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COLUMN OF THE WEEK
Sunday, May 20, 2007 Renting a Villa or Flat Abroad
Tom Bonn felt like he’d stumbled into a fairytale with his grandchildren—and he wasn’t at a theme park. Bon, a retired college professor from Ithaca, N.Y., and his wife, Ellen, had gathered their children and grandchildren for two weeks at a Swiss chalet in a tiny mountain village that could have been straight out of a storybook, complete with a spectacular view of a glacier, window boxes full of flowers and friendly locals. Even better, the chalet, which comfortably accommodated the nine of them, was significantly cheaper than a hotel and certainly easier than moving nine people, including three young children, from city to city. Instead, the family went hiking from the back door and took day trips on public transportation. “The kids especially like the cable cars,” Bonn said. With the American dollar buying far less than it once did abroad, and with so many extended families opting to travel together, growing numbers are choosing to rent villas or city apartments—just as they do when they head to the beach or the slopes closer to home. As a result, rental agencies are responding with kid-friendly properties and special family deals. The Bonns, for example, worked with Philadelphia-based UnTours (http://www.untours.com), which this summer, offers kids-stay-free Switzerland packages and discounts to other destinations. Here’s where to find similar deals: - Home at First (http://www.homeatfirst.com) promises kids stay-free deals in Britain. - Canada-based Homes Away (http://www.homesaway.com) discounts some villas in France and Italy, up to 30 percent. - The travel club Hideaways.com, which offers discounts and special perks for their clients, advertises a $99 introductory family membership. - The San Francisco-based agency Ciao Bambino (http://www.ciaobambino.com) has a free online guide to kid-friendly villas, flats and apartments with hotel services in resort areas in Italy, France and Spain. Give them your kids’ age ranges, and they’ll tell you which places will work best for your family. - Check out http://www.HomeExchange.com for details on how to swap houses and stay free, as Kate Winslet and Cameron Diaz did in the romantic comedy ‘The Holiday.” For an annual fee of just $99, you can trade houses with a family across the country or across the ocean. Whichever agency you choose, a great plus is that, in many cases, you can pay in U.S. dollars, which can represent a significant savings. In the end, families who rent or trade houses for vacation, say “the deal” they got was just one reason the trip was a winner. Settling into a villa or a city apartment is far more relaxing than moving every few days and more interesting for the kids, as you explore little towns, discover local markets and playgrounds. “The best part was being together in that fairytale setting,” said Tom Bonn. “It was absolutely our best trip ever.” I felt the same way when we spent a week at Casa Limone, a three-bedroom villa about 15 minutes outside of Florence in the town of Pratolino, which overlooks the vineyards of Ortaglia Estate. (You may read more about our adventures at Casa Limone on my blog at on this website.) Not only was the place utterly picturesque - rolling hills, vineyards, swimming pool, birds chirping in the morning - but our housekeeper, Grazia Baldini, cooked us dinner a couple of nights, including the best spinach ravioli I’ve ever eaten, and did the dishes afterward. She also recommended some of her favorite restaurants in the surrounding Tuscan towns where we were the only Americans. For once, I felt I was really on vacation. (There are other houses on the Ortaglia Estate, making this an especially good option for large family groups.) We loved having breakfast on the stone terrace overlooking the vineyards and relaxing in the evening in front of the fire with a glass of wine made from the grapes growing outside our door. We booked our trip through http://www.hideaways.com, which is based in New Hampshire. Mike Thiel, Hideaways founder, notes that villa and flat rentals abroad and in the Caribbean are increasing about 15 percent a year. “It is a favored option for multi-family getaways,” he says. And more economical, especially if you can book during low season, summer in the Caribbean, for example, spring or Thanksgiving in Italy. But even in summer, you could probably find a place in Europe for $3,000 or so a week - and far less in Mexico or the Caribbean - not bad when divided among a couple of families. Tom Cocchiaro did even better than that. Cocchiaro, a chamber of commerce exec from Portsmouth, N.H., figures the villa his family - 18 strong - rented in Italy cost just $275 per person for the entire week. Anyone who has ever been to Europe or Britain recently knows hotel rooms can cost a lot more than that per night, especially when you’ve got to book two rooms to sleep a family of four. That’s why the Weinbergs opted to rent a flat in London for their recent spring break trip with their two kids. “It was significantly cheaper than two hotel rooms and there was significantly more space,” said Carl Weinberg, a Connecticut executive. Just as important, the kids had their “own” space and the flat was in a great location - close to Hyde Park and the Underground. And the family had the option of eating in. Anyone who has ever traveled with kids knows it’s no fun and far too expensive to eat every meal out. (Weinberg booked with http://www.central-londonapartments.com, but you can find more options on http://www.visitbritain.com. ) (END OPTIONAL TRIM) There’s just one caveat to these kinds of trips: “You’ve got to be comfortable as an independent traveler,” said Hugh Bailey, a grandfather and a retired match teacher from Euclid, Ohio, who gathered three generations at an Umbria villa a few years ago. “There won’t be a tour guide telling you where to go,” he explained. Also know that the kids will want plenty of down time and visits to the nearest playgrounds, lakes and swimming pools. “The kids got pretty tired of churches and museums,” Bailey acknowledged. But so do the adults. See you around the pool! © 2007 EILEEN OGINTZ—DISTRIBUTED BY TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.
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