Meet your secret weapon for last-minute getaways. Whimstay makes booking vacation rentals feel easy and rewarding. We offer better prices, better service, and smarter timing—on the same homes you’ll find on Airbnb and Vrbo. With built-in price comparisons on every listing, you can see exactly how much you’re saving. On average, Whimstay travelers save 25 percent, or over $200 per trip. And when plans change or questions come up, our customer support team is here to help. No bots, no runaround—just real people who care about your trip as much as you do. We partner with top property managers to offer exclusive deals across the U.S., Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and now Europe. From cozy cabins to beachside villas, our growing portfolio is built for travelers who embrace spontaneity but never settle on quality. Book confidently. Save instantly. Travel better. Visit whimstay.com
Whimstay (whimstay.com) has 566 customer reviews on Five Star Index, with an average rating of 4.4 out of 5.
Also known as
whimstay.com
Website
whimstay.com
Category
Accommodation & Lodging
Location
Wilmington, Delaware
Listed on Five Star Index
2026
About these reviews
Replies
The company replied to 53% of reviews.
Latest
Most recent review: October 2026.
Edits
Reviews are shown as their authors wrote them. The company can reply, but cannot edit them.
Score
This company cannot pay to remove reviews or change its score.
Horrible! THEY ARE FARUDSTERS! They will rent you a misleading, deceptive, and terrible stay then gasslight you to pay.
They flat out lied to us, refused a refund, and tired to gaslight us that there was not constant construction above us when there was. Do not ever stay with them.
Response from WhimstayOct 21, 2024
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We are sorry to hear that your experience was not as you had hoped.
To provide some context for those reading this, during your stay, you reported construction noise, which you stated occurred for approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes. We immediately took your concerns seriously and followed up with the property host, who provided us with video evidence showing no construction in the area during your stay. Without further verification of the noise issue, we were unable to honor your request for a full refund.
We understand that situations like this can be frustrating, and we always aim to advocate for both our travelers and hosts to ensure the best experience for everyone. We appreciate your feedback and will continue working hard to maintain fairness and transparency in all our dealings.
If you have any additional concerns or would like to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to us directly. We're here to help.
BH
Brandy H.
Don’t use this 3rd party call the resort
This is a 3rd party This means if you last book with them The company that actually owns the property you are staying at can’t work with you and will not work with you Once you have booked and paid Whimstay will not refund or change anything You either have to stay or just chalk up the loss They do not care about emergency or breakdown flight cancellation nothing They told me a supervisor also told me You can not change your reservation Nor can you get a refund Hou have to call the insurance company you purchased travel insurance for and get it from them
Response from WhimstayOct 21, 2024
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We’re truly sorry to hear that your recent experience was not what you had hoped for.
To provide some context for those reading, we did receive an email from you regarding an issue with one of the doors at the property. We immediately reached out to the host to advocate on your behalf, and we are currently awaiting their response to address the issue. We want to assure you that we are committed to supporting our travelers and will continue to follow up to get this resolved.
It’s important to note that while Whimstay does facilitate bookings, we work closely with property managers to ensure issues are addressed during your stay. In some cases, changes or cancellations may be limited due to the policies set by the property owners or the terms of your booking. However, we always encourage travelers to contact us when issues arise, so we can advocate on their behalf.
We appreciate your feedback and will continue to advocate for a resolution with the host. Please feel free to reach out directly if you have any further concerns.
CH
Chelsea H.
BEWARE OF THIS UNETHICAL AND FRAUDULENT…
BEWARE OF THIS UNETHICAL AND FRAUDULENT COMPANY! We booked a beautiful rental home through Whimstay’s website on August 6 for $3737. Our travel dates were for October. Unfortunately, due to extenuating circumstances, we quickly realized that we might need to cancel our booking. Whimstay has a non-negotiable 60-day cancellation window, so until we knew for sure, we decided to proactively gather details on how to potentially cancel and whether our reason for possibly cancelling might be covered by the insurance they offered. My husband made multiple attempts to login to the Whimstay website on August 14 to find more information about cancellation and insurance plans, multiple days before the 60-day window. He was unable to login, as the verification emails were never received (and yes, he checked SPAM and promotion folders). In addition, I couldn’t find a phone number anywhere on Whimstay’s website. It stated to contact customer support by email only. So I emailed Whimstay on August 17 regarding cancellation policy details and questions about travel insurance, as the information on their website was very broad.
As of August 19, we definitely needed to cancel our trip. Whimstay’s site was not working correctly, my husband was still having issues logging in, and we still couldn’t locate details about how to cancel or if their insurance would help us with our specific reason for cancelling. We looked into booking trip insurance through their site anyway, but the details on coverage were scarce and their insurance provider’s quote was extremely generic. We did not want to throw good money after bad and buy $400 more of insurance through a sketchy site that was already nonresponsive and had no phone number, so we decided to contact my credit card company to file a claim before losing our money.
While attempting to file a claim via American Express, I saw that Whimstay’s phone number was actually listed on my credit card statement even though it is not on their website. I called and the recording said there was a longer than usual wait and to leave a detailed message. I did so on August 21, reiterating the info above and asking what our options were from there. On August 22 (five days after I first emailed them), Whimstay replied to us via email and a call, blaming their delayed reply on a technical error with their email delivery platform. But at that point, we were TWO days beyond the 14-day window to buy the “cancel for any reason” insurance that might have allowed us to get our money back. And we still had no specific details on the conditions or qualifications for either insurance policy Whimstay offered.
I replied asking for more information on their standard travel insurance, and I got a reply with some insurance details that we had needed from the outset, which essentially stated that we did not qualify for a refund at that point. While we completely understood their nonnegotiable 60-day cancellation policy, Whimstay was non-responsive when we needed more information to quickly determine next steps. And devastatingly, because they were non-responsive until AFTER the cancellation and insurance windows both expired, we completely lost $3737 on a vacation rental we can’t use. It was only after there was no way for us to obtain a refund that Whimstay became communicative, essentially just reiterating that they do provide information (yes, but it’s insufficient and did NOT answer our questions, which is why we were seeking more information) and that we didn’t cancel within their 60-day window (yes, we know!). They never seemed to understand that it was their lack of communication up to that point, the lack of clear and sufficient information on their website (including a phone number?!), and their glitchy website that made obtaining sufficient details regarding cancelling or insurance policies impossible—until our $3737 was already lost. We felt completely set up to fail, and they couldn’t care less!
Learn from our costly error in trying out an unknown booking company: Whimstay is liable to blow up your vacation budget and/or travel plans! Why don't they have a claimed Yelp page? Why did I have to create a Google maps location for them in order to leave a review? Why is there no phone number on their website? Because they are trying to hide. And they are doing a great job at that part, as I had never heard of them before making the mistake of trying them out. DO NOT USE THIS ILLEGITIMATE SHAM OF A COMPANY!
Response from WhimstayOct 21, 2024
Dear Chelsea,
Thank you for taking the time to share your detailed feedback. We understand how frustrating this situation has been for you, and we’d like to provide further context for those reading this.
As outlined in our Terms, Whimstay has a 60-day cancellation policy, and any cancellations must be formally requested within that window. While you reached out on August 17 inquiring about our cancellation policies and travel insurance, we did not receive a formal cancellation request from you until August 21. By that time, unfortunately, the 60-day window had already passed, and our non-refundable policy applied.
We sincerely apologize for the delay in responding to your initial inquiry. As mentioned in our communication, this delay was due to a technical issue with our email delivery platform. However, the information regarding our cancellation policies and travel insurance was available at checkout and in your booking confirmation email, which also included a link to purchase Cancel for Any Reason insurance within 14 days of booking. We regret that this information was not fully accessible to you at the time, but it was provided throughout the booking process and confirmation emails.
We also want to clarify that our phone number is provided via confirmation text to every guest upon booking, and it is the same number listed on your credit card statement. While we understand you experienced difficulties with logging in and accessing certain details, we encourage all guests to reach out to us directly if they encounter such issues, as we are always here to assist.
We understand your frustration regarding the timing of these events and deeply regret that we were not able to assist you sooner. We remain committed to ensuring clear communication and transparency for all of our guests, and we appreciate your feedback, which helps us continue to improve our service.
If there is anything further we can do to assist, please do not hesitate to reach out to us directly.
BF
Bryce F.
Do NOT use
Do NOT use. I cannot give zero stars.
I went back and looked. Their website does NOT say "No refunds" anywhere on the booking and checkout pages. It is just buried in the terms. So that is very predatory and very bait and switch.
Whimstay does not honor if you cancel directly with the host. They will ask the host to reinstate bookings that have already been cancelled.
They are quite slow at responding to emails. Sometimes three days between.
And they hide behind their terms at every question. "Sorry, but our terms say..." and "It is specified in our terms...". So don't expect any level of competent customer service.
They do not have a customer service line on their website either. So enjoy emailing a customer service agent that sees you only as a number.
This is a company that does not care about it's customers and does not understand its customer base's wants.
Please do not use.
Response from WhimstayOct 8, 2024
Here’s the revised response including the mention of maintaining the SLA response time:
Response to Bryce's Review
Dear Bryce,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're genuinely sorry to hear that your experience with Whimstay did not meet your expectations. We take all feedback seriously and are committed to improving where we can.
Regarding the refund policy, Whimstay strives to make all policies clear, and while the terms are outlined in our booking process, we understand your concern and will review how we can make this information more visible moving forward. Our cancellation policy is tied to our agreements with property managers and hosts, which is why cancellations must be processed according to those terms. We regret any frustration this may have caused.
In terms of communication, we apologize if our email-based customer service felt slow. However, during our time serving you, we maintained our internal SLA (Service Level Agreement) of responding to all inquiries within 1 hour, with the exception of the times we were waiting for your host to reply to us. We are always striving to improve the speed and quality of our support, and we understand that prompt communication is crucial to our travelers’ experiences.
While our customer service is primarily provided via email, we aim to ensure personalized and attentive service. We are disappointed to hear that you felt otherwise and will continue to work toward improving this aspect of our service.
We appreciate your feedback and will take it into consideration as we work to improve our platform and service.
KB
Karolyn B.
DO NOT USE!
DO NOT USE!! I booked through Whimstay and made the mistake of not researching them online or on the Better Business Bureau. Their ratings are awful. If you try to cancel within 60 days of your booking you have to pay the FULL AMOUNT unless you buy travel insurance. There are so many better rental companies to work with, I would not recommend and I will not use again. I want to add that I had booked a date and realized I needed extra days. When I couldn't get the refund I wanted to add the additional days to this rental. Whimstay told me they were processing the payment -- a day or two later they sent an email that the property wasn't available. Now I have to eat the cost of the rental plus book another property. A great sign that they are shady is there is no number to speak with them and everything is via email.
Response from WhimstaySep 27, 2024
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We appreciate the opportunity to clarify our policies.
Whimstay offers deeply discounted vacation rentals, and to provide these savings, our bookings are non-refundable within 60 days of check-in, as clearly stated during the booking process. For added peace of mind, we always encourage travelers to purchase travel insurance. This optional protection can cover a variety of unforeseen circumstances that may disrupt travel plans, helping protect the booking amount.
Our cancellation policy is designed to ensure fairness while offering travelers unbeatable last-minute deals. We strive to maintain transparency throughout the booking process and are always open to feedback to improve our services continually.
NL
NIKITA L.
I stayed at a property booked via…Whimstay
I stayed at a property booked via Whimstay. The property had a broken shower so we were not able to take shower for our entire trip. I tried communicating this to Whimstay, but since they do not have any direct customer care phone line you are only left with the support form on their website.
This led to lag of 12-24 hours in their reply or to have any sort of conversations. They also prioritize the host opinion instead of customer painpoints even after providing proof in form photos.
In the end, after days of communications they refund us very minimal amount without giving any explanation or logic of how the amount was decided.
I will strongly recommend against booking via whimstay even if the property is cheaper on their website.
Response from WhimstaySep 20, 2024
Hi Nikita,
Thank you for sharing your feedback, and we're truly sorry to hear about the issues you encountered during your stay. We understand how frustrating it must have been to deal with a broken shower, and we appreciate you bringing this to our attention.
We strive to respond to all inquiries as quickly as possible, and while we generally aim for a 1-hour response time, we did respond to your message within 5 hours on the Sunday you reached out. We're continually working to improve our weekend response times.
After receiving your concerns, we promptly contacted the property manager and advocated for a refund on your behalf. The property manager informed us that they offered you a full refund at the time you reported the issue, but you chose to stay. As a result, they provided a 25% refund, taking into account that they had tried to accommodate your needs during the stay. When you let us know this wasn’t sufficient, we immediately went back to the property manager to further advocate for you.
We are saddened by this review as we were actively working with the host to seek additional compensation for the inconvenience you experienced. Our goal is always to support our travelers and work with hosts to ensure the best possible outcomes, even in difficult situations.
We truly value your feedback and will continue to push for improvements in how we serve both travelers and hosts. Should you wish to discuss this further, please feel free to reach out to us directly.
LA
LA
Inaccurate Listing from Shady Host, No Refunds Given
(1) I booked a cabin with an inaccurate listing. When I contacted Whimstay, they sided with the host without providing any evidence to support their decision.
(2) The host reached out with a bogus damage charge. I requested evidence, but they couldn't provide any. After researching the host (Luxsle / Luxury Sleep Accommodations ), I discovered they have a very shady reputation. Whimstay should really consider dropping hosts like this to maintain their credibility.
The vacation was ruined due to the actions of two bad players. I highly recommend staying away from Whimstay and Luxsle.
Response from WhimstaySep 20, 2024
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We would like to address the concerns raised to provide a clear understanding of the situation.
Regarding the listing accuracy, we can confirm that the beach near your cabin is a private beach, fully accessible for activities like swimming and fishing. While there were beach closures in other regions, this specific area was not affected, as confirmed by local authorities. We communicated this to you multiple times throughout our email correspondence to ensure you had accurate information.
As for the damage charge, we take these matters seriously and always aim to act in the best interest of both our travelers and hosts. The host provided us with photos of the damages that occurred during your stay, and we relayed this information to you, acting as a liaison. Our priority is always to ensure fairness for all parties involved.
We appreciate your feedback and will continue to support both our travelers and hosts with the highest level of service. If you’d like to discuss this matter further, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
CU
customer
DO NOT USE THESE GUYS!!
DO NOT USE THESE GUYS!!! STAY AWAY! If one of the landlords screws you, they will always side with the landlord instead of the renter. I once arrived at a place I booked through whimstay, the entire place was dirty and was not cleaned. The landlord said the cleaning crew was running late and didn't bother to inform me or anyone else. We checked in well after our check in time. I had told them I just want to cancel it and they said no problem and to do it through Whimstay. When i contacted whimstay they mentioned the landlord was going to deduct a night penalty and they wouldn't do anything about it, even though i provided them with messages showing the landlord would agree to a full cancellation. Horrible customer service, save yourself the headache! Also, do not believe what Whimstay said below in their reply, I didn't stay a single night, I left right away after the landlord said they would agree to cancellation because the apartment was not cleaned and I even sent whimstay the text messages between me and the landlord as proof, and still they allowed the landlord to deduct money from my refund. They are liars.
Response from WhimstaySep 20, 2024
Thank you for sharing your experience with us. We deeply understand how important a smooth and comfortable stay is for our travelers, and we appreciate the opportunity to clarify what happened with your booking.
When you arrived, you noted that the cleaning crew had not yet completed their work, even though you had checked in after the expected time. The host communicated that the cleaners were running behind but would be arriving shortly. When you chose to find alternative accommodations, the host agreed to the cancellation without making it clear that it would be without a full refund.
We understand how this could have led to frustration and confusion, and we sincerely regret any inconvenience it caused. In light of the situation, we worked closely with the host to secure a refund for the remainder of your stay, apart from the first night. The host felt that retaining the cost of the first night was reasonable, given that the property was prepared for your arrival and was held unavailable for other bookings.
At Whimstay, our goal is always to ensure fairness for both travelers and hosts. We strive to support our travelers through any challenges they face and advocate on their behalf whenever possible. If you have any further questions or would like to discuss this matter in more detail, please feel free to reach out to us directly. We are here to assist and ensure that future stays are seamless and enjoyable.
