Your holiday time is precious, and so it is essential to make the right choices with your hard-earned time and money. When the summer comes to a close, many holidaymakers are starting to think about the long winters ahead and are dreaming about the perfect winter sun break.
With so many hotel and villa booking engines and so many sites promoting their homes on the internet, how do you decide who to book with and which luxury holiday villa or property to actually book? Good is not good enough, excellent and even exceptional is what you should expect at the very least when booking your villa.
Well, to save you time and trouble here are our top 10 tips to help you make the best and most informed choice for booking your luxury villa holiday.
1. Save time – let the experts work for you
Don’t waste time endlessly searching for the perfect property. You could lose days muddling through thousands of listings and end up finding a villa that is less than perfect or does not reflect the photos or even worse might not even exist. Instead, speak to an expert who can give you unbiased advice. A company who has vetted them for you and knows everything about both the pros and cons of the individual properties.
2. Questions and answers are the way to a perfect luxury holiday villa
Always ask the question – “have you personally seen this property”? It is essential you speak with someone who has been to the properties and knows what they are talking about. By asking this question, you will soon work out if you are onto a call centre or if you are actually speaking to an expert on the destination and the individual villa.
In fact, they should be asking you questions such as “What does your dream holiday look like”? And “What’s important to you when choosing a luxury holiday villa?” By having this information, they will be able to match the perfect holiday villa for you and your loved ones. They should be able to give you unbiased advice and also weigh up the pros and cons for you.
3. You need the truth and nothing but the truth
Listen to what the villa expert says carefully, and check are they honest? Of course, they want to make the sale, but a good expert will tell you about all the lovely things and also any flaws the property may have.
4. The early bird catches the best villa
Book early. All the best properties go first and if you really do want to have the best option to suit you and your family or friends, then why leave it to the last minute when there are only a few options left. Booking early ensures you have the luxury to pick and choose and also ensures that you are staying in the perfect holiday villa for you and not someone else.
5. Sign up and get the best deals
Many of the good luxury villa travel companies will send out their best offers by email to their clients. So be sure to sign up. You can always unsubscribe if you don’t like what you are receiving or are not getting the value add-ons you expected.
6. Grab full-service concierge for a stress-free holiday
Ensure that whichever company you choose has a full-service concierge department and that they include it in the reservation. When you book a holiday villa, it is not just about the property itself. It is also about having the best possible experiences for you and your friends and family to enjoy.
Also, a good concierge department will not only ensure you have your holiday villa pre-stocked with all the lovely food and drinks you enjoy but will also be able to assist with restaurant bookings, massages, chef, golf tee times and boat trips. Plus the concierge department will also ensure you get the best tables in the restaurants and the best masseuses on the island. Lastly, why spend hours sourcing car hire, excursions, guides, airport fast tracks when you can get someone to do it all for you.
7. Loyalty and VIP programmes for added value
Keep an eye out for loyalty and VIP programmes. Let’s face it who doesn’t like to feel like a VIP. Are they offering airport fast-tracking, luxury cars, pre-stocking of groceries etc? All these little things not only make your holiday much smoother but much nicer too.
8. Never leave home without travel insurance
Always take travel insurance that includes a free cancellation policy and that also has a good policy for Force Majeure.
9. Ask the experts
For the best prices, go through a tour operator like Exceptional Villas that gives significant business to the destination of choice. They are much more likely to get the best prices due to bulk buying. When you arrive, you are also much more likely to get VIP service when an operator is giving a particular property lots of business. Let’s face it, the villa owner or manager will want to make sure you go back to the operator singing the praises of the villa so that their valuable source of business does not dry up.
10. The easy life – because you’re worth it
Holidays should be easy and stress-free with every detail organized to perfection. So, when you arrive at your destination after a long flight, don’t wait in line a long line for your car rental or emigration. A good operator will organise a fast track for you, pre-arranged airport transfers to your villa and have your car rental delivered to your villa.
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