Journal
What a Villa Weekly Rate Actually Includes
The rate on the page is rarely the whole number. What is normally inside it, what is extra, and the questions worth asking before you commit.
A villa weekly rate looks simple and is not. What is almost always included: the house, utilities, pool and garden maintenance, and housekeeping on a set schedule — typically three to six days a week. What is usually extra: a private chef, food and drink, heating the pool, air-conditioning beyond a cap in some regions, and the local tourist tax, which runs a few euros per person per night.
Staffed houses sit between the two. In Bali, Barbados and much of the Caribbean, a cook and housekeeper are part of the house; in the Mediterranean they are usually arranged separately and billed by the hour. Security deposits are universal — a pre-authorised card in Europe, a wire or card hold elsewhere — and are released within a fortnight of checkout.
The questions worth asking before committing: is the chef's time included or only the food at cost; what does the pool heating add per week; is there a metered air-conditioning cap; and who pays the end-of-stay clean. Good managers answer these in one email. If the answers are vague, that is the answer.