Talk about being spoiled.
We have a chef, assistant chef, two butlers, two housekeepers, a lawn crew (there are beautifully landscaped grounds, the beach is meticulously raked) and a manager who oversees it all.
Our biggest decision is what we should do. Laze on the private beach, kayak, paddleboard, sail, snorkel, play ping pong or board games on the huge, covered patio?
Our other big decision is what we want to eat, prepared by a chef trained at the Culinary Institute of America. Jerk chicken or quinoa salad for lunch? Seafood or steak for dinner?
Just before the pandemic, I’d been invited to experience what more families wanted at the time – a more intimate vacation experience. While not inexpensive, vacation rentals, whether staffed or more do-it-yourself options, can prove a better value than gathering the family at a big resort.
Especially during the pandemic, families have been seeking private enclaves, often within resort settings with resort amenities, across the U.S., Caribbean and abroad. Others have sought private options on everything from raft trips to private yacht charters in Alaska, to a just-for-us guided trips to Yellowstone, among other places.
Jack Ezon, founder of EmbarkBeyond, notes that his company’s villa bookings are up about 38 percent above 2019. “The reason is not so much about isolation for hygiene anymore but more so for isolation to promote togetherness,” Ezon said. “People want to connect deeper than ever and reunite with family members or friends and finding a villa the perfect situation to do it in.”
