What to do when you receive your catalog:
(We suggest you print these instructions
and keep them with your catalog. To print these instructions,
click
here then, click on the printer on your browser toolbar.
Doing this will open a new browser window.)
The very first thing you do is to plunk yourself down in a
comfortable setting and plan on an hour or so of reading through
the catalog. There is a mountain of information to be consumed.
When you are thoroughly confused, close the book and walk
away for a bit, perhaps a nice glass of wine or a tall lemonade
or cappuccino will help clear you head.
Grab a yellow pad and make a list of 6-12
houses which catch your eye, regardless of size and price.
This will help you focus on what it is you like. Remote vs.
a small village, pool vs. no pool, stand alone villa vs. a
small farm complex with other families around. Now, rework
your list taking prices into consideration. If the price is
right, do not worry if you have taken a house with an extra
bedroom or so. Sometimes the price is not excessive and if
the location is better, you will be much happier spending
a few extra dollars to have the perfect location.
Remember there are no right or wrong answers
or stupid questions. Start making a list of questions to ask
us when you are ready to place the first call to us.
Information
you will need to give us when you call:
How
many people will be staying in the house?
What
are your dates? Are they flexible?
How
many bathrooms do you have to have? How many will you settle
for?
Do
you have to have maid service?
Do
you have a price range?
Will
you be traveling with children? What ages? (some houses do
not rent to children)
We are really more concerned about helping you select the
right house than upping the price, hard to believe, but that
is an absolute fact.
Once we have whittled your list down to the
top 3 choices, we hope you will run those choices past the
people traveling with you. So often one person makes the plans
without consulting with the others and finds not everyone
has the same priority list.
Put your choices into first, second and third
choices so we can fax Europe with all three. We will receive
a confirmation of the first available house on your list.
We do not get an okay on all three houses, so please make
sure your order is in the correct order. We should have an
answer from England in less than 24 hours and Tuscany can take a day or a week. Many houses
have to be cleared with the owners who can be half way to
the moon on Tuesday. Patience is hard at this point, but it
will pay off. We want to get back to you as quickly as possible
as well.
Once you complete your confirming phone call
or fax we expect you to give us a credit card within 48 hours
or, if paying by check, to have received the check within
a week. If you are having to get a foreign check in Euro we know it can take a bit of extra time and are understanding.
At the time of booking you will need to complete
a booking form and get it back to us properly signed within
24 hours. This is the most important part of the process and
one which protects you. It is your contract.
Once your deposit has been completed, grab
your catalog, take it to work, show it to all of your friends
and family who will drool endlessly.
Start on a reading list, rent movies of the
area you are planning to visit, join a Celtic dance class,
take Italian lessons, watch all the English television shows
on PBS. Hang out at Barnes & Noble and read "Italia"
or "Realm" magazines. Eat pasta,
cabbage and trifle and really get into "it". The
more you know, the more you will understand when you arrive.
Don't expect everyone in your group to join
in the "before's" as some will think this is stupid
and boring. You simply cannot imagine how involved some travelers
become before staying in a home away from home.
Find your place on this scale and enjoy planning
your trip. It is supposed to be fun, not a horrible task.
We are always here to help, full of answers and willing to
share every skrid of knowledge we have spent the past 34 years
gathering.
To request one or more catalogs for our British properties please contact us with your name and address. All of our contact information is at the bottom of this page.
If
you have any questions, don't hesitate to give us a call (207-622-0743)
or email us: suzanne@villaeurope.com
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