Victoria Hooberman, founder of Scott Williams villas, shares her top tips for booking a villa holiday. Whether you’re heading off with your family or joining together with friends, Victoria has the questions to ask to make sure you get the perfect villa for your group, and enjoy the very best holiday together...
Pictures are great – they can show you layouts, rooms styles and location, but for the detail, make sure you speak to someone who has actually stepped foot in the house. All good agencies will have someone with first hand knowledge of each villa, and it’s details such as understanding the depth of the shallow end for toddlers, or knowing that the nearby town has a friendly nightclub suitable for teenagers (and contact details of a friendly cabbie to get them home!), that will make all the difference for your holiday.
Think about your group and what everyone most wants – and match the house and location to best suit. For example, if grandparents are coming along, but might appreciate some quieter time, lots of villas have standalone cottages that are perfect for stealing away from the action – one of our favourites is Agnos House on Corfu, with Little Agnos set in its pretty gardens and sleeping two. If you’re sharing with friends, consider whether you’d all like to share a main house together – perhaps for kids to share rooms but all be near their parents, or consider houses with slightly different layouts. For example we have properties such as Le Grand Banc in France, or Little Hamlet in Greece, which both resemble small hamlets, with individual properties perfect for family groups, but set out so that you can all join together around a pool or in the gardens, to enjoy fun all together.
There are lots of services on offer that can not only make your holiday easier, but help you enjoy the best of your destination too. For example, ask if a cook can be arranged, as a delicious catered meal, even if just a couple of times a week, is great to vary dinner options and to give everyone a break or save a drive back from a nearby restaurant, and will offer a taste of local flavours and dishes too.
Most of our houses come with a daily maid service too, which is a great help to all, and in some houses, this service is also flexible on timings, to allow best access to rooms, once slumbering children have arisen!
Also ask about services to avoid stressful or tedious tasks – at Scott Williams, we can arrange for hire cars to be delivered to the villa, to avoid the often tired and fractious airport pick up, and can arrange for a big first grocery shop, so guests can arrive to stocked fridges and a cool beer to enjoy immediately by the pool!
This all depends on your preferences, the time of year and the style of holiday you love. Greece will always be a favourite of mine – Paxos was our first destination, and the azure blue sea, friendly restaurants and brilliant local people are a winning combination. Hiring a boat and exploring hidden bays is just the perfect family day and will deliver memories to last a lifetime!
For those with young children, I also heartily recommend Morocco – houses there come with the most brilliant staff teams, so for a week of relaxation and pampering, it’s hard to beat. Simply relax in a beautiful setting and watch as small children run free on the lawns, or enjoy nursing in peaceful gardens, enjoying precious time as a new family.
Or for those with older children, how about Sri Lanka, where it’s possible to combine a stay in a beautiful house, with adventures to see the best of this vibrant country – we visited last year with all five of my children and enjoyed the most fabulous holiday, which was the perfect combination of sightseeing and time together.
I have only one answer to this – as early as possible! There is only ever one villa, so if you know the dates you want, then book early to secure before anyone else does.
The villa holiday market is one of the earliest to book, with many guests booking for the next year as they return from their holiday, so if you have your eye on a particular house, do be sure to get it booked, and secure a fabulous holiday to look forward to.
For more information visit
or call 01749 812721 to speak to Victoria
or her team about your next villA holiday