Expecting Luxury? Forget a Hotel, Book a Villa Instead

There’s a certain point at which we outgrow the kid-friendly hotel with the all-you-can-eat buffet, the swimming pool with the water slide and the discounted passes to the water park next door. When you’re on a budget, the idea of a “luxury” resort hotel, with two beds and a sleeper sofa all crammed into a single room (possible even a second bedroom if you can swing the upgrade to a suite) is pretty appealing. But when sticking to a tight budget is less of a concern and enjoying the vacation —as opposed to making the best of the accommodations— is more important, those hotels start to look far less attractive. There’s a reason why you can go to the parking garage in even the most upscale resort hotel, do a quick survey of the cars and note that minivans and compact cars outnumber the Mercedes and BMWs by hundreds to one. Most people who can afford to easily pay the rates at these hotels often choose to stay elsewhere, like a luxury villa. There is absolutely no comparison between even the best, 5-star hotel and a hand-selected luxury rental villa. Literally the only thing the two have in common is their location, and even then, the villa usually wins out in terms of private access to the most sought after features. Take St. Martin, for example. A high-quality resort hotel in this exclusive Caribbean resort might have beachfront access that guests share. Sure, there may be no public access to this section of the beach, but can you really call it private when there are hundreds of loungers set out for thousands of guests to share? Skipping the hotels altogether and choosing to rent a private luxury villa instead could mean access to a truly private beach area —just you, your family and perhaps a dozen other similarly inclined guests. The accommodations simply don’t compare, either. When you live in a beautiful home or condo, why would you choose to downgrade your accommodations while on vacation? Even the best hotels seldom compare to what your home offers. A single room (perhaps two), dominated by a bed, a dresser and a TV? That’s not at all relaxing. Add the cacophony of rumbling elevators, people walking up and down the corridors at all times of the night and the clatter of ice machines and the hotel doesn’t sound so attractive. A luxuriously appointed rental villa is completely different. You aren’t renting a room to sleep in and to store your stuff; with a villa you’re renting a home away from home. A place to relax, stretch out and read a good book in a comfortable chair on the private terrace if the mood strikes you. A place where you can actually cook a meal if you’d like instead of paying an exorbitant amount for a bag of Macadamia nuts out of a minibar. Fine dining is always available —in fact, many villas have a private chef available. And if you really miss the excitement and constant stream of activities that resort hotels offer, enjoying the peaceful tranquility of a luxurious villa doesn’t mean you have to miss out. Many villas actually include access to nearby resorts, so use of their fitness facilities and other amenities are available if and when the mood strikes. Chances are, with the services that many private villas offer, guests won’t be left looking for opportunities to experience the best of a tropical paradise. Besides living in a luxury guest home, they often enjoy concierge and even private butler service, nannies and maids, VIP airport transfers (because nothing is worse than stepping out of first class and into the lineup for an airport cab), private pools, fine dining and access to exclusive opportunities like private charter boats. Remember that in order to get the most out of a luxury villa, you need to deal with a specialist. Websites like www.preferredescapes.com offer the ultimate in luxury accommodations —handpicked by experienced travel professionals. When you go through a reputable company like this, you can count on the best prices, the best properties, the most desirable destinations and the welcome assurance of hands-on service.