A La Manga Club rental is easy to find. The internet has enabled owners to advertise a La Manga Club rental directly to general public, cutting out agents. The top sites used by La Manga Villa owners include Ownersdirect, Villarenters, Holiday-Rentals.
They all offer a similar service, taking the owner through a series of steps that result in a full description, together with photographs, of the area, the property and facilities. One of the most useful functions is the availability calendar. This allows owners to mark booked-out weeks, saving would-be renters a lot of time and effort.
Most villa rental sites charge advertisers a fee to display their property details. Villarenters has a slightly different model. There is no upfront fee, advertisers pay a commission on any bookings made through the site. The advantage to the holidaymaker is that they can pay by credit card – useful if you don’t happen to have a grand in your current account!
Marketing villas in La Manga Club can take up a great deal of time if you opt for the DIY route. The easiest way to sell rental weeks in villas in La Manga Club is to put it the hands of a travel agent. There are several agents that specialise in renting out villas on the resort. They offer a full service, advertising the property, arranging travel and preparing the villa for guests. The owner doesn’t need to do anything, just wait for the cheque to arrive in the post.
This seems like an attractive option, but having spoken to a number of these holiday companies I gathered that while they are all confident that they can sell weeks during peak season (around 10-12 weeks a year), rentals would be thin on the ground during other times of the years.
That’s why I’ve decided to go the DIY route – I know owners who manage to rent their Villas in La Manga Club throughout the year. Each season has something different to offer. While the hot Summer months are ideal for lazing about and swimming, the cooler Winter months are far more comfortable for the golfer and tennis player.
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 rentals are generally regulated by standard terms and conditions. With private La Manga rentals the client i.e. the person renting the villa, is expected to pay a 25 per cent non-refundable deposit to confirm booking. The outstanding 75 per cent is payable eight weeks before the start of the holiday.
If the client cancels during this eight-week period, there is no refund. The reason is that it leaves the villa owner in the lurch – during peak times, short-term availability is generally discounted and out of peak it is unlikely the rental will be filled in the time available.
I think it’s always worth taking out a travel insurance policy to cover the cost of short-term cancellation. Annual travel policies (unlike short-term ones sold in travel agents) offer real value.
TV is often the great taboo on holiday – surely holidays are a time for sun, sea … well you get my drift. Yet with a family there’s always down time and in common with others villas in La Manga, ours is equipped for chilling. The cable TV has 50 odd stations and unlike some other holiday destinations they include favourite channels from home. As well as the good ol’ BBC there’s Sky, so no need to miss out on Premier League action. Most visitors make a beeline for the weather forecast. It’s always fun to sit in a t-shirt and shorts watching people back in the UK struggling with an unexpected cold snap.
What should clients expect from a La Manga Club villa. The first thing worth mentioning is there is no such thing as standard La Manga Club villa – each is privately owned and managed, so quality varies from one property to the next. Always ask to see photographs of the property before deciding which one suits your individual taste and pocket.
Its always worth checking in with the various on-site management companies – they should be able to give you an accurate and unbiased overview of the properties on their books. Most will carry out regular inspections of the villas on behalf of the owners, making sure that general housekeeping standards are maintained.
Traditionally La Manga Club villa rentals run from Saturday to Saturday. However, with the growing number of daily flights coming into both Alicante and Murcia airport, visitors are looking for more flexibility. Many owners are happy to consider this outside of peak school holiday times.
Other recent changes include the availability of broadband. Some holiday makers just don’t seem to able to leave their laptops at home and like to keep in touch even when they are supposed to be relaxing. Again check in with the managing agents, they should be aware if this facility is available.
La Manga apartments are a budget option for visitors looking for low-cost accommodation in La Manga Club. Bellaluz is a popular family community of high-density apartments built around a central plaza with shops and cafes. The most popular meeting place is the large outdoor pool which has a bar in the summer.
Other desirable La Manga apartments include the Los Olivos community. Right in the centre of the resort, opposite the tennis centre Los Olivos has high occupancy rates right through the year. The top floor penthouse flats are particularly sought after because of the double height central sitting room.
More recently, the Hyatt hotel group, which manages the luxury hotel on the resort, has gone into the self-catering business with the launch of the Las Lomas apartments. These one, two and three bedroom properties are decorated to hotel standards, but like many modern hotel rooms can be a little cramped. The Hyatt offers special bargain breaks that include golf and tennis to encourage visitors to book here.
La Manga villas provide a wonderful distraction to anyone taking a walk around the resort. There are some truly palatial spreads, standing in huge grounds looking across the wonderful golf courses. The most established La Manga Villas go back to the early days of the club in the 1970’s, but styles have remained consistent.
The prevailing style is the Hacienda ranch – most La Manga villas are single storey structures with cool courtyards. Many still have large areas of lawn, but with increasing pressure on water supplies, more appropriate landscaping with succulents and coloured gravel areas are appearing.
The older villas are to be found in the area around the South Golf Course to which they have direct access. These plots have now been fully developed, so new properties are being built into the hills above the club. While still close the main facilities – just a few minutes drive – they have spectacular views over the resort right down to the famous La Manga strip.
The large La Manga villas are millionaire playgrounds and rarely available for rent – the owners simply don’t need the money. There are some properties that seem to be permanently empty, the one thing they have in common with all La Manga properties is that they are immaculately kept, with teams of gardeners and house keepers on permanent standby.
