Six Great VRBO-Type Boat Rentals

Here’s something to think about for the next time you’re traveling in the U.S. or overseas. Instead of staying in a hotel, stay on a boat. This is often simply a variation on the VRBO theme, but it works, and it gives you access to a lot of waterfront living that can make a trip memorable.

Here’s a list of half a dozen boat rentals from around the world, collected by travelwaits.com. When thinking about a rental, check the reviews, the hosts, and the boat, and make sure the location is near the other business or sightseeing you want to do. Take a look:

1.Victoriakai-Ufer, Hamburg, Germany. There’s no shortage of boats in Hamburg, one of the world’s major ports. An historic city on the Elbe River, Hamburg is full of big ships and much smaller vessels, including the Victoriakai-Ufer, a luxury houseboat with two cabins, two heads and a salon that can sleep six. Hamburg is also a serious party city where you can dance all night at clubs and bars and then come back to your home-away-from-home on the water. Or, just sit up on the Skydeck with your favorite beverage and chill.

2.Starry Banner, Manteo, North Carolina. You can explore historic Manteo and Roanoke Island and the Outer Banks while staying on Starry Banner, a restored wooden Tiffany 46 flybridge motor yacht that sleeps two. Walk to nearby restaurants for fresh seafood, visit the Wright Brothers National Memorial, and catch some sun on white sand beaches. Starry Banner was named Best Power Boat – Owner Restored, at the 2015 Manteo Wooden Boat Show.

3.Thousand Islands Houseboat Holidays, Gananoque, Canada. You can rent a floating waterfront cottage from Houseboat Holidays to cruise through the Thousand Islands on the St. Lawrence, with Canada on one side and the U.S. on the other. Be your own captain and island hop as much as you want. Houseboat Holidays provides everything, including suggested routes. The rental comes with a National Parks Pass that lets you dock at 23 different parks in the area.

4.Whangaroa Harbour, Whangaroa, New Zealand. Whangaroa Harbour Adventures rents houseboats in this stunning harbor on the north coast of New Zealand. The houseboats sleep six and have one head with a shower. Solar panels power the fridge/freezer and kitchen appliances, and there’s a full barbecue. The boats have two 40-hp outboards, plus an outboard-powered tender and two kayaks.

5.85-foot Super Yacht, Ketchikan, Alaska. Lady Faye is a 1971 Burger that can sleep six guests in the Alaska charter season from May through September. It has three guest cabins with heads, plus another for crew. There’s a large salon, a protected aft cabin and a flybridge. The yacht is docked within walking distance of most restaurants and attractions in Ketchikan. You also can charter it with a captain and crew if you want to explore the Alaska coastline.

6.Eco House Boat, Ilha Grande, Brazil. If you really want to get away from it all, consider the Casa Flutante, an environmentally friendly “houseboat” off Abraão on Ilha Grande about 90 miles south of Rio de Janeiro. The Case Flutante is more of a house on the water than a houseboat. It’s small, built for two people, with one bedroom and one bath (cold water only), but there’s a deck for stargazing at night or for watching the native turtles and fish swim by. All power for the lights and small kitchen come from solar. Access is by boat only, and the house comes with a canoe so you can get to the beautiful white-sand beach on the island nearby. Casa Flutante has been in the same spot for 17 years, and it’s popular. About 95 percent of recent guests gave it a five-star rating on Airbnb.