In ancient Roman civilization, a villa referred to a luxury residence in the country side that provided all the amenities required for a comfortable living. But in the modern context, a villa has almost become a substitute for accommodation in places of tourist attraction all over the world. Villas can be separate, independent bungalows, or they can be in the form of apartments. But in either type, they present themselves as spacious and cozy alternatives for a stay in a hotel. The favored locations for villas today are near sea beaches so that tourists can soak in a lot of sun and also enjoy all the water for relaxing vacations. One of the prominent reasons why villas as a concept have caught the imagination of tourists world over is the space and privacy that people can enjoy as the owner of the property for the duration of their vacations. This is a very relaxing and comfortable feeling which one cannot hope to get even in the finest of hotels where the rooms are not so spacious and one never is as free as he wants to be when he is vacating.

Today, sensing the requirements of the tourists and the increasing craze of villas, property owners in tourist places are converting their dilapidated structures into comfortable vacation homes. This does not require a lot of investment, and even if it does, is totally safe as villa rentals provide much better returns on investment. In some cases, investors themselves have some interesting proposals for property owners in such places whereby all the renovation is handled by the investor and the property owner gets a decent share from villa rentals and the property remains in his name as well. This works wonderfully well for the property owner as he starts to earn extra without having to make any investment.

There are countries that have become famous for luxury villas and attract a lot more tourists who are desirous of a stay in these villas apart from indulging in sightseeing in the country. Some of these countries are Spain, Portugal, Italy, France, Ireland, Bali etc. In fact, Tuscany in Italy is one place where even celebrities plan their vacations just because of the presence of some of the most luxurious villas. Spanish villas are world famous for their grandeur and imposing structures. They have spacious rooms and their bathrooms and kitchens are fitted with the most modern and expensive gadgets. Some of the villas even have swimming pools which the tourists like very much as they can relax by the poolside having their favorite drink in the summers.

Two categories of tourists are today making a beeline for a stay in villas. One is the honeymooners who have a whale of a time in total privacy in these villas which is just perfect for them to have the most romantic days after their marriage. The other is families with kids who relax a lot with their kids roaming inside the property without any fear and also getting parked up in separate bedrooms.