Learn about all of the websites, plus the pros and cons, that you can use to find a Miramar Beach, Florida condo for rent. We’ve put this list together to break down all the pros and cons of where to start your search for the perfect Miramar Beach condo for your beach vacation.
Why does it matter what website you use to find a Miramar Beach Condo for Rent?
There are a lot of reasons why you might choose to browse and book through one website over another. Here are some of the top reasons and the categories we use to review each Miramar Beach Condo Rental websites:
- Price
Booking sites like Airbnb and VRBO charge both you, the renter, and the host services fees, which are passed on to you. That means you’re likely to pay anywhere from 5-20% more on average to book through these sites, but they come with added benefits (read on for more). - Availability
Booking sites rather than simply listing sites where you need to inquire about availability, allow you to get access to a condo rental fast without waiting on a response. - Amenities
Depending on what kind of experience you are looking for, like bringing your furry friend with you or young children, some sites offer more features, filters, and perks to meet your unique needs. - Options
Booking sites like Airbnb and VRBO will likely have more options to choose from since they tend to be the most popular and have strong brand recognition in the short-term rental space. - Protection
Booking directly through an owner or property manager vs booking through a third-party site means you’ll have different levels and options for protection when it comes to anything going wrong like needing to cancel last minute. - Insurance
Some third-party booking sites offer the option for you to add traveler’s insurance to your stay. - Features
Some websites offer unique features that make browsing more fun and personalized, whereas others are made for certain types of travelers like those looking for longer stays at a condo in Miramar Beach.
1. Airbnb
Pros:
- Availability
Airbnb has thousands of Miramar Beach condo listings and many of them are Instant Book meaning that as long as the dates are available, you can book the condo right away without needing pre-approval from the host. Any time of year, you are going to be able to find a condo for rent. The busy season, typically March – September, prices for Miramar Beach condos will be higher. - Amenities
Airbnb’s listing filter is incredibly robust. If you are looking for something very specific, like a crib or pack n’ play for the little ones, you can use filters to identify exactly the condos in Miramar Beach that offer that.
- Options
There are thousands of Condos in Miramar Beach listed on Airbnb. No matter what your family size, budget, length of stay, or amenities needs you, are very likely to find the perfect fit. - Protection
Since you’re booking through a trusted platform where you’ll have a middle man if anything goes wrong, you have a little extra peace of mind when booking through Airbnb. - Insurance
Airbnb offers the option to take out travel insurance so that way, if anything goes wrong at your condo or you have travel delays, you could be covered and not responsible to pay. - Features
Airbnb has one of the most beautiful, well-organized websites and apps (for iOS and Android) to make your booking and communication experience easy. Every part of the experience is carefully thought through.
Cons:
- Price: You are likely to pay a little more, up to 15% more than if you found a condo that you could book directly through the owner or property manager.
Bottom line: Airbnb has a dominant name in the marketplace when it comes to rentals and Miramar Beach is no exception. While you’ll potentially pay more for your condo, there are a lot of pros to choosing to browse and book your next Miramar Beach condo rental on Airbnb.
View Miramar Beach Condos for Rent on Airbnb
2. VRBO
Pros:
- Availability
VRBO has thousands of Miramar Beach condo listings and much like Airbnb, you can instantly book many of them. - Amenities
VRBO’s main page for Miramar Beach condo listings offers even more ways to browse condos than Airbnb. It also offers a lot of ideas for things to do, information about the weather and much more. - Options
There are thousands of Condos in Miramar Beach listed on VRBO and there are quick filters for finding places that are family-friendly, great for groups, and much more. - Protection
Since you’re booking through a trusted platform where you’ll have a middle man if anything goes wrong, you have a little extra peace of mind when booking through VRBO. - Insurance
VRBO offers the option to take out travel insurance so that way, if anything goes wrong at your condo or you have travel delays, you could be covered and not responsible to pay. - Features
In comparison to Airbnb, VRBO’s listing experience is a close second in our opinion. They have great features, but the user experience and design is a little more overwhelming.
Cons:
- Price: You are likely to pay a little more, up to 15% more than if you found a condo that you could book directly through the owner or property manager.
Bottom line: VRBO has been around for a long time, even before Airbnb, so they are a trusted site in the vacation rental space. Many people prefer to use VRBO for longer, monthly stays as their rates tend to be better and more geared towards snow-birds.
View Miramar Beach Condos for Rent on VRBO
3. Vacasa
Pros:
- Amenities
Vacasa’s main landing page for Miramar Beach condos is very similar to Airbnb and VRBO. They offer quick filters for dog-friendly, high internet speed, and more. - Protection
Since you’re booking through Vacasa, which is a national property management and booking site, you’re in good hands. It’s also an added bonus that Vacasa manages the rentals that you see listed. They actually have an office in Miramar Beach that you’ll drive by on Highway 98. - Insurance
Vacasa offers the option to take out travel insurance while booking your condo. - Features
In comparison to Airbnb and VRBO’s listing experience, Vacasa is pretty much on par with website features. One standout feature is that you can use Affirm to pay for your condo which gives you the ability to pay in 0% interest monthly payments.
Cons:
- Availability
Since there not as many Miramar Beach condos listed, the availability of a condo unit is lower than other booking sites. - Price: You are likely to pay a little more, up to 15% more than if you found a condo that you could book directly through the owner or property manager.
- Options
According to their website, there are only 822 condo rentals in Miramar Beach, which is far less than the thousands that VRBO and Airbnb offer. If you’re looking for a ton of options and are open to wide variety of experiences, Vacasa may not be the best booking site for you.
Bottom line: Vacasa is a good option if you find a great deal in comparison to other sites or if you want to go the route of paying for your vacation condo in installments.
View Miramar Beach Condos for Rent on Vacasa
4. Emerald Coast By Owner
Pros:
- Availability
Emerald Coast By Owner (ECBYO) is a regional condo listing website that is very popular to use if you are looking for a Miramar Beach condo for rent. They have many - Price: ECYBO does not charge a booking fee because you can’t book through them. You are likely to pay a little less for Miramar Beach condo if you find it through Emerald Coast By Owner since they are not a booking site and therefore you don’t have to pay an up to 15% booking fee like Airbnb and VRBO. When you make a request you are going directly to the owner or property manager and often book via email or the owner’s website.
- Options
Between Destin, Ft Walton, and Miramar Beach there are several thousand options on ECBYO.
Cons:
- Amenities
ECBYO’s website and main landing page for Miramar Beach is underwhelming and a little old school. While you can find the information on condos that you are looking for, it’s a little harder to find. It’s not easy to filter for condos that meet your unique needs like it is on Airbnb or VRBO. - Protection
Since ECBYO is not a booking site, they are not playing the middle man, they are essentially just advertising condos (condo owners pay an annual fee to be listed on the website). - Insurance
ECBYO does not offer insurance. This isn’t a big deal, though, since that is easy to purchase from a third-party if it is important to you. - Features
In comparison to Airbnb and VRBO’s listing experience, ECBYO is lacking. Right away, the Miramar Beach condo rental page isn’t clear how to filter through the listings. They are all featured on one page.
Bottom line: Vacasa is a good option if you find a great deal in comparison to other sites or if you want to go the route of paying for your vacation condo in installments.
View Miramar Beach Condos for Rent on ECBYO
5. Good Vibes Vacations
Hey, we had to put our site on this list, right?
While we only have one Miramar Beach condo for rent, we wrote this article to help you find a great place to stay so you can have a great vacation in the greater Destin/Miramar Beach area like we do with our family – even if you don’t stay at our condo.
But since we’ve got you here, feel free to check out our condo and reach out with any questions. Our little family bought this condo to enjoy and escape the cold winters of Michigan, but outside of January and February we want to share it with other families and their friends.
Our condo is an investment for our family, both a financial investment (we plan on it being a college fund for our son, Cameron) and an investment in fun.
6. Facebook Groups
There are a number of Miramar Beach Condo Rental Facebook groups where you can post about what you are looking for and condo owners or property managers will comment with their links and availability.
This can be an overwhelming way to find a condo since many people will comment on your post, depending on your request, but it is certainly an option so we didn’t want to leave it off this list.
Here are links to some of the Facebook Groups:
Miramar Beach & Destin, Florida Vacation Rentals
Destin, Miramar Beach, Florida Vacation Rentals
Other Miramar Beach Condo Rental Options
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