Lindsay Gregory a lass from my neck of the woods in the UK, now, like me, a long term resident of Andalucia. Lindsay is the curator of The Luxury Villa Collection (LVC) and joined me in an interview about the gorgeous properties in their portfolio. You only need to surf her website´s pages and I´m sure you´ll agree there are some fabulous villas to rent in this beautiful part of Spain.
The Luxury Villa Collection covers the whole of mainland Spain and its islands but as Andalucia is home and the birthplace of LVC that´s what we are focusing on. Join us in our Q&A session and don´t forget to pop over to see some of these absolutely fabulous places to stay.
Interview Questions – The Luxury Villa Collection – Lindsay
Me: Can you introduce yourself and LVC to us please?
I run The Luxury Villa Collection, which is a boutique travel agency renting out private villas with pools and concierge services.
We go out and find beautiful private homes all over Spain and turn them into the holiday of a lifetime by adding things like Michelin star chefs, food and wine experiences, tours and activities. Our villas mostly attract professional families, and we’ve also welcomed famous names like Michael Bloomberg, James Dolan and Christian Ronaldo.
When did the idea for the LVC come you?
I created the business after spending a few years in the corporate mayhem with Virgin, First Choice and then Tui, as I wanted to get back to basics and work directly with owners and clients. I wanted to show off everything I love about Spain and within the next 5 years we aim to be THE reference for luxury self-catering rentals in Spain, with 200 villas, Cortijos and Haciendas across the mainland and the islands.
What’s your personal definition of the term luxury/luxury life?
Luxury to me is not about things, it´s about people and shared experiences. Sharing a lovingly- prepared authentic Paella by the pool is just as luxurious to me as a 5-course taster menu in a fancy restaurant. After the pandemic, luxury is more about the little things we have previously taken for granted, which don’t need to cost the earth.
You have strict requisites for the villas that you accept, have these always been the same?
Our business has grown a lot in the last 2 years, so we have to be more judicious about what we take on, purely because of the time factor. I love working with villas that need some TLC when I can see their potential, but realistically we need to be bringing in villas that are good to go as we have clients keen to book.
What makes The Luxury Villa Collection unique?
We specialise in Spain and we know the destinations we offer very well; we don’t get distracted by trying to throw in the French Riviera or Caribbean! We also hand-pick and personally visit each and every villa so we know the owners, we understand what we are working with, and how our guests might enjoy the space.
Have there been any changes since you began to today´s clients expectations?
During 2020 people were incredibly tolerant, but I think the time is up on that now. Clients expect offices to be open and people on the end of the phone. If villas have any unexpcted maintenance issues our guests have far less patience now, even if the plumber does have covid!
Can you pick a perfect villa for each season for a multi-generational family goup of 10?
Winter – Villa Espace
Spring – Casa Miralago
Summer – Villa Siroko
Autumn – Villa Chantay
How many villas have you in the LVC collection presently? Do you know them all personally?
72 and yes, I know them all apart from maybe 3 or 4 that my colleague visited instead as I was stuck in the UK.
Have you a personal favourite villa? What makes it special for you?
I love a fabulous views which include some greenery, so one of my favourite places is El Madronal in Benahavis, overlooking Marbella – my favourite villa being Villa Cezanne. My other top choice would be Villa Bahia in Santander – Cantabria is like being back home in rural yorkshire!
Is there anything else you would say to prospective clients as to why they should book with LVC?
We are real humans; we don’t scrape listings from other websites or offer villas we know nothing about. We also have full legal credentials and real people behind the scenes running our concierge desk to help with all aspects of your stay.
Find out more about Lindsay, her colleagues but most importantly her wonderful collection of villas to rent – The Luxury Villa Collection.
All images @www.theluxuryvillacollection
To see where to eat near the villas see the Spain´s Michelin Star Restaurant post.
Luxury Spain Travel 