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You’ve finally decided you and your family on going to take that long awaited dream vacation in Hawaii. You’ve decided that you want to go the vacation rental route for numerous reasons: privacy, comfort, location and cost effectiveness. Next, you probably Googled Oahu Vacation Rentals and are faced with the daunting task of choosing among some 175,000 web sites. Where to begin? Here’s two secrets that will help you make the right choice so you can enjoy your stay in Hawaii to its fullest.

Secret One: Use a reservation service. There are several reasons for this. First, a single property vacation rental listing by owner will severely limit you to the dates that you can take your vacation. Vacation rental properties in Hawaii run nearly 90% occupancy, so unless you know your travel dates six months to a year out the odds are high that their property won’t be available for the travel dates you had in mind. Second, the owner is only concerned with booking their own property so they will extol the virtues of their vacation rental and not mention any of the faults.

Secret Two: Make the right choice of reservation service. Make sure it is locally owned and operated. Websites like vrbo and findrentals (for instance) don’t have a clue about geography, weather, attractions, events and the other necessary information required to give you the property that best fills your needs. For instance, let’s say you want to whale watch but also want to vacation on Oahu. Your reservation service should be able to tell you that you need to stay on the windward side of the island if you want to see the whales. Another tip-off of services to avoid are those that do automated, credit card bookings.  Steer clear of these services as this implies they aren’t interested in talking to you, they just want your money. Be wary of sites that have more than 100 properties….there aren’t that many decent selections on Oahu, or any of the other Hawaiian islands, on the market. The more a service exceeds 100 properties, the greater the odds you’ll end up in an overpriced, undesirable vacation rental. Here’s another great hint. If a reservation service states that they have hotels or condos available in Kailua, or will have them soon, choose another service. Since, by zoning law, Kailua does not allow hotels or condos, you should realize that once again, this is a service that wants your money, not your piece of mind. Always ask the reservation service person you are talking to where they are located. Someone based in Las Vegas or Los Angeles won’t have a clue about how to give you the best property for the vacation experience you have in mind.

With the standard vacation rental property terms being no refunds after you’ve paid your deposit, you absolutely want to make sure you make the right choice. A good reservation service will ask you questions about what you want to do and see on your vacation and will actually try and talk you out of a property you had in mind if they don’t think it appropriate to what you had in mind. This is not an attempt to upsell you, it’s more a matter of matching your vacation desires and needs with the perfect choice of vacation rental venue. One vacation rental reservation service that meets all these requirements is Pacific Islands Reservations. They are owned and operated by Ingrid Carvalho, who was born and raised in the islands, as were her parents, grandparents and great-grandparents. She has been serving visitors to Hawaii vacation rental needs since 1996. She currently represents ninety vacation rentals on Oahu and another 90 vacation rentals on Maui, Kauai and the Big Island. She has actually been to each and every property she represents–she even took most of the photographs of the vacation rentals you see on her web sites. She doesn’t take credit cards but she’s happy to spend time talking with you to make sure you get the right property to maximize the value and enjoyment of your vacation.

One of the largest parks in central Paris at 63 acres, the Jardin des Tuileries (Tuileries Gardens) was once part of a palace connected to the Louvre. The building was burned down to its masonry shell in 1871 during the violent Commune uprising. The resulting ruins were finally demolished in 1882, opening up an unbroken vista from the Louvre to the Arc de Triomphe (and now on to the Grand Arch of La Défense). The Jardin des Tuileries, which border the Right Bank of the Seine, offers numerous classic and modern sculptures, large water basins, flowerbeds, wild birds – and a good view of the Place de la Concorde at its western edge. Because of its strict rectangular shape and straight lines of city buildings along its perimeter, it is often called the “Central Park” of Paris.

In the early 16th century this area was a clay tile factory (tuileries = tiles). After the death of her husband Henri II in 1559, Catherine de Médicis had a palace built here, called le Palais de Tuileries, which featured a large garden in Italian style, reminding her of her native Tuscany. Note: she hated to cave to French tastes in any facet of her life; she ordered all of her clothes from Mantua.

Between 1660 and 1664 the garden was redesigned in French formal style by Le Nôtre, the celebrated gardener of King Louis XIV. Le Nôtre built a terrace along the riverbank and opened up a central axis which he extended three years later with the creation of the Champs-Elysées. Louis XIV and his court resided at the Tuileries Palace during the time that Versailles was still under construction.

The Jardin des Tuileries, opened to the public by Louis XIV upon his move to Versailles, quickly became a place to see and be seen. Even in the 18th century the park featured amenities such as cafés, kiosks, deck chairs and public toilets. These days temporary exhibits of sculpture contrast to the classic ones installed centuries ago, some of them quite risqué and even erotic. Henry Miller used to walk the paths of the Tuileries frequently during the 1920s, and he was particularly fond of the statues of sensual females. He claimed he got an erection every time he walked past them.

Experienced traveler tip: The paths throughout the expanse of gardens will leave a white dusty coating all over your shoes. Every time. Be prepared and bring a Handi-Wipe to do a little cosmetic clean up after your walk. Go ahead – thank me.

Experienced traveler tip #2: There are cafés in the middle of the gardens, but tourists have to truck all the way to the Place de la Concorde exit to find toilets (bring coins). Gentlemen on the left as you face the Place de la Concorde. Don’t ask me how I know this.