Free-Rentals Vacation Rentals

Accept Reality. Unlike a chain hotel, where your experience in one country may be exactly that as in a different country, with holiday rental homes, there are great differences between countries, the power circuits, imperial versus metric counting systems, rules and regulations, etc.. You have to accept that things are the way they are when you get there and discover that their TV doesn’t play your videos because of the PAL versus NTSC issue. So just accept things and deal with them, afterall, a holiday is a holiday.

Get the Facts. The key to finding the right holiday rental is to get the details and facts. Don’t assume anything. Many websites that display aggregate rental properties will list all the details for each rental, all the way down to whether or not beach chairs are provided. But a lot of these amenities, activities and facilities change over time, so while they may have checked off the box indicating that they have a toaster at the house, maybe the previous renter broke it and it doesn’t exist anymore. If there are key items you are counting on, based on what you read on the website, make sure you contact the owner via phone or email and get confirmation that the item still exists, or if it’s a facility feature like a pool or tennis courts, make sure it’s operational and not closed for repairs.

Work with a professional. The best villa rental agencies are well aware of all the good, bad and ugly aspects of renting a holiday property.  They know all the Gotchya’s, so if you are a first time renter, it helps to work with one of the pro’s to make sure you have a good experience.

Make a wishlist. Sure, how many bedrooms and who gets which is important and probably highest on your list. But check with all of the people you’ll be sharing the rental with to find out what their specific needs and requests are. Put together a master list.  Have this list already compiled before looking up a vacation rental and or booking one.

Know yourself. The villa lifestyle is not for those who expect a lot of service, except the most high end of villa rentals. There’s no concierge, little housekeeping if any and no staff or restaurants onsite. It’s very much for DIY’ers, so make sure you understand these dynamics before you get into it.