Gulets Against Villa Rentals. What is better? How is it different?

What is better. To rent a gulet or to rent a villa? I heard so many good things about renting villas that I have decided to give it a try.

In this blog post, I will explain what was this rental like, what were good things, what were bad things and how this can compare to gulets.

We booked flight tickets and made an extensive search via the internet to find a nice private villa where we could spend our holidays. What surprised me A LOT is that I could not find any decent agency ON LINE, that could truly offer me great support along with a good advice. 

There are several HUGE companies such as Booking.com and Ownersdirect.co.uk or Villarenters.com and similar – they all have HUGE BASES of villas available – really the possibilities are truly AMAZING. But I was missing “human intervention” to be honest.

In our company, we put ALL THE EFFORT to customer support and I have seen it is even more important now. And I am not talking about tell me which dates you need and how many persons you are and I send you 10 possibilities….NO! Not like this.

I missed this advice the most:

• which place is the best to visit (we have decided to go to Mallorca which is a huge island and I had no idea which place on this island is the best).
• is Mallorca even suitable for families with kids?
• what can we do there?
• what are the prices like on the island?
• what are the best places we can check when we arrive there?

And when it comes to renting a villa:

• in what kind of area is it situated?
• how far from the city center?
• how far to get to the beach?
• is there a supermarket there by?
• is the area safe?

For example, I almost booked a house that was only 500 meters from the beach. But it was not mentioned this was “air distance”. To come to that place it was around 3 kilometers up the hill which were supper stiff…if I would book that I could easily kill myself.

So I missed and expert that could give me all this info.

At the end, I found a local agency from Mallorca (family owned) that found us a house which was perfect. And by a huge range of luck, we booked it in a place called Porto Dell Soller.

We checked most of the island of Mallorca with “rent a car” and I must say this place is 100% THE BEST! Not over crowded like most of other places, with nice sandy beaches and very easy going. Exactly what we were looking for.

Okay lets cut to the chase.

Comparison Gulet cruises and Villa rentals

1. Accommodation

Villas are very comfortable. I have to say that. We had 2 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, huge kitchen and dining room. Also the very nice living room and 3 different terraces. And the price was very affordable. It cost € 150 per day. This means if you rent it for 7 days it would cost you € 1050 per week. I must say this is very very reasonable when you compare to how much space and commodity it has. 

Also, the house was located 5 minutes walk to the center. We needed 10 minutes to get to the beach. And around 10 minutes also to the supermarket, so the location was perfect.

However, when I have compared this with other houses we were checking…I must say we were super lucky to find this house. My advice would be….before you book something to be very careful where you are booking, under what kind of price and what kind of house it is – as the differences are AMAZING!!!!

But I must say I liked the accommodation and the concept.

2. Food 

Not really much to write. You eat what you buy. Either you cook “at home” or you go to a restaurant and you indulge yourself there – but this can be quite expensive. 

3. Activities

This also all depends on your imagination. But this is the most “normal” and basic idea of this kind of holidays:

• rent a house 
• rent a car
• find out on the internet what is interesting to check out with a car or check with locals
• some hiking and exploring on blind is also always fun
• explore with local buses (cheapest and also interesting option) 

I must say we had a GREAT TIME. But after some time I started to hate the “RENT A CAR”. I hated looking for free parking spots. Kids were going crazy every time we decided we will take a daily trip around an island. I also was fed up with lots of crowded buses and going all the time to the same beach…it was also a bit annoying at the end. 

Comparison with Gulet cruises

I tried hotels. I tried huge cruise liners. I tried sailing yachts and motor yachts. I tried villas now.I will say like this (honestly).

I still like GULETS THE MOST (what a shocking news). But the second option I would take is a Villa. 

When I compare gulets and Villas it is like this:

Villas have more living space bigger bathrooms and bedrooms. Gulets have deck space which is moving with you. While it is nice to eat breakfast on a terrace it can not compare to breakfast in a super nice isolated bay. And on a gulet breakfast is served…in a villa you have to make it and clean it by yourself. 

Villas are cheaper than gulets but when you look at total costs it is not so much different. On villa, you pay only for a villa and then you pay for everything extra. Food, drinks, rent a car, buses, daily trips, you do not have any crew that takes care of you…Gulets are more expensive but they have also at charter price included crew, fuel for traveling and lots of other costs that come with having a ship. At the end, Villa will be cheaper, but the experience a gulet can give you can not compare to a villa.

Every day you are in a different bay. No buses. No rent a car.  You do not have to cook and clean. You see lots and lots of different places and towns…captain will find a parking place for you. Food on gulets is an experience by itself.

If you are looking to find a nice “quiet luxury” type of holidays for a good price…renting a villa is a very good idea (much better than any hotel).

We always try new things and trying out how renting a villa looks like was for sure a positive experience.

If you are looking for special experience and the best time of your life however…choose gulets – you will not be sorry also.

Mitja Mirtič