Tips for my first Villa holiday

[foodglorious]

We have booked the most stunning villa in Cala'dor. It will be myself, DH and 3 kids age 3-10 and DHs elderly parents for 2 weeks.

We are really bloody excited but have never done a Villa holiday before so would love any of your hints and tips to help make it more seamless !!

We are basically right next to the centre so i know we are next to supermarkets and restaurants etc and we will eat out alot but during the day and some nights we will do BBQs etc.

Heres the villa if anyone is interested

Nice villa op!

V quick thoughts off the top of my head (don't have time to check the details on the villa so ignore anything irrelevant).

Take a couple of extension gangs so you don't need as many adaptors

If you might use the dishwasher / washing machine (should there be one) worth taking a few washing tabs / sponge from home instead of buying out there

Pack a few tea bags / coffee for arrival unless you have arranged a welcome pack

Do you need beach towels or are they supplied?

Pump for inflating lilos can be handy if you're rubbish at doing it manually, like me.

@inthehammock Great thankyou!!!!

Just checked and it does say towels are included but thank you for bringing this up as i will confirm.

I second everything @inthehammock has suggested.
I'd add to that plug in night lights if your little ones don't like the dark, for the bedrooms/hallway. Plus a decent torch, the amount of times we've been away and the electricity has gone! Not all villas have an emergency torch.

Write a shopping list in advance so you're not wandering round the supermarket looking lost!

You can probably buy some cheap inflatables there and leave them behind, often villas have lilos etc left from previous holiday makers.

Pack food bags, clips and small pots to keep open things fresh and away from little critters.

Have a lovely time. My favourite ever holidays are always in a villa!

Fab Villa.
with your kids ages I would always have an adult on duty at swimming pool. There doesn't appear to be any gate at the pool, that would be my main concern.

Bring shopping bags and black rubbish bags.

@ZekeZeke re pool ABSOLUTELY. My kids can swim but they will not be allowed in the pool without an adult and to be fair we will always be around the pool anyways.

As a pp said the pool looks to be unfenced and there seems to be a low wall at the back leading to a drop? You need very clear rules for the dcs and a way of securing the access doors to the pool at night in case they fancy an early swim before you get up. You can get door wedge alarms which it might be worth buying to secure the exit doors. They are only a few quid.
Hope you have a great holiday. It looks amazing!

@Skippedthelightfandango I will absolutely look into the door alarms thankyou

Take a sharp knife, can opener, bottle opener and some decent scissors in your hold luggage. Although sufficient cutlery is usually provided, the sharp knife often isn't. And the other things have often been accidently packed and removed by previous guests.
Agree with the PP poster about extension gangs. Makes such a difference

Villa holidays are the best.

we love swimming in the evenings but there can be some mosquitoes around so we take bands and plug ins and citronella tea lights for sitting outside in the evening.
our villa was remote so we had a music speaker but these aren’t allowed in some places.

we took some laundry pods as well and washed the towels everyday. Ours came with shower towels and outside towels.

we also end up buying a pump everytime for inflatables for the pool so I’m taking a battery operated one this year. Although this year we are in a holiday house on a domaine in France with three shared pools so we are taking a large inflatable paddling pool for DD to cool down and play to have In the garden.

we did pastries, fruit and yoghurt breakfasts and lots of early swims in the morning. We had a cold lunch except when DH decided to BBQ when it was 40 degrees.

then we went out around five for drives to explore the island- we were in Ibiza. We went somewhere different every evening for an evening beach swim or meal.

enjoy!!! You’ll have the best time.

I'd pack iron rations in hold luggage, don't rely on a Welcome Pack. Nothing worse than having no food or drink if flight is delayed or arrives after shops have closed.

A sharp kitchen knife is also a good idea

OP sounds like a fab trip enjoy.

I often smile at some of the suggestions on similar threads (not this one though, they are sensible enough).

I've often thought that the best thing to do is take a kitchen cupboard full of food, a kitchen drawer full of utensils, dismantle the kitchen sink and bring it, and all the stuff that's usually underneath, together with the contents of the bathroom, airing cupboard and laundry room. It's the easiest thing to do, then all eventualities are taken care off. That is a lighthearted comment. 😄

Wow its gorgeous! Enjoy!
Yes take first aid kit, extra supplies for the kids and to cope with the in-laws get lots if duty free booze! I drank 2 bottles of a peril sprite over 2 weeks to cope with mine!!

Also get them on o babysit a couple of nights so you can relax with your partner alone! Xxx

Small jar of marmite (if you like it!) and agree to teabags and coffee for when you arrive.
Stunning find of a villa!

Do people realise there are shops there ?
We have done loads of villa holidays and bring nothing except clothes !
If you can pay for the villa you can afford to buy bin liners etc when you get there 😎!

Gorgeous villa. I would say tea bags (but I am a tea monster) and a sharp kitchen knife as usually they are crap.
If it has a dishwasher and/or you are inclined to wash, I would suggest some pods because otherwise you're likely to buy a pack which is ££s. Sometimes people or hosts leave them, but never enough IMO - in the heat you likely need to run the dishwasher every day to deter the ant beasts.

Looks lovely but not sure why you need tips especially as you have already said it’s near shops. Which can be a problem.
Nothing worse than arriving to one tea bag and there’s no shops

We villa holiday every year and whilst this has never happened to us it is happening more and more these days.
Make sure the owners are the real owners and it’s not all a scam. They do happen. Ask for guarantees from the letting agents if you haven’t booked direct and make sure you are insured.

Agree with @AiryFairy1 never forget the marmite.

Good luck getting a sharp knife through airport security 😅

It looks lovely, you will have a fab time, and don't worry too much about anything. I'm not sure what time of year you are going. I only say this as we went to Majorca and hired a really lovely villa. to go in the Easter hols, private pool, 4 children, and we had really horrendous weather, howling winds, driving rain etc. The wifi that we were all hoping for did not work, but I had taken a USB stick with some films on, and that kept them amused for some of the time, and at night we played cards and charades. It was not the holiday we envisaged at all (although the kids still say it is up there with the best due to the adversity) and we still sometimes laugh at the memories. Also, eating out with many is difficult, and we enjoyed more a meal in on occasions. Have a great holiday xx

It looks lovely. I don't want to be a negative Nelly but I'd be slightly concerned about security as there looks to be direct access to the marina and no sign of a gate so make sure you lock up when you go out or if someone is there on their own you don't have all the doors open, etc. If you take expensive tech is there a safe?

Nothing helpful to add OP except to say what a fabulous looking villa! Have a lovely holiday 😀

How much is it, OP? Are you going in the school holidays? Can't see prices on listing.

A decent knife
Penknife
some proper closing tupperware containers
Ice packs for the freezer. Take them defrosted in a bag or container in your hold luggage
Tea/tea bags

Enquire if the villa has pool/beach towels. If not take your own.

Some pool toys, diving sticks, balls

One thing about Majorca - you won't find a lot of fresh milk, most is UHT and fresh milk is longer lasting and taste different. DD always stopped drinking milk or eating cereals but loved their yoghurts. DH went off tea as well most of the time.

Wow that villa is beautiful!
r.e. a sharp knife - rather than pack a knife I take a knife sharpener. Less risk of damage to your luggage and also you earn good karma points by leaving their knives sharper for the next guests! 😁
I also always pack a Bluetooth speaker for music, but then I can’t survive more than a few hours without music so that’s probably just me!

When I stay in a villa, I always take;

A green washing scrubber sponge
Fairly liquid in a small travel bottle
Dishwasher tablets for as many days as I am going
Washing powder (in case they leave me a bit, I don't want to buy more)
A small ziplock bag of stain remover e.g. vanish
Large sturdy shopping bags e.g. Ikea ones to use for shopping/ beach

Aside from this I would wait till you get there and then go do a shop. There are always loads of Aldis in Spain and they are much better than ours. Take a look at the coffee machine and make a note of any pods they use, then buy in shop. They will probably be Aldi/ Lidl dupes of Nespresso or similar.

Take a cool bag so you can take out drinks or snacks when you go out. If your DC can't live without their favourite brand of something e.g. Nutella, Peanut butter...take a jar.

Watch that pool. I am surprised it doesn't have a clear screen around it with a locked gate. Make sure you use the safe for your valuables.

Having done lots of villa holidays (they are the best) I find that the only thing you really need to take are a couple of dishwasher tabs and washing machine tabs if you will be using them.
Most villas have everything and store cupboard ingredients and the owners are always super helpful if you need anything else.

Don't be afraid to contact the owners if anything happens and you need anything fixing or you need a sharp knife.

Actually the only other thing we take is our own inflatables as the ones on sale nearby are always really expensive, and you can buy stuff in asda or home bargains a lot cheaper. You can then leave them there (and there will probably be others that have been left) or deflate them and bring them home.

Have fun that villla looks amazing and you will love Mallorca.

edited to say we usually take some favourite DVD's for the dvd player in the living room to keep the kids out of the sun for a bit too.