Frequently Asked Questions

Our mission is to offer a truly personal service to make your stay at any of our Stay Better rentals as relaxing, enjoyable, and easy as we possibly can. We have provided as much information as possible on our website to help you plan & decide which rental best fits your needs.  If you have any questions before, during, or after your stay, we're here for you and just around the corner while you are in town. 
We look forward to welcoming you soon!
Thank you!
Stacie
Call or Text:  (904) 299-3520
Monday -Saturday: 9a-5p
Sunday: Closed
reservations@staybettervacations.com

 

CHECK-IN & CHECK-OUT:

Check-In is 4:00 PM or later. Please do not enter the home or condo before this time unless you have received our approval to do so.   Additional rental fees will be charged to your credit card if you are found to be in violation of this policy. Occasionally, during peak seasons, your home or condo may not be ready until after 4:00 PM.  All of our rentals are accessed with a front door key-pad or lock-box on property.  You will receive your access code at 4p on the day of arrival via text and email.

Check out is 10:00 AM or earlier.

All homes and condos are cleaned & supplied upon your departure.

When making your reservation, please be sure to provide the correct email & mobile number to ensure you'll receive all the necessary confirmations, instructions, and our digital guestbook.  YOUR GUESTBOOK CONTAINS DETAILED PARKING & ARRIVAL INSTRUCTIONS.  You'll be glad you took a few minutes to read the guestbook prior to leaving your home so you can be prepared for your trip!  You receive the guestbook shortly after you booked via email, and then again 10 days before arrival via text.

Payment / Deposit:

If the booking is made more than 30 days in advance of your arrival date, a payment of 10% is due.  If booking is made less than 30 days prior to arrival, 100% is due.  The credit card used for the first payment will be used to process all future payments and is automatically charged on the due date; which is 30 days before arrival when we will collect the remaining 90%.  We accept Mastercard, Visa, American Express, and Diners Club.

Cancellation Policy


Guest receives 100% if cancellation occurs more than 30 days before arrival.  No refunds within 30 days of arrival.   There will be no refunds for no-shows, late arrivals, early departures, inclement weather (i.e. hurricanes, tropical storms, tropical depressions, etc.), or for leaving the home for mechanical failure of non-essential items.    We strongly encourage all guests to purchase travel insurance.  Our hurricane season runs from June 1st through November 30th.  

Changes to dates or rental location is allowed within 48 hours after original booking/confirmation is complete, but ONLY if your arrival date is more than 30 days away. 

Guests who book any rental for a stay of 29 nights or more, will adhere to a 60 day cancellation policy.  

 

YOUR RENTAL:

All homes and condos are privately owned and equipped for basic vacation needs. Bedding, bath & beach towels are provided for the maximum number of possible guests stated.  A starter supply of paper products is included and there are several stores close by where you can stock up for your stay.  Beach chairs are not guaranteed; therefore, are not included in the listing as being available. 

Your credit card will be charged for additional cleaning if the home or condo, linens, and/or carpet is found to be excessively dirty.

Maintenance problems in the home or condo will be handled in a timely and professional manner. The rental rate will not be adjusted due to any malfunction of equipment, which includes TV’s, VCR’s, DVD’s, air conditioning units, hot water tanks, elevators, stoves, refrigerators, ice makers, door locks, pools, etc. Equipment and appliances whether new or not may malfunction and cannot be guaranteed. Refunds will not be provided due to malfunction of equipment.

It is agreed that Stay Better Vacations has the right to enter the property at a reasonable time for purpose of repairs or routine maintenance to include pest control and other property services.

Linens / Towels / Supplies:

All of our rentals provide the following:

Check-Out Instructions:

Please start the dishwasher the night before & leave for us to put away.  You can leave the breakfast dishes in the sink.
It’s your vacation, you shouldn’t have to do any housekeeping!  However, if you have time to take out your trash & start a load of any used beach towels provided, that would be great!
Lock the door as you sadly say goodbye, travel safe, and come back soon!

Directions & Parking:

Prior to your arrival you will receive a customized digital guestbook with details on directions and parking.  Our Amelia South, Ketch Courtyard, Omni, and Summer Beach rentals require parking passes to be displayed at all times (provided in your rental).  Units in Forest Ridge require a parking pass, supplied in unit, between Memorial Day and Labor Day.  

Should you require additional parking beyond the assigned or allocated spaces at your complex, our local municipal airport offers this service for a fee. To facilitate the process, visitors are advised to arrive between 7 am and 7 pm to complete the payment transaction. Please bring along a copy of your vehicle registration and any other relevant documentation that may be requested.  The Fernandina Beach Municipal Airport (FBMA) is located on Amelia Island at 700 Airport Road, Fernandina Beach, FL 32034.  Should you have any questions or need to confirm the details, please don't hesitate to reach out to the airport directly at (904) 310-3435. 

Beach Equipment:

Unfortunately, because saltwater and sand are harsh on beach equipment, we cannot guarantee the availability or condition of beach chairs; they may have even been discarded by previous guests without our knowledge due to wear & tear. We offer our guests a 15% beach equipment rental discount - delivered directly to your beach location! Or, there are local shops where you can purchase all your beach gear. Discount code provided after booking in your personalized guestbook.

Pets:

Our pet friendly units are listed on our pet friendly page.  If a pet is brought into a non-pet friendly property, Stay Better Vacations will ask you to find boarding and/or immediately terminate your reservation, forfeit all monies received, and charge an additional $200 minimum for cleaning.  

Smoking:

All rentals are non-smoking.  No smoking of any kind is permitted inside, which includes vaping.  Ketch Courtyard and The Pelicans are a non-smoking complex; no where on the grounds can you smoke, to include balconies.

Sand

Living near the beach means that sand will follow you home.  We do our best to remove all evidence of the beach before your arrival, but sometimes we may miss a few grains.

Parties & Underage Drinking:

A majority of our rentals are located in a residential community with both year round residents and short-term guests.  As such we ask that you respect their privacy and their right to a peaceful existence! Specifically, between the hours of 10 pm and 8 am noise should be kept to a minimum.  Parties, weddings, or large family reunions are not permitted in any of our rentals due to City Ordinance and Fire Code.  Complaints of loud noises or underage drinking will result in eviction without any refunds being issued.

Travel Insurance:

Guest have the option to purchase travel insurance policy from a 3rd party provider, Rental Guardian (click on link for overview).  For full policy details click here - Full Policy.

STANDARD TRAVEL PROTECTION:

CFAR TRAVEL PROTECTION:

Occupancy / Age / Restrictions:

In no event shall the Rental Property be occupied by more persons than the capacity of the property as stated on the web site or the confirmation letter, without prior approval.  No fraternities, school, civic, or other non-family groups are permitted unless granted prior approval.  In no event shall guests assign or sublet the Rental Property in whole or in part.  Guest agrees that they will be present during entire rental period.   

You must be at least 25 (a few homes list a minimum of 27) years old to rent any of our rentals. 

Cleaning:

Our expectations are for you to enter a clean, fully-ready, and properly stocked rental.  Regardless if you stay one night or seven, our cleaners perform the same tasks for every clean.  Therefore, the cleaning/property preparedness fee remains the same for any number of nights booked.  Should you arrive at your rental and notice something was overlooked or not cleaned; please advise us within 2 hours of arrival.  We are unable to correct the situation if we are not made aware.

Mailing Items or Mail to Your Rental:

You can have Amazon delivered to your rental, but *make sure* they can leave it outside the front door.  ANY MAIL OR PACKAGE DELIVERED TO THE RENTAL'S MAILBOX will not be delivered to you as we do NOT have keys to the mailboxes.  There is an Amazon Locker located at Staples at 1445 Sadler Road that you can ship directly to for easy pick-up!  To forward your mail to our local Post Office, you can complete a form online or stop at your post office before leaving:   https://www.usps.com/manage/forward.htm.   If you are shipping via UPS or FedEx, you can have it delivered to your rental, but make sure they can leave it outside the front door.  ANY MAIL OR PACKAGE DELIVERED TO THE RENTAL'S MAILBOX will not be delivered to you as we do NOT have keys to the mailboxes.  UPS and FedEx have location on Amelia Island that you can ship directly to for easy pick-up!

Lost & Found:

If you have left something behind, we are happy to return to you within 7 days after your departure.  After that we will dispose or donate.  Please be sure to notify us as soon as you realize the item is not with you - we'll notify our staff to look for it and if found the cost to return is $5.00 plus the cost of shipping, charged to the credit card we have on file or another card number you can provide.  

Our Accommodations - Locations:

We try to include as much information about where each rental is located so you can research surrounding areas and driving distances prior to your arrival.