BudgetTravel

The best villas go fast. Ideally, start looking--and booking--six months in advance.

Set your priorities. Is price the key factor? Location? Size? A pool? Be clear up front with your travel companions.

Get everyone's desires down on paper. People often rent with friends or extended family, so discuss everyone's wants and needs first. Then designate one person to search for the villa (or narrow the field to a few finalists, then vote), but make sure everyone is on the same page first.

Be reasonable about costs. Villas sleeping, say, six people start as low as $200 per person per week, but in more popular areas--and for nicer properties--the low end is closer to $500. With even modest hotels in European cities topping $100 per night these days, that's still a phenomenal bargain.

Treat the agent like a therapist. Tell her everything you like and dislike, what you want and what you want to avoid, what you expect to find and what would ruin your trip. The more she knows, the better she'll be able to match you with your perfect villa.

Country life is lovely, but you can quickly go stir-crazy. Make sure your villa is within driving distance of a few villages.

Ask about the surroundings. Where is the next closest house? Who lives there? How far is the nearest town with a grocery store or market? When does it close?

Will you be alone? Some properties contain three or four rental villas, all sharing one pool--that's great for socializing, but not if you want solitude.

Ask for tons of photos, then be politely suspicious of them. The villa that looks dreamy on the website might turn out less homey than a barn, and you can bet that the hog farm next door won't make it into the snaps. Get photos that were taken while looking in each direction from the villa. Find out when they were shot.

Check the parameters. Most villas rent by the week; some have two-week minimums. Many insist on set arrival/departure days (say, Saturday to Saturday). The off-season offers more flexibility.

Assume nothing. Not every villa offers TV, phone, heat, air-conditioning, towels and linens, maid service, a washer and dryer, a fully equipped kitchen, etc. Many of these come only at an extra charge. You can never ask too many questions.

Be alert for cultural and language differences. You may read "4-baths" as four full bathrooms; it might mean one toilet, four sinks.