Family Villa Holidays

Villa holidays are the perfect way to spend quality family time away. Renting a villa for your family holiday is widely recognised as being less stressful and altogether more enjoyable than package hotel holidays which can put unnecessary stresses and strains on family relationships. In this short guide to family villa holidays we give some useful tips and advice on getting the most from your holiday.

Renting a villa for your family holiday

If you’ve decided to rent a villa for your family holidays for the first time there’s a few things to think about which you may not have considered previously when booking package holidays. Being well prepared and making sure you pick your villa, agent and destination carefully will help to ensure your villa holiday is the best possible for you and your family.

Choosing a destination

Villa and holiday apartments are available is virtually any holiday destination you can think of, plus plenty which you wouldn’t think of, but certain destinations are more popular than others. While its good to be adventurous and explore new places its worth bearing in mind that the more well established and popular your villa holiday destination is, the more choice and information which will be available when looking for a villa and once on your holiday.

As with any type of holiday the further away you travel the more expensive the holiday is likely to become due to the cost of flying. Florida for example is an extremely popular villa holiday destination for families because of the numerous theme parks, great weather and beaches, and while flights have become cheaper in recent years flying the hole family out to Florida is going to be more expensive than choosing a European destination like France, Spain or Portugal.

Choosing a destination which will provide plenty of entertainment for the whole family is essential so when researching destinations look at the things to do in the actual area where your villa is located and see if there are activities which each member of the family will enjoy, including yourself. Most popular destinations are near to beaches, shops and restaurants but its also worth looking at local attractions like waterparks, day trips and sightseeing in the vicinity of the villas which you’re looking at renting.

Setting a date

Like any holiday villa rentals in virtually any destination will become more expensive during UK school summer holidays which typically run from Mid-July to early September. During these times both rental costs and flights will be more expensive and resorts will be at their busiest.

This is hard to avoid if you’re traveling with school age children but be aware that if you’re able to book out of school holiday times your villa rental will more than likely be up to 30% cheaper.

Unless you’re opting to try and get a last minute deal on your villa holiday it is worth booking as far in advance as possible. The most sought after family villas will typically be booked up 6-9 months in advance. Villa holiday agents like James Villas and Premier Holidays often have their villas blocked out a year in advance as their customers return to the same villa each year for their family holiday and book next year as soon as returning from holiday!

Booking your holiday

When you’re ready to book your villa holiday you have 2 options:

  1. Book a villa holiday package through an agent where your flights, accommodation and possibly other extras like car hire and insurance are all included in the price you are quoted
  2. Book the ‘villa only’ and arrange flights, car hire and travel insurance yourself. You can book villas either direct from the owner or using a villa booking agent.

Some agents like James Villas will offer you the choice of villa only or flights and villa with car rental as an optional extra. Other agents like Thomson Villas specialise in villa package holidays.

The main advantage of booking as a package is convenience and many families choose this option when book their first villa holiday. Once booked the agent will usually take care of most of the details and you’ll know your flight times and car rental pickup will all run smoothly.

If you choose to book villa only and arrange your flight separately its fairly easy to put your own package together by comparing cheap flights on sites like cheapflights.co.uk. You may also save a bit of money by hunting out the best flight deals yourself.

Renting a car

Although not always essential most villa holiday operators will recommend you rent a car for your holiday to make the most of the independence and freedom which a family villa holiday allows. As some villas will be located outside of the main resort car hire may be essential when renting some properties so its worth checking the details of the villa you’re booking and if in doubt ask the owner or the booking agent for advice.

If you choose to rent a car for your family holiday you’ll enjoy the freedom of exploring the resort and surrounding areas at your own pace rather than being confined to the timetables of public transport, which can be difficult when traveling with children.

Some agents like Villa Parade and Thomson Villas offer free car hire with many of their family holiday villas. Otherwise you can choose to book through your agent, if they offer this service or for the best price compare car rental on carrentals.co.uk.

Whenever and wherever you choose to go for your family holiday we’re sure you’ll find a villa holiday a great choice for you and your family.