HOLIDAY VILLAS IN SPAIN
So, there you are – tired from your flight to Spain and exhausted from six months hard work. But, finally, you have arrived at your destination, the holiday villa in Spain that you booked in January!
The trouble is, to your horror, you realise that the holiday villa in Spain that you booked is nothing like what you imagined. Quickly, there are recriminations, vain attempts to move to another villa, deep disappointment – and your long dreamed for holiday in Spain quickly spirals into a disaster…
So, what should you look for when you are searching through brochures or surfing the Internet for holiday villas in Spain?
10 vital factors to check when looking at summer holiday villas in Spain:
1. Amenities. Invariably, you will need to have at least a couple of bars/cafes/restaurants within walking distance (10 minutes max?) of your holiday villa in Spain. You will also need to have a supermarket within 15 minutes drive and a main town within no more than 15/20 minutes drive. Are any beaches easy to get to – or a convoluted half an hour drive? Are the beaches sandy, rocky coves, full of pebbles or perhaps do not exist close to you villa as the coastline is a cliff face?
2. Distances. Double check that the distances given on any details are accurate i.e. x minutes walk to the beach or bars or shops. People walk about 3kms an hour. So, 1km will take about 20 minutes to walk – which is not ‘just round the corner’. Check on Google Earth how far your proposed holiday villa in Spain really is from the amenities you need.
3. Surroundings. Ask for 360 degree photos of the area surrounding your villa in Spain before you book. Is the villa surrounded by building sites, near a cement works, too close to a main road, beside an industrial estate etc.?
4. Safe for children. Check to see if the villa is on a precipitous slope/cliff and has multiple floors. Ascertain whether the swimming pool is visible from the main terrace and reception area and whether it has a secure, gated fence around it.
5. Swimming pool. Check to see if the swimming pool has a proper pump and filtration system and will be maintained whilst you are there. A standard pool is 8m x 4m – smaller than that and you will find that the pool is little more than a plunge pool.
6. Kitchen. Is the kitchen fully fitted? Does it have freezer or at least a fridge freezer?
7. Covered terrace. In Spain, during the summer you need shade if you are to live an al fresco life during your holiday. Is there a shaded terrace. Does the villa have a summer kitchen or barbeque?
8. TV/Sky and Internet. You are unlikely to have a access to a landline telephone (for obvious reasons) but does the villa have a TV and Sky or English speaking programmes. Is there Internet access and Wifi?
9. Air conditioning . Does the villa have air conditioning (preferably hot and cold)? Is there air conditioning in all the bedrooms – or just in the master bedroom?
10. Off road parking. Can you park (preferably) within the villa or is there guaranteed parking immediately outside the villa – few things are more exasperating than having to ‘fight’ for parking every time you leave your villa?
Finally, when looking at holiday villas in Spain – always check exactly what is meant by the capacity of the villa i.e. the amount of people that can sleep there. Does ‘sleeps 10’ mean that 4 people will be sharing one room on matresses lying on the floor or that there are ten bedrooms?
Be careful, check all of the above carefully before you book your flight to Spain and your holiday home – and your holiday in Spain will be successful and match your dreams…
RELEVANT INFO:
[...] recently we have Posted articles about the critical factors to look for before you book up a holiday villa in Spain or a holiday apartment in Spain. Some of these factors may seem a little obvious – but you [...]
[...] recently we have Posted articles about the critical factors to look for before you book up a holiday villa in Spain or a holiday apartment in Spain. Some of these factors may seem a little obvious – but you [...]