Rent a villa! It’s cheaper than you think!
So you probably look at Travel & Leisure Magazine (one of my personal favorites) and wish you had enough money to rent a villa? It always seems like one of those things rich people do. But come to find out, it is actually cheaper than a hotel in most cases. Renting a villa or apartment is the way to go. Here are some great reasons:
First, you have space. How often do you want to sit and relax in your hotel room? Imagine having a living room and a kitchen to enjoy some down time before going out. Or just having a nice night in.
You can rent a villa with as few as 1 or 2 people or as many as 20 +. It is a myth that you can only rent a villa if you have a group of people.
Next, you can really immerse yourself in the culture of wherever you are. In Europe, for example, they have fantastic markets and wine stores. When you are in a hotel you can’t really buy anything, or cook it as the case may be. Where are you going to put it? When you are in an apartment or villa you can go to the markets, get fresh cheeses, meats, fish and enjoy the local wine. You can enjoy a snack before going out, or stay in and cook yourself a fantastic meal. So many more options! And if you have a group, cooking a large meal on vacation with friends is really a lot of fun.
Lastly, despite what you probably are thinking, it is cheaper in most cases than getting a hotel. There are villas and apartments for every budget. You can get more space and pay less. And save money on eating out, if you so choose. Do you really need another reason? Go for it! You won’t regret it.
Questions to ask and things to look for when renting a villa:
1. Pictures, Pictures, Pictures. The more pictures you see, the more likely you are to get what you are looking at on the internet. You can always ask if there are more pictures available if you are interested in a particular property. Definitely get as much visual information as possible. Sometimes you will notice that a site has the same pictures for the different apartments they are renting. Be wary of those apartments and be sure to ask for more pictures of the specific apartment you are looking at.
2. See if there are reviews out there. While there often be a negative review of almost every apartment, you will get a good sense of what the majority of people have to say. TripAdvisor is a good source for that. Some sites offer their own testimonials as well.
3. Check out a lot of sites. I will discuss later some great sites that I have found, but the more you see, the more you will have an idea of what is available to you
4. Pictures of the villa or apartment are often taken with wide-angle lenses. The effect is that the rooms in the apartment or villa will appear larger in the pictures than in person. If you want to be sure of what you are getting size-wise, ask for the square footage. This way you will have accurate information about the size of the place you are renting. I find this to be more crucial with apartment renting than with villas. If you are like me, and don’t necessarily have a great picture of what square foot measurements look like, measure your bedroom. You can go on line and use a square foot calculator. Then compare the measurements of the apartment to the measurements of your bedroom.
5. Ask if there are any charges not included in the published price. Things like heating & air conditioning may cost extra. Also some places require that you have cleaning during your stay and that you pay for it. That is not to say that you don’t want to rent that place, just make sure you know what all the costs are so there are no surprises.
6. If you are really interested in renting something but it is a little more than you want to pay, offer the price that you are willing to pay. There was a villa for 6 that I wanted and we dropped to 4. I asked if there was any way that they would drop it so that the price remained the same per person. They agreed to that. This is especially true if it is getting within the 2-3 month out range. They would rather rent it than have it empty. It is always worth asking.
7. Ask to see if there are other people sharing the grounds with you. Sometimes bigger houses are broken up into different apartments so that they can be rented to a couple of smaller groups as well as one large group. You also might be sharing the grounds with the owner (who might live next door) and that may not be the experience that you want.
8. See if there is a map of the exact location or a description of how far away you are from the town. That could be a deciding factor, especially if you are not planning to rent a car.
9. Be wary of anyone that asks you to pay the full amount up front. 20% is fairly standard as a deposit. Sometimes you will be asked for cash upon arrival for the remainder. I have done that before and it is all on the up and up. I have recently heard of a scam in New York City where someone rents an apartment through the internet, the people are asked to pay everything up front and when they arrive, the apartment doesn't exist. The person I know who told me this story lives in a doorman building and has seen it happen at least five times in the last few months. Craigslist can be great, I use it all the time, but if you use it NEVER pay for everything before you get to your apartment or villa and ask for reviews. Renting through an individual with no agency attach can be risky, just make sure you don't get taken.
Great websites for renting Villas or Apartments:
www.rentvillas.com - They have select villas and Apartments in Europe, Turkey and the Caribbean. They have tons to select from, anything from 2 people to large groups. They have been around since 1984 and are very reliable and have stuff in every price range.
www.villeinitalia.com - A great site for anywhere in Italy you might want to go. They offer everything from Luxury rentals to weddings and affordable villas. Their pictures are quite extensive and their prices are very specific. No hidden costs there.
www.summerinitaly.com - Another great site for Italian Vacations. Again they offer lots of pictures. Italians who really know the areas and have people who have seen all the villas run it. I had great correspondence with them and they would continually help me try to find what I was looking for.
www.vrbo.com - This site is a good site that can lead you to private villa websites. Make sure you get a lot of pictures if you use this site! I have found some really interesting villas from vrbo. I rented my first villa from a site that I found through them. They also have a guarantee about all the listings on their site.
www.tendencygroup.com - I used them for Apartments in Barcelona. They have some really great stuff.
www.friendlyrentals.com - I have booked an apartment in Barcelona with them. Their apartments are great, however you need to ask for measurements if size is an issue. They are a little smaller than they appear in the picture. Not an issue, just a little smaller. But overall exactly what you are expecting.
www.villascarpariellorelais.it. – My first true love. This villa is spectacular in every way. There are 10 apartments in the villa, all ranging from 1 bedroom to 3 bedrooms, most come with their own kitchens. Basic daily cleaning is included. You will feel as though you stepped into a fantasy when you stay here. All the rooms have ocean views. There is a salt-water pool and access to the ocean. The staff is wonderful and I can’t wait to go back this year. Completely affordable and in my opinion Ravello is the most beautiful place to stay on the Amalfi coast.
I am sure there are others out there, but the ones I have mentioned have reasonable prices and great apartments and villas. Also Fodor’s travel guides have some good sites listed in their books for apartment rentals. There are plenty of sites out there that are geared towards those with unlimited budgets and they are listed in Travel & Leisure and other travel magazines. I decided to focus on amazing accommodations on any budget (you will think you can’t possibly afford it! Oh how wrong you are). I will keep you posted as I find more.
