How to Choose the Perfect Vacation Villa in Any Country

by Patrice Salezze

Back in the 80’s renting a vacation house meant booking a week at the Jersey shore. Today 50% of Americans are choosing villa rentals worldwide instead of the traditional hotels. The reason this trend is growing is the same regardless if you are vacationing in Venice Florida or Venice Italy.  A villa rental offers more space, providing families and friends to spend more time together.  It also offers privacy, flexibility and the opportunity to experience life like a local.

The most difficult part of planning a villa vacation is choosing the right villa to meet everyone’s needs. It requires advance research or a consultation with a villa rental professional.  You will also need to understand each person’s expectations of the perfect villa.  Realize it will be nearly impossible to get everyone to agree on all points, but with a little compromise you can have an amazing villa experience.

To prevent the stress caused by multiple opinions, choose one or two persons to narrow down the choices to three.  Ask the group to list one or two things that are on their must see list and send the compilation back to the group for a vote.  The most votes will be placed on the itinerary.  From this information, you can determine the best villa location that will be central to a majority of the day trips you are planning.  This is important to minimize your travel time.

Understand each person’s expectations. Some are happy to stay close to home enjoying the villa and surrounding areas.  Others are more on the go.  Does the villa need to be within walking distance to a town in case some want to stay behind while the others take a day trip?

Separate the essential versus the desired.  You may not be able to live without air conditioning and Wi-Fi, but can you give up walking distance to a village for an extraordinary villa that meets all other criteria?

Calculate the needs of your group.  How many couples, singles, kids, and teenagers? This will determine the configuration of the bedrooms.  Must everyone have their own bathroom, or are they willing to share? Must there be an en suite or a hall bathroom is sufficient?  Do you need everyone to be under one roof, or are the teenagers or grandparents willing to stay in the adjacent cottage?  Do you desire activities such as croquet, bocce, or bat mitten for home entertainment?

Now it seems everything is classified as a villa.  You need to know there are multiple types of rental homes:  farmhouses and cottages; independent or part of a resort, rustic or elegant.  They also can be fully staffed, self-catering or staffed on request.

As the industry grows, there are more and more villas available with many more booking options in the past.  If you cannot visit the property yourself, it’s wise to use a professional villa agent who has inspected the villa, knows the area and suggest the right villa to meet your standards.  If you do rent on line, make sure to speak to someone directly to avoid fraud and disappointment.

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