Felicity Long
Villa vacations in Europe are especially popular with repeat visitors looking for an authentic travel experience, and they are a natural fit for families.
It’s easy to see why. Lush grounds, many with swimming pools, plenty of indoor elbow room and the sense of independence that comes with a home rental make for an appealing combination. 
But the dilemma for travel agents is quality control. In Italy, for example, there are so many private villas for rent that searching for the right one online is a frustrating mix of too much and too little information. Is the property run down? How far is it from the town? Will there be someone on hand if there is a problem?
One solution is to work with well-known companies like TourCrafters and Central Holidays, which are both known for their escorted tours and FITs but which also offer a menu of villa rentals in popular regions such as Tuscany and Umbria.
Perillo Tours, which also got its start focusing on group tours to Italy, promotes on its website a separate company called Parker Villas, which offers lavish villa properties, some large enough to house groups of 20, in more than a dozen regions in Italy.
Packages that include villa stays for affinity groups, such as visitors interested in food and wine, are on the rise. Italiaoutdoors Food and Wine, a tour company that focuses on active and cultural tours, this year added concierge service to its villa rental service; it offers preplanned activities designed around the client’s interests. These can range from cooking classes and wine tastings to cycling and skiing and are led by Kathy Bechtel, chef and cooking instructor, and Vernon McClure, an activity guide.
Of course, Italy isn’t the only game in town for villa rentals, nor are all likely clients necessarily family groups. Steele Luxury Travel, for example, offers a Mykonos Island Villa Escape in Greece, set for Aug. 19 to 26, specifically designed for gay male clientele.
The package, which is limited to 24 people, offers accommodations at three private villas, the services of a personal chef for breakfast, 24-hour concierge service, airport transfers, two dinners, a cocktail party with a DJ aboard a yacht, a lunch cruise around Mykonos and a pass to parties during the XLSIOR Festival, an annual local event for LGBT travelers. Packages start at $2,450 per person.