Villas in Europe
Jan 25th, 2012, 11:33 PM
#1
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Villas in Europe
We planning a budget family holiday 5-8 days for 12 adults and 3 kids and would like to rent a Villa or big holiday home near the beach...either Greece, Spain or Portugal. Never done this before and would like suggestions of places and how to go about.
Thanks
Avril
Thanks
Avril
Jan 25th, 2012, 11:58 PM
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Here are some thoughts:
1. For reasonable prices, you will almost certainly need to rent for a week -- five to eight days won't do. In general, that seven days will begin on a Saturday afternoon and end on a Saturday morning.
2. You will be renting at the busiest and most expensive time of the year, both for lodging and for transportation.
3. There are vast differences amongst these countries and their beaches. You need to read about them and narrow your choice, but you need to do it relatively quickly if this rental is to be for summer 2012.
4. When you have picked the country, first go to VRBO and see if anything sounds good and is available when you want it. If not, use the search box at the top of this column to search villas name of country, apartments name of country, rentals name of country. Your object is to find agencies that get good ratings from people in your home country. Contact them and go forward.
5. This gets easier every time you do it.
6. Finally, if you are in the US and get your university alumni magazine, you may find fellow alums offering rentals in the ads at the back. This has been a good source for us.
1. For reasonable prices, you will almost certainly need to rent for a week -- five to eight days won't do. In general, that seven days will begin on a Saturday afternoon and end on a Saturday morning.
2. You will be renting at the busiest and most expensive time of the year, both for lodging and for transportation.
3. There are vast differences amongst these countries and their beaches. You need to read about them and narrow your choice, but you need to do it relatively quickly if this rental is to be for summer 2012.
4. When you have picked the country, first go to VRBO and see if anything sounds good and is available when you want it. If not, use the search box at the top of this column to search villas name of country, apartments name of country, rentals name of country. Your object is to find agencies that get good ratings from people in your home country. Contact them and go forward.
5. This gets easier every time you do it.
6. Finally, if you are in the US and get your university alumni magazine, you may find fellow alums offering rentals in the ads at the back. This has been a good source for us.
Jan 26th, 2012, 03:09 AM
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Avril - for what it's worth, I've never seen "villa/beach/budget" used in the same sentence to describe a property. For 15 people, you will need a really large property. You may have to compromise on something - price, size or location. Start your search and make yourself a list of properties you like, along with their prices, attributes and disadvantages. You'll need this as you then discuss your choices with your fellow travelers. You have a very big job ahead of you in trying to make everyone happy. I applaud you now and suggest that you keep a supply of aspirin nearby.
Jan 26th, 2012, 06:24 AM
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While not "cheap", the costs of a large rental can be moderated by the savings of doing your own cooking. Look for a property with a large kitchen and a dining area big enough for everyone. The table will be your social centre and probably where you will spend your evenings, also a cost-saver. Some properties consist of several apartments or chalets without a central gathering-place. Another key: Make the number of bathrooms a priority in your search. Also be alert to the possibility of an electricity surcharge -- power is very expensive in Europe. Having the owner or a manager on-site or nearby can be helpful in sorting out local information and activities.
Jan 26th, 2012, 06:51 AM
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Look at www.slowtrav.com. Lots of advice there about self-catering as well as reviews of individual rentals and rental companies.
I prefer to rent from agencies because, if it's a reputable agency, it will have vetted the unit. Whereas from sites like VRBO and others that are just listing boards for owners, you don't really know if the villa even exists and if it's available for rent. There are scams and you have to send a deposit ahead of time. The vast majority of people have had good experiences with VRBO, but it all depends on the individual owner. (VRBO offers a form of insurance, but that will not help you in the middle of your trip with 15 people and no place to stay.)
When looking for a large place, you need to commit well ahead of time, maybe a year. So start looking!
I prefer to rent from agencies because, if it's a reputable agency, it will have vetted the unit. Whereas from sites like VRBO and others that are just listing boards for owners, you don't really know if the villa even exists and if it's available for rent. There are scams and you have to send a deposit ahead of time. The vast majority of people have had good experiences with VRBO, but it all depends on the individual owner. (VRBO offers a form of insurance, but that will not help you in the middle of your trip with 15 people and no place to stay.)
When looking for a large place, you need to commit well ahead of time, maybe a year. So start looking!
Jan 26th, 2012, 07:04 AM
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If you Google large Holidays homes in Spain (or Greece or Portugal) you will find lots of agencies offering big houses, often I'm afraid with big prices to match - but I assume the adults will be sharing the cost of the villa.
Read any reviews available, make sure the kitchen is big enough, check the number of bathrooms, and most importantly check the maximum number of people allowed against the number of bedrooms. Whilst the kids could bunk up together I'm not sure their parents would want to share a bedroom with them for the entire holiday.
Many owners ask for a sizeable deposit against breakages too - so make sure you know if they require one, and how you pay it and get it back. Also make sure they allow children of the ages your kids are - many say no kids under a certain age.
Read any reviews available, make sure the kitchen is big enough, check the number of bathrooms, and most importantly check the maximum number of people allowed against the number of bedrooms. Whilst the kids could bunk up together I'm not sure their parents would want to share a bedroom with them for the entire holiday.
Many owners ask for a sizeable deposit against breakages too - so make sure you know if they require one, and how you pay it and get it back. Also make sure they allow children of the ages your kids are - many say no kids under a certain age.
Jan 26th, 2012, 08:29 AM
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We just deposited on a villa in St. Jeannet on the French Riviera that we found through Homeaway.com. There are 7 of us (all adults) and we rented for a week. Very easy transaction, good reviews, very reasonable price.
