It’s hardly surprising that here at Oliver’s Travels, we know what we like when it comes to holiday accommodation (spoiler: it’s not a hotel). When our co-founders Oliver and Ravi went on their first villa holiday in France, they were absolutely blown away by it. Here they were, young and fresh-faced, enjoying the run of a natty French chateau on a pretty tight budget – and it gave them an idea that they put in practice almost as soon as their plane back home had landed.
As you can see, luxury villa holidays are right at the heart of what we do, so it’s hardly surprising we’re singing their praises. Part of that – and partly from Ravi and Oliver’s experiences at their fancy chateau – is that we genuinely think villas can bring a whole new dimension to your holiday and make it all the more memorable for everyone involved. Let’s see if we can convince you with our ten favourite reasons!
Let’s get a big one out of the way early – cost. Put bluntly, renting a villa can be amazingly cost effective when compared to booking a hotel room, and the more people you can get to come along with you, the cheaper it’ll be. Some of our villas (and remember we only pick the best luxury properties) can be hired out for as little as £15 per person per night if you fill them up. That’s right – fifteen quid a night for total luxury. A price like that really can’t be beat.
Unless you’re spending seriously big money, it’s not very likely that a hotel room is going to blow you away with how wonderful and welcoming it is. At the worst end of the scale, a hotel room can be little more than somewhere to sleep and have a shower. Not so with a villa, which is somewhere you can really kick back and relax, and treat like a home from home. You probably won’t want to spend much of your holiday in a hotel room – but with a villa, it’s all part of the experience.
Got your accommodation sights set on something super chic? Or maybe your tastes run a little closer to cosy, countryside comfort? Whatever your tastes, you can indulge them with a villa rental. Fairytale French chateaux, archetypal villas in Tuscany with brick walls and slanted roofs, English country houses with acres and acres of land… it’s all there. What’s more, holiday homes don’t just end at villas – you’ll find a windmill, a mountaintop hideaway and even a sea fort in our awesome portfolio.
Even if you’re lucky enough to book a hotel that’s got a pool, you can be pretty sure you’re going to have to share it with the other guests, even if you get up at 6am – and who wants that on their holiday? The same goes for the gym, sauna and steam room – but book a villa and you’ll have all those awesome amenities all to yourself. Almost all of our villas have pools (especially in France and Italy) and many have gyms, games rooms and awesome extra facilities to keep everyone fit and entertained. And then there’s the gardens (unlikely you’ll get one of those in a hotel) which brings us to…
Child friendly kids pools
Travelling with kids isn’t exactly the easiest thing in the world, but you can make it a lot easier by renting a villa. You’ll have a kitchen to whip up snacks (a godsend if you’ve got a fussy eater on your hands), there’s gardens and spaces to play and you don’t need to worry so much about the little ones making a mess. A lot of villas also have kid-friendly extra stuff like cots, high chairs, toys and games available, meaning you don’t have to worry about trucking them along with you.
How many hotels do you know of that are openly pet-friendly? Probably not all that many. Not so with villas! Many are more than happy to welcome four-legged guests, saving you costly kennel fees and the pain of missing your furry friend while you’re away.
We get quite a lot of bookings from people wanting to celebrate something, whether that’s a wedding anniversary, a big birthday or other family celebration. Renting out a villa means you’ll have a venue for the party and a place for everyone to crash out afterwards too – and not only that, it’s easy to arrange catering and extra party stuff (like a sound system) just by talking to our helpful concierge team.
For a lot of people, the resort holiday is dead – and we think that’s no bad thing. There’s so much more to travel than eating the same food at the same chain restaurants in nice weather, and holidaymakers are now embracing the joy of exploring the authentic side of destinations. What better way to do that by staying in a holiday home in the heart of the countryside with beautiful views all around you?
There’s one quality of a villa holiday that you won’t really appreciate until you’re in one, and that’s the peace and quiet. Loads of our properties are found in the middle of a rural paradise, and as you’re relaxing you’ll be lulled into total relaxation by how quiet and peaceful it is. And as for the stars at night, well – away from all that light pollution, they have to be seen to be believed.
Lots of people who book a villa holiday do so with their friends and family, and seeing as a holiday home is essentially, well, a home, that means there’s plenty of space for everyone to socialise together in a relaxed and comfortable environment – though whether you do that in the villa’s lounge or living room or outside on the terrace with a cocktail in hand is totally up to you!
Picture credits: Costs… via Stefan, Pets on Holiday via The Pixelman
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