Like most real estate in these tough economic times, condo values have dropped considerably over the past year. In places like Miami, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Las Vegas, Hawaii and elsewhere, condo owners and builders need income, and their rental offers may be great bargains. On your next vacation trip, would you rather spend it in a condo instead of a hotel? Of course, you won’t get daily maid service, be able to order breakfast in bed nor have a choice of three or four restaurants just downstairs. However, some advantages of renting a condo may be worth considering.

Let’s look at price comparisons. In San Francisco, a typical upscale hotel room costs $250 a day. Great daily service, nice pool, two people can be comfortable in the room, and views of the Bay from the top floors are fabulous. The city’s entertainment and shopping are within walking, cable car or short cab ride distance.

Just down the street, you can rent a two-bedroom apartment in a high-rise condo for a week at $50 a day, including access to the pool. Same citywide views, and you can enjoy them outside on your apartment’s private patio balcony. No busy, noisy hotel lobbies and hallways to contend with, because most condo buildings are more serene and quiet. At this high-rise, San Francisco’s shopping and entertainment are also within walking, cable car or short taxi ride away.

In the condo, instead of paying $50 per person for dinner in a posh hotel or nearby city restaurant, you can buy the same ingredients at a local grocery for a total of $50 or less (and no tips required), and cook them in the condo’s full kitchen. Instead of waiting in line to get seated in a noisy, pricey restaurant, you can have quiet meals in privacy. Although there’s no hotel-like room service in condos, hundreds of San Francisco restaurants will deliver complete meals promptly to your door at competitive, take-out prices.

Because the typical upscale condo has two bedrooms, two baths, two TV sets and a living room, you can sleep up to six people comfortably. And you won’t bump into each other when moving around in the spacious, homelike apartment. 

OK, so you’re not too sure you want to give up the convenience of a hotel, and may not like making your own bed and cleaning up every day. But you’d like to try for a quiet, private and spacious place to spend your vacation. Talk to family and friends who’ve tried the condo rental experience. Get online and check out all the information, photos and ads offering individual and commercial condo rentals in the area or city where you’d like to travel.