We are going to Italy in October. The two big things I want to ask are:

1. Has anyone stayed at the Parker Villas? Any tips?

2. What is a good airplane ticket price? We are flying from Dallas mid October.

THANKS

Alba

By the Parker Villas, do you mean The Parker Company, which rents villas and apartments in Italy? If so, they are well recommended, although pricey.

I agree that Parker Company is pricey. More than a little too. They need to pay for that catalog somehow. Try Cottages and Castles for a better deal or head on over to slowtravel.com and read some reviews.

About your airfare... Dallas to where?

We have friends who have done a couple of stays with Parker Company. I had always thought them terribly pricey but when I got their catalog I realized that they have accommodations in lots of price ranges. Catalog is free and very interesting. You can go on line and ask for it. They reply promptly.

We rented a one bedroom apartment in Montepulciano through Parker at the rate of USD $770.00 for a week

It is true that they have a lot of villas in a wide range of price categories. However, my experience with Parker is that a group of us rented a villa with them in 2001 for about $4000. We rented the exact same villa through cotteges and castles in 2003 for $3200.

The villa owners no longer used Parker because they had too many empty weeks due to their price. I assume villa rentals through these companies is similar to selling something on consignment. The owner gives the rental agency a $$ figure that they want and the agency marks it up and rents it out.

Anyone know for sure how these outfits operate?

You are right on Mark. And, I totally agree about the pricing. I have seen the same place available thru 3 souces vary as much as 40%. Parker is at the top of the food chain, but they are a good agency. My best advice--spend 2 hours at slowtrav.com and learn about renting and from whom.

Thanks for all the responses....I did see Parker Villas for six people at $1000 a week....can you beat that????????

The airfare question is from DFW to Rome....what is a good price for mid October?

Alba

albita,

Yes I could easily find a place that sleeps 6 for under $1000. All is dependent on the area you are staying in. Puglia is a lot cheaper than the Chianti area of Tuscany. Even here in the Chiant i I could find aplace for under that price by renting directly from the owner. Parker has high prices buut a beautiful catalog that is free. I rented a villa for my folks a year ago and the price, direct from owner, was exactly half of what Parker was charging. If you would prefer to rent directly from the owner or better yet find a place that has been reviewed by every day people, check out http://www.slowtrav.com and their message board at http://www.slowtalk.com

Bob,

I tried following your advice to save money when I looked to book an apt 6 weeks before I needed it.

I contacted some of the agencies that had cheaper prices and they were very slow to get back to me( over a week)

Not wanting to take a chance, I called Parker who put an immediate hold on the property for the week we needed. In my case, paying a litle extra, was worth it.

Also, I get the feeling that while some properties can be booked by many different agencies( at different prices) ..that many of Parker's properties are exclusive to them

Probably true that the Parker Company has a number of properties that are "exclusives" - - though the giant Cuendet may have more of these than you realize.

But exclusive or not, the Parker company owns (presumably) zero (or very few). They "maintain" high standards - - and thus command high prices - - by good relationships with the properties' owners. And I would guess that this means that they go check out the properties fairly often.

Best wishes,

Rex

My family an I rented from the Parker Company in 2000 and were very pleased. That was a villa in Positano in the low season. Therefore, we are renting a villa in Sicily from Parker in September. They are always available to answer our numerous questions. We also secure our car rental through them. They are attentive to details and have a representative to contact in Italy should a problem arise. Parker is well worth the money in our estimation.

I would also suggest Slow Travelers website for more on renting. However, I too, am having problems getting a response from several of the recommended agencies I contacted.(Even something as simple as "we do not have our 2004 prices yet&quot. If Parker has good service, it would be worth the extra money for me. I just ordered their catalog to see the price range.

I agree--a modest 10% surcharge for good service is worth it. I am talking about a $6000 rental from Parker that I booked from another agency for $4500. I can shop around for that difference. It does take time and patience however.

I agree with Bob. While Parker does have outstanding service, you definately pay for it. If it was one or two hundred, it would be one thing. But, our group saved over $800 and Bob mentioned a $1500 price difference. That's the difference of a plane ticket or two.

Yes, those are significant differences.
However, posters have mentioned rates of $770 a week and $1000 a week which are in the norm. The Parker Catalog seems worth a look.

MDV, I agree that the Parker catalog is worth a look. However, after you get the catalog (it is a beautiful catalog), find a villa and see if you can find the same villa at http://www.cottagestocastles.com/
I'll be the first to admit that the response time from CTC is not as quick as Parker. But they were always responsive to my phone calls and saved me a lot of cash.

Will do.

And when searching through CTC or other places for the same properties listed in Parker, be warned that Parker changes the names on ALL of their properties in the catalog just so you can't compare easily.