LIST: VILLA HOLIDAY OPERATORS / AGENCIES

Abercrombie & Kent	0845 0700610	A&K have a villas division. It is still sometimes refered to as 'A&K Chapters' because in Oct 02 they bought the luxury villa specialist brand 'International Chapters' and with it an amazing portfolio of around 2,000 stunning luxury properties in exotic locations all over the world - many of them with maid service, nearly all with pools, and most with a serious price tag.
Affair Travel	020 7616 9990	Villa rentals in mainland France, Corsica, Croatia and Portugal. Affair Travel is a well-established operator, with an ATOL licence, that has been around since November 1986 when as 'French Affair' (renamed in 2010) it specialised in villas just in Southern France. Booking can be done on line or by phone.
Alternative Aquitaine	020 8977 7079	Villas, gîtes and cottages in Aquitaine, SW France.
Affinity Villas	01428 727277	Specialists in villas in the Algarve (Portugal).
Bonne Vacances	01306 876 876	Around 500 privately-owned holiday properties, mostly with pools. You book direct with the English-speaking owners. BV also offer the travel services needed to complete the package such as ferry booking, stoppover hotels and travel insurance. They also feature a selection of traditional Bed & Breakfast hotels (chambres d'hôtes).The website looks ok in IE...looks rubbish in Chrome though!
Bowhills	01489 872727	Longstanding independent specialist in French farmhouses and villas, set up by Carol Bowhill over 30 years ago (June 04) and now aquired by the Hoseasons group.
Brittany Ferries Holidays	08705 360 360	Brittany Ferries' The French Collection 2004 brochure features 400+ pages of villas, gîtes, chateaux, chalets, cottages & apartments, (as well as other holiday options such as hotels & campsites). Owners in France (see below) is also one of their brands.
Casas Cantabricas	01223 328721	Self-catering holidays mostly in 'Green Spain' - Cantabria, Asturias, Picos de Europa, Galicia, and around Salamanca - and in Northern Portugal.
Chez Nous	0870 444 6600	A portfolio of over 3000 privately-owned gites, villas, apartments, farmhouses, and other rental properties throughout France (their brochure is a fat one - over 500 pages!). Unlike a traditional operator/agency, you book your holiday home directly with the owners. But Chez Nous also offers other holiday components you might need such as ferry bookings, motorail, travel insurance, etc.
Cosmos Villas	0870 44 28 601	Cosmos have a dedicated 'villas with pools' brochure featuring villas in the Algarve, Mainland Spain, Cyprus, Balearics, Canaries, Crete & Gozo.
Cottages to Castles	01622 775236	Villas, farmhouses and yes, castles, all over Italy and the Istrian coast of Croatia. Also a range of villas, beach houses, apartments and game lodges in South Africa.
Crete Escapes	01332 880413	Small company specialising in villa rentals for North West Crete (Chania area). All villas are well equipped and the majority have a private pool. Their portfolio has grown organically from one villa (their own) in 2002 when they launched, to around 40 now (2011).
Daltons Holidays	020 8329 0195	A spin-off from the famous 'Daltons Weekly' advertising publication. Obvious move for them when you think about it! An online holiday property agency with a diverse range of properties all over Europe, North America, Asia and Africa.
Dominique's Villas	020 7738 8772	Small specialist company handling around 140 individually selected chateaux & villas with pools throughout France, for over 16 years.
Elysian Holidays	01580 766599	Started offering rental properties on the Greek island of Chios and has expanded to offer properties "for independently minded" holiday-makers in Greece, Cyprus, Spain, Portugal, Majorca and the Caribbean
Essential Italy	01223 460100	A small villa agency run by a brother & sister team offering hand-picked villas, apartments and hotels in Italy, with an emphasis on customer service before, during and after a holiday.
Fleewinter	020 7112 0019	Launched in 2003 specialising in villas and apartments (and boutique hotels) in South Africa. Has now (July 08) expanded to offer the same in Barbados, St Lucia, Tobago, Thailand, Bali, Sri Lanka, and Morocco.
Freelance Holidays	01789 297705	A small number of villas & apartments in Greece, Spain, Italy and South Africa
GIC The Villa Collection	020 8232 9780	Extensive collection of villas all over Greece and Cyprus. Formerly known as the 'Greek Islands Club', GIC is a Sunvil company and an AITO member.
Hammond Villas	0844 232 2323	A small specialist villa company (UK registered but operated from France), offering a good selection of villas with pools in France and Italy. All villas (some are lovely - Ed) and their owners are known personally to the company.
Hip Holidays Ibiza	01451 489 001	Specialises in spectacular luxury villas on the island of Ibiza (Spain).
Holiday Cottages Group	08700 789 789	A giant range of holiday homes in the UK, France, Ireland, Spain and Portugal. Their main online persona is Cottages4you (£), but their other brands include French Life, Chez Nous, Welcome Cottages, Individual Travellers, and Blakes....plus a whole 'dogs breakfast' of sub-brands!
Holiday France Direct	0870 9013 400	Book privately owned villas, farm house, chateaux, hotels, houseboats, studios, apartments, and mobile homes, direct with their owners. Properties located throughout France and a handful in Spain. HFD changed its name from 'Owners in France' in 2007. Part of Brittany Ferries Holidays. Changed
Holiday lettings.co.uk	n/a	Online database of 10,000 holiday homes in Spain, France, Italy, Turkey, Cyprus, Portugal, Florida and 70 other countries worldwide to book from owners direct.
HomeAway Holiday-Rentals	n/a	Holiday-Rentals is now part of the giant US HomeAway group, with 210,000 properties worldwide.
Hoseasons Villas	0844 847 1234	Villas with pools in Spain, France, Portugal, Italy, Malta, Turkey and Cyprus.
IgluVillas.com	020 8544 6401	Spin-off from the Iglu ski website. Villas in Italy, France, Greece, Turkey, Portugal & Spain
Ilios Travel	0845 675 2601	Luxury villas and farmhouses, mostly with private pools in rural locations, in Italy, Spain, Turkey, Portugal and Madeira.
Independent Villas	01473 273327	Tailor-made holidays, including golf holidays, in privately owned villas and apartments at the western end of the Algarve.
Interhome	020 8877 6370	Longstanding (since 1965) provider of self-catering holiday accommodation throughout Europe with over 32,000 holiday properties in 30 countries. Interhome is a member of ABTA and operates a strict inspection code on all properties.
Italian Rentals 4U	01223 690018	Hand-picked Italian villas and apartments particularly Sicily.
James Villa Holidays	01622 655900	Villa specialist with numerous properties in Tenerife, Portugal, Spain, Cyprus, Corfu, Malta, Italy and Florida.
Just Luxury Villas	08701 999966	Online agency specialising in luxury villas and holiday homes to rent worldwide. Part of The Villa Group.
Kestral Travel	01672 520651	Villa rental agency with 200 luxury villas in the south of France and 30 chalets in the French Alps.
Lazydays	01202 484257	Privately owned villas, cottages and apartments for short-term holiday rental in Goa, India.
Little Domain, The	01326 240028	Sister site to the Big Domain (see above) but specialising in rental cottages and hideaways for two, in the UK and abroad.
Mallorca Farmhouse Holidays	0118 947 3001	Small family-managed company offering luxurious, 4 and 5 star private villas and farmhouses on Mallorca originally, and now in the Caribbean too. The name has been simplified to 'Mallorca Farmhouses', to match with the new brand name, 'Caribbean Villas' for their portfolio on Barbados & St. Lucia.
Meon Villas	01730 268411	A portfolio of around 500 private villas with pools in the Algarve, Corfu, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Crete, Cyprus, Dordogne, Florida, Gozo, Gran Canaria, Ibiza, La Manga Club, Lanzarote, Lisbon, Majorca, Malta, Menorca, South of France, St Lucia and Tuscany. Scuba diving options in Gozo & Crete were added in the 2003 programme, and new villas in the Languedoc region of France. For 2004, Meon added Corsica and Kefalonia to their list of destinations. Meon had been an independent operator since 1964, but in 1999 became a part of the First Choice group who also own Sovereign Villas. Many of Meon's upmarket villas have now been incorporated into Sovereign's portfolio of properties. The strategy is that Meon will will become 'direct-sell', while Sovereign Villas will be sold through travel agencies.
Mirador Villa Holidays	01233 611200	Mirador Villa Holidays has a hand-selected portfolio of private villas, apartments and small hotels in Greece, Italy, Spain, Morocco, Bali and the Caribbean - particularly USVI & BVI (including one that stands out, on Anegada, but then anything would stand out on Anegada! Ed).
One Off Places	n/a	A (mostly) rental property website, launched Sept 09 to rave reviews for specialising in apartments, villas, cabins, tents, wagons, houseboats, windmills, treehouses, etc, with something unique about them - their design, their history, their location, their decoration, whatever... (I may be picky but the only downside for me is that they still hide their address, which is usually not a good sign.)
Owners Syndicate	020 7801 9801	OS have branched out from their original business (privately-owned, up-market holiday rental homes in the Caribbean) to offering houses, villas, and hotel resorts in France, Italy, Portugal, Spain, Morocco, and Mauritius.
Palmer & Parker	01494 815411	Villa specialists in France, Marbella, Majorca, the Algarve and the Caribbean (Barbados, St. Lucia, Jamaica).
Petersham Properties	01608 658627	Very much at the top end of the scale. If you need an English country house, an Italian castle, a town house in LA, or anything up to an estate on the beach in Mexico that sleeps 70, these are the guys for you!
Private Properties Abroad	01423 330533	A large range of magnificent country houses, villas, chateaux, and converted farmhouses in France, Italy and Spain (Balearic Islands)
PureHolidayHomes.com	n/a	Launched in Jan 2010 and now offers over 27,000 holiday homes (villas, chalets, cottages and apartments) worldwide from agents and private individuals.
Quality Villas	01442 870 055	Quality villas is a family-run business set up by Margaret Rees in 1986, specialising in luxury villas, farmhouses and chateaux with private pools, in coastal and rural France and Italy.
Self Catering Hols.com	01270 820682	Online villa agency with privately-owned properties in over 20 countries worldwide including South Africa, Turkey, Cyprus, Canada, Scotland, Croatia, Spain & Barbados.
Serendipity Rentals	029 2064 7505	A selection of special villas to rent in Spain, France, Austria, Vietnam, Morocco & the Netherlands. Previously called La Perla Living Rentals. (They seem to have dropped Italy & Antigua from their portfolio - Ed)
Shamrock Cottages	01823 681060	Over 300 cottages in some of the most scenic locations in Ireland with ferry & car hire packages.
Solmar Villas	0870 381 3000	Private villas with pools in the Balearics, Canaries, Italy, Cyprus, Malta, Spain & Portugal.
Sovereign Villas	08703 661 634	Sister brand to Meon Villas (see above).
Spirit of Greece	01372 749 579	Greek villas and apartments in Paxos, Lefkas, Kefalonia, Lesvos and Halki. SoG is a villa only agency but has recently teamed up with Sky Value Ltd, an ATOL and ABTA protected flight specialist.
Summer's Leases	0845 230 22 23	Apartments, Cottages, Farmhouses & Villas in Tuscany & Umbria
Sunvil	020 8568 4499	Sunvil do so much these days it's easy to forget that their original core product is still villas in Greece and Cyprus.
Susan Paradise	01395 597759	Small specialist holiday-rental company offering 150 character properties from fisherman’s cottages to luxurious villas in three regions of France: Brittany, Cote d'Azur and the Auvergne.
Thailand Retreats	020 8144 0482	A large collection of luxury villas to rent across Thailand in Koh Samui, Phuket, Krabi and Koh Phangan. Established for over 10 years and family run. Each villa is inspected in person before being added to the site. ABTA bonded.
Thomas Cook Style Collection	0844 879 8442	Upmarket villas with pools on mainland Spain, The Balearics & the Canary Islands, the Algarve, Greece, Cyprus, Crete, Turkey, Gozo and Florida.
Thomson Villas	0871 231 4691	TUI/Thomsons group built this brand back in 2004 from the portfolios and expertise of two independent villa specialists in particular: OSL & Something Special. The 25-year-old OSL had a portfolio of over 250 villas with private pools in the Algarve, Corfu, Costa Blanca, Costa del Sol, Cyprus, Lanzarote, Menorca, and Kefalonia. Something Special (I remember them back in the late eighties - Ed) had a portfolio of 1,000 villas particularly in Florida but also around the Mediterranean. So plenty of expertise and choice here, but now fully subsumed into the corporate giant.
Time Away	020 8343 2590	Self-catering properties in the most popular regions of the Italian mainland, and Sardinia & Sicily....plus one property in France.
To Escape To	0871 711 5282	Set up in 2003 by Ingram Casey and Tom Corcoran to offer long-haul villa holidays and personalised travel arrangements to Southern Africa, Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar, Mauritius, Seychelles, Mozambique and Botswana. Their website is notably easy to use and won a 'Best Tour Operator Website' award in June 06.
Tots To France	020 8123 4511	Small online lettings agency specialising in toddler-friendly rental accommodation in France.
Tots to Travel	0870 458 5528	Online agency specialising in villas for families with toddlers in France and Italy. They check out safety standards at each property and make sure they are fully kitted out with all the baby and child equipment families need, from cots and highchairs, to sterilisers, blenders, toys, potties and more. Also babysitting is available at most properties.
Umbria Rentals	07776 250 381	A small number of apartments and villas in/around the Umbrian village of Panicale.
Under The Thatch	0844 5005 101	Hand-picked selection of special properties to rent in Europe (mostly UK), especially quirky & environmentally cool properties like a modern eco-croft in Scotland, woodland cabins, a cave house in Spain and several gypsy caravans.
VFB Holidays	01242 240 340	Several hundred holiday properties of all kinds, many with pools, in France.
Villa Agency, The	01392 424 400	Villas with pools in Portugal
Villa Book, The	0845 500 2000.	A portfolio of over 1,000 luxury villas and city apartments worldwide. (One to watch. Why? Because the man behind it, Edward Marquis, is the guy who created the 'top dog' in luxury villa rentals, International Chapters, which became part of Abercrombie & Kent. This is him setting out on his own again. Ed)
Villa Centre	01223 513593	A portfolio of around 60+ villas with private pools in France, Spain, and Italy.
Villa Company, The	0845 052 0660	Thirty years experience providing holiday villas with private pools in Florida, Spain, Italy France (also self catering ski chalets in France) and Portugal's Algarve.
Villa Holiday Centre, The	01725 512364	Holiday villas in the Azores, the Algarve & Praia del Rey region (North of Lisbon) of Portugal, rural France, Malaysia and Bali. They have their own ATOL license (unusual for villa companies) and so can offer protected packages with flights.
VillaParade	08444 720040	Large number of villas (450+), mostly with pools, in Portugal, Lanzerote, Cyprus, Kefalonia, Crete, Mallorca, and Menorca.
Villa Plus	01727 836686	Villas in the Algarve (Portugal) and Costa del Sol (Spain).
Villarama.com	n/a	U.S. web rental company with offices in the UK (and priced in sterling). They have a large number of villas in over 30 countries.
VillaRenters.com	n/a	Online villa agency launched in 2003 and now part of Teletext Holidays and Daily Mail & General Trust Plc, with over 13,000 holiday homes in 85 countries.
Villa Retreats	0870 013 3979	Specialise in rental of luxury villas with pools and apartments in Portugal, Andalucia, Mallorca, Menorca, Croatia, Barbados and Florida.
Villas2Go4	n/a	Florida villa specialist. Lists hundreds of villas across Florida, including the Keys, to rent direct from the owners.
Villas de Maitre	01296 334138	Tailor made luxury villa holidays in the Indian Ocean for over 19 years (2013), with properties in Mauritius, Seychelles, Zanzibar and Mozambique.
Villa Select	01789 764909	Small specialist villa company offering carefully selected villas with pools on the Algarve, Cyprus, Costa Blanca, Menorca, Mallorca and the Greek islands of Kefalonia, Crete & Zante.
Villastogo.com	0845 241 7733	Launched in April 05, an online villa agency offering apartments and villas with pools in Mallorca, Tenerife, Corfu, Cyprus, Ireland and Florida. It was set up by Kathleen O'Brian who used to be with Something Special which got swallowed up by Thomsons.
Villas Worldwide	01756 751777	Villa holiday specialist offering villas in France, Spain, Portugal, Greece, Italy, Indonesia/Bali, South Africa and the Caribbean.
Vintage Travel	01954 261431	Villa specialists since 1989 in France, Spain & Portugal and more recently, Croatia and Greece. Member of AITO.
Wimco	0870 850 1144	The West Indies Management Company is a reservations and marketing company specialising in private holiday villas and distinctive small hotels in the Caribbean and now Europe.

Notes

• Private Villa in Turkey is an agency that does just that; offer luxury villas with pools in locations along the Aegean & Mediterranean coasts and rural villas inland.
• Campaya has a refreshingly clear & simple site offering holiday rentals around the globe for rent directly from private homeowners and appointed agents.
• The Danish rental agency Novasol has 28,000 properties throughout Europe, especially in Croatia, France and Denmark itself.
• Estepona Villas is a Spanish based agency specialising in villas in and around Estepona.
• Belvilla, formerly known as Euro Relais, is a Dutch company founded in 1981. They've built up a portfolio of more than 20,000 properties available in 19 countries across Europe, but mostly in in Belgium, France, and the Netherlands.
• Mediterraneo Case is a stylish German site specialising in cottages, farmhouses, apartments, and villas in South of Italy.
• PCI Holidays (Property Care International) is a property management company with private villas available for holiday lets in Spain, Portugal, France and Italy.
• A company called Elegant Hideaways launched in Aug 02 offering private residences and resort villas as alternatives to hotels throughout Hawaii and the Pacific Rim. We're not listing it above because it is not UK-based, but if you are looking for something rather swish in the Pacific, they'll take money from anyone!
• Cyprus based Durmast Travel have specialised in villas and apartments in Southern Cyprus for over 20 years.
• Home in Italy have a selection of exlusive elegant private villas, cottages, farmhouses, apartments and other properties in regions all over Italy.
• StayRentals.com is an Italian holiday rental agency with a small but fairly exclusive range of properties in 21 east & west European countries.