How to book the perfect villa holiday

So, you’ve decided on a villa holiday this year – but which destination would suit you best? Our experts pick properties for different stages of life.

Young children

Head to northern Mallorca, especially near Port de Pollença for its sheltered family beach; though the stony beach of Deià, further west, is also sheltered, beautiful, and has two smart restaurants. Spain’s Costa Brava has small friendly resorts with good beaches. Menorca offers endless shallow water and soft-sand beaches.  

In France, try Corsica for its unspoilt coastline and sandy bays and rural parts of Brittany for low-cost gîtes with beaches and low-key activities nearby.

The Greek islands of Naxos and Crete offer direct flights and a wealth of activities; Paxos for escapism (though be prepared to make a virtue of the post-flight boat-trip from Corfu).

In Britain, the vast golden sands of Holkham beach in Norfolk are ideal for junior explorers; you might also head to the more sheltered neighbouring Wells-next-the-Sea. Cornwall evokes classic bucket-and-spade holidays: with some 300 miles (480km) of dunes and cliffs, medieval harbours and oak-forested creeks. Equally lovely is Freshwater West Beach, in Pembrokeshire. 

The middle years (eight-12 years)

Italian regions such as Umbria for small agriturismo developments with shared pools; the Canaries (Playa Blanca in Lanzarote has lots of activities); Croatia for island escapism and watersports (although note that most beaches are pebbly rather than sandy) or Puglia for properties built around trulli, with beautiful pools and laid-back local villages. The Île de Ré offers a real sense of freedom for children on bicycles or roaming in gangs.

In Britain, the craggy coves and cream teas, surf breaks and pints in pub gardens make Devon the perfect spot. While most people are drawn to the magnificent beaches on the coasts, inland Devon has its appeal, too: Dartmoor and Exmoor offer solitude and big skies.

Teens

Try the French Atlantic coast for big beaches and plenty of activities, plus nightlife for teens; Menorca for watersports (particularly around Fornells and the north coast); or the Algarve coast for civilised nightlife that can include the youngsters. 

Similarly, Greek islands like Zakynthos have a good stock of beautiful villas within walking distance of towns, to give teens a taste of nightlife and freedom.

Or you might try Cornwall’s north coast: surfing is a big draw, for all ages – bodyboarding too – and lessons are available on most north-coast beaches. Just bring a wetsuit.

Big groups

Rural France (Dordogne, Burgundy, Loire) for chateau-style accommodation and stylishly converted farm houses; manor houses in Cornwall or Devon; and Tuscany for hamlets with several units and shared pools. There are myriad reasons to head to the Cotswolds: the villages look as if they have strayed into the 21st century from another era, and about 80 per cent of the area remains farmland; it’s a chance to visit traditional England, but with the benefit of every modern convenience and some cracking food. 

Fun for three generations

Tuscany for scenic, rural retreats within reach of Florence, Pisa and Siena for cultural day-trips.

Food-focused families should head to the south of France (Provence, for Avignon, Arles and the coast; near Carcassonne, Narbonne and Pézenas in the Languedoc for more keenly priced properties and a pleasing Spanish influence on the food).

Andalucia tempts with excursions to Ronda and pretty inland villages. Crete has excellent beaches, but is best for families that enjoy major heat.

Suffolk offers everything one could need for a family holiday: long, sandy beaches, lively towns packed with fun things to do. Whether it’s the charming seaside towns of Southwold or Aldeburgh, or the big-skied Broads that straddle the border with neighbouring Norfolk, chances are there’s a cottage that fits your every need. 

Villas for all

There are plenty of operators out there to choose from. Here are some of the best. 

Europe and beyond

• A&K Villas Optional upgrades to gold or platinum packages, which include shopping, in-house chefs and fresh flowers (akvillas.co.uk).

• Affinity Villas A choice of more than a dozen resorts including Albufeira, Quinta do Lago and Luz (affinityvillas.com).

• Alternative Aquitaine Surf and sand locations or in lively resorts including Biarritz (alternative-aquitaine.co.uk).

• Brittany Ferries Bookable only in conjunction with a ferry crossing, most properties are on France’s north-west coast and inland (brittany-ferries.co.uk).

• Cachet Travel Canary Islands properties, including on lesser-known La Graciosa, La Gomera and El Hierro (cachet-travel.co.uk).

• Croatian Villas From two-person studios to large properties sleeping groups of up to 26 (croatianvillas.com).

• CV Villas Plenty of choice in Greece and Italy, also strong in Spain and the Balearics (cvvillas.com).

• iescape Chic family-friendly and beachside properties, with private pools, designer flair and interesting extras (i-escape.com).

• James Villas Personal touch categories of villa, from “simple” (bring your own swimming towels) to “individual” (show-stoppers) (jamesvillas.co.uk).

• Mr and Mrs Smith Locations, features and levels of service ranging from lavish to eye-popping (mrandmrssmith.com).

• Oliver’s Travels Hand-picked places with an emphasis on France, Italy, Caribbean and posh rural Britain (oliverstravels.com).

• Pure Crete The quiet villages of Western Crete, near Chania (purecrete.com).

• Quality Villas Good choice in the Côte d’Azur and Provence, and a Moroccan portfolio including Marrakech and Agadir (qualityvillas.com).

• Scott Dunn Villas in Mallorca and the south of France can come with private pool, chef, nanny and activity host (scottdunn.com).

• Scott Williams Heated pools, cooks, tennis courts, hammams, skippered yachts and personal trainers available (scottwilliams.co.uk).

• SHA Villas This French specialist has an exceptional range of size and style of properties, both urban and rural (shavillarentals.co.uk).

• Simpson Travel The exclusive collection comes with a bespoke, concierge service, some have childcare, and flights can be included (simpsontravel.com).

• Spain-holiday.com Strong in the Costa del Sol, Costa Brava and Costa Blanca. Catalonia is also heavily represented (spain-holiday.com).

• The Thinking Traveller In-villa wine deliveries, cooks, private transfers, excursions, speedboat and yacht hire available (thethinkingtraveller.com).

• Tuscany Now & More Concierge experiences at these epic Italian properties include truffle hunting, cooking classes, city tours, biking itineraries and markets (tuscanynowandmore.com).

• Vintage Travel Strong in Spain particularly Andalucia, Galicia and Catalunya, also Pollenca in northern Mallorca (vintagetravel.co.uk).

Family-proof properties

Travelling with young children presents unique challenges: look here for experts who understand this field – and often include much of the clobber that you’ll need while you’re away.

• Baby Friendly Boltholes Lots of baby paraphernalia and safeguards, including stairgates, fenced pools and toys, at home or abroad (babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk).

• Child Friendly Cottages Located on working farms for animal feeding, near beaches or indoor play barns in the UK and France (childfriendlycottages.co.uk).

• Tots to Travel Baby and toddler kits are provided as standard, pools have safety fences (totstotravel.co.uk).

Best of Britain

For great local knowledge and dependable properties:

• English Heritage Choices include a cosy coastguard’s cottage on Holy Island or a converted tower in the grounds of Dover Castle (english-heritage.org.uk).

• Luxury Cotswold Rentals The name gives it away: immaculate hotel spec in impressive locations (luxurycotswoldrentals.co.uk).

• National Trust From rural cottages to medieval halls for big group gatherings (nationaltrustholidays.org.uk).

• The Landmark Trust Everything from castles, water towers, follies and chapels to temples, gatehouses and pigsties (landmarktrust.org.uk).

• The Wow House Company Chefs, butlers and activities including golf (thewowhousecompany.com).

• Unique Home Stays In-house pamper sessions and catering are available at these lavish properties (uniquehomestays.com).