Anyone privately rented a villa, Italy or France?

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oopsbuddy

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Has anyone got first hand experience (good or bad) of renting a reasonably priced villa for a family holiday, maybe in Italy or France? There are loads of websites, but I'd prefer to hear some recommendations from experienced users, in order to avoid potentially costly mistakes and disappointment. Thinking of going this route this coming summer. Many thanks.
 
We have a holiday apartment( no villa for a while!) that we let to pay the bills, so know a little about this. Many of the well known sites allow past guests to post reviews of the holiday accommodation. These are available to prospective guests. Home owners cannot delete unfarourable reviews, they can just respond to issues raised. Dont buy a pig in a poke- there are alot of top quality places out there.
 
Sorry to bump this post, but I'm sure SOMEONE has rented (used) a holiday villa via the internet before? I would be very interested in other people's experiences! There are millions of them out there! Thanks
 
Yes, we have. Advice coming up.

Ask the owner:-

1. Total charge including hidden extras required.
2. How many can sleep in the accommodation comfortably?
3. How far is it to walk to (a) safe beach (b) restaurants.
4. Is airconditioning provided.
5. Is there a television?
6. Is linen supplied?
7. What is the distance from the airport? - Can transfers be arranged?
8. Are parasols and patio furniture (incl sunbeds) provided?
9. How near is the nearest decent supermarket?
10. Is there a swimming pool provided with the accommodation?
11. Is a washing machine provided ? - very important.
12. Are there play areas for children near?
13. Is there an aquapark near?
14. What is there to do for adults?
15. Ask about the local bus/taxi service.
16. What views are from the house/apartment/duplex/villa?
17. Is there a direct low cost airlines single flight serving the nearest airport?

If the owner 'hedges' on any of above questions, terminate the conversation immediately and go someplace else.
 
We rented a farmhouse in provence a couple of years ago directly from the owner and have done similar in Barcelona and tuscany. We have never had a problem. I usually try to get a land line number and ring and talk to the person, even if you can't speak the language! Most of the info referred to by leper is usually on the website. We had to send a small deposit both times with the balance on arrival once we've had a look at the place. Both were fab, the house in provence had tomatoes in the garden that we could eat as they ripened and the owners brought fruit from their garden a few times during our stay. Hoping to do the same in Majorca this year.
 
Thanks for the info everyone. I'm definitely more interested in doing this type of holiday than the standard 2 weeks at a resort, by the packed pool!

Ramble, how did you access details about Provence, Barcelona, Tuscany, and then Majorca? Do you want to give any details of where exactly you stayed? Many thanks
 
We rented a Villa in Tuscany through tuscanynow and I have to say it was lovely! Can't wait to got back again, the owners were so nice and very accommodating, had very little english but really tried to help us with anything we asked.
 
Be conscious of things you'd miss if you DIDN'T go on a package or hotel holiday - you may take them for granted.

We rented an apartment in the South of France using holidaylettings.co.uk. While it was beautiful and everything it said it would be, it was part of a residential complex. As such, there were no chairs by the pool, nowhere to buy a drink or an ice cream and you were totally self-sufficient, which makes it a little tougher to organise, particularly if you have kids. I also found the residents less tolerant of holidaymakers than might otherwise have been the case - and it's not as if we were having a rave!
 
Actually won a week in this villa

it was superb, located half-way between Florence and Siena, huge kitchen, very comfortable living room and bedrooms. Great village down the road (not really suitable for walking to, though) Greve-in-Chianti, the owners have a vineyard and olive grove next door and produce the most delicious wine and olive oil. We flew into Bologna but it's handy to a number of airports.
The pool was brilliant and there were housekeepers downstairs, a lovely sri lankan couple, who you wouldn't notice around at all.
 
Might be ok if you won it Dereko but did ye see the prices if ye have to actually pay for it? £2680 for a week in the summer for a 2 bed apt!
 
Ceist Beag said:
Might be ok if you won it Dereko but did ye see the prices if ye have to actually pay for it? £2680 for a week in the summer for a 2 bed apt!
Click to expand...
eek! i only checked the prices again after i'd posted, yeah it's fairly steep alright i wonder if they'd be open to negotiations on it though?
 
We've rented a few in France and Italy...my father-in-law usually organises it and it goes well...except one place we rented in Provence through vrbo.com which was a stinking pit. Yep we often holiday with the in-laws!

Always ask for photos of the kitchen, bathroom and bedrooms.
ASk yourself what photos are missing form the web and ask them to send them on.

What sort of place are you interested in?
Beach, mountains, rural urban?
 
dereko1969 said:
eek! i only checked the prices again after i'd posted, yeah it's fairly steep alright i wonder if they'd be open to negotiations on it though?
Click to expand...

Unless they would be prepared to discuss knocking 70% off this I doubt it! We booked a 2 bed apt (in the Alps, France side) thru http://www.frenchconnections.co.uk (peak rate is 980 for the week but not going at peak time!) - haven't been yet but was impressed with the range of villas/apts on offer and the detail/pictures with each one.
 

Oops, I've rented the villa at this link ([broken link removed]) and had a wonderful time in France. There are nearby beaches, restaurants, bars, aqua parks, entertainment (Puis de Foux?sp?) etc and a wonderful wooded area adjacent for walks, biking etc where you see rabbits, deer and other wildlife. The highlight of the trip was a Zip Wire course (for me and the kids) nearby...made me wonder about the possibility of setting something like this up in Ireland.

Definitely worth a look. Only downsides of the holiday were some of the French people we encountered (a minority) that matched the French arrogant stereotype.

Happy Holidays.
 
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