book a villa or apartment - pros & cons

Pros:

a huge variety available from very basic to lap of luxury some sites even include boats, castles and restored palaces.
if holidaying with children you can put them to bed and have other rooms in which to enjoy the evening/nap times.
great for big groups - lots of different spaces to hang out.
eat and drink what you want, when you want.
often there is a washing machine so easy to pack light.
villas can be good value especially for larger groups
small apartments can offer great value for smaller groups
privacy - although be sure to check whether the owners live on site as it might not be as private as you'd hoped for.
independence - do what you want when you want.

Cons:

you will have to eat out or cook and wash up and no-one will make your bed in the morning!
less support - no reception desk on hand
being more isolated
no organised entertainment or kids club
You may need a hire car as many villas are a bit off the beaten track

BUT it is possible to get all kinds of different villas and apartments so also consider the following:

you can get a villa/apartment in a complex with more facilities
you can often arrange all kinds of services to come to the villa such as babysitting, pampering, extra cleaning etc.
'Aparthotels' are becoming more common and combine apartments with hotel facilities.
Large villas often have an option to arrange catering (usually by outside caterers). If you are a big group it can be lovely to have someone else come in and cook up a fantastic feast for an evening (and they do the tidying up!) It often costs the same or less as going out to a restaurant especially as you can supply your own booze.

Algarve, Portugal

Jezerce, Croatia

Gruyere, Switzerland

Boa Vista, Cape Verde

How to book a villa or​apartment