Quel site choisir pour louer entre particuliers ?

Ça dépend de ce que vous cherchez. Airbnb pour l’éventail le plus large, de la chambre individuelle au château, Abritel pour ses annonces dans 190 pays, PAP vacances pour éviter les frais de réservation, Loisirs enchères pour la bonne affaire. Rien ne vous oblige à vous en tenir à un seul : les quatre se consultent en parallèle.

Y a-t-il des frais de réservation sur ces sites ?

PAP vacances propose des locations sans frais de réservation pour le vacancier, et c’est ce qui le distingue des trois autres. Sur les autres plateformes, lisez le récapitulatif du prix avant de valider, pas après.

Peut-on annuler gratuitement une location de vacances ?

Abritel a créé une rubrique « Annulation gratuite » qui connaît un vrai succès dans une période chahutée pour le tourisme. Elle ne concerne que les annonces qui y figurent : l’annulation dépend toujours des conditions retenues par le propriétaire. À lire avant de payer.

Comment fonctionne Loisirs enchères ?

Vous enchérissez sur un séjour, et c’est l’enchère qui fixe le prix que vous paierez. C’est le site des meilleures affaires, donc celui qui demande d’être réactif quand une annonce intéressante passe, et patient quand rien ne sort. Autant l’ouvrir bien avant les dates visées.

Peut-on louer autre chose qu’une maison ou un appartement ?

Oui. Airbnb va de la chambre individuelle au château, avec une catégorie d’hébergements insolites où l’on trouve de sacrées perles, et permet aussi de réserver des expériences en plus du logement. Abritel référence de son côté des villas et des roulottes. « Location de vacances » couvre bien plus large qu’un deux-pièces avec vue mer.

Private holiday rentals: the best sites to book with

Planning a holiday and want to book direct with a private owner? Here are our favourite sites!

3 min readBy the StyQR team

1Airbnb
2Abritel
3PAP vacances
4Loisirs enchères
5Frequently asked questions

Holiday rentals: now there's a big subject! If you want to get away by renting from a private owner, here are our 4 favourite sites.

Family having breakfast at a table in a bright living room, seen through white glass doors

Airbnb

We won't dwell on it for too long, but Airbnb is now THE go-to name for renting from private owners.

Its big plus? You can book anything from individual rooms to houses and even châteaux! An option for quirky places to stay appeared recently, and you'll come across some real gems.

We're also big fans of being able to book experiences alongside your accommodation.

A smiling couple leaning at a window with their small black and white dog

Abritel

Abritel belongs to the Home Way group (Expedia) and lists more than 2 million properties across 190 countries.

Here too, you can pick the place of your dreams: houses, villas, shepherd's huts and more. There's plenty to choose from.

Its big plus? The « Free cancellation » section, which is proving hugely popular in these unsettled times for tourism.

Smiling family gathered around a breakfast of waffles and orange juice in a bright kitchen

PAP vacances

Best known for long-term property lettings, the platform is also expanding into holiday lettings.

Widely used by private owners, the site offers rentals with no booking fees for holidaymakers, with listings sorted by region or by theme!

For us, PAP vacances feels a bit like leboncoin!

A mother holds her smiling young son by the water's edge at sunset

Loisirs enchères

We'll admit it: this is the least well known of the four, but certainly not the least interesting!

In fact, you could call it the site for the best deals. You book your holiday by bidding, which makes it far easier to keep an eye on your budget.

The one small drawback: on loisirs enchères you need to be quick off the mark and patient. But a good holiday rental is worth taking your time over.

Here are the four platforms at a glance, with what sets each one apart.

Site	What you will find	Its edge
Airbnb	Private rooms, houses, castles, unusual stays	Booking experiences on top of your stay
Abritel	Over 2 million listings in 190 countries: houses, villas, gypsy caravans	The “Free cancellation” section
PAP vacances	Owner listings sorted by region or by theme	No booking fees for the traveller
Loisirs enchères	Stays awarded through bidding	The best deals, provided you stay quick and patient

Frequently asked questions

Which site should I use to rent from a private owner? It depends on what you are after. Airbnb for the widest range, from a single room to a castle, Abritel for its listings across 190 countries, PAP vacances to avoid booking fees, Loisirs enchères for a bargain. Nothing says you have to pick one: all four can be browsed side by side.

Are there booking fees on these sites? PAP vacances lists rentals with no booking fee for the holidaymaker, and that is what sets it apart from the other three. On the other platforms, read the price breakdown before you confirm, not after.

Can I cancel a holiday rental for free? Abritel has created a “Free cancellation” section that has proved genuinely popular in a rough patch for tourism. It only applies to the listings that appear in it, and cancellation still depends on the terms the owner has chosen. Read them before you pay.

How does Loisirs enchères work? You bid on a stay, and the bidding sets the price you end up paying. It is the site for the best deals, so it rewards anyone quick enough when an interesting listing appears and patient enough when nothing does. Start looking well before the dates you have in mind.

Can I rent something other than a house or a flat? Yes. Airbnb runs from a single room to a castle, with a category of unusual stays where real gems turn up, and it also lets you book experiences alongside the place itself. Abritel lists villas and traditional caravans. Holiday rental covers far more ground than a two-room flat with a sea view.

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