Same homes. Same calendar. Better deal.
We list on Airbnb and Vrbo, and those are fine ways to book. Booking direct simply removes the middleman: no platform or service fees when you book direct, typically 10 to 15% less all-in than the same dates on Airbnb or Vrbo, and answers straight from the owner.
How it works
- Pick your home and dates. Every property page has the live calendar: tap check-in and check-out and the all-in total appears on the spot, with the nightly rate, cleaning fee, and Florida/Manatee lodging taxes (13%) itemized. No platform fees, nothing added later.
- Send the request. Right under the price: your name, email, and anything we should know. Returning guests drop in their code and watch the total fall. Nothing is charged at this step, and your dates are not locked until you approve the quote.
- We confirm, you pay the deposit. We check availability and email a secure Stripe payment link (card or US bank transfer), usually the same day. 20% reserves your dates; the balance is due 45 days before arrival. Stays starting inside 45 days are simply paid in full.
- Sign and arrive. Standard Florida rental agreement, then full arrival details and door codes before check-in.
Prefer email? info@happyislandcottage.com works exactly as well: tell us the home, dates, guests, and pets, and we take it from there.
Direct booking terms
| Returning guests | New direct guests | |
|---|---|---|
| Discount | 20% off with your returning-guest code (10% if referred by a past guest), valid on any dates | $0 platform fees; typically 10 to 15% below OTA all-in totals |
| Pet fee | $0 | $199 (Happy Island Cottage), $95 (Turtle units) |
| Reservation deposit | $0 | 20% of total; balance due 45 days before arrival |
| Cancellation | Full refund anytime | Free until 30 days before arrival |
Cancellation policy
Plain English, three rules:
- 30 days. Cancel 30 or more days before arrival and you get a full refund. Every guest, every direct booking.
- Hurricanes. If a hurricane warning or a mandatory evacuation order for Manatee County covers your stay dates, you get a full refund whenever you cancel, even the day before arrival. If a storm cuts short a stay in progress, we refund the unused nights.
- Returning guests. Cancel anytime, full refund, no storm required.
Bookings made on Airbnb or Vrbo follow the cancellation policy shown at checkout on that platform, plus each platform's own extenuating-circumstances rules.
Start a booking
Pick a home, tap your dates, and the price appears. The request form sits right under it.
Happy Island CottageHappy Turtle AHappy Turtle BOr email info@happyislandcottage.com and we reply the same day.
Common questions
- Is booking direct really cheaper than Airbnb or Vrbo?
- Yes. Our nightly rate matches our Vrbo base rate, but you pay no platform or service fees, which typically add 10 to 15% to a booking. On a typical week that is several hundred dollars staying in your pocket.
- Is booking direct safe?
- We are a licensed Florida vacation rental operator (DBPR #123613) and the same owner you would meet through Airbnb, where we hold a 15-quarter Superhost record. You get a written rental agreement and an itemized invoice, taxes are collected properly, and payments run through Stripe, the same processor behind millions of online businesses.
- What do returning guests get?
- Our Best Returning Guests code: 20% off, plus no pet fee, no reservation deposit, cancel-anytime full refunds, and preferred dates before they open to the platforms.
- What happens if a hurricane threatens my dates?
- Full refund, whenever you cancel. If a hurricane warning or a mandatory evacuation order for Manatee County covers your stay dates, every direct booking is refunded in full, even the day before arrival. Stays cut short by a storm are refunded for the unused nights.
Our homes: Happy Island Cottage · Happy Turtle A · Happy Turtle B. Operated by Happy Island Cottage LLC, Holmes Beach, FL.