Warm sunshine on your skin, soft sand beneath your feet, ancient Roman ruins all around, friendly family restaurants with fresh seafood and marinas filled with boats ready to take you on coastal cruises. The Algarve is one of the most popular holiday destinations in Europe and you will fall in love with the slow pace of life and rich Portuguese culture.
One of the best ways to enjoy the Algarve is to rent a villa during your stay. Having your own villa is so much more pleasant than staying in a hotel room and if you share it with friends and family it doesn’t have to be much more expensive. Having a villa means that you will have more privacy, more room, usually a pool to swim in as well as a kitchen so that you can cook some of your own meals during your holiday. Most villas will also have a barbeque, an outdoor sitting area, a television, a dining room and more depending on their size.
If you will be renting a villa in the Algarve for your next holiday, here are some important tips to keep in mind:
- The first place to look is online, as there are many gorgeous villas available to rent through different holiday companies. Do a Google search for the specific area of the Algarve where you want to stay and you will come up with some results to compare.
- Some villas are owned by individuals who rent them out when they are not using them and others are in holiday resorts. There are advantages to each so it depends on what type of holiday you are looking for.
- You can read reviews online from previous visitors so that you get a sense of whether or not they were happy with their stay.
- If you will be travelling with children, look for child friendly safety features such as a fence around the swimming pool so that toddlers can’t fall in and baby gates for the stairs.
- A small villa will be the cheapest when you are travelling as a couple, but if you can plan your holiday with another couple and share a two bedroom villa it might be cheaper for both of you.
- Find out the address of the villa and take a look at it on Google maps so that you can accurately determine how far away it is from the beach and from amenities such as shopping and restaurants.
- If you will be staying for a significant amount of time, such as three weeks or more, you might be able to negotiate a cheaper long term rate for the villa. It is worth asking the holiday company or villa owner.
- If you travel to the Algarve in the off season the prices for villa rentals will usually be cheaper, but in the spring and autumn the temperatures will still be very warm and enjoyable. The winter will be the cheapest although the weather will be wetter.
- You will need to pay for the villa rental in advance, but you should not send anyone your bank details or send them money in the post. This is not a very safe way to make the transaction. Instead, you should pay them by credit card or PayPal so that you can have some sort of protection on the transaction.
- Make sure that you read all of the fine print concerning the rental policy, such as whether there is a cancellation policy, how the damage deposit works and other important details.
Have a great holiday at your villa in the super sunshine!
Here are some helpful tips for renting villas in Quinta do Lago or other resorts in the Algarve.