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Luxury Vacation Rentals - Great Value or Rip Offs?

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Luxury Accommodations, from Villas to Apartments - Are They Worth It?

Luxury accommodations - these are a tiny fraction of the short term vacation home market. It may be a Montreal luxury accommodation, a Paris luxury vacation apartment, a luxury Provence holiday rental, a deluxe France villa holiday. Whatever it is, this is something out of the ordinary.

Two big questions: What are the costs? What are the benefits? In other words, are they worth it?

Luxury Vacation Rentals - To Splurge or Not To Splurge

Superb Apartments, Villas, Condos - Superb Value?

Old Montreal luxury rentalTo splurge or not to splurge. That is the question.

Luxury accommodations, luxury apartments, luxury condos from Paris to Montreal to New York. How much extra do luxury vacation rentals cost? What are the costs and benefits?

The answer may surprise you - unless you are one of the minority the rents such places.

I won't start with the answer. I'll start with something just about everybody is familiar with: photos of the home of stars, and the price tags - something in the area of 25,000,000 million dollars.

There are ultra luxury hotel apartments that are equally extravagant. There is one hotel in Montreal - Madonna stays there - that has suites for $14,000 a weekend.

You don't get quite that much with most luxury vacation homes. And the cost isn't that high either.

Luxury Vacation Rentals - The Rates

And the answer is ...

Contemporary eleganceAnd now, for the surprise figures, which I will draw from Montreal, where I'm familiar with the rates.

An everyday Montreal short term furnished condo rental: perhaps 900 dollars per week.

A Montreal luxury apartment - what would you think? The square footage may be about 10 times as large. The furniture isn't Ikea, but is likely to include luxury custom-made sofas. The kitchen is sure to contain marble. On and on.

Here is one Montreal luxury vacation accommodation.

The rate for such a place? Perhaps 3 times the rate of the ordinary place. More likely somewhat less than that.

The difference may be even smaller when it comes to extended stay luxury rentals, which are also known as executive suites. An ordinary monthly Montreal extended stay rental may be 2500 dollars. As for luxury furnished apartments, it is hard to find anyone willing to pay more than $5000 a month for an amazingly more luxurious place.

One exception was Julia Roberts. When she came to Montreal in 2011, the budget for her furnished luxury condo was 10,000 dollars a month. But even that is way lower than the much higher value of her place. So her place was worth perhaps 10 times as much as an ordinary place - but cost was only 4 times as much.

So the cost, far from being outrageously high, was actually outrageously low.

Ten Times the Value, Three Times the Price

12 foot windowsWhat, you may wonder, do you get for the extra money?

A huge space. Fabulous views. Large contemporary art work. Very expensive designer furnishings. Everything state of the art. Knick knacks that need to be insured. Lamps that cost hundreds of dollars each, instead of twenty dollars.

Maybe an outdoor pool as well as an indoor pool - instead of a community pool two block over. Very likely a gym - but that's pretty run of the mill.

So why is it so - comparatively - inexpensive? And why don't more people opt for these luxury short term accommodations.

I'll start with the first question: why so inexpensive? The answer: it's hard to get people to pay more than what the luxury places are asking.

And then: why don't more people go for such good value? The cost. If one can barely afford a very reasonable budget vacation rental, the luxury condo may be a steal deal but utterly unaffordable.

Still, if you can afford it, it certainly is worth it. At least in Montreal. you are likely to get maybe 10 times the value for twice the cost, at most three times the cost.

Luxury Holiday Villas wth Pool

Privacy Plus

Provence France Villa RentalsThe situation is the same when it comes to European holiday villas. When you look at the luxury villa rentals, you see that:

Almost certainly the property is private. Almost certainly there is a pool and landscaped garden.

Almost certainly there is a huge fireplace, most likely with a modern insert to make it energy efficient.

Almost certainly there is a vine-covered terrace, shaded so the heat of the day isn't crushing.

Almost certainly there is antique furniture - or perhaps the antiques have been replaced modern elegance.

There may or may not be air conditioning - as thick stone walls keep out much of the summer heat.

Provence and Tuscany - tourist destinations for people with many budgets. Luxury vacation villas abound. There are also many less expensive rentals. But once again one is faced with the same situation. For six hundred Euros a week, in high season, one may find something - but it is likely not to have a pool, and with the heat of the Provence summer, many find that less than desirable.

Triple that - 1800 Euros a week and one gets elegance, a gated property, a landscaped garden, 4 bedrooms, 2 or perhaps even 3 bathrooms.

More Luxury Holiday Rentals

Abu Dhabi Villas, Bali Villas, Greek Villas

Luxury - this is just the start of an exploration.

More? You may want to look at Abu Dhabi villas and luxury apartments.

And what about viilas in Bali?

And then, there are the best luxury villas in Greece.

One big question: what most pulls you?

About the Author

Elsa, somewhat accidentally, found herself half owner of a small vacation rental agency that includes Montreal luxury accommodation, Provence holiday rental villas, and Paris luxury apartment rentals:
http://www.holiday-vacation-rentals-plus.com/montreal-luxury-accommodation.html

Here's the full site. http://www.holiday-vacation-rentals-plus.com

There's a full range of places, from budget vacation homes, especially among the Montreal short term rentals, to luxury South of France holiday villas.

Luxury Vacation Rentals: Worth the Price?

Villa Rental Provence
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I predict that luxury rentals will continue to be amazing value.

Ezeena predicts:

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New Guestbook Comments

  • Paroshep Dec 29, 2011 @ 2:18 pm | delete
    Very well presented, Ezeena. I don't think you need to emphasize luxury; the same applies to standard rentals.
    On our Greek island the villas are more economical than hotels for families or small groups travelling together.
    Cheers,
  • Ezeena Dec 29, 2011 @ 2:27 pm | delete
    Glad you like the lens. And I agree - villas on Greek Islands and in Provence are much more economical than hotels.
  • TheLastResort Dec 25, 2011 @ 12:28 pm | delete
    Informative lens, I was not aware of this dynamic, but it makes sense: if I go to Montreal of Tuscany for a month, I won't go for the place, I do it for the city/surroundings. So I'd rather pay the needed sum for a decent, clean property and be out all day, or sleeping/working at a desk. The point is, I won't be looking at the furniture so much, and I won't be using the fireplace so often.

    One note: your intro is repeated in the second module.
  • Ezeena Dec 25, 2011 @ 12:58 pm | delete
    Glad you liked the lens. And I am checking to undo the repetition. Thanks for noticing.
  • poutine Dec 3, 2011 @ 8:37 am | delete
    I guess if you have a lot of money, it's okay, but in my case, I prefer the modest rentals.
  • Ezeena Dec 3, 2011 @ 9:21 am | delete
    My own last vacation - a few days by the ocean in New Brunswick - was at an eco-friendly place, very modest, and great.
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Travel - Montreal and Provence

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Vacation Rentals

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Table of Contents

  1. Luxury Vacation Rentals - To Splurge or Not To Splurge
  2. Luxury Vacation Rentals - The Rates
  3. Ten Times the Value, Three Times the Price
  4. Luxury Holiday Villas wth Pool
  5. More Luxury Holiday Rentals
  6. About the Author
  7. Luxury Vacation Rentals: Worth the Price?
  8. I predict that luxury rentals will continue to be amazing value.
  9. New Guestbook Comments
  10. Travel - Montreal and Provence
  11. Vacation Rentals

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Ezeena

Elsa almost accidentally found herself half owner of a small rental agency.
So many twists and turns to life.
Flight attendant, writer and perform... more »

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