The best villa company for your holiday
- By Simpson Travel
- 01 Oct 2025
- Views and reviews
With a few articles circulating recently about the dangers of scams when using some booking platforms, we wanted to give our take on how to choose the best villa company for your needs and how to make sure your precious holiday is properly protected. While ‘the best’ company will depend on your specific party and wishes, here are some key questions you'll want to consider when thinking about booking your holiday.
1. Selection vs. Volume
Selection vs. Volume
What’s the difference between a specialist tour operator like Simpson Travel and a booking platform or mass market company? Put simply, a tour operator puts the whole holiday package together, manages the logistics and sells directly to their customers. Crucially, the customer benefits from specialist knowledge, on the ground support and direct contact with the company, a bit like buying wine from a vineyard or bread from a bakery rather than your nearest supermarket. Tour operators also tend to engage more with their destinations, building long-term relationships that are good for travellers and good for local communities.
By contrast, booking platforms are like holiday hypermarkets: they fill their online ‘shelves’ with holidays from tour operators, so you do get an almost overwhelming level of choice and apparent price discounts (though be careful to check you're getting a like-for-like deal!), but nothing in the way of personal service. It can also be very hard to speak to someone if something goes wrong – who wants an endless chatbot loop when it’s 30 degrees and the air-con has broken down?!
“Had a very stress-free travel experience - fabulous customer service from Sarah from start to finish, she was available for any queries and made sure we had all the information we needed well ahead of time. In this age of online scams, it was so reassuring to deal with a very reliable and trusted company. Would highly recommend.” Ms Madison Butterfield, France
2. Package vs. Independent Booking
2. Package vs. Independent Booking
Holidays are one of the biggest purchases of the year for many people, so you need to feel that your money is safe, and booking with a reputable tour operator gives you this peace of mind. Like many tour operators, Simpson Travel provides full financial protection for our package holidays. Additionally, in January 2025 we become the first villa operator to sign the Safer Tourism Foundation pledge, which sets high standards for traveller risk management, health and safety. Booking independently means you may have no financial recourse if your holiday is cancelled, or worse still, you arrive to find the villa doesn’t even exist!
“The villas are always in great locations and very high standard, but the big difference is the personal service from the local representatives. It’s like having your own PA to book and organise restaurants, boat trips, tours etc.” Mr Benjamin Mann, Kalkan
3. Independent Ratings
3. Independent Ratings
How can you find out who really is the best villa company? The rise of online reviews lets travellers share their true experiences, and organisations like Trustpilot go to great lengths to ensure their reviews are authentic. We’re proud to be one of the top rated villa companies, with a clutch of travel industry awards and a consistent near-perfect score on Trustpilot.
“Another fabulous week at the White Orchid hotel in Sivota. Dietke and her team were wonderful, ensuring every little detail was attended to from our tasty breakfasts to arranging boat trips, booking restaurants and even making suggestions for the best honey and olive oil to bring home - outstanding.” Mr Ian Ramsbottom, Sivota
4. Bespoke Arrangements
4. Bespoke Arrangements
Would you like to have access to childcare while on holiday? A few nights in a hotel to add on to your villa stay? Maybe you’d like help booking local restaurants or even hiring a private chef to cook for you. These services and many more come as standard with a specialist luxury villa company like Simpson Travel. Our sales teams have visited our accommodation personally so they can give you first-hand advice, and our local teams are there to help you with all the little extras that take a trip from good to truly great.
“Excellently organised as always. Lovely villa with great hosts and Tina the rep was fab, great to meet Karen and the Simpson crew on their Island tour too, that intimate knowledge Simpson people have when one is booking is golden!” Mrs Marion Brand, Kefalonia
CONCLUSION
The definition of ‘best’ ultimately comes down to what type of holiday you enjoy, your preferred destination, your budget and how important service is to you, but if you want to feel protected, informed and well looked after, a top-rated tour operator like Simpson Travel should be your go-to.
