Hi everyone.

First, I must say how much I am enjoying this site. I have spent the last few days perusing old posts and have to make a comment on the pleasant manner I find here. I usually read Lonely Planet and Fodors--they can be really mean!

Second, thank you to whomever posted the url for Sorrento Radio, I am truely enjoying it!

And for my question; I have travelled in Europe before, 3 times to Italy, but one was with a tour, and the other 2 times were with a friend (my husband is just not a traveller) and while we did stay in a hotel for a week or so at a time, thus experienced the "slow travel", I really want to try a longer stay, perhaps in a villa. So, when I look at the rental prices, and they say, for example, "sleeps 2, 385 Euro per week, slow season" does that mean 385. per person, or total? (I understand that there may be deposits, cleaning fees, certain things not covered etc) but in "hotel-land" the price quoted is always based on double occupancy, my point being here, that I will be travelling solo, and need to know what the price quoted is actually for

Sorry if that doesn't make a lot of sense, but some of the prices seem almost TOO reasonable, so I think it must be per person, but then some seem SO high that I think they cannot POSSIBLY mean per person, one would have to be Trump-esque to afford it.

Thank you for your help!
ShannonD

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Kim,

For vacation rentals the price is for the place for the week, not per person - at least that is how prices are usually listed. It should say if it is per person. And the huge difference in prices is due to many things: how luxurious the place is (some simple agritourism places are very inexpensive), if it is an apartment on a farm or a house on its own (apartments on farms or estates are much cheaper). If you will be on your own, you would probably enjoy an apartment on a farm or estate where the owners will be nearby and there are other tourists.

What kind of places are you looking at?

Shannon:

That's precisely one of the reasons why I started traveling slower -- more housing value for your money, if you will. Now 350 Euro sounds like a particularly inexpensive place, but in the off season values can e quite good. In general you get what you pay for and there's quite a range. It just depends upon your comfort level, what amenities you want, etc.

When staying in vacation rentals, I always rent cars. So if you take that into account when figuring out your budget and add it to your housing cost the total cost won't be as cheap.

Villa or house or apartment rentals are uniformly given as for the property, not per person, in my experience. Hotels or B&B's can give you single or double or triple or quad rates, and those are USUSALLY for the room, not per person. There are exceptions, but they will say so. I've never seen a villa/house/apartment priced in any way other than for the property as a whole, though, regardless of how many people, unless it means having to bring in extra beds or such.