First time stay in villa

[Snapper]

<blockquote id="quote" class="ffs">quote:Originally posted by LiesaAnna
all those hours all those miles just so we can have a brilliant holiday, in a wonderful environment[/quote]
Welllllll - we do it so that we can have the wonderful holiday too Liesa [msnsmile2][msnsmile2][msnsmile2]

I think the difference between booking direct with the owner and booking through a tour operator is that there is a much more personal service from the owner. We'd feel like we were letting you down if there was even so much as a lightbulb blown, let alone any bigger issues. Tour ops are really only interested in making as much profit as possible, which they do by constantly shaving off costs by cutting corners. Sometimes they cut a little to deep.

Eddie, I really do hope that it hasn't put you off renting a villa again in the future. If there is anything that any of the owners here can do to reassure you I'll guarantee that you won't be short of messages.

[LiesaAnna]

yeh well its truely appreciated by my family and me!!!
a big thankyou to all of you!!![clap][clap][clap][clap][clap]

[Ray&Sarah]

So sorry to hear of your bad experience Eddie Mac, like the others say don't let it put you off villa rentals, booking directly with any of the owners on this site should result in a great holiday in a fantastic villa.

I would take Ruths advice and complain to the tour operator.

[Macka]

Eddie as you can see, everyone on this site just hates to hear of anyone having a bad experience in Florida and of course in particular of a Villa. Owners here (and I can say this because I am not one) take it as a personal affront. They don't like to be tarred with the same brush. As Steve (Snapper) says, Don't let it put you off.

Can I make a criticism of this site?

It doesn't blow it's own trumpet enough. It takes other people replying to new members posts to hammer in (excuse me for that Eddie) why it's so much better and safer to rent through this site. Why don't we have a location where we can point new folks where it explains the benefits?

There may be one, never looked so if there is, it's not obvious enough.

[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.

[LiesaAnna]

Thanks Karen

[Macka]

Yes Karen you're welcome.

(You can send me my cheque to the usual address. Crossed, pay P.J Mackay)

[Ana]

I would like to second what Karen says - thanks guys!

We all take great pride in our Homes, it's nice to know that it's appreciated [msnsmile2]

[daxon]

We stayed in villas for three years running before we took the plunge and bought our own - this was probably down to our experiences of tour operator holidays. Each year we insisted that we had two villas close to each other - never once did we get them near enough to walk between! Once we specified a nice view - and got a view of a building site! After the long journey from England we were always very nervous about what we would find at the other end. Our experiences were never as bad as yours, Eddie,thankfully but I wouldn't like to take the risk again. For some reason we always felt we would be safer going with a tour company than dealing direct with a villa owner - now I pride myself on answering any question that a potential guest asks honestly and openly. Several times I have been told by guests on their return from one of our villas "wow! it was so much better than you said!" We are now getting repeat guests coming frequently - another bonus of villa ownership is that I love communicating with guests and feel as though I have made new friends!

[Macka]

If only all holidays could be like this.[8D]