The thread to this Mendelson’s Musings blog post is full of responses mostly from renters of VRBO but also of property owners pointing to the fact that VRBO will upon request by the owner not publish a review by a customer, claiming it does not meet standards. Owners complain that since they pay to list their property, they should have the right to dismiss negative reviews since not all renters are honest people.

So I have become very suspicious of properties with only raving reviews or very few reviews at all. Surely, all places experience renters who do not think the apartment or house was the best thing since sliced bread.

My own experience:

1. A vacation rental site that was not VRBO, I found a great 3-bedroom apartment in Outer Banks, North Carolina that was nothing short of exactly as expected and more. It was run by a management company – and I do like those because they have more of an interest in working with properties that receive great reviews. It’s their name on the line. In that case, reviews appear to have been an accurate representation.
2. From VRBO, a gorgeous 2-bedroom apartment in Miami Beach – we put pretty breakables out of the way and left it in such good condition the owner said it looked as if no one had stayed there (minus unmade beds of course).
3. From VRBO, a one-bedroom apartment in Brooklyn that had only great reviews, had many aspects that made it less than great, but the owners were so nice that I gave them the benefit of the doubt and merely suggested improvements for future visitors rather than posting these issues in a review. The issues were:

• instead of relying on them to turn on/off the heat (which was extremely noisy) upon request as there was no thermostat in the apartment, they should have two radiant space heaters – which would only cost $40 each) and would be more energy efficient.
• The porch light of the house across the courtyard in the back would shine straight through the kitchen window into the eyes of my daughter who slept on the inflatable mattress in the living room.
• A red light above the door in the master bedroom would blink constantly, causing me to put a cloth over my face at night.
• The bed’s springs hurt enough that I put a folded bath towel on top of the worst ones – the owners should have added a cheap foam topper.

Had I put these comments in my review, my review would probably have been denied. But the owner could simply write that these things had been addressed and show proof in updated photos.

Friendly Rentals.com – used them five times for rentals

I rented two apartments in Madrid and two in Barcelona from FriendlyRentals, one in Milan. Everything but the Milan rental I loved even if they weren’t perfect. I rely heavily on their reviews to make a decision, and was disappointed to find that they too do not post negative reviews. My Milan review is nowhere in sight and still has an average 9.1/10 review out of a measly 2 entries.

Here’s a screenshot of as much of my review as I could fit – obviously the scrollable text boxes don’t show everything I said nor do they send you a copy of what you wrote. Now I know why.

I also wrote about the gate to my wing being impossible to close quietly due to an industrial-strength spring. Every time someone would enter or exit, the gate would SLAM shut, making it difficult to have any length of sleep. Light came through the open entry into the bedroom and there was no way to block all light from the bedroom window, again a sleep depriver.

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I will write a solution to avoiding problems with these not-so-honest rental sites in an upcoming post. In the meantime, I recommend only book properties with lots of reviews – preferably some not overly gushing which is suspicious – and who don’t require payment all up front.

Ohhhhh, they’re so much better watched from her own site: http://natalietran.me/

Well done, boys.

Go to: I NEED SPAIN for tourist info.

Capital One credit card – FANTASTIC A+++

That’s right, you pay no foreign transaction fees for any international purchase. In the past, some stores overseas would ask if I wanted to pay in dollars or Euros, and it used to matter. But in the past few years, credit card issuers don’t care. If it’s a transaction made by a foreign company, you get billed. This means, my purchases from ASOS.com, Iberia, Spanair, and apartment rental agencies – bam, I got hit with a 3% foreign transaction fee every time. Now, with Capital One, on my statement, each foreign transaction lists its exchange rate which is generous to me, and there are indeed NOO additional fees. I love that. Plus, I got to put my own image on the card – a cute picture of me on a white and lavender background. With this card, ask for the transaction to be put through in the original currency instead of U.S. dollars when they give you the choice. You’ll likely get a better rate from Capital One.

Schwab High-Yield Investors Checking Account – FANTASTIC – A+++

I can’t help but rate these two options highly. Though Schwab doesn’t list the exchange rate on each transaction nor the original amount – so save your receipts – they refund any fee charged at the end of the statement cycle, and do not charge you either a % nor flat fee for the ATM withdrawal. For domestic use, it’s great for when you don’t feel like running around finding your bank’s ATM machine. For foreign withdrawals, I’m just ecstatic. My regular bank charges $5 PLUS 3% in addition to the average $5 foreign bank charge. For $300, that amounts to a sobering $19. With Schwab, nothing, nada, $0.

Warn your bank if you have foreign travel plans

Note that for any bank’s ATM card, you should your bank in advance – sometimes it’s called the Fraud Department – and tell them where and when you’ll be out of the country so they don’t block your account. That happened to me once, and I have to say it’s not fun.

I hope these policies don’t change, because I like being a happy traveler.

Under certain licenses detailed on the U.S. government’s website – professional, religious, and academic – American citizens can travel to Cuba. Apparently, with certain visas they have to remain within Havana, and they have to obtain non-U.S. medical insurance which can be purchased upon entry.

Alas, I have no academic or professional reasons to go, so I am stuck looking from the outside, but this is one step further to some day being able to see this once-paradise famed for its hospitality.

I for one would feel privileged to watch some Barcelona soccer games, either live or in a nice warm bar. I only see them once every week or two via espn3.com.

The one rugby player in it that I’m gaga over is Henri-Pierre Vermis, perhaps 29 when the pictures were taken, he is truly a man – with an intimidating physique and eyes that appear a crystal blue even in the all black-and-white photos. He’s mesmerizing.  Most of the other models are young rugby players maybe aged 20-25 who I’m sure will please many of you. I would like to know for which teams they play, but at least one can search in the index who the hottie on page XX is and research him yourself.

This one features a ton of architectural and gritty outdoor locations. The art connoisseur will love this book as will those who enjoy sex with men. There is a homo-erotic flavor throughout, which doesn’t bother me a bit. Why interrupt the images with an errant boob?

I do wish that European men would believe in circumcision – it would have enhanced their lovely manhoods – but I’ll just appreciate what I’m given. Unfortunately, I can hardly see American athletes posing and exposing all given our still giggly society, so I’ll take the Frenchies without complaint.

Merry Christmas to me! I’m so good at giving myself gifts I lick my lips over.