Tips

Renting a villa is a terrific value proposition right now. Given the
current economy, many second-home owners are offering their properties
for the first time, and the increased supply means better deals. A large
family can stay in a beautifully restored Tuscan farmhouse for less
than the cost of an equivalent number of hotel rooms. According to homeaway.com, which rents more than
185,000 accommodations online,
55 percent of all owners intend to give discounts and other perks this
year, including free nights and relaxed minimum-stay requirements. You
can get a sense of the market by doing a preliminary search on one of
the multi-destination villa agencies’ websites.