Christmas holiday rentals: $210 an hour and what best holiday lettings can get you
Even if you can’t make it or can’t afford it, you can always dream about it.
The holiday season is just around the corner but there’s still time to lock in that holiday rental, with something for most budgets.
And if you can’t make it happen this summer you can always kick back with a quiet, cold drink and dream of next time.
After a slower start to the season, LJ Hooker Palm Beach has seen an upswing in enquiries coming with the improving weather conditions.
Only a few of their properties remain available during peak Christmas/New Year week and range in price from $10,500 to $35,000 per week.
On NSW north and south coasts, a handful of properties are available for week-long stays for less than $10,000, while all but one property managed by LJ Hooker Port Douglas in Far North Queensland is still available.
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Claire Marriott, LJ Hooker Palm Beach property manager and specialist in holiday rentals, said: “There’s been a lot of last-minute bookings, particularly during the past week, leading up to the school holidays and the warmer weather – the phone is definitely ringing more on the days with blue skies”.
“The higher end of the market has been a little bit harder to fill with many choosing overseas holidays. There have been fewer international enquiries this season and an oversupply of property, but we identified the shifting market early and pivoted to respond and as a result, we’ve done very well with only a few properties still available.”
One of the most impressive available properties is a coastal-style four-bedroom retreat, known as the Amalfi Villa, offering oceanfront postcard views across Palm Beach. Listed with a weekly peak rate of $16,000, its features include a heated indoor pool, a movie projector and a yoga area with space for meditation.
Another luxury Palm Beach home, The Hutt, which can accommodate up to 10 guests, is worth considereding.
Described as a “seaside masterpiece”, The Hutt gives new meaning to the ultimate beach house with a gourmet kitchen fit for a chef, lavish marble bathrooms and a steam room. Available for $20,000 per week during the peak season, guests can enjoy direct beach access or take a swim in the private mosaic heated pool.
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Ms Marriott said they had been inundated by people wanting to holiday let their homes over the summer, however, they like to limit the number of properties on their books to ensure they can offer premium service to both property owners and guests alike.
“There are certainly more properties available this summer, which contrasts with last summer when many homeowners were unable to travel and chose to spend summer in their own holiday homes,” she said.
On the NSW’s south coast hamlet of Batemans Bay, the holiday rental market remains tight with strong enquiries from Sydney, Canberra, Melbourne and even Queensland. Properties range in price from $1500 to around $6,000 for the week.
“I’ve just taken on some additional properties but at the start of the week we were fully booked out for the Christmas/New Year period,” said Elissia Famularo from LJ Hooker Batemans Bay.
On the North Coast, LJ Hooker Lennox Head still has a handful of properties available for seven-night stays. From December 20, guests can take the short walk from Bronze, in Rutherford Street, Lennox Head, down to its famed beach. For seven nights, the four-bedroom home with a pool and generous entertaining area which sleeps eight people is available for $7,041
Elsewhere in Lennox Head, The Outlook in Pacific Parade is available from December 20. For seven nights, the modern three-bedroom, a three-bathroom townhouse is priced at $5,865
An hour up the Pacific Highway, LJ Hooker Kingscliff is offering the Sea Glass House at Casuarina for Christmas at $10,515.00 for seven nights.
The home at 4 Harpullia Court, Casuarina, is on five beaches back from the beach and within walking distance to shops, and award-winning restaurants and sleeps 12 guests
Over at Cudgen Creek, in Longboard Circuit, Kingscliff, LJ Hooker is also managing Bahama Breeze. Built for summer, its alfresco dining area overlooks the pool with contemporary appliances for the most discerning chef.
It’s offered for $9,422 for the Christmas week.
In forever relaxing Port Douglas, in far north Queensland only one property remains within LJ Hooker’s holiday management pool.
The agency has just listed a four-bedroom rural getaway on 3.2ha in the Mowbray Valley. With the valley laid out from the deck and a 9.5m pool, 319 Mowbray River offers tranquillity while still only 15 minutes away from the main street of the Queensland tourism mecca.
The property is being offered at $1200 per night, sleeping eight to nine guests.
Get in now or keep dreaming.
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Originally published as Christmas holiday rentals: $210 an hour and what best holiday lettings can get you