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Around The World: Vouching For Villas
Jennifer Merin
If you’re still trying to buck the economy and treat yourself to a
European vacation, you might think about renting a villa for a week,
instead of staying in a pay-per-night hotel.
Hundreds of choices of lovely, comfortable and affordable villas await in dozens of wonderful destinations, and if you select wisely, renting one can save you a bundle. Not only that, villa stays aren’t just budget boosters. They can actually make European getaways especially satisfying other in ways, as well.
First of all, renting a villa is ideal if you’re longing to truly experience the European lifestyle. True, rental villas are usually furnished as vacation homes, so the furnishings are usually rather more casual than those you’d find if you were swapping homes with a European family (which is another way of keeping lodging cheap--if you feel comfortable staying in someone else‘s living quarters while they occupy yours), but you still yourself surrounded by European ambience and technology. Appliances, bathtubs, televisions and even the light switches are different. It’s fun to figure it all out as you settle in.
The lifestyle experience extends beyond the villa walls, too. You’ll shop for essentials in the local market, hang out with local people at the neighborhood bistro or café, get to know your neighbors, their families and their pets. You‘ll get to know the town you’re visiting in an entirely different--perhaps you can describe it as ‘unfiltered’--way, feel how the day flows differently--with longish breaks midday and late night dining, and hear different ambient sounds--church bells, train whistles, bird calls, fog horns and the other signature sounds that identify any new place and fix it in memory. You’ll get an up close and personal sense of what daily life is like for the local folk.
But there are several tricks to getting the appealing deal that will convince you to go.
For one thing, for best value, you must be traveling with family and/or friends who will occupy the villa to the maximum number of guests. If you find a villa that costs $1200 for the week, and sleeps ten people, you’re basically spending $18 per person per night. That’s so good, you really don’t want to pass it up. Even if you’re there with your family of four, the per night per person cost is just about $43. That’s hard to pass up, too.
What kind of a ten-guest villa do you get for $1200 per week? That’s depends entirely on where you go and when. Generally, you get more bang for your buck if you go to places that aren’t (yet) top tourist draws--avoid the likes of pricey hotspots such as Biarritz and Ibiza, and choose instead smaller and less notorious yet equally charming resort towns like Spain’s Tossa de Mar, a Barcelona weekend hideaway on the scenic Costa Brava overlooking the Mediterranean, or Collioure, the wonderful French Riviera retreat where bright sunshine and remarkably clean air create such a distinctive ambient glows that artists--including the famous Picasso, Matisse, Derain, Dufy and Chagall, among others--have flocked to the area to set up their easels and paint scenic cliffs, cottages and the sea.
You can, too. Or you can peer through the empty frames set up to indicate specific vistas painted by the artists mentioned above. That’s part of the daily life in Collioure, where you can rent a holiday apartment that sleeps four for as little as $600 per week, and that’s with a spectacular panoramic view of the sea. You do the math on price per person.
Rates depend on time of year, as well. You’ll get the best value if you go off season--during the times of year when international tourists are few. And, always avoid the periods surrounding any locally scheduled special events--festivals, sports finals and the like--and secular or religious holidays that are observed in the country you’re visiting. Competition from local tourists can also raise the prices for your rental and limit your selection.
Again, the benefits of booking off season aren’t limited to the financial savings you‘ll enjoy. The town will be much less crowded, and you’ll be able to see the sites, enjoy the beaches, get served in cafés and shops without fighting for your place.
In general, October and February are good months for villa rentals in most European countries, but check the local tourist organization’s calendar before you choose your dates.
You also need to do some research about what essentials and special amenities are included in the price of renting the villa. And, that will vary from villa to villa, and from rental agency to rental agency. It’s best for you to read the fine print to find out exactly what’s provided by the owners and maintenance people--before you book your week.
In this day and age of strict luggage limits and restrictions, you won’t want to carry housekeeping items with you. Villa basics usually include bedding, towels and kitchenware. Some owners also stock staples for you--ranging from coffee and tea to soap suds. More luxurious villas are outfitted with satellite TV, hot tub, Internet access and other amenities. You can also rent a villa that’s fully staffed with a housekeeper, cook and gardener to do your bidding.
Make a list of what you require for your personal creature comforts. The more elaborate your list, the more you’ll pay for your accommodations. Mid-price villas will be comfortable, but not luxurious.
It is also essential to work through a reliable and responsible agent. If you can’t go to friends or a travel agent for advice, do some serious research yourself. You’ll find dozens of villa rental agencies and associations on the Internet, and most of them are reasonable in their presentation. Look at their lists of destinations and pick one or two that interest you. Pour over the photos of their portfolio of properties. Compare their price ranges for villas that are similar in space, style and amenities.
Most important, make sure they visit and vet their properties regularly to make sure they’re freshly decorated, clean and otherwise well-maintained.
Look for recommendations from other travels who post comments on online travel forums, including those run by villa rental associations. If you’re seriously considering a property, and someone who’s posted a comment about it is available to you via email, make some direct inquiries.
Any way you look at it, villas are viable alternatives to hotels if you’re aiming to stretch your dollars to buy you more vacation, to broaden your travel horizons and to have the opportunity to live in another place--however briefly--rather than just visit it.
Copyright 2008 Jennifer Merin
This news arrived on: 08/24/2008
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Posted Comments:
08-25-2008 07:55
Rey wrote:
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Dear Jennfer:
You may have been trained as a reporter and write beautifully but the net is about sharing more than just experience. For example in this story about villas you mention there are many agencies online well mention a few in resources or something because with those it is much easier to find more in Google with the related link tool. I know reporters are supposed to be impartial but reporters on the net are supposed to assist always with links! Please provide more link resources that enhace our knowledge to let us learn as much as possible! Thank you!
You may have been trained as a reporter and write beautifully but the net is about sharing more than just experience. For example in this story about villas you mention there are many agencies online well mention a few in resources or something because with those it is much easier to find more in Google with the related link tool. I know reporters are supposed to be impartial but reporters on the net are supposed to assist always with links! Please provide more link resources that enhace our knowledge to let us learn as much as possible! Thank you!
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