-
Hi Eddie,
I'm sorry to hear of your bad experience but I know just how you feel.
The first time we ever stayed in a villa we booked it from a brouchure through a very well known tour operator at a VERY impressive price. What we got just did not live up to the brochure description or the price we had paid. It wasn't dirty but was very poorly equipped and not the "luxury" home we had been sold. We tried complaining to the management company about the fact that we didn't have enough basic equipment e.g cereal bowls or teaspoons (3 of each in a house that slept 10) but got nowhere, luckily there were only 4 of us so we made do. Although we had been disappointed with the actual house we loved the villa "experience" so much we booked again the following year, again with a tour operator, paid a ridiculously high price again but the villa was beautiful, very well equipped and well cared for. We found it hard to look at the 2 homes and see how they had both been in the same catagory in the brochure and yet been so different. I think that was when we realised that booking through a tour operator was so hit and miss, you may get lucky or you may not. Why take the risk of spoiling your holiday by not getting lucky with your accomodation. After that we started booking homes direct with the owner. we knew exactly what we were getting with our hard earned cash.
Finally 10 years after our first villa holiday we took the plunge and bought our own place. We do all our own bookings and although it is hard work and can sometimes be a worry I wouldn't change it for the world. We spend every "holiday" replacing and repairing, decorating and gardening to make sure our home is as comfortable and as inviting as possible to our guests. We are in regular contact with our managers who do a great job to make sure that everything is as perfect as possible for our guests. We realise that people work hard for their money and deserve to get what they paid for and we do our best to provide it. So don't let this bad experience put you off staying in a villa again Eddie as they are not all the same.
-
Our first experience of a villa was a family trip with Virgin Holidays, and unfortunately we experience the problems associated with the tiny amounts of money they pay villa owners - the place had things missing, bedding not cleaned etc etc. No MC available. Virgin rep uninteerested.
What a difference now we have our own villa here, and we ensure that none of our guests have to experience what we went through, and provide all the luxuries that make staying in a villa so much better than even at a top hotel!
-
Ana,
Try getting yourself a mouse with the scroll wheel and then you can scroll down the smillies when you are in that section of that page.
-
<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by Calamity Jane
Can I just say a big thank you to the likes of Macka and LiesaAnna, they do not own villas and have nothing to gain ( and I mean that in the nicest possible sense) by promoting our villas on this site. They have previously stayed in some of the owners villas and can tell you hand on heart how much they have enjoyed themselves.
It is a shame that a proportion of guests do not find sites like this until after the event, it could save them a lot of money and heartache, especially if its a holiday of a lifetime.
Dont be put off by one bad stay, keep on the forums and you canlearn a great deal.
:)
[/quote]
I would like to add my thanks too, we all appreciate it.[msnsmile2][clap][msnsmile2]
-
We've been going to Florida for many years and stayed in probably a dozen or more different villas. I've booked them privately with the owner each time and used this site for the last couple.
I can honestly say that each one has been of an excellent standard and scrupulously clean. I would be hard pressed to say which was the best and we've been really pleased with them all.
My only bugbear has been with pool heat. For some reason, this has caused us a problem every time we've gone. We're quite happy to pay the extra but we know that every time we go one of the following happens:
1. It's not on and we have to contact the MC, let them know we've paid and request that they sort it out. It then takes a day or two for it to reach temperature and we get a bit annoyed.
2. It's on, but set at a miserly level and we have to request it be turned up.
3. The pool heat is on, but the Jacuzzi isn't
4. It's fine for a few days, but then the MC come out and turn it off, without telling us and for no apparent reason, so we need to go back to them again.
5. It's out of order and can't be fixed until we're about to leave.
I know the above sounds a bit "grousy", but honestly, EVERY time we've been, one of the above has happened.
Having said that, I'd never do anything else than take a villa and since discovering this site and the wonderful owners, I wouldn't rent from anywhere else.
Tonish
-
Tonish, I do understand how frustrating this can be, we have a gas pool heater and it feels like everytime our MC goes to turn it on we seem to have to have a repairman out. Its annoying and embarrassing and we always feel helpless. So sorry to hear you have had these problems.
-
It's OK, I understand that it's very rarely anything to do with the owner. The systems are obviously problematic and presumably take quite a lot of maintenance. I have often felt though that the MCs don't like having to deal with it and would prefer that no-one used pool heat - it's a lot less trouble.
The only ones that have really annoyed me are when they come out to make some adjustments then turn it off as they leave. You don't notice until the next day, then you spend a day wondering what they've done - they wouldn't have turned it off, would they? Two days later it's very obvious and I get really frustrated. Why do they do it? It's happened on at least three occasions.
I now bring a pool thermometer with me and we watch it carefully.
Tonish
-
I concur with this. We also have problems with pool heat. We booked our villa for the first half of the next holiday with someone else, (hadn't found this site yet [msnsad]) and we have stipulated that they turn the heat on the day before we arrive and they can turn it off the day before we leave.
The pool heat is just so important, possibly more important than anything else, if it's too cold to use your pool it's a disaster, who would rent a home with no pool? not many I'd bet.
We actually arrived at one villa and the pool was so hot, that we put an egg in, and in the morning it was almost hard boiled, I kid you not.
Like Tonish, we take a thermometer with us.
What does everyone consider an acceptable pool temperature?
-
There are health and pool chemical guidelines about pool temperatures and they're normally set at a specific level for this reason.
What pool temperature are you expecting?
-
Blott,
We were told 86 to 87 degrees by a pool man, we always work on that.
Are our expectations too high?
