be able to receive the 10% off the points redemption.
Asking because I am planning to book a vacasa via Wyndham points and trying to understand what triggers the 10% discount
Hi Krishna, as soon as you are approved for the Earner+, you should be eligible for the 10% discount. You can do a dummy WR booking and see if it shows the 10% discount before you call Vacasa. Hope that helps.
Thanks Grant that helps, my status got updated to platinum after ~3 days of approval so I think it will trigger the discount now
That is great to hear, glad your status got updated quickly.
If I have already booked a Vacasa stay through Wyndham, then I later apply for the Wyndham business earner card – can I go back & ask for the 10% discount? The rental is not until the end of March so we haven’t stayed yet, but booked before I qualified for the Wyndham business card to get the discount.
Hi Heather, I don’t know the answer, but since you are outside the 30 day cancellation period, you should be able to cancel your original reservation and then rebook it with the 10% discount, assuming the new price isn’t above the $350 / night / bedroom threshold.
First, I would call the Wyndham Rewards Vacasa phone number and ask if they could give you a partial refund for the difference in points. If that doesn’t work, you could go down the cancel and rebook route, but there is a chance that the reservation might be too expensive to rebook, so that would be my only concern.
Either way, let me know what works and what you learned during the call.
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Hey Grant. My husband and I will be taking our first trip to Hawaii. We will visit the Big Island and also Honolulu. Do you have any suggestions on those islands for a Vacasa?
Hi Amy, glad to hear you’re taking a trip to Oahu and the Big Island. Both islands have many Vacasa properties in different parts of the island, so you need to decide where you would like to stay. On Oahu, I really enjoyed the Vacasa rental I had at Turtle Bay on the north side of the island.
On the Big Island, you can stay on the dry side (Kona) or the colder/wetter side (Hilo). If you want to be near resorts, the Waikoloa Village area north of Kona is great.
Let me know if you have any other questions. Enjoy your Hawaiian vacation!
Will VACASA be allowing cancellations in West Maui due to the disaster
Hi Eric, if your Vacasa stay (anywhere in the world) is more than 30 days out, you can cancel for free. If you are within 30 days, you will forfeit your points if you cancel.
If you have a reservation for Maui within the next 30 days, call Vacasa and see if they will let you cancel or reschedule for free. I would hope so, but make sure to call.
Please report back what you find out. Thank you.
Hi. I am looking to book Vacasa with my points and my wife’s but I am the only Wyndham Biz Earner holder. It doesn’t look like we can combine points. If I add her as an AU will she be able to get the 10% off using her points? Thank you,
Gregg
Hi Gregg, if you both have Wyndham Rewards Points but only you have the Barclays Wyndham Rewards Earner Business Credit Card, you can call the Vacasa number and they can pull points from both of your accounts.
You will get the 10% discount, but your wife will not. You will also need to use enough points from each account to cover the cost of each night. So, from your account, you could use increments of 13,500 points, but your wife would need to do increments of 15,000 points.
I hope that info is helpful. Let me know how the booking process goes. Good luck!
That is a bummer but very helpful, thank you!
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Is a studio or efficiency condo (all in one room/ no separate bedroom… same 15k points as a 1-bedroom??
Hi Pamela, yes, everything that is 0-1 bedroom costs 15K points / night.