When it comes to all villa, no filler, our UK readership tends to make house calls to favourite postcodes in Greece, Tuscany and the South of France, along with urban homestays through fixers such as Onefinestay and the increasingly popular Plum Guide. First through the door this year is The Thinking Traveller, which scored highest for variety and customer service, and whose hand-picked rooms with a view include addresses in Antiparos, Lefkada and the Ionian Islands.
These are the best villa rental companies in the world, according to the 2023 Readers' Choice Awards. The scores below are percentages representing overall average levels of satisfaction.
The best villa rental companies 2023
15. Airbnb. Score 84.72
14. SJ Villas. Score 89.84
13. Plum Guide. Score 91.00
12. Simpson Travel. Score 92.46
11. Vintage Travel. Score 93.01
10. Tuscany Now & More. Score 93.80
9. To Tuscany. Score 94.17
8. Le Collectionist. Score 95.10
7. Scott Williams. Score 96.48
6. CV Villas. Score 97.12
5. Essential Italy. Score 97.55
4. Beyond Spaces Villas. Score 98.42
3. Onefinestay. Score 98.77
2. Oliver’s Travels. Score 99.08
- The Thinking Traveller. Score 99.61
The Thinking Traveller
Behind the scenes of one of your – and our – favourite villa companies, The Thinking Traveller
It’s been 20 years since Rossella and Huw Beaugié founded their specialist villa company, inspired by a holiday in Italy’s Aeolian islands during which they climbed ever-smoking Stromboli, fringed in black ash, and descended to swim in the cobalt sea. The future, it seemed, lay in seeking out high-end villas around Rossella’s birthplace of Sicily so others could enjoy a similar lifestyle.
“I love a view,” says Rossella. “And I love a sense of privacy and being on the water. A place has to have charm; it has to be there for a reason rather than just being a property for rental.” Starting out as Think Sicily, the couple soon moved onto Puglia, an overlooked region of Italy that was only just beginning to attract north Italians. Both were fairly virgin territories when it came to matching the owners of quality villas to holidaying families. And since 2002, The Thinking Traveller has appeared in almost every UK Readers’ Travel and Choice Awards: readers clearly appreciate the attention to detail and care that the couple and their team take in finding the properties and in arranging every single aspect of a trip.
Italy is still close to the couple's heart, with stunning properties across the country including Tuscany's Forte San Giorgio, the brief has since widened, taking in the Greek islands – with over 50 addresses in the Ionians – as well as southern Corsica and, recently, Mallorca. “But we’ve stayed small and niche,” says Rosella. “It’s my fault as I’m so picky, but it means we can give our clients the sort of service that others can’t.” Perhaps it’s something to do with their former careers as a biochemist (Rossella) and a mechanical engineer (Huw), rather than anything hotel or property related. “I think we bring a scientific rigour to finding villas,” says Rossella. “We take things seriously – it’s passion with a meticulous approach.”
Since Covid, the team have seen clients returning, many for multigenerational family reunions. “Obviously privacy and safety were the main concerns for guests over the past two years but now we’re seeing people want to experience more – tasting wine, cooking with local chefs. It’s really about making the most of the destination.”
Rossella’s insider Italy:
“On Favignana in the Egadi Islands, the recently restored spaces of the historic Tonnara Florio tuna plant have been converted into a gorgeous wine bar/restaurant/concept store. On the way to Favignana, I love the Saline Infersa, the historic salt pans where you also find a very interesting salt museum.”
Rossella and Huw Beaugie spoke to Rick Jordan.