Bookings For You have now been renting villas in Italy for over a decade. As you can imagine, we’ve been asked a whole heap of questions about our Italy villa rentals in that time. We thought it might be helpful to share the answers to the most commonly asked questions. It’s a pretty eclectic list of Q&As but hopefully may answer some of the queries you may have too!
What will the weather be like during our Italy villa holiday?
This is the million dollar question and something that seems to be particularly asked by our UK clients. We chalk it down to the British obsession with the weather! If only we could predict when the sun will be shining during your trip! As you would expect, July and August are certainly the hottest months with the Winter months cooler and more rainy. However, the weather can change massively from north to south. Even within the same region, you can find little micro climates. What we can assure you of is that, even if you find yourself faced with a rainy day, there is still plenty to keep you entertained! With all our villa rentals in Italy, we’ll provide you with lots of days out ideas, both indoors and out to keep you busy whatever the weather!
Can we drink the tap water at our Italian villa?
In the vast majority of cases, the tap water is safe to drink in our Italy villas. If it’s not, we’ll make sure that we let you know. However, we find that many of our customers do as many Italians do and buy bottled water from the supermarket.
Why are there extra costs on top of the cost of the Italy villa rental rate?
We recognise that many of our clients would prefer to pay the cost of their stay upfront and not have any extra costs to pay during their stay. We do try to make this possible as much as we can. However, there are sometimes a few exceptions. Energy costs are extraordinarily high in Italy. If you’re staying at a villa in Italy between the months of October and April, it’s likely that you’re going to beed the central heating on, whilst during the Summer months your Italian villa rental you may have the option of using the air conditioning. The fairest way to cover costs for this is for owners to charge guests based on usage. This will reward you for being careful with your energy usage, not wasting air conditioning by leaving windows open for example.
It’s also important to be aware that there are strict laws in place for when energy can be used for heating purposes. Regions will have a date in place, before which it’s illegal to turn on the heating. And many homes have a 3 KW supply. This is perfectly adequate for normal use but it does mean that the system can become overloaded if too many electrical items are used at once. If this happens, then the electrics will automatically cut out and you’ll just need to re-set it.
It is necessary to have air conditioning in our Italy villa?
Quite possibly not…. Many of our Italy villa rentals do have air conditioning but not all of them. It’s important to remember that many of these villas were built hundreds of years ago from materials that will naturally stay cool in the Summer and retain the heat in the winter. Building techniques were designed around the climate so in hotter, more humid regions, you may find that the windows are small to keep out the sun and many have the addition of shutters to serve the same purpose. Top tip – if your property is equipped with them, keep both the windows and shutters firmly closed during the day which will keep your Italian holiday rental nice and cool at night. Of course, we can always provide fans if you need them.
Are linen and towels included at our villa in Italy?
Linen and towels are included in all our villas in Italy. In some of our villas in Italy, these may be changed every 3-4 days or weekly. If not automatically changed, it’s always a service we can provide for a small additional charge.
Will the owner be on site at our Italian villa rental?
With a small number of our villa rentals in Italy, the owners live on site. This can make some clients nervous but it definitely shouldn’t. If anything, we’d argue having the owners on hand is a plus point. As well as vetting all the Italian villas we have within our portfolio, we also vet the owners! Our owners will be welcoming and helpful but respectful of your privacy at all times. With those villas where the owners don’t live on site, we will always have a local property manager on hand should guests need anything during their stay. The property manager normally lives a maximum of a 30 minute drive away.
Are your Italy villa rentals child friendly?
This will depend on the villa in question. However, when the property is not suitable for children, we’ll make sure that this is clearly pointed out. As a country, Italy is extremely child friendly. Italians love children! However, some of the villas in Italy can be hundreds of years old. So even if the property welcomes children, parents will always need to be mindful and supervise youngsters at all times. Stairs may be uneven and worn with age, and gardens may be terraced or steep. Whilst some of our Italian villas with pools are fenced or gated, parents still need to accompany their children at all times. Gates can be left open and
What is the changeover day for your Italy villas?
In many cases, in peak season, the changeover day on our Italy rentals is restricted to Saturdays. However, this is not the case for all our Italian villa rentals and we do aim to offer as much flexibility as we possibly can. We recognise that flight times and dates, particularly from smaller regional airports don’t always allow for Saturday arrival and departures so we will try to offer as much flexibility as we possibly can.
Do you accept large groups at your villas in Italy?
Yes, of course. We have villas in Italy to suit all group sizes, from small homes for two to large estates for up to sixty or more.
What is your cancellation policy?
You can view our full set of terms and conditions on our site. In theory, once a deposit is paid, it is non refundable. Similarly, when the balance is paid it is, in theory, non refundable. In reality, we will always try to be more flexible than this, dependent on the circumstances. Certainly, during the COVID pandemic, we prided ourselves on our flexibility, offering clients either the option to defer dates or to receive a refund. However, we always advise clients to take out travel insurance whenever booking a holiday to ensure that they have cover in the event of any unexpected circumstances.
Will the kitchen be well equipped in our Italy villa rental?
The equipment in a kitchen will vary by property. Usually, the more luxurious the property, the more well equipped the kitchen will be. Some of our larger villas also have professional kitchens, ideally suited for those looking to hire the services of a chef during their stay. Please be aware that a small handful of our very smallest apartment rentals in Italy may only have a hob and not an oven so if an oven is essential, make sure to let us know. For our American clients who are used to having the luxury of huge fridges and freezers, just be aware that you may find the appliances smaller in Italy. Most Italians still buy fresh food on a daily basis and so don’t have need for large freezers! There is nothing better than the taste of fresh fruit and vegetables purchased from an Italian market, so we would definitely encourage you to do the same!
We hope that this has answered many of the questions you may have about renting a villa in Italy. If there are any questions we haven’t answered, just comment below and we’ll get back to you straight away!