Where the Villas Are

Where the Villas Are

The best way to save money on a vacation rental home is to bypass the middleman. You can save 20 to 30 percent by renting directly through the owner. Options include writing the local tourist aboard or looking through the classified sections of college alumni magazines. Rental agencies, on the other hand, offer the convenience of an expeerienced pro minding the details. Some ressources:

Rental Agencies: If you use a rental agency, it's a good idea to choose one with a local agent based near the town in which you intend to rent. That way, you'll have someone to contact in case anything goes wrong.

At Home Abroad, New York, N.Y. Caters to an upscale market. Rates range from $5,000 to $100,000 p34 month, although many of their Caribbean and Mexican villas also are available by the week. Requires a registration fee. At Home Abroad is the agent for Mick Jagger's retreat, Stargrove, on the West Indies island of Mustique. Rent is $14,000 a week during peak winter months.

Barclay International, New York, N.Y.: Specializes in apartment rentals in most of the major cities around the world. Properties include suites at some luxury hotels. A free catalog is available.

British Travel International, Elkton, Va.: Offers properties in France, England, and Italy. A color catalog is available for a small fee.

Creative Leisure International, Petaluma, Ore.: Listings in Europe, Mexico, Hawai'i, the Caribbean, and the Pacific islands. A good choice for sailors seeking seaside homes. There is a booking fee.

Homes Away, Toronto, Canada: A relatively new branch of Butterfield and Robinson, which is well known for organizing hiking and biking trips, offers houses not usually for rent – an old silk farm. For example.

Interhome, Fairfield, N.J.: In its 30th year and with over 20,000 listings, Interhome is one of the oldest and largest home rental agencies in the world. Hot spots include the northern Croatian coast, Poland, the Czech Republic.

Rent a Home International, Seattle, Wash.: Offers an estimated 25,000 listings around the world in Europe, Australia, and Asia. Prices range from $1,500 to $50,000 per week.  Does not have as detailed information on its properties as many other agencies. Several catalogs are available for small fees.

Villas International, San Francisco, Calif.: Listings include a villa on Phuket island in Thaliland that costs from $2,000 to $3,000 per week, but they specialize in properties in Europe and the Caribbean.

Red-Stripe. Jamaica. Photo by Elena.

Home Exchange

An economical way to take a vacation. Usually there is a listing fee, but other arrangements are left to the homeowners.

Intervac, San Francisco, Calif.: International and domestic listings.

Hideaways International: Listings include owners of resort and vacation properties in Europe, the United States, and the Caribbean. Members also get special discounts.

Vacation exchange Club: Key West, Fla. The club offers a free information package.

Renting by Country: Renting through an institution abroad can be challenging. But it also can lead to savings by cutting out the middleman.

Denmark

Scandinavia DanCenter: Offers Danish rentals only. Material is written in German and Danish.

ScanAm World Tours: Rents throughout Scandinavia.

England

Heritage of England Country Homes: The organization specializes in country houses and will arrange airfare and car rental.

The Landmark Trust: A charitable trust that preserves buildings by carefully restoring them and renting them to vacationers. Rentals include everything from medieval halls to concrete bunkers. A catalog of properties is available.

National Trust Enterprises: Determined travelers can find real bargains at this branch of the National Trust, which is aimed more toward British nationals Prices vary from off-season to the summer, mostly for old farm workers' cottages on beautiful estates.

France

Federation Nationale des Gites de France: A nonprofit institution founded in 1955 to preserve old country houses and bolster rurar economies through tourism. The network consists of over 50,000 houses and apartments – or gites. Gites are not available in cities. They are more modest dwellings and not always available in prime vacation areas.

The French Experience: It rents more upscale French gites, In the high season, July and August, the company's prices range from $800 to $2000 per week.

Italy

Cuendet U.S.A: Full-service rental agency with more than 1,500 listings from farmhouses to castles and villas.

Scotland

National Trust for Scotlands.

Sweden

Varmland Tourist Board, the board specializes in rentals in Sweden's Lake District.