This is part 2 – of our article on “how to find cheap Costa Blanca Villas to rent”.
To read part 1 please click here for Finding Costa Blanca Holiday Villas To Rent.
In the first part we covered the location to find cheap Costa Blanca villas and which areas of the Costa Blanca; Denia, Calpe, Benidorm or Alicante and Torrevieja you are most likely to find a good deal on holiday homes. We looked into what to look at first before you book any rental home.
Major things like Location, Transportation, House and Room Sizes. Now lets have a look into what any good Costa Blanca rental property should have, so your Spain holidays become really what they are meant to be – the best time of the year.
Further more it is very important to look at how the villa is build and what outdoor installations are offered.
Building Layout And Outdoor Installations Of Most Costa Blanca Villas To Let
Baby Friendly – If you traveling with a toddler, you should check out any reference to the building itself. Is it a flat villa or an 3 stories villa on a hill side. Some home owners specify this in the description of the villa.
Suitable for People with disabilities – Similar to baby friendly houses without any stairs, goes the thinking if you coping with any disability. Additionally you want to check if the villa owner specifies special facilities, such as extra wide doors or ramps for wheelchairs.
Swimming Pool – very important even if your villa is located close to a beach. Its one thing to spend a relaxing day at the beach, enjoying the sun and swimming in the Mediterranean sea. But it gets even better, if you can jump into the pool after a day at the beach and get the saltwater off :-). Most villa rentals sites such as villarenters , spain-holiday.com and holiday-rentals mark swimming pools directly on the lists so you can glance through and filter the ones which come with a pool.
Jacuzzi – some villa owners offer a luxury jacuzzi together with outdoor showers to make your stay even more relaxing.
Barbecue Grill – a must-have for most Costa Blanca villa renters. Nothing like a nightly BBQ enjoying a great steak while watching the Costa Blanca coastline. Make sure the holiday home offers a good grill or fireplace.
Private parking – An important thing if you bring or hire a car. Car theft is not uncommon and if you can park your car off the street, it provides that little extra bit of additional safety.
Holiday Home Rentals – Installations and Equipment
Check if all basics can be found. Depending on your length of stay these are the things your villa should have:
- Basic Must-Have Equipment: Microwave, Cooker, Oven, Freezer and Fridge, Washing Machine, Iron, Toaster, Coffee Maker. Glassware, Cutlery and cooking utilities are usually standard and should be part of any all-inclusive Costa Blanca villa.
- Some Costa Blanca houses to let offer dry cleaners, which may look a bit unnecessary at first, given the great weather we have around here. But if you are a large family or a group it can be very convenient and gives mum a bit more rest during the best time of the year.
- Air Condition – not much to say about that. A definite Must. During the summer months June, July, August and September; we get up to 40°C here, so this is a no-brainer.
- Central heating – just listed here, if you think about renting a villa during off season. Contrary to general perception, we get temperatures down to 5° and below during the winter months. If you planning on a Costa Blanca villa rental in the months of January, February or March, you want to make sure the house got some sort of heating system.
- Satellite Television – with English and international TV stations. Not all holiday homes offer this.
- Spanish Television – This is very important, even if you do not speak any word of Spanish. Most free Spanish TV channels broadcast their movies and TV series in dual language. If your TV supports this, you can watch most of the program in English. We have been doing this for a long time here, just to give ourselves and our daughter Anna a heads up start in listening and learning better English.
Services Offered By Most All Inclusive Holiday Villas To Rent
Linen and Towels – Some owners provide basic linen and towels. Depending on the holiday home, even weekly linen change might be included. Convenience for you – otherwise you have to bring your own linen.
Beach Towels – This is something most villa renters complain about. Any towels provided, should normally not taken to the beach by the renter. Bring your own beach towels and you are on the safe site with most rental home owners.
Restrictions The House Might Have
Pets – Make sure you check this first, in case you planning on taking your cat or dog with you.
Smoking or Non-Smoking – With Spain now having one of the most restrict anti-smoking laws in place, you definitely want to make sure you find the right villa, if you are a heavy smoker.
Contract and Conditions For Your House Rental
This area depends a lot on the individual holiday villa owner. Check these points extensively before starting to rent any holiday home:
Minimum Villa Rental Time – Usually owners ask for a 7 days minimum stay.
Fix or Flexible Arrival and Departure Dates – Lots of different arrangements offered by owners of Costa Blanca houses to let. Most common is that you need to check-in/check-out on a Saturday. Some owners offer flexible dates upon special arrangement.
Exact Arrival/Departure Hour – This sounds silly at first, but can create difficulties on the travel day. Watch out for the exact hour you can arrive at the property at the earliest, most owners ask you for a certain time. Same for the exact departure time. You want to make sure you plan your departure day accordingly.
Terms, Payment and Deposits On Most Costa Blanca Holiday Rentals
Advance Payment – Most owners request a 20%, 30% or even 50% deposit of the total Costa Blanca house rental cost at booking and full payment of the booking cost several weeks before arrival.
Cancellation Terms – Check out Cancellation Rules. Some owners refund you all or parts of your payment if they are able to rent out the villa again.
Safety Deposit – Owners usually require you to pay an additional security deposit for any losses or damages to equipment in the villa. If the owner asks for such a security deposit it is usually given back to you on the departure date.
Discounts for Early Booking
Depending on the owner this is an area for huge savings. Early booking discounts can range up to 15% of the original price. Additionally some home owners grant discounts for extend stays or off-season bookings.
Rent A Villa Direct from Owner or Through Local Agent
I personally like if you rent any Costa Blanca villa direct from the owner. This way no intermediary to talk to and everything runs much smoother. Spain-holiday.com andand holiday-rentals allow you to contact the owners directly and resolve any questions you have beforehand. Sometimes a local agent provides the facility handling for the property owner. This happens if the home owner has handed over the physical handling and cleaning of the villa to a local agent. Most of these agents provide an excellent service and assist you with every question you might have, while you stay in you rental villa during your Costa Blanca holidays.
I hope this covers most of your questions about how to rent a cheap villa at the Costa Blanca and what to look for before renting any holiday home. Further tips on rentals of holiday homes and villas in Benidorm, Alicante, Torrevieja, Denia and other cities around the Costa Blanca will be included in our free newsletter here.