Most travel websites throw a wide net to grab as many features as possible. They want you to book everything from hotel rentals to airplane tickets. That’s fine for people who don’t mind putting together their own vacations. Those of us who just want to book a nice place to stay, however, often have a hard time finding sites that cater to us.

Villas.com is one of the few sites that gets this right. It doesn’t badger you to sign up for extra services or add things to your order. It sticks to the basics so you can find the rental property that you want for your vacation. You can then pay directly through the site instead of contacting the property owner.

If you want to rent a house, villa, apartment, or other vacation property, give Villas.com a try. In my experience, you will find interesting listings that make your vacation exactly what you want it to be.

About Villas.com

Villas.com is a website dedicated to helping consumers find rental properties like vacation homes, apartments, and, of course, villas. The site is owned by Booking.com. Booking.com and Villas.com, however, are two different brands. That becomes obvious when you use both sites. Booking.com is made to meet the needs of people who want to put together their entire vacations. Villas.com focuses more on rental properties for short-term stays.

Knowing that Booking.com owns Villas.com actually makes me more willing to use it. With all of the online scams going on these days, you never know when a professional-looking site really just wants to steal your private information. Booking.com has been around since 1996, so I trust it and the other brands it owns.

If you are more concerned with renting an apartment or vacation home instead of putting together an entire vacation, Villas.com is probably the right website for you.

Top Features of Villas.com

Two features stand out to me: the search feature and the review scores.

Villas.com’s search feature makes it easy for you to find rental properties. You can narrow search results by destination, property name, size, type, and availability. If you know that you want to stay in a private chalet instead of a hotel room, then you can filter your results to eliminate those that do not match your needs. This helps you save time and makes it possible for you to focus on the features that matter most to you.

Review scores are probably my favorite part of using Villas.com. Scores range from zero to 10, although I don’t think I’ve ever seen a score below seven. Maybe Villas.com removes listings that get low ratings.

Letting customers score property listings is almost certainly the best way to help renters choose great properties. People seem to actually know what they’re doing when they submit scores, too. It’s not like only the expensive properties get high ratings. Vacationers tend to hold those properties to higher expectations. That makes the ratings useful for every budget.

New listings may not have review scores, yet. You may want to keep that in mind when browsing properties.

Villas.com Prices

Rental prices vary considerably depending on where you want to stay and when you plan to visit. I’ve seen great deals on the site, like short-term vacation rentals under $100 a night. Then again, I’ve seen really expensive properties for rent.

While I’m not interested in renting vacation properties that cost $500 or more per night, I think it’s good that those listings are included in Villas.com. Maybe one of these days, probably after the kids move out and get their own jobs, my wife and I will be able to afford one of those rentals. When the day comes, I’ll most likely use Villas.com, especially if the alternative is booking directly through a property owner. It’s not that I don’t trust those property owners. I just want to make sure I’m looking at as many places as possible before I hand over that much money. Villas.com seems like a great way to do that.

Criticism of Villas.com

I’ve used Villas.com about half a dozen times. So far, I haven’t had any problems. Before I used the service, though, I spent a little time reading online reviews. I wanted to make sure I knew all of the company’s limitations before committing to a rental. After all, I only get to take one vacation with my family each year. I don’t want to run the risk of ruining that experience.

My search didn’t turn up any serious concerns. The only criticism that seems at all valid to me is that some property owners don’t communicate as well as others. Villas.com doesn’t own the properties it rents. It is just a booking service that brings renters and property owners together. That gives Villas.com very little control. I’ve seen a few stories where people claim they have been mislead by property listings. Given the way Villas.com works, I can see how that would happen.

I think it’s important to acknowledge the possibility that you will not get the house or apartment that you think you have rented. On the other hand, it seems like Villas.com is really good about sniffing out these fraudsters and banning them from the site. If I were a property owner interested in making a living off renters, I would not want to rub Villas.com the wrong way. Getting shut out could potentially mean losing thousands of dollars a year, or even more if you have a really nice property. Most rental companies know this, so they provide accurate information that helps renters choose properties that match their unique needs.

Villas.com Customer Support

Customer support for Villas.com is handled by the professionals at Booking.com. The best way to contact them is via email or phone. The website has an email form that makes sure your question or comment gets sent to the right person.

If you prefer calling, use 1-917-421-72240 for English services in the United States or 1-917-421-7241 for Spanish services in the U.S. English speakers outside of the U.S. can call the companies international number (+44 800 376 3586). Visit Villas.com’s customer service page for local phone numbers in other countries. This should help you avoid long-distance and international calling rates.

FAQ About Villas.com

Pros of Using Villas.com

• Focuses on rental properties
• Strong customer support services
• Instant booking
• Most listings are verified properties
• Detailed descriptions of rental properties
• Review scores help renters choose reliable properties

Cons of Using Villas.com

• Villas.com is a third-party that doesn’t have much control over the actual services you receive, although you can file complaints with Villas.com

Conclusion

I take my vacations seriously. I want a great experience that brings my family and me closer together. I want an amazing place that’s close to fun activities yet offers a retreat from the rest of the world. And I don’t want to spend a lot of money.

I guess you could say I have high expectations for my time off. My family would probably agree with you.

This makes me a good resource for people who want to find great rental properties all over the world. I’ve looked at a ton of websites that promise amazing services. Quite frankly, I haven’t been that impressed by them. A lot of them seem to fall short of those promises. Villas.com, however, does exactly what it claims to do. There isn’t any fussing or confusion. You just find the rental property you want and book it. It doesn’t get much easier than that.

If you only want to find a wonderful place to stay, then I would recommend using Villas.com. If you’re looking for a more comprehensive site that helps you book plane reservations and rent cars, then you will probably prefer Bookings.com. So far, I’ve been very pleased with Villas.com. I think most people will get the services they want from the site.