Expectations and Reality
Whom do we call if something goes wrong?
Well, it depends on what the something is. If it’s a malfunction of some sort in the rental property itself – plumbing, electricity, heating, A/C, water supply – call the contact people whose phone numbers we will have given you. Our owners are all extremely responsible folks who will attend to whatever it is immediately. We depend on them to resolve problems, and they do. If something happens and they don’t, we don’t rent their house any more. In Italy, “immediately” is a relative term. If it’s a Sunday in August, it’s not going to get attended to until Monday at the earliest, even if the owner does his damnedest to resolve the matter.
If it’s a relatively minor matter, don’t call Vacanza Bella; call the owner or housekeeper or custodian or other contact person(s). It’s not that we want to avoid responsibility for fixing something. One time, someone called us in San Francisco from Venice to say they couldn’t find the dish towels. “What the hell do we know about the tea towels?” was the answer we wanted to give.
But don’t hesitate to call us if you simply can’t reach the owner or other responsible person, or if the problem is too big for you to resolve, if there is a real language difficulty, or if the thing isn’t getting resolved to your satisfaction. We will do our very best to smooth things along.
It’s very, very rare for
us to have a problem which can’t be resolved. I
don’t think it’s happened more than a handful
of times in 20 years. Indeed, it’s very rare to
have a problem at all. But if you encounter something
that needs attention, first call the owner/caretaker/responsible
person on-site; then call us if that doesn’t work.
There’s one thing we care about above all – cleanliness. Are the villas delivered clean?
We can’t tell you how often we’ve heard this question. Though we have bitten our tongues a thousand times, the comment we have always been tempted to make in response is, "Oh, we’re very sorry. All of the places we rent are filthy ratholes. Please go elsewhere."
The fact is that Italian properties are clean. But there is another fact which we only became aware of after starting this business, and that is this: People's standards of cleanliness differ dramatically. We make it a policy of trying to call clients for feedback after their stay. The first question is: Was it clean? You can't imagine the variety of responses we get to this question. One person says, "It was immaculate." The next person, who stayed one week later at the very same house, replies, "It was OK but it could have been cleaner." One person told us once, "The maid should have vacuumed better under the beds." Our unspoken reply was, "What in the name of God were you doing down on your hands and knees checking?"
Also, often the cleanliness of a property depends largely on who occupied it immediately before you. If they weren’t the greatest at washing their dishes or their pots and pans, you may find that you need to do some work yourself. It is simply not possible for an owner or a housekeeper, with just a few hours between renters, to control the cleanliness of every single pot, pan, plate, fork, small and large appliance. Everyone does his very best, but there are real limits.
The fact is that if you demand
that the house you rent pass the white-glove test, that
the tops of armoires be spotless, that you can see your
reflection in the shine on the kitchen floor, you're
not going to be happy renting a house. We ourselves
have rented houses on many occasions in the US and in
Italy and throughout Europe. One time, we rented a place
in Northern California and discovered that the dishes
were simply not washed to our standards. What did we
do? We washed them ourselves, of course. We didn't call
the manager and get angry about it, or demand that someone
come in and do them for us. If you're not flexible enough
to adapt to situations like the ones we've just described,
then be honest with yourselves: renting isn't for you.
How does garbage get collected?
It doesn’t. Garbage is
not picked up from one's door. You have to take it to
a roadside bin. This is true even in the city. City
streets are too narrow to accommodate garbage trucks.
Dumpsters are placed strategically for citizens to use.
Find out when you get to the property – whether
a country villa, seaside cottage, or city flat –
where to put garbage.
Can we have some food shopping done for us and the items put into our rental for when we arrive?
In the case of most of our large country villas, yes, and the supplies should be paid for immediately. In the case of most other accommodations, no. Ask us. There are some basic initial supplies in all the rentals. See below, Will there be soap and toilet paper?
If we do arrange for provisions
on your behalf, please pay for them upon your arrival
without being asked to do so. Housekeepers are often
embarrassed to ask for payment, and you should volunteer.
Also, the housekeeper, who can ill afford it, will have
been the one to advance payment for these supplies,
and s/he will appreciate prompt reimbursement. (This
same comment, by the way, goes for cooking and other
“extra” services you might arrange directly
with the housekeeper. These should be paid for on a
daily or every-other-day basis, and not at the end of
your stay when everyone will be rushing around to move
on.)
We’d like a fresh set of towels each day. Can we arrange that?
No. If you want this, go stay in a hotel. Why? Because it’s just not a service we want to offer. Even the crummiest American motel has more towels than you need. But Italians don’t live that way. The norm is that you get one set of towels (one bath towel, one hand towel, and one face towel) per person which are meant to last the week. We’re now trying to get that standard raised to two such sets per person per week. (These are minimums; some owners do provide more.) You’re always welcome to launder towels on your own, of course, during the week.
If your stay is for longer than one week, the towels will be changed at the end of each week.
You say you’d like to pay for fresh towels daily? Well, it often simply isn’t a question of paying. An Italian washing machine takes a minimum of 2 hours to do a load – it really gets things clean. Italians have no dryers. So the towels have to dry in the open air. This may take a day or two depending on current meteorological conditions. It’s simply not objectively possible most times for an owner to keep up with demands for towels.
One final consideration: Italians
have this stereotype of Americans as big wasters. No
European traveler asks for more towels when traveling
than the supply outlined above. Let’s try to improve
our image.
How often
are bed linens changed? Can we have them changed more
often?
Once at the end of each week. No exceptions, I don’t care if you’re Martha Stewart.
Well, one exception: If you’ve
rented a large villa and having guests come and go,
it is likely that you’ll have some sort of housekeeping
service. In this case, if your guests’ comings
and goings don’t coincide with the once-a-week
rule, obviously that’s fine, and the linens, both
bed and bath linens, are going to be changed for you.
But in this event, if the linen changes occur frequently
– more frequently than once a week – the owner
has a right to monitor the usage, charge you a per-change
fee, and have it deducted from your security deposit.
Will there be soap and toilet paper?
Yes. But this is not a hotel.
These are self-catering accommodations. The rule is:
Replace what you use, and if you run out, go buy it
yourself. We ask all owners to provide a small initial
supply of bar soap, toilet paper, paper towels, paper
napkins, coffee filters, dishwashing detergent and supplies,
salt and pepper, sugar, olive oil, espresso coffee,
teabags, mineral water, some dried spices, candles,
and kitchen matches. Most of our owners do this; sometimes
there are lapses, most often not.
We’re planning to bring our laptop computer. Can we hook it up in the rental?
Gradually, more and more property owners have recognized that an internet connection is a must for many travelers, and not a dial-up connection. Many country houses, however, are in locations that are simply too remote for internet. Sometimes, the connection is via ethernet cable; other times, it is wireless. Almost all city flats now come with an internet connection of one of these two varieties.
For properties with an internet connection, it’s up to you to have the knowledge and skill to hook your own laptop up. Mostly, it’s extremely straightforward. You turn the computer on and either plug it into the ethernet outlet or switch on your wireless feature. The connection should be automatic. Sometimes, the owner will give you a WEP key code, or a username and password. But the owner, who in most cases is not a computer freak, can’t be expected to do more than this. If you have real trouble connecting, either the owner or caretaker can put you in touch with a computer technician who will, for a fee, come out to help.
We’re not bringing a computer. Will the house have one so that we can check our email?
A few villas have their own computers; most villa owners, however, assume that you’ll bring your own, or your own Blackberry or iPhone or other such device. You should know, in addition, that Italy has more internet
points per square mile than any place we know. There
is virtually no place, however small, without a place
where you can check email.
Will/Can the villa have ........
Washing Machine. Most, but not all, accommodations in Italy have washing machines. A washing machine cycle takes up to 2 hours. So don’t fiddle with it because you think it’s taking too long. Once the cycle is complete, you most often have to push the power button to “off” and then WAIT FOR UP TO 5 MINUTES BEFORE OPENING THE WASHING MACHINE’S DOOR If you force the door, the machine will need repair at your cost.
Clothes Dryer. We know 2 or 3 mostly American-owned properties in Italy with dryers. Italians don’t believe in them, preferring to hang clothes out in the open air or, in inclement weather, on drying racks inside.
Dishwasher. Some places have them; others don’t.
Hairdryer. If the prior renters haven’t stolen it/them, the likelihood is that you’re going to find a hair dryer in each bathroom, or at least one in the accommodation as a whole. We ask all of our owners to provide them. But we have to tell you the reality: Some owners are so exasperated by client theft of hairdryers that they will not furnish them any longer. And if the same thing continues with irons, it’s going to be the same story.
Iron and Ironing Board. Yes (but see final comment re hairdryer).
Makeup Mirror. Forget it.
American coffee maker. You’re going to Italy to drink Maxwell House? We have to tell you: We’ve been in this business for over 25 years, and this is without any doubt the most requested single item of equipment asked about, even more than hairdryers. So we’ve asked every single one of our owners to furnish an American-style drip coffeemaker (and a small supply of filters) in all our rentals.
Window Screens. See Before You Even Begin.
Answering Machine. Generally not available.
Blender. Generally available, but not always.
Baby’s crib/cot and/or
highchair. Very often a baby’s crib (in England
“cot”) is available. Most often it is provided
for free; sometimes there is a modest supplementary
charge. We don’t have photographs or measurements
of cribs. If you feel you need a particular dimension,
kind, spacing of bars, etc., etc., please bring your
own portable crib. Highchairs are sometimes but most
often not provided.