Should You Rent a Villa For Your Next Holiday?

When it comes to booking holiday accommodation, it's easy to feel overwhelmed by the amount of choice available to you. So, with apartments, hotel suites, condos, holiday homes and villas available in your chosen destination, how do you know which property is the right one for your next trip abroad?

While hotels are ideal for a one or two night stay, if you're planning on stretching your vacation time over a week or two, you may find that staying in a single room or suite could limit your options.

Bear in mind that by staying in a hotel, unless you find an all-inclusive or bed and breakfast deal, you will have to eat out for all of your meals, which can turn out to be expensive. You may also find yourself short on space, particularly if you're travelling with children.

Similarly, apartments can fit the bill if you're travelling alone or with a single partner, however a larger travelling party –such as a group of friends or family members –will need more space. You may require multiple bathrooms, for example, or a living space for your children to run around in. You might also prefer to cook your own meals at home.

What's more, hotels can turn out to be the far more expensive option when you factor in the expense of eating in restaurants every day. Other accommodation options, such as villas and condos, can actually prove far more cost-effective, even if their advertised 'price per night' is higher. There are a number of affordable options online, so it pays to do your research.

One of the main attractions of a hotel stay is that all of your cooking, cleaning and washing can be done for you. This makes sense, as one of the main reasons we book holidays is so that we can escape the chores and entrapments of our daily lives. However, there is another way you can access these services while still enjoying more space.

A luxury villa rental will not only give you plenty of room to spread out and relax, you could also reap the benefits of a full team of household staff. Most luxury villas come with a property manager who will work to make sure all of your needs are met, but many people don't know that they also have access to other staff — everything from butlers to babysitters in fact.

You will also have a maid and laundry service, so you won't have to lift a finger while you're away if you don't want to. In terms of mealtimes, you will have the option of having your food shopping delivered from local shops and then cooking for yourself (in a vast and impressive kitchen!) or hiring a personal chef to prepare your meals for you.

Alternatively, you could hire a professional nanny to watch over your children while you and your partner enjoy the local bars and restaurants. The next day, you could have your travel agency prepare an excursion or sightseeing itinerary, or even take part in fun activities such as water sports, boat rental or go-karting. The options really are endless.

Some villas even come equipped with their own spas, so you can really take a load off and relax. Others will have in-built gyms so that you can keep up your exercise regime, before crashing out in front of a film in the home cinema. There are often games rooms for the children, too, so everyone will be entertained, even on rainy days.

If you're thinking about renting a villa for your next holiday, spend a little time online researching your options. Your best bet is to find a local travel agency that can find you the accommodation of your dreams, as well as sort out the logistics and finer details of your trip — so all you'll have to worry about is packing your suitcase.