What is a Villa? A First-Timer’s Guide

What Makes a Villa Different from a Hotel or Apartment?

Hotels, apartments and villas can all make brilliant holiday bases. The difference is in how you use them.

Villa: Your own private property, with plenty of space to spend time together and the freedom to set your own routine. With Solmar Villas, you’ll also have your own private pool.

Hotel: Your own room or suite, with communal areas and shared facilities. You may also have hotel services, restaurants and set dining times.

Apartment: A self-contained space with a kitchen and living area, but you’ll usually be part of a larger building or complex, so facilities such as pools and outdoor areas may be shared.

The biggest difference? Freedom. 

A villa is your holiday home. You can spend time together without sharing every moment. Eat breakfast in your pyjamas. Let the children play while you finish your coffee. Stay beside the pool instead of heading out because you feel you “should”. It puts you in charge of the holiday. 

First Villa Holiday? The Questions Everyone Has

If it’s your first villa holiday, it’s completely natural to have a few questions about how everything works. The good news? There’s plenty of help along the way, from planning your journey to getting settled once you arrive.

How do we get there?
You won’t be left to figure it all out yourself. Depending on your destination and villa, we can help with arranging extras such as airport transfers or car hire, so you can get the practical details sorted before you travel.

How do we get into the villa?
We’ll send you the information you need before your holiday, including the relevant arrival details for your villa. Keep these handy while travelling, and you’ll know what to do when you get there.

Do we need to hire a car?
It depends on where you’re staying and how you want to spend your holiday. Some villas put beaches, restaurants and shops within easy reach, while a car can give you more freedom elsewhere. Check the villa location before booking, and speak to us if you’re unsure what will work best.

Do we have to cook every night?
Not at all. That's the joy of having your own kitchen: it's there when you want it. Make breakfast before a lazy pool day, throw something on the barbecue or head out and discover a local restaurant. You choose.

What if we need help while we're away?
If you have a question or something doesn't go to plan, help is available while you're in resort. So rather than worrying about every little detail before you leave, you can concentrate on looking forward to your holiday.

What to Expect from a Villa Holiday

Perhaps the best way to explain a villa holiday isn't by listing what's inside the property. It's by showing you what life there can feel like.

Your own rhythm

Everyday life revolves around time. Alarms. School runs. Meetings. Dinner. Bedtime. Repeat.

Then you arrive at your villa.

No breakfast buffet closing at 10. No race for a sunbed. No need to leave the pool until you're ready. And no pressure to fill every hour with something "productive".

Fancy a day out? Go exploring. Fancy doing absolutely nothing? Even better. For a week or two, the clock can take a holiday too.

Space together (and apart)

A villa gives everyone somewhere to come together. You can have breakfast around the table, splash about in the pool and stretch dinner long into a warm evening. Yet when someone wants an afternoon nap or half an hour with their book, there's space for that too.

It's quality time without enforced togetherness. Particularly useful when three generations of the family have come along.

Leisurely mornings

Open the doors. Feel the morning warmth drift inside. Put the coffee on.

Perhaps someone is already in the pool. Someone else is still asleep. Breakfast might be fresh fruit from yesterday's supermarket trip, toast at the kitchen counter or pastries from the bakery down the road.

Nobody needs to be anywhere yet. And that's precisely the point.

Your own little slice of luxury

Hotels seem like the obvious holiday accommodation, but villas offer a different kind of luxury. 

It’s the feeling that the terrace, kitchen, living room and pool are yours. You can settle in rather than simply check in. You get to fully experience a destination and escape into a new reality, even if it is just for a week or two. 

The little moments you’ll remember 

Strangely, it's often the really normal things that stick with you. Supermarket trips, cooking local ingredients on the barbecue, watching the kids eat lollies around the pool, playing cards around the table after dinner. 

Simple moments feel different when there's nowhere else you need to be.

Who Are Villa Holidays Good For?

The short answer is that villa holidays are perfect for anyone who values their own space. 

• Families can work around naps, mealtimes and their own routine, with room for everyone to spread out.
• Multi-generational groups can holiday together while still having separate bedrooms and living spaces.
• For couples, a villa holiday can mean peaceful breakfasts, lazy afternoons beside a private pool and a romantic dinner for two under the evening sky. 
• Groups of friends get somewhere to spend time together rather than disappearing into separate hotel rooms and ruining the fun.  
• And for birthdays, anniversaries and other special occasions, having one shared home can make the trip itself part of the celebration.

Explore large villas, villas for couples and villas for special occasions to find the right fit for your group.

What to Look for in a Holiday Villa

Start with the destination. Where would you love to stick a pin on the map?

Part of the joy of travelling is tasting local food, finding favourite beaches and discovering the little things that make somewhere feel completely different from home. Once you've chosen the place, think about how you want to experience it.

A few questions make choosing your villa much easier:

• How many bedrooms and bathrooms will you need?
• Would you rather be near the coast, countryside, shops or restaurants?
• Will you hire a car, or would you prefer to have plenty within easy reach?
• Which features really matter to you — air conditioning, Wi-Fi, a barbecue, dishwasher, sea view or ground-floor bedroom?

Every property is different, so read its facilities and location details carefully before booking. Then comes the enjoyable bit: picturing yourself there.

Dreaming of opening the curtains to blue water? Take a look at our sea view villas. Feeling a bit lost and still deciding where to go? Our guide to the best places to visit in Europe can help.

Don’t Plan Every Minute

It’s tempting to plan every museum, tour and day trip before you’ve even zipped the suitcase. But we’ve learned it’s best to leave some gaps. 

Your villa isn't simply somewhere to sleep between days out. It's part of the holiday. Give yourself time for long lunches on the terrace. Read the book that's been sitting untouched for months. Buy local ingredients for the barbecue. Float around the pool until nobody knows what time it is.

Some of your best holiday days might be the ones where very little happens.

What if You Need Help on a Villa Holiday?

Being independent doesn't mean being left to figure everything on your own. 

We'll give you the information you need before you travel, so you know what to expect when you arrive. If you need help during your holiday, Solmar's support team is there too. 

The aim is simple. You enjoy the freedom of your own villa, while knowing there's help available when you need it.

Then you can get back to the pool.