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-   -   Has anyone rented a fabulous 9+ bedroom villa? (Anywhere!) (https://www.fodors.com/community/europe/has-anyone-rented-a-fabulous-9-bedroom-villa-anywhere-618625/)

karameli May 26th, 2006 06:31 AM

Has anyone rented a fabulous 9+ bedroom villa? (Anywhere!)
 
We're looking for a fun vacation idea for a family trip -- 26 people. One option is an all-inclusive beach resort, but the other option is a huge villa somewhere. So, that said -- has anyone stayed at (or know of) a clean, well-kept, nine-or-more bedroom villa that's close to fun activities? It can be anywhere. The trip is still in the early planning stages, so I'm open to ANY ideas! Thanks :)

Stephie May 26th, 2006 06:35 AM

Wow! Even if there were such a villa, I think 26 people together on vacation in one house would drive people crazy. A little seperation might be a good idea, although you of course know who you're traveling with. Consider whether or not anyone of them could get on your nerves after a few days. Are there children? I just envision mass chaos with that many, but you know them.

Good Luck!

kleeblatt May 26th, 2006 06:38 AM

Definitely go for the all-inclusive beach resort. Although the villa sounds nice, I wouldn't even bother getting one without hiring a cook and a cleaning lady with it.

karameli May 26th, 2006 06:42 AM

Well, I have found two -- one in Mexico and one in Ireland. There are loads of 9-bedroom houses in the US, but we're trying to flee the country for this vacation ;) If we can't find a villa that would be fun/exciting/far away, we'll go with the original AI plan.

mclaurie May 26th, 2006 06:45 AM

Have not done it but sounds fun. Budget will be an issue. There are a few interesting places on this website

http://www.5stardestinations.com/sitepages/pid1273.php

South of France and Tuscany would be 2 places that would have what you want. 9 bedrooms for 26 people sounds a bit....cramped. ;)

Viajero2 May 26th, 2006 06:49 AM

A cruise purchased way ahead of travel (for best prices) is your best bet. Talk to a carnival, RCCL, etc.. sales rep for group rates, which they all arrange for. People can drive/fly to departure port and you do not have to worry about activities nor cooking, cleaning, bathrooms, etc....

mclaurie May 26th, 2006 06:55 AM

I was reminded by schuler's comment (which I agree with, a cook and cleaner is nec. for this and probably doable) that friends used to rent a large place (but not that large) in Puerto Vallarta, Mex. that came with a cook/caretaker. I think there'd be places in various areas of Mexico.

This is the size place people also rent for a wedding. What you might also look for is a small inn where you'd take over the entire place. But then the issue is whether you'd prefer having some outsiders around.

surfmom May 26th, 2006 06:56 AM

What about 2 or 3 houses/villas adjacent to each other? (or within walking distance)

Our family goes to the beach this way - each family has their own house and that way, we each have our own 'space' to go back to at the end of the day...

Rolo72 May 26th, 2006 07:02 AM

How about Casa de Campo in Dominican Republic? You can rent 2 or 3 five bedroom villas. Each villa comes with its own butler and cook and golf cart to drive around the resort. There are 3 golf courses on the premises. Been there a couple of times on company trips and its really nice.

ekscrunchy May 26th, 2006 07:17 AM

Two ideas:

www.wimco.com is the site for a very highly regarded rental agency.

The most recent issue of Conde Nast Traveller has an article on all you need to know about renting a villa in Europe with a list of vetted agencies.

For that many people you should consider renting with daily household help

karameli May 26th, 2006 07:32 AM

It won't be TOO cramped because lot of them are kids. (That probably makes us sound even more crazy.) This is just siblings and their kids, so needless to say, with 26 of us we're used to things being loud and crowded.

That web page had some incredible villas...I'm going to look into prices. Thanks!

karameli May 26th, 2006 07:36 AM

Wow -- I forgot to refresh before I replied to McLaurie. Thanks for ALL the great replies! I hadn't thought of a cruise -- that would be a fun solution of we could talk the boat-phobes into it. It's worth a shot!

I'll search VRBO and see if I can find the PV house. And the suggestion of a few adjacent villas (or condos in the same complex) could definitely work too. Thanks for the suggestions!! This helps A LOT.

Mimar May 26th, 2006 07:37 AM

Have you looked at www.slowtrav.com? Lots of villa info there.

pantelia May 26th, 2006 08:08 AM

In looking through the 2005 La Bella Toscana brochure (I wasn't able to find this property on their website) I found Villa Mucellena (12 miles from Siena).

The description says..."a large villa divided into seven suites and a detached communal building. There are a total of 13 bedrooms with will accommodate 26 persons and an extra 4 persons can be accommodated in extra beds or on settees which convert to beds."

There's a large swimming pool, a children's pool.

It looks like there are a total of 12 toilets, in a combination of shower rooms and bathrooms.

It states in the brochure that the prices for up to 30 persons range from 5100 Euro in low season to 8500 Euro in high season. For a precise quote, contact [email protected]. There's also a cautionary deposit of 500 Euro, which is refundable, less the cost of breakage and damages.

Hope this helps!

janisj May 26th, 2006 09:32 AM

There are several castles and manor houses in Scotland that would be perfect.

http://www.ltr.co.uk/properties/scotland/mar
http://www.ltr.co.uk/properties/scotland/glenapp
http://www.ltr.co.uk/properties/scotland/glen

Just 3 represented by the same agency - but there are many others.

Also, all over the UK are complexes were several farm bldgs or a stately home have been converted to very nice rental cottages. One of these might be good since you'd all be together but not "together" under one roof 24/7.

Maribel May 26th, 2006 10:19 AM

Just a resounding second to ekscrunchy's recommendation of the current Conde Nast Traveller issue, which lists Wendy Perrin's top villa rental agencies. A friend, Mary Vaira, of El Sol villas, made the list.

For 2 weeks last June, we were invited to join a friend's month-long rental in Provence. The villa was rented from Just France in Berwyn, Pa (www.justfrance.com), an agency that also made the CN magazine's vetted "top rental agencies" list.

Our villa, Mas de la Dame, (which on the web page is listed as "Mas du Destet") between St. Remy and Maussane in the Bouches du Rhone, slept 20 comfortably. The upstairs sleeping quarters of this huge home, consisting of 10 bedrooms, were divided into two wings. My friend, her 6 children and 2 nannies slept in one wing, another couple (close friends) and I slept in the other, and the wings were closed off from each other, separated by a parlor. We had a great deal of privacy, which for us was extremely important.

You'd want a property large enough to have a measure of privacy in your sleeping arrangements and certainly with plenty of bathrooms! Ours had 7 1/2 baths, with a very large shower room for the children.

Because this villa was on a wine/olive grove estate, we had plenty of opportunities to wander off and explore on our own.
The pool was large enough to accomodate all of us at the same time, with a shaded pagoda-like terrace for lounging, an adjacent pool house with barbecue, fully stocked small kitchen and w/c. There were tennis courts and even a gourmet shop (selling the estate's wines/olive oils/tapenadas) open (to us and the public) every day!!

I second the need for a cook/cleaning staff/caretaker to make your stay stress free.
This rental came with a wonderful caretaker couple who lived in the house next door; the wife was an accomplished chef (had even cooked for Chirac) who spent 3 hrs. a day preparing our dinners with the ingredients we provided her (we fixed our own breakfast, and lunch was taken on the road), and the husband
cared for the grounds and maintained the pool. We became very fond of their company, and they often joined us for dinner. The house had a formal dining room, a breakfast room and outdoor dining. A couple came in each morning to change the bed lines/towels, and we also had a laundry room to take care of our personal laundry and ironing.
This villa, although quite expensive, was a true slice of Provencal heaven. Van Gogh had painted a view of the house and "my" bedroom! I feel very fortunate to have been given this unique experience, that I could never have afforded on my own.

See pics here:
www.justfrance.com/properties/pbr34d.html

cw May 26th, 2006 12:10 PM

The Parker Company has some large villas in Italy(www.theparkercompany.com). See for instance, SIS144, a Tuscany villa, called Family Reunion which is made up of a main house and two cottages.

CW

karameli May 26th, 2006 02:40 PM

THANK YOU!! I'm going to check out all of these...thank goodness for long weekends! ;)

brotherleelove2004 May 26th, 2006 02:51 PM

The way most of the nicer accomodations are designed on the island of Santorini in Greece, with rooms all having outside entries and being serviced by a housekeeping staff, you might be able to reserve all or most of a small hotel or apartment complex. Many have self-catering kitchenettes. Check in the most beautiful village of Oia as well as Fira, Firostefani and Imerovigli for ideas. If you want immediate beach access, check on Kamari Beach and Perissa Beach. If there are children involved, the Meltemi Hotel and Resort on Perissa Beach has a waterpark attached to their facilities.

nytraveler May 26th, 2006 05:49 PM

Don't know your price parameters but there are several company (if you google) that rent out luxury villas around the world. Have looked at some of them for fun wile searching m=for a amore moest place for us. there are quite a few on the riviera, in the Loire and southern Spain - esp Puerto Banus near Marbella.

Be aware that the houses that big are usually luxury that come with full staff (maid, cook, gardiner at the least) and that you will need to rent quite a few cars for so many people. (I recall one place on the Riviera that was absolutely gorgeous - around $40,000 per week a couple of years ago).

janisj May 26th, 2006 06:04 PM

Don't let that $40,000 a week scare you off. Many great houses in the UK, Ireland, France etc rent for $2000 - $5000 per week in high season.

Sher May 26th, 2006 08:30 PM

Try this"

www.sanmartino.co.uk

We researched the house for a special family birthday party but the plans fell through.

There are ten bedrooms with ten bathrooms and also there are two bedrooms that sleep five with a shared bath suitable for children (slope ceiling) on the top floor.

Good luck.

BKP May 26th, 2006 09:19 PM

Because you posted in Europe I'm not sure if you want to stick to that but we've researched this sort of thing too (14 adults and 15 children -- when they start to outnumber you . . . look out!) and we liked what we found in Jamaica.
http://www.silver-sands.com/
We were daring enough to try Paris with our baby but I'm not sure I want to be stuck on an airplane to Europe with my 14 nieces and nephews, not to mention my own crazy brothers and sisters! Good luck.

nytraveler May 27th, 2006 10:29 AM

janisj -

The OP asked for a "fabulous 9+ bedroom house). We saw a lot of houses for much less than the $40,000 per week - but they were usually 3 bedroom - or perhaps 4 - and were modest/ordinary - certainly not "fabulous" - which to me means living room, dining room, breakfast room, den, games rooms, library, full access to the latest video/audio and internet technology, olympic size pool, beautiful gardens, terraces overlooking the sea and a full staff. I don;t think you'll get that anywhere for $2000 - $5000 per week.

Doble_Vergasser May 27th, 2006 01:35 PM

Well If anywhere might include the southeastern U.S. and your budget is not small, them you might look at Sea Island Georgia. Their website says that they have a nine bedroom home available for rent. Sea Island has miles of ocean front but is only two or three blocks deep. All rentals on the island are handled by the Sea Island Company (so they could do the three or four cottages close together scenario). Ocean activities and world class golf are the main attractions, but tennis, horses, shooting clays and fishing are available.

90 minutes from Jacksonville airport. 60 Minoutes from the Svannah airport. 5 hour drive from atlanta.

janisj May 27th, 2006 01:46 PM

Maybe $2000 is too low but all of these are between $4500 and $12000 per week and some are very grand

http://www.celticcastles.com/castles...ham/index.html less than £4000 per week for 26-28 a bit more for up to 33 (but much cheaper in shoulder and off seasons)

http://www.helpfulholidays.com/prope...r=2006#G1_door Except for a few weeks in between late july and Sept 1, much less than £3000 per week sleeping 24.

http://www.helpfulholidays.com/prope...006#A133_HALL1 Less than £3000 most weeks for 30 guests.

http://www.celticcastles.com/castles...tle/index.html €10,000 per week sleeps 30

http://www.celticcastles.com/castles...utra/index.htm - a really posh place for €3500 for 3 night sleeps 40

janisj May 27th, 2006 01:50 PM

the last link didn't work - is this better

http://www.celticcastles.com/castles...tra/index.html

moldyhotelsaregross May 27th, 2006 02:14 PM

I have absolutely no information to add. I just want to see how this thread develops. :)

Viajero2 May 27th, 2006 03:03 PM

The weblink to the Wendy Perrin article in Conde Nast Traveller is http://www.concierge.com/cntraveler/...p;pageNumber=1

I just returned from a house rental in the South of France and it was a great experience. At least once in a lifetime do vacation in a group (select wisely!); it can be a lot of fun.

nytraveler May 27th, 2006 03:14 PM

janisj -

Sorry - I just automatically excluded Ireland and England because to me a key element of that type of vacation - esp with kids - is a really great pool. And obvously in Ireland - and probably England pools are scarce - and often not usable due to temps.

We searched for a place in the south of France and had trouble finding anything moderate for less than $5000 per week - and that was for 2 couples (a 3/4 bedroom house - since at least one bedroom is good only for kids). We weren't considering the mansions - since there were only 4 of us - and we certainly didn;t have that sort of budget.

janisj May 27th, 2006 03:21 PM

nytraveler: Pools are pretty common in the UK, especially in upscale properties, and the long summer days do allow for lots of swimming. I've stayed in just modest manor houses - sleeping 8 or 10, that had pools.

mcnyc May 27th, 2006 03:38 PM

Don't know if this was listed already, but a bunch of friends and I had thought of a place like this for when our group vacation comes to fruition. It has a pool, 12 bedrooms and 12 bathrooms.
http://tinyurl.com/elgcn

Personally, I think a cruise vacation or renting separate villas near to each other is a better way to go.

Sounds like you're gonna have a lot of fun. Let us know what you end up with!

Carrybean May 27th, 2006 06:32 PM

Here is one with 10 bedrooms, 9.5 baths if, by anywhere you include the Caribbean:

http://tinyurl.com/rlzkx

Fibonacci2358 May 27th, 2006 07:39 PM

Try the advanced search on the English version of www.agriturismo.com You will have to try all the different regions individually but you can put "26" in the box for "sleeps" and "sea" in the "geographical location" and find some possibilities.

I know of a bus company you can contact in Italy also.

Full disclosure....I'm not in any way connected with any location you find on the Agriturismo site or the site itself or the bus company.

I'm just a guy who likes to travel in Italy and find out inexpensive ways to do it.

That said, here are some sites in Tuscany and it Calabria from Agriturismo.com.

Tuscany

@@Residenza Solferino • Via Solferino 30 - 57012 Castiglioncello (Livorno)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments • Sleeps: 45
• Daily rate per person: Not Available • Weekly rate per person: from 300 to 900 €
• Services: Credit Cards accepted, Swimming pool, Riding school/ Horse riding, Boat hire, Bike hire, Air conditioning, Barbecue, Internet, Car park, Park, Children's playground, Beach, Phone in room, Tv in room, Astronomical studies,

Agriturismo Il Tripesce • Stradone del Tripesce 5/A - 57018 Vada (Livorno)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments • Sleeps: 64
• Daily rate per person: from 10 to 20 € • Weekly rate per person: from 70 to 140 €
• Services: Biological products, Local products, Oil-Wine production/tasting, Pets allowed, Swimming pool, Trekking, Car park,

Casa Vacanze Fattoria Palazzeta • Via Vecchia Livornese 22 - 57010 Cecina (Livorno)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments • Sleeps: 66
• Daily rate per person: from 30 to 150 € • Weekly rate per person: from 285 to 1600 €
• Services: Swimming pool, Bowling green, Bike hire, Fishing, Table tennis, Thermal baths nearby, Barbecue, Car park, Park, Tv in room, Farming museum,

Residence Villa Liberty • Lungomare Marconi 8 - 57027 San Vincenzo (Livorno)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments - Whole structure • Sleeps: 29
• Daily rate per person: Not Available • Weekly rate per person: Not Available
• Services: Pets allowed, Boat hire, Bike hire, Tennis, Trekking, Thermal baths nearby, Air conditioning, Car park, Nature studies,


Calabria
@@Agriturismo Valle Lumìa • S. S. 106 Vecchia - 88811 Cirò Marina (Crotone)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments • Sleeps: 48
• Daily rate per person: Not Available • Weekly rate per person: from 300 to 550 €
• Services: Biological products, Local products, Oil-Wine production/tasting, Pets allowed, Bike hire, Car park, Park,

Agriturismo Agriclub Le Giare • s.s. 106 km 111 - 89047 roccella jonica (Reggio Calabria)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments • Sleeps: 40
• Daily rate per person: from 30 to 60 € • Weekly rate per person: from 175 to 420 €
• Services: Breakfast, Half board, Full board, Vegetarian cuisine, Local products, Oil-Wine production/tasting, Pets allowed, Swimming pool, Disabled, Table tennis, Tennis, Trekking, Air conditioning, Babysitter, Barbecue, Internet, Car park, Children's playground, Ceremonies, Beach, Activities for students, Guided tour of the farm
• Courses: Cuisine, Other

Agriturismo Grassetti • Contrada Grassetti/S.Rocco - 87070 Montegiordano (Cosenza)

• Geographical location: Sea, • Accommodation: - Apartments - Rooms • Sleeps: 36
• Daily rate per person: from 16 to 42 € • Weekly rate per person: Not Available
• Services: Breakfast, Half board, Full board, Vegetarian cuisine, Biological products, Local products, Oil-Wine production/tasting, Pets allowed, Riding school/ Horse riding, Mountain Bike, Table tennis, Trekking, Thermal baths nearby, Babysitter, Barbecue, Car park, Park, Ceremonies, Activities for students, Nature studies, Guided tour of the farm
• Courses: Ceramics, Cuisine, Painting

Viajero2 May 28th, 2006 09:46 AM

nytraveler--- if you are looking for a great house rental in the South of France at an affordable price check out holiday-rentals.com property ID 11712. I can answer any questions you have on this property.

Karameli-- I reiterate my previous post; A CRUISE is the way to go.

twk May 28th, 2006 11:10 AM

Haven't stayed here, but saw a travel article on this place, and it looks like it might be a good fit: http://www.todicastle.com/

nytraveler May 28th, 2006 04:42 PM

Viajero2 -

Thanks for the link but we canceled that trip due to family issues. But were never able to find a house we were happy with in our price range - either not enough baths or wrong bed configuration or too far from the coast or no AC or something.

karameli May 30th, 2006 08:11 AM

Whew...I'm a little overwhelmed now, but in a good way! These are all great suggestions.

To the poster who suggested Santorini: I WISH! That's my dream destination, but probably not viable for our group. The plane ride from PHL is prohibitively expensive for some. I'll have to save that trip for later! (UK, Ireland, France and Italy are all cheap from here, relatively speaking.)

I am busy looking up all the villas and links posted here. Thanks so much. And to calrify for janisj and nytraveler, I didn't mean "fabulous" in the "personal chef, infinity pool, steam shower" sense. Just...big enough for all of us, without too many people sharing a bathroom. I'd say the $10,000 range would be our upper limit. So, semi-fabulous. :)

BKP -- we're 12 adults and 14 children, so we are indeed outnumbered! ;)

We definitely would consider other regions, esp. the Caribbean.

THANKS again!!

nytraveler May 30th, 2006 10:40 AM

Viajero2 -

Thanks for the suggestion. Have checked out the link - and as I suspected (I had done a lot of work on this before we had to cancel the original trip) none of the properties was appropriate unless you go for a much higher budget. (Most of these seem to be made for families rather than groups of couples - and getting more than one bedroom with a queen size bed is hard - and we need at least 2 or 3 [my beau and brother are both well over 6' as as the men in either of the possible third couples] - depending on who's coming - and that means a much bigger house - and higher price.)

We've given up on this and are sticking to hotels so we can all be comfy - and not trying to squeeze into child size beds

plambers May 30th, 2006 10:48 AM

hi. my whole family rents a house in the outerbanks of nc for a week (not as exciting a location as others mentioned here!) . it has 8 br and 10 baths. each bedroom has its own bath and terrace. there is an elevator, media room (which the kids quicky took over), a billiards room, multi decks, oceanfront with its own pool and hot tub etc. it is amazing. there is plenty of space for privacy but then there is also plenty of space to cook, eat together and play together. we rent sea kayaks, bring volley ball nets etc. we range from 2 yrs to 66 years and all have a ball.


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