Renting villas and apartments for holidays (as opposed to ordinary vacations abroad) is a relatively new direction in the real estate and tourism business. Not everyone can afford to live with a family in a five-star hotel for several weeks or months, but no hotel will offer a private pool, a cozy fireplace and a quiet flowering garden. A dacha abroad is especially relevant for families with children, when it is difficult to fit into a standard room, and a two-room suite or two adjacent rooms are much more expensive. And if you are planning a vacation with a large and friendly company, it is worth thinking and consulting what should be done to make the rest unforgettable and financially acceptable.
Before choosing a specific option, of course, you should calculate the budget. The cost is influenced by many factors: the location of the house directly on the coast or at some distance from the beach, the size of the territory, house and garden, the number of bedrooms and showers, one or several pools, the presence of a garage, tennis court, proximity to commercial and entertainment points, the view from the windows... The closer to the sea, the more expensive. If you don't like seclusion, and your funds are relatively limited, choose apartments.
The best time to search and conclude a rental agreement is from January to March. Later, the options will be significantly fewer, and prices higher. Moreover, by renting a villa in advance, you only pay 30% of the cost as a deposit. Also remember that in the high season (July–August) prices increase. In any case, to find the best option, it is better to deal with this issue in advance.
A villa is not expensive
It is commonly believed that villas are very expensive. This is not entirely true, and in many cases not at all. Staying in a double room in a decent hotel is comparable to the price of a daily rental of a villa, only instead of one room you will have two or three bedrooms, a living room, a well-equipped kitchen, a garden with a pool and a courtyard for evening barbecues. In particular, this is roughly the price ratio on the French Riviera, where the universally revered sandy beaches in Saint-Tropez, the fashionable Cape Ferrat, one of the most prestigious and expensive resorts between Nice and Monaco, are especially popular.
The average cost of a villa on the Côte d'Azur is about €18,000–€25,000 per month. Of course, this is not the limit; there are options for €30,000 per week. Apartments can be rented on average for €10,000–€20,000 per month. However, apartments also come in various levels. The rental period for villas and apartments in France is from two weeks.
An Island Without Unknowns
The sunny island has been deservedly popular with our tourists in Cyprus for more than a decade. Many four- and five-star hotels work almost exclusively for a Russian-speaking clientele. In the case of rental, the situation is fundamentally different. The most built-up area today is considered the west coast, in the Paphos region. However, because the majority of clients (both buyers and renters of real estate) here are British, it is they who dictate conditions that are not suitable for all of our compatriots. For example, in the Paphos region, villas with three or four bedrooms, a private pool, a garden with a sea view are offered, but as a rule, without a fenced area (and a garden here means one or two palm trees and lawn grass). The same is true in the Ayia Napa and Protaras areas.
Limassol is the closest in spirit to clients from the former Soviet Union; it is here that the market is oriented towards our citizens. Although many choose this place for other reasons – proximity to the airport in Larnaca, developed, compactly located infrastructure. Renting a house in Paphos, you will have to rent a car, since most of the local villas are not in the tourist zone, and you can walk to a couple of small shops and taverns, but you need to drive to the supermarket. However, a luxury villa in Limassol is also unlikely to be located on the main shopping street. Driving in Cyprus, despite the right-hand drive, is not difficult, as the roads on the island are first-class, and drivers are calm and polite. Rental cars are given out with red license plates – any Cypriot, seeing such a car, will understand that a foreigner is driving, and they need to be careful and better let them pass to avoid trouble.
Prices in Cyprus depend on the period and duration of rental, as well as on the individual parameters of the property. On average, a three-bedroom house in the summer months costs €5,000–€10,000, four-bedroom – €7,000–€12,000. This assumes a reasonable number of guests – that is, up to eight people for three bedrooms.
A budget alternative for summer holidays in Cyprus are apartments of various categories depending on size (from a studio for two adults to a three-bedroom apartment), distance from the sea, availability of infrastructure, and so on. Monthly prices: €700–€1,500 for a studio, €1,000–€2,300 for a one-bedroom, €1,500–€3,000 for a two-bedroom, €2,000–€3,500 for a three-bedroom. Minimum stay – from one week. Most options are offered in the center of the tourist zone in complexes with a pool, restaurant, near the sea, and correspond to the level of three- or four-star hotels. There is something intermediate between a villa and an apartment – maisonettes, or townhouses, two-level apartments with a separate entrance and a small front garden, which are very popular with Western tourists. The average cost for a summer month in a two-bedroom maisonette is €2,000–€4,000.
Iberian holidays
Our tourists in Spain most demand Costa Brava, Costa Dorada and Costa del Sol. The first two coasts belong to Catalonia. The capital is Barcelona, here is the airport where most planes arrive. But this factor was not the only one that determined the region's popularity. The favorite resorts Lloret de Mar, Playa de Aro, Tossa de Mar, Salou offer magnificent sandy beaches, clean, salty (very healthy) sea, many diverse excursions and developed infrastructure, abounding in all kinds of restaurants, bars, shops. Here there is the widest range of rental options – from inexpensive cozy studios to elite villas.
However, an abundance of alternatives can be found in other areas, for example on the Costa del Sol loved by many tourists, as well as the Canary and Balearic Islands. On the Costa del Sol, the most popular are Torremolinos, Marbella and Estepona. All year round discos, bars, restaurants, casinos and night clubs are open here, the average annual temperature is 20 degrees. Excellent beaches and plenty of opportunities for sports have made this coast the most popular in Andalusia. This does not mean that other coasts (Costa del Garraf, Costa Azahar and others) are not of interest for renting a summer residence. On the contrary, as an area of less mass tourism, they are certainly interesting, including due to lower prices.
As in Cyprus, in Spain rental is possible from one week. Most offered cottages have all necessary set of electrical appliances, utensils, quality furniture. Based on clients' wishes, options are selected with a shared or private pool, in close proximity to the sea or with other parameters. The cost of a two-bedroom apartment ranges from €1,200 to €5,000 per month. A three-bedroom house will cost €5-15 thousand per month, and we are talking about villas not on the first line, but with sea view. Renting a estate directly on the Mediterranean coast costs €20 thousand per month.
Antalya forever
The rental market in Turkey is less developed compared to Cyprus or Spain. Active construction of villas and apartment complexes began relatively recently, so there are few quality options for summer vacation – owners prefer to rent housing for long-term, from a year. This is mainly due to low prices, because of which owners do not want to get involved with short-term rental. However, for those wishing to send children to Turkey for the summer, it is still possible to pick options, though the rental period will be from three months.
The most popular among our tourists in Turkey traditionally is the Mediterranean coast, preference is given to Antalya and Kemer. Western tourists (English, Dutch, Germans) prefer Fethiye, Bodrum, Marmaris. For this reason, the infrastructure at these resorts is more developed, but prices are higher. Renting a two-bedroom apartment for the whole summer in Turkey can be from €3-8 thousand, villas – from €6-15 thousand. Despite the relatively small number of offers, you can find a villa or apartment near the sea, at a distance of 200-400 meters, in a tourist zone or areas with developed infrastructure. Information about the availability of air conditioners and household appliances should be clarified individually.
Visiting the brothers
Speaking about vacation in Bulgaria and Montenegro, we need to make the same caveat as in the case with Turkey. The real estate market here is less developed than in other European countries. Theoretically, two possibilities can be considered: old housing stock from socialist construction times (and then it is easier not to get involved with abroad) or new construction that meets modern quality requirements. If you prefer a comfortable vacation, you should go another way, booking apartments through an agency. There are not many modern buildings, but they exist. True, prices for them are naturally higher. As in other European countries, short-term rental is possible here, although not all property owners agree to it. And if you plan to vacation in Bulgaria or Montenegro for a week or two, it is easier to contact a travel agency and stay in a hotel. If a longer period is expected, it makes sense to consider rental options.
The most worthy places, optimal in terms of price-quality ratio, are Sveti Vlas and Sozopol. Both resorts are located on the southern Black Sea coast, which is currently more developed and Europeanized. The nearest airport is in Burgas, but you can also fly via Varna. Less noisy than Sunny Beach and Golden Sands, they are famous for clean beaches, developed infrastructure and lower prices than at large resorts. Apartments near the sea will cost more in July and August, prices for May, June and September are lower. The cost of a one-bedroom apartment in Bulgaria is from €750 to €1,500, with two bedrooms – from €900 to €2,000 per month.
Renting apartments in Montenegro is somewhat more expensive – €1-3 thousand. These are prices for civilized options. But, as in Bulgaria, the rental of bed places is widespread here. Since tourism is the main source of income on the coast, even the richest Montenegrins leave several rooms in their houses for rent. These are usually small apartments that can also be not rented out, but have a separate entrance and are not connected to the main building. Stairs are almost always outside. Among the worthy places, one can recommend Becici, Rafailovici, Herceg Novi, Petrovac, Ulcinj, Sutomore. There you can find many historical and cultural monuments, picturesque nature, beautiful sandy and pebble beaches, developed infrastructure. The most popular and expensive resort of Montenegro, Sveti Stefan, also offers interesting options for summer vacation, but prices are higher there.
Renting a house in Bulgaria and Montenegro is still quite difficult. New, modern homes are still too beloved by their owners, so they are not rented out. The old stock does not meet quality requirements. Nevertheless, the absence of a language barrier, low prices for excellent products, mild sea climate allowing even small children to sunbathe in July and August – all these are undeniable advantages of vacationing in these countries.