I like to take advantage of low cost airlines when booking my summer holiday
to France, so I always book villas direct with the owners. But last year's
place was dreadful. How can I get quality assurance without having to book a
whole package through a tour operator? Jean Marney, Liverpool
Sunday Times travel expert Richard Green responds: The good news, Jean,
is that you’re not alone. The no-frills flight revolution has had a huge
impact on the villa-rental game: people like to hunt around for flight
bargains, and operators know it. Villa-only deals abound. In fact, google
“France villas”, and the list of agencies offering villas without flights is
so long it should carry a migraine warning.
But as in life, so in google-searching: length is not strength. Just because a
villa agency bangs on about the 4,000-odd villas on its books, doesn’t mean
there’s not a motorway running past the pool.
Don’t be fooled by phrases such as “hand-picked” or “individually selected” –
unless the website specifically states that their properties are personally
inspected, you’ve got no recourse when things go wrong.
Frankly, I’d always go for a bit of bonding: a good-looking website can hide
all manner of evils – if a villa specialist has AITO or ABTA bonding,
though, you know a) they’re a decent company, b) someone will be held
accountable if the villa’s not what you were told it would be.
Fully bonded, with 350 properties from the Alps to the Atlantic, and 25%
discounts on selected villas until June, VFB Holidays (01452 716840, www.vfbholidays.co.uk)
has many properties close to Carcassonne – served by Ryanair
from several UK and Ireland airports including, and I’m thinking of you here
Jean, Liverpool – including a villa (sleeps six) with private pool in
Ventenac-en-Minervois, 15 miles east of Carcassonne, costing £549 per week.
Other bonded operators I can recommend, each intimately familiar with their
properties, and able to give good personal recommendations based on your
needs, are Dominique’s Villas (020 7738 8772, www.dominiquesvillas.co.uk),
CV Travel (020 7401 1044, www.cvtravel.co.uk)
and Quality Villas (01442 870055, www.quality-villas.co.uk).
