La Manga Club rentals are an attractive option for villa La Manga owners – after all who wouldn’t want to recoup their annual overheads. Some La Manga Club rentals do better than others – why?
The most successful owners seem to attract rentals for around 25 to 30 weeks a year. This is part down to location. The general rule is that the nearer the property is to the tennis centre, the more attractive it is for rentals. This is slightly odd because no property is more than a five minute drive from the centre.
So what are the other factors – well an obvious one is desperation! New owners who are reeling from the initial investment will actively market their property. It seems there is a cycle that most owners follow. Panic for the first couple of year, then gradually as the mortgage goes down they relax and finally become quite lethargic. Established villa communities seem the least open to rental. In our small group of 20 odd villas, only three of us rent!
La Manga Club rentals is an easy option for families. Some owners, us included, are happy to offer La Manga club rentals directly to holiday makers. However, rentals are available through a variety of channels.
There are several La Manga Club travel specialists that offer La Manga club rentals. The most established is Barwell, which has offices on site. In addition to rentals, it provides a full management and sales service too. Going through a specialist travel agent for La Manga club rentals has its advantages because flights and transfers can be included. The downside is the price – obviously a ‘full-service’ option is going to be more expensive.
Many visitors to the club come time and again. As they become more familiar with the resort some decide to take a DIY approach to La Manga Club rentals. My own personal experience is that I started off going through a travel agent, then found out that several of the property management companies dotted around the resort offered rental services on behalf of owners at a discount to the travel agencies.
The issue then became which La Manga Club rentals to choose. There are properties to suit most pockets, from one-bedroom apartments to huge mansions. The problem is that pricing is generally related to size rather than quality. In other words you can pay the same price for properties that are quite different in terms of furnishings and amenities. The only way to guarantee you are renting a well maintained property is to go direct to the owners, who should be able to provide photos and accurate descriptions of their property.
The growth of the internet has allowed owners to bypass agents and market their La Manga club rentals directly to the public. They vary in functionality, but should offer as a minimum a guide to occupancy and rates.
All the owners I have dealt with have a management company on site that handles all the practical issues associated with La Manga club rentals – from providing keys to preparing the property for guests. Not only should the property be clean, but beds will be made up and towels provided. They are also able to provide extras such as stair gates and child seats. They are also on hand to deal with ‘emergencies’ – we once managed to lock ourselves out of a villa and the management company had a locksmith over within the hour.
