Establish net versus gross.
Ask outright whether the rate includes tax and service, or whether those are added later. A net rate looks cheaper and is not. This one question reorders most shortlists.
The headline week is one number, and it hides at least six. Here is how to read past the big figure to the all-in cost you will actually pay.
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A villa rate card shows you one confident number, say $35,000 a week, and quietly leaves out six others. There is the tourist tax, the service charge, the chef food, the transfers, the utilities a few houses still meter, and the security deposit. By the time those land, a $35,000 week is a $44,000 week, and nobody lied to you. They just let the headline do the talking. Reading the card properly is how you compare two houses on the same basis.
The first thing to settle is whether the rate is net or gross. A net rate excludes tax and fees that get added later. A gross rate includes them. Two quotes are not comparable until you know which is which.
How to turn a glossy quote into a number you can actually compare.
Ask outright whether the rate includes tax and service, or whether those are added later. A net rate looks cheaper and is not. This one question reorders most shortlists.
Get the inclusions in writing: staff, daily housekeeping, pool and garden upkeep, and whether a cook or chef is part of the rate. Our guide to booking a villa with staff shows what a real staffing line should name.
The usual extras are chef food, transfers, and sometimes utilities on remote or off-grid houses. Ask for each as a line, not a hand-wave. Chef food in particular is its own budget, covered in how villa private chefs work.
Tourist or occupancy tax and a service charge are common and often excluded from the headline. Tie each to a named rate so you know it is real and not a padding line. These are usually small, but they belong in the total.
The booking deposit, the security hold, and the cancellation tiers all sit on the rate card or its attachment. Know the refund schedule before you pay. Our note on splitting villa costs with a group matters here if you are not paying alone.
Add the rate, the tax, the service charge, the chef food estimate, the transfers, and the gratuity you plan to leave. That figure, not the headline, is what you are comparing house to house.
Where each line usually sits. Always confirm, because houses differ.
| Line item | Usually included | Usually extra |
|---|---|---|
| Core staff and housekeeping | Yes | Sometimes on smaller houses |
| Private chef labour | Sometimes | Often an add-on |
| Chef food and provisioning | No | Yes, billed at cost plus a margin |
| Tourist or occupancy tax | Rarely | Usually added |
| Airport transfers | Sometimes | Often quoted separately |
| Security deposit | No | Held and refundable |
We would have every rate card show a single all-in figure beside the headline, the way a clear restaurant shows the price with service included. The split exists because the headline is the marketing and the extras are the reality. The worst offender is the bundled quote that refuses to itemise, because a bundle you cannot break apart is a bundle you cannot compare or negotiate. Ask for the lines. A house with clean books will send them in an hour. A house that stalls is telling you something. For where the headline can move, see our note on the wider villa rental red flags.
It is the quote sheet for a villa week, showing the headline rate and, ideally, the taxes, fees, inclusions, and extras. Read past the big number to the all-in cost before you compare houses.
A net rate excludes taxes and service charges that are added later. A gross rate includes them. Always confirm which you are looking at, because the two are not directly comparable.
Chef food and provisioning, airport transfers, tourist or occupancy tax, a service charge, and sometimes utilities on remote houses. The security deposit is held separately and refundable.
Sometimes the chef’s labour is included while the food is always extra, and sometimes the chef is an add-on entirely. Get the chef line itemised so you can see exactly what the rate covers.
Reduce both to a single all-in number: rate plus tax, service, chef food, transfers, and planned gratuity. Comparing headline to headline is how houses with extra extras win unfairly.
The deposit amount, the security hold, and the cancellation tiers. Know what is refundable and on what schedule before any money leaves your account.
The buyer’s guide includes the rate-card decoder, the all-in cost worksheet, and the list of extras brokers leave off the headline. Free. We trade it for an email.
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