Should You Use Holidu For Vacation Rentals? Guide + Honest Review

There’s no doubt that accommodation is a major aspect of any travel plan. Whether you plan to explore sights all day long or want to snuggle up and read a book in a cozy spot, it’s important that you pick a suitable hostel or holiday home.

If you need good, affordable, and comfortable rental options for your next vacation, vacation rental websites can help you with it. But lo, the choices are endless - enough to make you go crazy. 

What if you can browse the best deals of all those rental sites in one place? That is Holidu!

Read our Holidu review to find out more! 

What is Holidu?

Holidu is a vacation rentals search engine that promises to help you find great accommodation choices for low prices. It was founded in 2014 by Johannes Siebers and Michael Siebers, after experiencing the frustration of having to visit different websites and compare prices of rentals. It scans hundreds of vacation rental sites and aggregates the best deals for you, saving you time and hard work. 

Moreover, it offers you a range of accommodation types from holiday homes to cottages to mansions to castles, although choices depend on the destination. Holidu is available both as a website and mobile version. The app is available for both Android and iOS devices free of charge. 

How does Holidu work?

Booking rentals online is no easy task. You have to visit multiple rental booking sites and compare prices to find the best offer. A particular property might be available for different prices on different websites at the same time. Rental search engines like Holidu help you overcome this.

Using its price comparison technology, it scours the web for the best deals from leading vacation rental sites such as Booking.com, Airbnb, Vrbo, TUI, Tripadvisor, etc. Holidu claims that you can save up to 55% on your dream vacation rental by using its service. In order to ensure you have picked the right choice, the search platform also scans for users' reviews and summarizes them for you. 

How does Holidu make money?

Primarily, Holidu generates its revenue from the commission received every time a user books a rental through its website/app. Additionally, it earns a commission per click from some of its partners. Interestingly, Holidu has grown in popularity even during the pandemic due to changes in traveler behavior.  

How to use Holidu?

Visit the Holidu website and insert the required details such as the location, arrival and departure rate, and the number of guests. Then, you will get a list of accommodation options gathered from various leading booking sites. 

You can narrow the options by specifying the property type, amenities, property view, cancellation policy, payment methods, reviews, distance from popular landmarks, and the number of rooms. Once you find something interesting, click “View Deal,” and you will be redirected to the booking site. Then, you can confirm your booking.

The mobile app comes with a set of additional features than the web version, which we discuss below.

What do we like about Holidu?

• Convenient and time-saving 

The website and mobile app are neatly designed, user-friendly, and easy to navigate, rounding up for a great user experience. In fact, we came across many Holidu reviews validating it! Information on each rental listing is quite descriptive, providing a good idea of the nature and amenities of the property. In addition to the summarized reviews, Holidu’s Google Street View feature lets you take a look at the actual state of the property. Overall, a very helpful and quick way of booking a vacation rental. 

• Feature-rich Holidu app

The “Trips” feature lets your travel mates, co-workers, or family members to join and vote and ask their opinion. It’s particularly beneficial for social travelers. The participants can add their picks to the group, vote on the shortlisted rentals, and pick one that fits the majority easily. Holidu’s free app lets you save the reservation details and other relevant information, so you can access them on the go easily.

• More choices 

Even budgeted travelers prefer a good list of accommodation choices to choose from. Holidu offers various rental types such as holiday homes, apartments, B&Bs, cottages, cabins, chalets, hotels, boathouses, camping, gîte, etc. at varying prices. It also offers a wide range of amenities that are useful for digital nomads, families, and people who travel with their pets! 

What you should know when booking a Rental?

We didn’t come across anything negative about the site. However, here are some things to keep in mind.

• Not all rentals that look great are actually great

There are instances when the photos or reviews can mislead you. Even if you use Street View and try to get a close-up picture, things can still go wrong. The host can be unfriendly, there can be hidden charges, or the quality of amenities can be disappointing.

• Holidu won’t handle your cancellations

As it’s just a rental search engine and the booking is ultimately made with the particular booking website, Holidu isn’t liable to refund you money or handle your cancellations. So, make sure you read cancellation policies and other terms and conditions well in advance.

Is Holidu worth it?

Definitely. It’s growing popularity speaks volumes about the extent to which it has eased travelers’ burden when booking cost-effective rentals. In order to ensure the rental of your choice is a good one, it’s better to do some extra research on it. Read more reviews and find out if it’s worth the price! 

If you want to list your property on Holidu, you should use its service “bookiply.” It simplifies the task of managing your property listings on various platforms by centralizing them under one account.

Holidu is one of the top travel deal websites focusing on vacation rentals, helping you find the most bang in your buck. While the listings might be limited, they're certainy worth the consideration.

Pilot

Besides accommodation, many other aspects have to be accounted for when planning a trip. Unless you are a super-organized person, things can get messy and complicated during the process.

If you are looking for a fun, easy, and flexible travel planner that won’t make you a cranky human being during planning, you should try Pilot!