Villas inside and out

Mary 22 November 2011

Hi Ben. Went to Malta about 6/7 years ago.

Liked it people was very friendly. Very English. What I liked to was you drive on the same side as us!

6 of us went and it was february, and it was the worst weather in 28 years. Terrible rain storms. I would like to go back again one day. Perhaps a different month. People say you rather love or hate Malta............me, loved it.

Enjoyed your write up about Malta, bought back memories.

Malta - The Perfect Getaway?

Gordon 15 September 2011

The problem with buying is the one highlighted by Eugene: your needs change and the one you bought and the location that its in becomes past it.

I originally bought in France and then upgraded to Switzerland in a shared chalet with another family. Good idea at the time but sharing breaks friendships. We then downgraded to Austria and that has been excellent.

When the market picks up, we will sell and simply rent in the future.

Buying a ski chalet

alex brandon 10 September 2011

I have been to this area of Croatia recently and I thought it was stunningly beautiful. I'm sure this article would convince anyone to visit!

The charms of south Croatia

Jim Lake 28 August 2011

The more independent reviews of villa property that there are, the better we will be served.

There are too many people offering villas without telling the truth about the area or the condition of their units.

Budget friendly, elite villa destinations, part I

Judy Lambert 28 August 2011

Spain certainly needs a new area of growth and regeneration. We bought there years ago and so much of the area has declined and failed to live up to its initial promise. Spain has gained a bad reputation, which is a shame, as it does have a lot going for it.

With the money crisis and general recession, I see it being a few years before it recovers.

Murcia could be Spain's saviour

Peter Lamb 23 August 2011

Having purchased a ski chalet about 12 years ago, I can confirm the wisdom of this article. Having a place of your own that you want to go back to regularly is very different from having the flexibility of just choosing a resort for a week or weekend skiing.

The point made about ski school is also very valid. When I purchased my chalet, I was not even married. Now, we have two children who have both gone through the ski school stages. There were no problems but it just demonstrates how requirements can change.

I purchased in Lech and have been very well satisfied. I probably paid over-the-top for it back then but it has been well maintained and Lech has been a good resort, well linked and connected and providing interesting skiing for the many friends and family that have stayed there.

Buying a ski chalet

Geoff Calander 18 August 2011

I have an uncle that has money in a tax have. It is the kind of thing that was clever few years back but even he worries about it now. I think he wii repatriate the money in the near future.

Tax havens for retirement

Kathy Hunt 16 August 2011

We hired a villa on Menorca last year. It was a fabulous holiday. Great location, nice local people and excellent help and service in the supermarkets. We could not have asked for better.

This year, we went to an Italian hotel. It cost more and was not as much fun for the kids. Next year, we will do the villa holiday again and I would be happy to go back to Menorca

Where to go - Menorca

Mary Bragg 31 July 2011

I went to Crete with some girl friend and we hired a villa near Rethymnon. It was a great holiday and I can strongly recommend it to anyone.

Where to go - Crete

Brian Peake 14 July 2011

We have stayed a few times near Lagos which is a really nice town and has the ideal mixture of facilities and laid back nature.

We think the Algarve is perfect for family holidays and have had no problems getting good villas, although the prices have gone up quite a lot year by year.

Where to go - Portugal

Pete Fox 14 July 2011

The trouble with the western part is that there is nothing to do. We went there with some friends and it was dead during the day and even deader at nights. We dont go on holiday to sit around, we go for a good time and that involves having a drink.

Where to go - Portugal

John Hampton 14 July 2011

I have done golfing holidays in Portugal and much prefer the western end of the Algarve. Places like Albufeira are horrible. They are over crowed and full of, dare I say, British and German tourists who seem to have no interest in anything apart from drinking and making a general nuisance of themselves.

The further west you go, the more civilised it seems to be.

Where to go - Portugal

John Kerry 10 July 2011

We hired a villa in the USA and the owners had limited the air con to four hours a day. It was horrible and hot.

This was just mean spirited as other people told us that energy costs there are no where near as expensive as they are with us.

Make sure you check the details in the hiring agreement.

Heating and air conditioning in villas

janet Brown 9 July 2011

I am an owner in France and we have to be very careful about our energy costs. Some renters are very unfair and run the heating as though it is free (which to them it is).

This year, we have had to lock the heaters away which saddens me because it does get cold in the evenings, but I do not know what else to do.

Heating and air conditioning in villas

Petra Cunningham 8 July 2011

I cannot but praise the help and support that my family has received from local sitters. We have had villa holidays in France, Italy and Portugal and, without exception, locally recommended sitters and been perfect.

Next year, one of them who is my younger daughter's age, is going to come to England to stay with us for a week. I do not know how we are going to cope with the language problems but the two girls seem to manage ok !

Baby sitting

Jennifer Green 7 July 2011

We rented in France last year and some evenings it was very cold. The Mistral wind was blowing and it was very uncomfortable. We have a 6-year old and a 9-year old and they were cold and frettish.

The owners had heaters in a locked cupboard, we saw them when we arrived but then locked them away. This was very unfair. We might have been wiling to pay for the use on a meter but think that they should have warned us just how cold it could get once the sun went down.

Heating and air conditioning in villas

Brenda Pemberton 7 July 2011

I cannot speak highly enough about the local village girls that we have used over the years.

Countries like Portugal and Italy do not need organisations like the NSPCC or massive (and hopeless) social services departments that we seem to have here. They take care of their children within the families and the local communities. My son is now 14 and still has contact with the family of the 'babysitter' that we used four and two years ago.

We got more than just a sitter because her whole family took him under their wing. They had a son of the same age and they took both boys to the local restaurants, where children seem to be out with their families until very late.

Can you image that happening here? they would need police checks and clearances.

These Portugese and Italian villages where we have stayed are just so wonderfully simple, probably like England used to be before it all went wrong.

Baby sitting

Mrs Englewood 6 July 2011

I have had real problems with renters in our property in France. Yes, it can get cold down here in many summer evenings. We get the wind and once the sun goes down it can feel cold.

We have open fires and plenty of wood but some renters just cannot be bothered as so use the electric space heaters that we provided for emergency use. These really ramp up the electricity costs and are giving us nightmares at the moment.

Heating and air conditioning in villas

Mary James 6 July 2011

We have always had good experiences taking the advice of the owners. Generally, it is a girl from the local village who speaks a little bit of English. They all tend to have sisters and come from large families and so are well experienced.

We have been back to the same villa in portugal two years running and were able to use the same girl which was nice.

Baby sitting