Holiday Villa Finding Service
What is Rachel’s Villa Finding Service?
Rachel’s Villa Finding Service is a unique short cut to finding your ideal holiday villa in France or Italy. As a villa finder, it is my mission to seek out your ideal holiday home on your behalf. By choosing an expert to manage your search, you save time and view only the best rental properties. Furthermore, because I only source villas with reliable owners and managers, you can book with confidence.
Why use a Villa Finding Service?
Although thousands of holiday homes can be found online, a villa finder is useful due to a number of factors:
1. Your search is managed from start to finish.
Your personal villa finder is on hand to answer your questions and offer experienced advice at every stage of the search. The process is therefore informed and moves more quickly than if you do it yourself.
2. You have a better choice.
A villa finder will sift out the best properties from the portfolios of a range of reputable contacts so you do not have to. Although many rental properties appear easily online via a Google search, a good villa finder will also have access to a personal network of reliable villa owners and managers with more hidden villas. Consequently, your villa finder will offer you a more targeted approach and better results.
3. You view only suitable villas.
An experienced villa finder will offer a service which is bespoke, therefore they take time to understand what your ideal holiday home is really like. Consequently, you will be given a realistic expectation of the kind of places available within your budget. As a result, you will be offered only truly suitable villas which match your particular needs.
4. You save time.
Rather than trawling through search results and sifting out unsuitable suggestions, a villa finder will do it for you. They will preview multiple listings and shortlist only the best for you to view. As a result, you free up your time.
5. You see off-market villas.
A villa finder can connect you with a number of villa owners whose properties fall short of the Google radar. This kind of owner relies primarily on their personal network to bring in their ideal guests. In order to add those kinds of villas to your list for consideration, a villa finder with the right connections is key.
6. You save money.
As an experienced villa finder, I can suggest ways to negotiate the best villa on the best terms so you can benefit financially. Depending on demand, a better price can be sought if the villa booking is last minute, offseason, under occupancy or a repeat client.
7. You gain knowledgeable advice.
Each villa finder has an area of expertise and knowledge which makes them an expert. The knowledge you gain will certainly enhance or confirm what you may already know.
How does my Villa Finding Service work?
1. You tell me your basic holiday requirements.
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What are your holiday dates? (In summer, rentals are usually weekly, from Saturday to Saturday. Some villa owners and companies are more flexible).
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How many adults and children (with ages) are in your group? Do you need twin or double rooms, cots, or extra beds?
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Which country and/or region of Italy or France do you prefer – coastal, countryside or near a village?
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What is your ideal weekly budget for the villa rental?
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Any special requests? (For example: cook service, pool heating, fenced gardens, games room, tennis court, private gym…)
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Your name, email address and phone number
2. An initial consultation.
I assess your wishlist and give you an honest opinion about whether your budget and expectations are realistic. I usually follow up with a call to understand more about your plans, which is particularly helpful if your requirements are complex or if you’re travelling as a large group.
3. Choose your preferred pricing option (new for 2025).
Once I have a clear idea of what you’re looking for, I’ll offer you two ways to proceed:
Option 1: Commission-based search – No upfront fee
I search for villas through my trusted network of companies, managers and owners who I have commission agreements with. I only recommend villas that I personally believe are suitable, and I’m paid a fee by the villa provider if you book and travel. This option is ideal if you’re happy with my suggested partners and prefer not to pay an upfront fee.
Option 2: Independent search – Villa-finding fee payable at the start
If you’d prefer an independent search across a wider range of options, I charge a one-off villa-finding fee at the beginning of the search. This allows me to do a more indepth search, covering listing sites I have no partnership arrangement with, to find the most suitable villa for your needs.
Either way, the service remains bespoke and tailored to you.
4. The villa search begins.
Based on your chosen option, I begin the search – contacting companies, owners and managers to check availability, prices and suitability. I filter out the villas that won’t work and send you a shortlist of carefully selected options that match your brief.
I usually aim to recommend at least three strong contenders, and I continue the search until you’ve found the villa that everyone in your group agrees is ‘the one’. If your requirements change or the search becomes particularly complex, we can agree on whether a further fee may be required.
5. Reserving the villa.
Once you’ve chosen your villa, I place it on hold with the owner or company and send you their booking terms and contact details so you can confirm the reservation directly. At that point, my villa-finding service is complete – and your holiday planning can begin in earnest!
Set up a free consultation with Rachel today
What makes my Villa Finding Service unique?
With over 25 years of experience matchmaking villas to guests, I have a unique mix of knowledge and contacts to tap into in order to source your ideal villa.
My villa network grows each year, consequently, my knowledge and therefore my service improves. I travel to France and Italy regularly and speak both Italian and French, therefore I can give you a personal take on each location and culture, adding to your overall enjoyment of your villa holiday.
Furthermore, as a mother with children who goes on multi-generational holidays, when asked, ‘How can I find a large villa?’ or ‘How do I find a villa which is really special’, my advice has an added level of invaluable personal experience.
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