PRIVATE WORLD Exotic destinations are business as usual for Private World, a new agency featuring 75 luxurious properties in 37 countries, including Kenya, Mauritius, Tanzania, Argentina, the Philippines, and Morocco. The company was started by Ian Holmes, a former travel writer, and Meryanne Loum-Martin, who regularly rents Dar Tamsna, her two ultra-luxe, ultra-romantic villas set in four acres of walled gardens in Marrakesh. Guests at Dar Tamsna have included Princess Caroline of Monaco, and Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston. Properties: Generous size is about the only thing the agency's places have in common. Laragai, a ranch in Kenya with two sprawling, timbered houses and an open-air pool house with a thatched roof, sits on 35,000 acres near Mount Kenya. Four white Creole-style villas with green pitched roofs occupy the beach on Anonyme Island, a 39-acre private retreat in the Seychelles. Staff: Minimum of chef, maid, laundress, and gardener at all villas. Food is included at some properties. Special services: Classes in cooking or art and local culture, visits from health and beauty specialists, massages, and even costume balls can be arranged, with outfits specially made for guests. 44-207/723-5599, fax 44-207/723-5551; from $3,500 a week, $3,750 in high season.
VILLAS & APARTMENTS ABROAD With more than 30 years of experience in the Caribbean as well as Europe, Sylvia Delvaille-Jones is more adept at pairing a client with a house than practically anybody else in the business. Jones edits her properties decisively. "If a villa has the kind of tile that's dangerous when it's wet, I'll disqualify it," she says. Properties: Villas range from Bolthole, a quietly stylish three-bedroom wood house with a saltwater pool on the Jamaica coast, to Mango Bay, the late Pamela Harriman's sybaritic, Oliver Messel—designed residence in Barbados. Staff: All villas have a maid and a gardener; many come with a chef, concierge, butler, laundress, and chauffeur. Special services: Private planes, masseurs, bodyguards, and even local theater groups can be hired. One client asked that Santa Claus deliver Christmas gifts to his family; Jones delivered Santa in a helicopter. 800/433-3020 or 212/897-5045, fax 212/897-5039; www.vaanyc.com; from $2,000 a week, $3,000 in high season.
WIMCO One of the oldest, largest, and best-known rental agencies in the Caribbean, Wimco rents some 900 villas on 14 islands. The firm, which also has properties in Europe, recently started a special department dealing with super-luxury houses. Properties: Wimco offers villas in every size and price imaginable, such as a simple one-bedroom beach cottage with a pool on Virgin Gorda that costs $1,150 a week and a new $100,000-a-week villa in Barbados. Staff: Some villas come with full staffs. Special services: For an NBA pro, the agency provided a regulation-height basketball hoop and someone to play one-on-one. 800/932-3222 or 401/849-8012, fax 401/847-6290; www.wimco.com; from $900 a week, $1,700 in high season.
ST. BARTH PROPERTIES Peg Walsh started her firm 12 years ago when she became dissatisfied with a local agency's efforts to rent out her own vacation house. She now handles 120 villas and has no plans to add properties outside the island's eight square miles. "I like knowing what's in every kitchen and which rooms have ceiling fans," Walsh says. Properties: Her typical house is casual and unpretentious, with pretty pastel stuccoed walls, a swimming pool, rattan furniture, up-to-date kitchens, and air conditioners in the bedrooms. Beachfronts are rare; most villas perch on hills and have stunning ocean views. Staff: Daily maid service at all houses, except on Sundays and holidays. Special services: Help with air reservations and car rentals; restaurant recommendations. 800/421-3396 or 508/528-7727, fax 508/528-7789; www.stbarth.com; from $875 a week, $1,400 in high season.
VALUE—VILLAS CARIBE With 500 villas throughout the Caribbean, this 10-year-old Colorado-based agency offers something for everyone. Clients often make selections from its comprehensive Web site, which posts numerous photos of every property and detailed descriptions down to pool size and square footage. Properties: Villas range from casual beach houses like Beachcomber on Virgin Gorda—a Mediterranean-style house with a red tile roof and lush gardens—to formal coral stone villas in Barbados, with soaring ceilings and arched doorways. Staff: Some come with a chef and maid service. Special services: The kitchen can be stocked for you. 800/645-7498 or 303/680-3100, fax 303/680-3900; www.villascaribe.com; from $700 a week, $1,225 in high season.
The Internet has made finding the ideal villa rental easier than ever. Thanks to portal sites that connect you directly to property owners and managers, you can view thousands of properties around the world at the click of a mouse.
Would-be renters typically start at one of the major search engines and type in a basic request, like "Mexican vacation villas." Several ;ll need to spend a fair amount of time doing research to find the place that best meets your needs.
Sites to check out: Choice1.com, Cyberrentals.com, and Vrbo.com all have comprehensive global offerings and detailed descriptions. When you enter your preferences — geographic region, number of bedrooms, amenities (pool, ocean view) — you'll get relevant choices, usually accompanied by photos. Each property's page contains a phone number, e-mail address, or Web link for contacting the resident or owner. Be sure to vet your options carefully. Check first with any local agencies (Better Business Bureau, chamber of commerce) to verify that no complaints have been filed, and always ask the owner to send you more information as well as pictures in addition to those that appear on the Web site. Ask about hidden costs, read the fine print in the contract, and pay with a credit card for extra protection.
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