Guide for Luxury Villas
Understanding Cancellation Terms
The good news? While villa rentals operate differently from hotels, the process...
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Luxury travel in 2026 is not shaped by magazines or algorithms, but by those who book it.
At My Private Villas, we analyse villa search requests across the destinations our clients consider, ranking each by genuine demand. What follows is a clear view of where the world’s most discerning travellers are directing their attention. The answer, as ever, begins in Europe.
Europe Still Leads
With Subtle Shifts Beneath the Surface
Europe accounts for over 80% of all luxury villa search requests recorded by My Private Villas. That dominance is not new. What is worth noting is the depth of it.
Within that share, three countries — Italy, France, and Spain — collectively represent the majority of European demand. Italy alone commands the largest single share of any country in our data. Within Italy, four regions stand out consistently: Tuscany, Lake Como, the Amalfi Coast, and Apulia. Tuscany accounts for nearly 20% of all European requests, making it the single most requested region across our entire portfolio.
France follows, led by the Côte d’Azur and Provence, with the French Alps drawing a smaller but consistent winter audience. Spain’s Balearic Islands — principally Ibiza and Mallorca — represent the country’s strongest concentration of demand, accounting for nearly 15% of European requests on their own.
The Rankings
A Breakdown of European Demand
| Region | Country | European Request Share |
|---|---|---|
| Tuscany | Italy | 18.8% |
| Balearic Islands | Spain | 14.8% |
| Côte d’Azur | France | 11.8% |
| Lake Como | Italy | 11.1% |
| Amalfi Coast | Italy | 10.1% |
| Sardinia | Italy | 7.1% |
| Apulia | Italy | 6.9% |
| Cyclades Islands | Greece | 6.2% |
| Provence | France | 4.4% |
| Crete | Greece | 3.0% |
Greece deserves particular attention. While Italy and France draw the highest raw volumes, the Greek islands — primarily the Cyclades and Crete — represent a growing share of European villa rental enquiries. The combination of relative seclusion, exceptional light, and a slower pace of life continues to attract clients who have already experienced Tuscany and the Côte d’Azur and are ready for something that asks a little more of them.
Shifting West
Rising Demand in the Americas
The Americas account for approximately 16% of total villa requests — a meaningful share, and one that skews heavily towards the Caribbean and Central America.
Turks and Caicos alone represents nearly 28% of all Americas requests, making it the dominant Caribbean destination by a considerable margin. St Barths and the Dominican Republic follow, with St Barths — despite its smaller size and higher price point — holding a remarkably consistent 21% share of Caribbean demand.
Costa Rica is the standout story. Accounting for nearly 23% of Americas requests, it sits second only to Turks and Caicos across the entire continent. Client interest here is driven by a growing appetite for properties that combine privacy and natural setting — and Costa Rica, more than anywhere else in the Americas, delivers both.
| Region | Country | Americas Request Share |
|---|---|---|
| Turks and Caicos | Caribbean | 27.8% |
| Countrywide | Costa Rica | 22.9% |
| St Barths | Caribbean | 21.3% |
| Dominican Republic | Caribbean | 17.8% |
| Anguilla | Caribbean | 14.3% |
| Riviera Nayarit | Mexico | 11.9% |
Following the Client
How Origin Shapes Destination
The United States represents the largest single source of villa requests globally — accounting for 43.5% of all enquiries recorded by My Private Villas. The United Kingdom follows at 18.1%, with Italy, Mexico, and Brazil each contributing between 3% and 5% of total demand.
This client geography shapes destination demand in ways that are not always obvious. American clients over-index on Caribbean and Central American destinations relative to European clients, who tend to concentrate their interest closer to home. Understanding where clients come from is as important as knowing where they want to go. The two are rarely as separate as they seem.
Beyond Core Destinations
Africa and Asia Pacific Emerge
Africa and Asia Pacific together account for less than 6% of total requests — but the quality of interest in both regions is high.
In Africa, South Africa’s Cape Town and the Seychelles draw the strongest enquiry volumes, together representing over 70% of African requests. In Asia Pacific, Bali and Thailand dominate, with various Thai destinations — Koh Samui, Phuket, and the wider coast — splitting demand almost evenly alongside Bali.
These are not high-volume markets yet. But they attract a specific kind of traveller: one who has already experienced the flagship European destinations and is looking for something that requires a longer journey and a different kind of stillness.
Returning to the Same Place
What Repeat Bookings Reveal
Destination data tells one story. The properties that generate repeat bookings tell another.
Across the My Private Villas portfolio, a handful of properties stand out — not just for the volume of enquiries they attract, but for converting those enquiries into confirmed bookings, repeatedly.
Spirit of Son Fuster
10 Bedrooms – 20 Guests
From EUR 66,640 per week to price on request
View details| Property | Destination |
|---|---|
| Chianti Classico | Tuscany, Italy |
| Spirit of Son Fuster | Mallorca, Spain |
| Villa Breakwater Bellagio | Lake Como, Italy |
| Villa Spinalonga | Crete, Greece |
| Villa Osee | Lake Como |
What these properties share is not a single aesthetic or price point. What they share is specificity. Each one has a clear identity — a reason to choose it over every other villa in the same destination. Chianti Classico is rooted in the wine country that defines it. Spirit of Son Fuster carries the character of Mallorcan agrarian architecture. Villa Breakwater Bellagio sits on the shores of the most requested lake in our entire portfolio.
Villa Breakwater Bellagio
7 Bedrooms – 14 Guests
From EUR 38,000 per week to price on request
View detailsVilla Spinalonga places guests within sight of one of Crete’s most historically charged landmarks. A second group of properties — including Le Mas de Brunard in Provence, Villa Ostuni Art in Apulia, and San Lorenzo Mountain Lodge in the Alps — each recorded multiple bookings. Together they confirm what the destination data already suggests: clients are not simply choosing countries. They are choosing places that have something to say.
The properties that keep being chosen are those whose identity and setting could not be replicated elsewhere.
The Bigger Picture
What the Data Suggests
Outside Europe, the Caribbean remains the dominant alternative, particularly for American clients. And a quiet but consistent interest in Africa and Asia Pacific suggests that, for a small but growing group of travellers, distance is no longer a deterrent.
The data shows where travellers go. The reason they choose it remains their own.
Data drawn from My Private Villas’ proprietary client request database, accumulated across our global portfolio of villa enquiries.
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