Has anyone used 'Luxury Retreats'?
 

Our group of 8 is visiting Barcelona and Sitges in June and have identified three villas (two with airbnb and one with Luxury Retreats). Of the little I could find online, I'm seeing some mixed reviews with Luxury Retreats. Also, unlike airbnb, they don't show reviews on the villa we're considering, and their website doesn't discuss payments or cancellation policies, which seems odd. I understand that airbnb bought them last year, though they operate under the LR brand. Any feedback is appreciated. thanks, Mike

The thing you must be sure of is that the property has a registration number and that registration number is the correct one.
Luxury Retreats is ABnB

I haven't heard of them but the website does indeed give very specific info on payment and cancellation, you just have to select a place to book, that's al. (Luxury Retreats). <<Terms and ConditionsThese are the terms and conditions for the booking agreement between you and Luxury Retreats International Inc. (the “Company”) for the rental of a property (the “Property”). For the purposes of this agreement, “you” means, collectively, the person signing this agreement and each of the other guests booked to stay at the Property during the rental period. The Company is an agent to the owner and/or the property management company of the Property (the “Owner”).Binding Nature. This agreement becomes binding when submitted electronically or signed by you or once the Company has received your initial payment, whichever occurs first.Payment.
The Company must receive payment of 50% of the total rental fees within 0 days of the issue date of this agreement and the remaining 50% no later than 65 days before your arrival at the Property. If your reservation is made less than 65 days before your arrival date, the Company must receive 100% of the total rental fees within 0 days of the issue date of this agreement. Any late payments will be accepted only at the discretion of the Company and the Owner and may result in the cancellation of this agreement. You will not be allowed at the Property unless payment has been received in full.Cancellation Policy.
To cancel your booking, you must provide the Company with written notice of your cancellation. If the Company receives this notice at least 75 days prior to your arrival at the Property, the Company will retain 25% of your total rental fee. If the Company receives this notice less than 75 days prior to your arrival at the Property, all payments made by you are non-refundable. You are urged to obtain travel insurance for protection against, among other things, your inability to make the trip contemplated by this agreement. Such insurance is offered by Manulife through the Company. This insurance covers the non-refundable portion of your trip and must be equal to at least US $50 per person in order to cover every member of your travel party. Please consult your villa specialist for more details.Security Deposit. You must provide the Company with a valid credit card to act as collateral for any losses or damages to the Property (including its contents) during the rental period and the Company may charge such credit card up the amount of these losses or damages. Note that the Company will notify and discuss with you before any such charge is made. If you are required to pay an additional cash security deposit (indicated in your Payment Details), you will be refunded the deposit after we receive clearance from the Owner. While this usually takes 4-6 weeks, in a few destinations it can take several months before the Owner has cleared the payment for refund.>>

Luxury Retreats aka AirBnB
 

The properties listed on Luxury Retreats do not belong to AirBnB, but a few may be exclusive listings (doubtful). There are typically several agencies listing these properties, and you can even deal directly with the owner. We deal with other agencies depending on the need and the area, but have never worked with Luxury Retreats and have stayed away from AirBnB, both are too world-wide, not enough controls at the local level.

In the Barcelona/Sitges area I would look at Spain Select (5 villas in the area), Charming Villas Catalonia, Barcelona Luxury Rentals, or Rustic Travel for something more moderately priced. We've also dealt with VRBO in the past with good results, but never for a property in Spain.