Jan 29, 2009

New feature - Search by the Listing ID

A new feature was added to the Cottage Finder.

Now you can go directly to any listing by entering the Listing ID. The Listing ID is displayed on the top of every the property's listing page as a number followed after the "Listing ID" text.

Scroll down the Cottage Finder's page to "Go Directly to Cottage Listing" field and the "Go" button.
Simply enter that number to the field and click "Go" button.
The Cottage Listing will immediately get populated.

Jan 28, 2009

Introducing new Canada Cottages Message Board

The Rent Cottage Canada's Message Board is an open discussion board for both the Cottage Owners and the Cottage Renters.

We are offering you the following forums:

Rent Cottage Canada

Rent Cottage Canada news, announcements, FAQ, feedback, suggestions, questions and answers etc. Need an advice or want to hear opinions? Ask here..

Property Owners Forums:

Your Cottages' Website Design, Search Engine Optimization, Advertisement, Useful resources and so on. Everything about your property's website.

Safety Issues Discuss property renting safety issues. Scams and Fraud Reports.

Cottage Building Projects Fixing and enhancing the cottage. Need advice on DIY, what materials and tools to use, when and what to do? Ask your questions here...

Garage Sale Buy, Sell, Trade, Give away etc

Cottage Renters Forums

Discover Canada Tell us about your recent Canadian vacation, places to go ot to not to. Share your opinion, experience, post a review.

Cottaging Experience Share success stories and nightmares, complain about mosquitos, brag about the wildlife on your lake, boating tips, fishing stories, ask questions, and more.

and.. Everything Else Off-topic discussion. Please keep it cottage related and family oriented.

Jan 19, 2009

New feature - Gadgets

Introducing a new feature - Gadgets from Rent Cottage Canada.

Our Gadgets are small scripts, which you can use outside of our site to promote your properties.

Gadgets can be embedded into your website, your blog, personal web page etc. Anywhere you can add a few lines of HTML.

Anyone who has a listing on our site can use our Gadgets.

It's easy to use, it adds value to your property's website, and it's Free.

We have developed the following three Gadgets:

  • Google Maps Gadget
  • Points of Interest Gadget
  • Panoramio Photos Gadget

  • Use the Gadget Script generator to adjust the Gadgets' size and look on your site (click Gadgets button on your Owner's account Listing Control Panel).

    What do the Gadgets do?

    Google Maps Gadget:
    • Displays an enhanced Google Map with a marker indicating your property's location.
    • Clicking on the cottage's marker will display a short description and directions to the property.
    • The "More..." button adds Points of Interest, Wikipedia info and Panoramio photos to the Map, exactly as it is made on our site's Google Maps page.
    • The Local Search feature will allow site visitors to perform local searches around the cottage (for example: Hospital, Restaurant, Beer Store, Live Bait etc),
    • and more

    Points Of Interest (POI) Gadget:
    • Will display the POI that you have added to your listing, and also all POI within 25 km of your property;

    Panoramio Gadget:
    • It will display up to 20 of the most popular photos from Panoramio, taken within 25 km of your property.

    Both, the POI and the Panoramio Gadgets will let your site visitors see the distance and directions from your site to the points of interest.


    For Example
    With two lines of script added to your web page, you can populate our Google Maps Gadget like this:





    A few lines of script will add Panoramio photos taken near your property to your web site. They can be displayed in Sliding, or the Scrolling style of your choice:




    The Gadgets' size and look is adjustable so you should be able to fit the Gadget on your site's layout without a problem.

    Jan 18, 2009

    How Rent Cottage Canada Began, or Finding a Cottage for Rent Has Never Been Easier

    Here is Rent Cottage Canada story from the News.

    Have you ever rented a cottage over the Internet? If you have then you'll know how annoying it can be. Surfing endless sites with sometimes disorganized information and no address, trying to find out if Fido can come, looking for the nearest beach, searching for a romantic place or a fishing spot, there's no end to it.

    A family in Toronto complained about not being able to search for a cottage, but, unlike most, they didn't just complain about it, they decided to do something. They were looking for a cottage just like everyone else; on the multitude of websites. They simply wanted a three bedroom cottage within 250 km of Toronto. They found about 50 different cottages. And then the nightmare began.

    "We had to check the distance to each cottage individually using Google Maps. It was even sometimes impossible to find some of them," says Yuriy Setko, founder of Rent Cottage Canada. Like every family, the Setko's have their preferences. It took some deciding, but both them and their friends found amenities they both agreed on: a fireplace, a satellite TV, a ping pong or a pool table, etc. They also wanted to have fun outside the cottage. Yuriy's wife likes cross-country skiing, Yuriy himself likes ice fishing, and their teenage daughter has always wanted to try snowmobiling. The entire family and their friends also wanted the cottage to have a sauna or hot tub.

    "More or less, the cottages had most of the things we wanted, but we still needed to find one within our price range. The best the cottage renting sites could offer - besides the price range and the number of bedrooms - was to narrow the search to waterfront properties. As for the rest, we were forced to print out every single property listing and literally go through everything with a highlighter," says Yuriy.

    The printouts were everywhere, and the Setko's house was a mess because of it. Even after all that, they had nothing. Their friends did the same, but they, too came up with nothing. This story has no happy ending. The Setko's wasted lots of time searching the Internet, printing stuff out, and talking tirelessly to their friends, deciding. They were forced to celebrate New Year at home by themselves.

    Yuriy, a software engineer, has summarized the disadvantages of cottage renting sites, and, finding these to his dissatisfaction, decided to design a new engine. The engine will give potential renters a powerful Cottage Finder, and provide cottage owners with renters. The engine has the ability to search the distance to the cottage from their home, find the amenities, features, services, and activities they want.

    Google Maps was selected to calculate the distances and to visually represent the cottages on the Map. A detailed search screen was designed to satisfy the needs of any renter. When staying at a cottage it's always nice to know what's around. Not just stores and shopping malls, but also historical places and attractions. There are Wikipedia articles connected to the Map, so every cottage renter can see what's in the area. There are millions of good quality pictures uploaded to Panoramio. These pictures are geotagged to a place on Google Maps. Rent Cottage Canada also has this feature. Panoramio photos also can be displayed on the Map, so the renters can easily browse attractions around the cottage, and on the actual cottage listings as well, adding up to 20 of the most popular (taken within 25 km distance from the cottage) pictures from Panoramio to their cottage listing.

    There is much more on the site to help unite renters and owners that other sites have not even begun to discover yet.

    Rent Cottage Canada was launched just a few days before New Year, and currently has over 160 cottages on the map from most of the Canadian provinces.

    Jan 13, 2009

    New feature - Share your Rent Cottage Canada bookmarks

    Have you ever tried to find a cottage for you and your friends?

    If you have, you must know how hard it is. Your friends find a cottage they like, you find something you like. You discuss it over the phone, via email, or you print the listings out and go through them together. What a nightmare!

    To simplify the lives of cottage renters everywhere we have designed a Bookmarks Sharing feature.

    To share your Rent Cottage Canada Bookmarks all you have to do are the following three steps:
    On your Bookmarks page
    1) Click Share your Bookmarks button and a two line section will open up below the button (click on the image to see the whole thing):

    2) Enter yours and your friend's (or you can even send it to yourself to import the bookmarks on another computer) email address, and

    3) Click Send your Bookmarks button on the right:


    A web link with an instruction will be emailed by that email address. Basically the instruction will tell you to click the link to import received bookmarks.

    Hopefully this feature will save some time to you and your family and friends when searching for a cottage on out site.

    Sincerely,
    Yuriy Setko
    Rent Cottage Canada

    Jan 12, 2009

    New feature - Photos from Panoramio are now on your listing

    Dear Cottage Owner;
    We have added a new feature - photos from Panoramio (http://panoramio.com) on the site listings.
    Please check out your listings (in preview mode, not update) at the bottom of the page, in the section titled
    "Explore the area near this Cottage with Google Panoramio Photos"
    Up to twenty photos taken within 25 kilometers from your property (from the location you've set on the map when creating the listing) are now displayed on every listing.
    These are the 20 most popular photos supplied by Panoramio, who have over 2 million photos already.
    The photos of the area will help your guests get familiar with points of interest around the cottage, and should also attract more attention to your cottage.
    The number of photos displayed on your listing can be changed. To change it, please log in to your owner's account and edit the listing. The second page of the listing update screen has a "Number of Panoramio Photos to display" selection from 0 to 20.
    We have also added Distance from the Cottage to every Panoramio photo, displaying the distance from your cottage to the place the photos were taken.
    And, last but not least, we have added a Show Directions button, which will give directions to the place the picture was taken by car if possible on Google Maps.
    Panoramio is open to the public and you can upload your photos to Panoramio too. However, we cannot guarantee that your Panoramio photos will be displayed on your listing, since we receive only the most popular pictures.
    The good thing is that there is another solution to add your own Points of Interest (POI) to your listing.
    This feature is available on your listing Control Panel.
    Up to 20 POI of your choice (with or without photos) can be added to your listing. Your POI will be displayed on Google Maps near your Cottage as well as on your listing page.
    This feature (POI) has not been thought of before, in fact, we are the first site to have anything like it, so we thought it would be important for you know about this. The only listing that has added POIs so far is a listing from New Brunswick:
    see "Points of Interest near the Cottage" section.
    The purpose of POI displayed on your listing is the same as Photos from Panoramio, the only difference being that POI's are be managed by you, whereas Panroamio photos are not.
    The same features as display Distance from the Cottage and Show Directions are available for POIs too.
    Please check the accuracy of your cottage's map placement, since an incorrect placement may confuse guests relying on the Show Distance and Show Direction features provided by us and Google Maps.
    You cottage's location on the map can be set via the "Listing Update" link on the Owner's account page on the bottom of the second page. Just drag and drop the pointer to the cottage's actual location on the map and click the "Save Changes and Continue" button.
    Best regards, Yuriy Setko
    Rent Cottage Canada

    1 year free listing offer for your cottage on rent-cottage-canada.com

    Hello,

    We are launching a new cottage renting service and are inviting cottage
    owners to place their trial listings absolutely free for 1 year.

    www.Rent-Cottage-Canada.com is the first and only cottage renting site
    in North America fully driven by Google Maps.

    Some other features include being able to...
    - Unlimited photos
    - Manage Points of Interest (powered by Google Maps)
    - Integration with Wikipedia (via Google Maps)
    - Integration with Panoramio (via Google Maps)
    - Last Minute Deals
    - Summer/Winter/All season photos
    - 4 season pricing breakdown
    - 12 month Availability Calendar
    - Most Commented listings
    - Most Visited listings
    - Best Rated Listings
    - Visitors counter

    and there are many more features available to cottage owners to help.

    To add your listing simply click on (
    http://rent-cottage-canada.com/add-listing/ ) and follow the
    instructions.

    Please let us know if you have any ideas or suggestions regarding our
    service, it's a new website and we'd love to hear feedback.

    Please feel free to contact me directly should you have any questions.

    Sincerely Yours,
    Yuriy Setko
    Rent Cottage Canada

    Jan 1, 2009

    Travel Links from around the World


    To get listed on this page please submit a Travel Link Exchange Request


    World Travel Links


    Directory of travel and tourism websites - Human-edited directory of travel and tourism websites for your vacation-planning and travel needs.

    World Website Directory

    LINK ADD URL Seo Friendly Web Directory

    Travel Guide

    Vacation Rentals related Directory

    artmam.net

    Information Roadtrip http://www.informationroadtrip.com
    Information Roadtrip is a useful companion for the automobile traveler containing traffic information, distance charts, tips for proper automotive care, travel games and activities, tips on traveling with a pet, accommodation reservations, car rentals, travel accessories, and hopefully advice that will make your next roadtrip more enjoyable and stress-free.

    Discount Vacation Packages http://www.tripcrave.com
    Great rates on hotel and airfare packages to over 2000 cities worldwide!

    Ayurvedic Beach Resort In Kerala http://www.beachandlakeresort.com
    Being ideally situated near the famous beach Kovalam, our beach resort is most sort for its sereneness and beauty surrounding it.


    TRAILERS for Sale or Rent http://www.Trailers4SaleoRent.com
    "We Help YOU to Bear your Load!" Today's hectic pace frequently calls for change and making a change can be unsettling and worrisome without assistance. Our products & services are here to help you help yourself. If you need to haul your load from here to there, give us a call. We have many sizes of Utility Trailers and Travel Trailers available to rent or buy.





    Canadian Travel Links


    The Vacation Rentals Directory

    TryCanada Canadian Directory

    Canada Directory

    Canuckster Search Engine And Canadian Community Web Portal - Canada Content Links and Stuff

    Ontario Directory

    canadian cottage rentals


    Travel and Tourism Canada

    Canadian Travel Directory - free web listing of relevant and useful websites of Canada. Free submit a site to Canadian Travel directory and link exchange.

    Visit Canadian Culture and Support Canada

    Canadian Culture Canada's Supportive Network and Resource Directory - Canadian People working together!

    Toronto Convention Centre Hotelshttp://www.torontoconventioncentrehotels.com/
    Toronto Convention Centre Hotels bring you the best combination of comfort and convenience for your stay, all at the most competitive rates!

    Top Fishing Secrets worldwide angling

    Toronto Downtown Hotels http://www.toronto.downtownhotelservice.com/
    Welcome to your source for Toronto Downtown hotels. We now offer over 25 hotels in the downtown Toronto, Ca area.




    USA Travel Links



    Williamsburg VA lodging - Romantic Inn, Bed and Breakfast, located 1 block from Colonial Williamsburgs' historic district

    Joe Louis Arena Hotels
    http://www.joelouisarenahotels.com
    Joe Louis Arena Hotels bring you the best combination of comfort and convenience for your stay, all at the most competitive rates!

    Idaho Vacation Rentals
    http://www.thevacationbug.com/state-ID.html

    Five SeaSun B&B
    Beautiful B&B conveniently located at the gateway to Olympic National Park in Washington State

    Jersey Shore Victorian Bed & Breakfast
    http://www.bentleyinn.com
    The Bentley Inn is an 1886 Victorian Bed & Breakfast located just 3 houses from the ocean in the historic town of Bay Head. Located approximately 60 miles from New York City and Philadelphia.

    Last Minute Hotels http://www.instareserve.com/
    Instareserve offers you discount hotel deals on wide range of hotels all over the world.Right place for last minute reservation.

    The LAZY LIZARD ROCK Bed&Breakfast http://www.lazylizardrock.com
    Come! Explore the histories and mysteries of Southern Arizona's San Cayetano MOUNTAINS in the Great Sonoran DESERT. Play GOLF! Discover the 500-year-old ruins of a Spanish mission and its museum. Bring your HORSES to our corral. Go BIRDING! Visit nearby MEXICO to shop and eat. Then return to us to relax. Yes, we do desert garden WEDDINGS!

    Disney area Villas http://www.disneytopvillas.com/vacation.htm
    Disney area Vacation Villas and Rental Homes with private pools in Orlando Florida

    Our SCHOOL's OUT! Bed & Breakfast http://www.ourschoolsout.com
    Explore the history of the Old West and learn nabout the bank-robbing exploits of Butch Cassidy. Play GOLF! Bring your HORSES to our corral. Experience the beauty and mystery of the ever-changing colors of BEAR LAKE. Go BIRDING! Enjoy Bear Lake County, a year-round Sportsman's Paradise. Relax in the nostalgia of our Old Schoolhouse. Yes, we do WEDDINGS!

    MOUNTAINVIEW Window Cleaning http://www.mountainviewwindow.com
    Let us improve your outlook on life by Cleaning your windows, Pressure-washing your durable surfaces, or by refinishing your Garage Floors or Patio Areas. 23-years Experience. Serving Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming

    Downtown Phoenix Hotels http://www.downtownphoenixhotels.com/
    Find hotels near downtown Phoenix, AZ!

    WEDDINGS SPARKLE Consultation & Catering http://www.weddingssparkle.com
    Let us take the stress out of planning your Dream Wedding or other special event. Our 20-years Experience will enable you to relax and enjoy this beautiful time in your life. Serving Arizona, Idaho, Utah, and Wyoming.

    Disney World Tickets http://www.knowbeforeugo.com
    A perfect place to ticket to Disney world at discount rates.Explore the Disney world at affordable prices.

    Disney World Ticket www.igo2orlando.com/
    IGo2Orlando is an Authorized Disney World Ticket Agency located in Orlando, Florida. Buy online Disney World, Sea World and Universal Studios Tickets at discount rates.

    Nevis Weddings http://www.dreamyweddings.com/islands_stkittsnevis.html
    We specialize in providing romantic tropical Caribbean Wedding & scenic tours for the beautiful Caribbean islands.



    South America and Caribbean Travel Links


    Private Villa Rentals http://www.villacollections.com
    Villa Rentals in the Caribbean, Mexico, Costa Rica, and Hawaii!

    Caribbean Vacation Paclages http://www.CaribbeanJourney.com
    Caribbean vacation planning by Caribbean Travel Specialists and great tips for your next trip!


    Tours Puerto Rico http://www.viptaxipr.com
    Travel throughout Puerto Rico swiftly and safely with our Limo at cut throat market rates.



    European Travel Links

    Apartments in Madrid

    http://www.rentalinrome.com

    Self Catering Accommodation Sudbury
    Morden comfortable holiday let, short break accommodation in Sudbury, Suffolk, England.

    ALICANTE HOLIDAY VILLAS http://www.alicanteholidayvillas.com/
    The widest selection of holiday villas and apartments in Gran Alacant, Alicante, Spain

    Camping France http://www.justcampingfrance.co.uk
    A guide to the major camping areas and resources in France, including: gastronomy, climates, driving laws, holiday savings, camping tips, tents, Tipis, Yurts and mobile homes

    Villas and Apartments in Albufeira Choose from our large selection of villas and apartments in Albufeira

    Backpackers Villa Sonnenhof, Interlaken Hostel, Switzerland http://www.villa.ch/
    Quality hostel in the heart of the Swiss Alps

    Holiday home Spain

    Holiday cottages Yorkshire http://www.oas.co.uk/ukcottages/yorks.htm
    Holiday cottages Yorkshire England including the Yorkshire Moors and Dales. Select from the best Vacation Rentals throughout the UK including Self Catering Holiday Homes in Yorkshire featuring Last Minute Discount Packages and Secure online booking

    Travel to Finland, Helsinki Hotels http://finland.nordictravel.ru
    Finland Hotels, tours and vacation. Hotels in Helsinki, Vantaa Airport, Savonlinna, Turku, Tampere, Ruka, Joensuu, Rovaniemi.

    Travel Russia http://www.nordictravel.ru
    Description: We offer cultural, adventure and eco-tours and cruises in Russia, hotels in Moscow and St.Petersburg, Trans-Siberian train tickets

    Hotels in Kings Cross http://www.comfortinnandsuiteskingscross.co.uk
    We are budget and luxury hotels in Kings Cross, offer best hotel accommodation with cheap rates.

    Apartments in Odessa for your needs http://odessaapartmentsworld.com/
    Our service offer for you a large apartment collection in Odessa. Our visitors have a great choice of different levels - from standard to elite apartments in all parts of Odessa.

    tuscany villa rentals http://www.tuscanway.com
    Tour Tuscany Villas - Experience & Rejoice With Tuscany Cooking, Culinary, Wine Tasting And Other Excursions here at TuscanWay.com



    African Travel Links


    Tanzania ,Kenya Zanzibar Safari and beach Holidays African Safari in Tanzania to Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kenya Safari,Kilimanjaro climbing, Zanzibar beach Holiday, unforgettable travel experience in East Africa


    African Safari Tanzania ,Kenya Zanzibar beach Holidays African Safari in Tanzania to Serengeti, Ngorongoro, Kenya Safari,Kilimanjaro climbing, Zanzibar beach Holiday, unforgettable travel experience in East Africa

    Travel To Morocco http://www.gateway2morocco.com/
    We specialize in providing luxury vacation tours packages to Morocco. Plan your Morocco holiday today.




    Asian Travel Links


    Hotels near Dubai Convention Centre
    http://www.splendidhotelapartmentsdubai.com/

    China Vacation http://www.sinowaytravel.com
    China vacation, China Tours and China Travel Packages, tailor made by travel agency based in China.

    Luxury Holidays http://www.ezeego1.co.in/holidays/index.php
    Find a variety of holiday packages to choose from for every occasion. India's biggest online travel bazaar.

    Bangalore Hotels www.thepaul.in
    If you are looking for a luxury hotel in Bangalore, The Paul Bangalore is the right choice. The hotel with its 54 suites invites you to relish luxury of a different kind.