James Villas Reviews 

I was so disappointed when I got email that my booked villa was canceled without any reason ..our holiday is near and it's quite stressing now to find a new one in the place where we willing to stay because tickets already booked . We were suggested other villa about 5 e more expensive, shared pool and nearest neighbors was 10 m away as we wanted total privicy ...never going to deal with James villas again

Currently staying in a James Villa property in Greece. We had a problem with our villa yesterday that was eventually resolved with help of locals and wasn’t major BUT, the James Villa contact number was completely unresponsive. Not just no answer, the number was not valid and had no subscriber. If there had been a real problem what would we have done?
Since booking our holiday (through Booking.com) with no problem, any subsequent dealings with James have been at best functional but more often unsatisfactory and as yesterday, completely useless.

The villa itself was fine, not luxurious by any means but had all the basics necessary for our holiday. Some of the facilities were very tired, for example both the showers could do with updating - they are both the tiny enclosures that are quite claustrophobic, and you bang your head when bending down to piick up toiletries, despite there being enough room for a more modern larger rectangular tray, and the pressure in the en suite in the twin room was insufficient to get a decent shower, never mind wash my hair! Villa description contains errors - if you are expecting to find the promised dishwasher you'll be disappointed. There is a lovely jacuzzi style pool that feeds into the main pool via a waterfall, but the pump / filter turned off at 1.45 every day rendering it pretty useless in the afternoon / evening and also meant the water in the main pool was still, and therefore got very warm. We didn't see sight nor sound of the owner who supposedly lives next door to try and get this changed. James Villas instruction re car collection at Paphos airport very outdated - we traipsed across the carpark in blistering heat complete with luggage to be greeted with a closed office so had to head back to the terminal to go to the main office of the rental agency who informed us office in carpark has been closed since covid. I don't think it's unreasonable to expect clear and accurate info. There were 4 sunloungers at the property, all with metal frames which heat up in the sun and burnt you unless you put 2 layers of towels on them, and 2 were torn, 1 very badly which looked very scruffy. Safe didn't work either despite us following the instructions. Lots of local wildlife, loved the lizards and dragonflies, but less keen on the cockroaches and spiders, particularly when they were indoors. Need to keep the plugs in the showers and sinks! Tipsy turtle is closest restaurant / bar and does a nice breakfast. Fly again (walking towards Polis) serves nice food in the evening, particularly the curries. The drive up to the property is very steep, and reversing out is pretty dangerous as you can't see what's coming at all. You need to drive up it fast and confidently in 1st gear and reverse very slowly, and be prepared for the underside of your car to scrape badly on the ground. (Glad it was a hire car and not our own!!) In summary, I did expect more from James Villas - we have used booking.com, Tui and independent direct bookings staying in various locations. The villa was perfectly adequate, but really expected something a bit more special.

Villa Hodor, Podstrana - (also called Villa View 4 You) 13-18 May 2023


We were a family party of 12, looking forward to spending some quality time together after losing grandparents and parents in the previous year. We were also celebrating 2 birthdays. We chose Villa Hodor as it was described as a "luxury" villa in James Villas' brochure but unfortunately this description was erroneous.

On the day of our arrival, the owner did not meet us at the villa to show us around. We had to collect the keys from his hotel enroute and were unexpectedly charged an additional 446.88 euros for "local taxes and insurance."

Then we had a stressful 10 minute drive up a single track road with hairpin bends every 50m and long drops to the side. The advice from James Villas that you would need a car due to the last 200m being unmade road is misleading as the villa cannot be reached on foot and drivers need nerves of steel!
When we finally reached the villa, it was pouring with rain and the slippery marble stairs leading down from the car park were unlit. The other staircases were equally as hazardous. It was amazing that no-one had a serious accident. Not great for an 84 year old and a heavily pregnant lady either!
Over the next few days, the villa became very unsafe for occupation as water poured through the fuse box leading to a loss of electricity. Also there were exposed wires in the electrical socket in the shower area making it unsafe to use the shower and water was dripping through the extractor fans.
There was no heating or hot water at this point and a tradesman who supposedly came to fix these issues, left the drain open so that we then had no water at all. The fire brigade were called to fill up the water tank with a bowser! Half of our party had decamped to hotels for at least one night in order to seek safety, have a hot shower, access to a flushing toilet and dry accommodation.
Throughout there was no heating; most showers and sinks had only cold water. A few showers had lukewarm water.
Only one kitchen was usable. The remainder had no working equipment and initially there was no serviceable dishwasher. One dishwasher had mouldy crockery and glasses inside.
James Villas continue to advertise a children's play area. This is no longer there. You can see the remnants in a pile alongside the villa! The pizza oven did not work and the leisure equipment was either broken or missing.

After 2 days of phone calls, we were allocated an alternative villa in Makarska on the 6th day of our holiday. The accommodation and owner were fantastic. However half of our party had to return, as planned, to the UK because of work commitments so these new arrangements were of little benefit to them.

In summary, there was a severe failing on James Villas' behalf. Someone should have inspected this villa as it was clearly unfit for hire.
Disappointingly James Villas has failed to respond to our complaint in the statutory time,
We are posting a review to pre-warn anyone thinking of hiring Villa Hodor or Villa Horror as we now call it.
UPDATE IN RESPONSE TO JAMES VILLAS' REPLY DATED 21/07/23
Our complaint is being referred to ABTA and we continue to await a formal response to our complaint from James Villas. Hardly the actions of people who are happy with efforts to resolve problems and hardly the actions of people who were happy with the customer service whilst we endured our curtailed stay at the Villa Hodor which was unfit for purpose, hazardous and should never have been hired out.

Absolute joke of a company booked and paid for a Villa 4 months ago yet they didn’t confirm it at all with the owner flights booked and everything only found out a week before they had not confirmed it with the Villa.

Went with them as they are well known reputable offered refund of Villa only totally stuck!

The 2 villas we visited have been excellent. However a broken fencepost at our last destination caused damage to our hire car. However as we were fully insured, no harm was done.

The booking experience has been made more complicated by withdrawing flight booking and car hire from your sites, meaning a lot of time spent arranging these things separately. Also we found that your check in dates were not always compatible with UK flights, meaning we have to arrive and leave a day earlier for our next stay, losing a day in our villa and costing a night in a hotel when we arrive, so not ideal

The location of this villa was perfect for a quiet get-away. It was less than a five minute walk to the beach, yet set back so there was no passing traffic. The living area was spacious and nicely set out for a group holiday with a big open kitchen (well equipped) and an open lounge area. Outside was a very pleasant place to spend time, lots of sun lounger space and easy to choose sun or shade. There was a large garden area but we mainly kept to the pool and patio. The balcony was a great place to sit in the evening and watch the sunset over the Med.
The aircon worked well so we were able to chill the bedrooms and then turn it off for a silent sleep. The ultimate test of a place is 'would we return?'. We were all a definite 'Yes' until we thought about how hard the beds were. I would wake up in the morning with stiffness in my ribs (I haven't had this before or since). It didn't stop me sleeping and it wore off after a few minutes but I can only put it down to the firmness of the mattresses. Maybe I'm getting older but I didn't have any issues in the hotels we stayed in on the way and on the way home. Otherwise, the villa and location were just perfect.

I have been on several holidays with James Villas and firstly they are much better than a certain other villa company.

However when things go wrong thats when it counts. Sadly they were not up to scratch.

After Christmas we stayed in Villa Yesenia in Lanzarote. This was one of their signature villas, so not cheap at all. Not up to par pool not heated pretty standard villa but not a standard price at all.

Last evening of holiday we had a water leak by leak I mean full water pressure out of wall, waterfall down the stairs type event. I called James Villas as we had no contact with any one since entering the villa. This was another issue. Eventually after an hour I received a call from the villa management.

Promised a call back received nothing basically our last evening was ruined. Okay they did give us a voucher for £200 but this has to be spent with them this was for the villa issues not leak. Never received any apology regarding the leak.

So better than some could do much better.

Would I book again hmmm.

I sent James villas an email about,,,VILLA INAKI playa blanca in lanzarote when we got home to England,,,,,,
It is advertised as a villa...it is not,...it is 2 apartments on the ground floor of the owners villa ,,,,u r totally overlooked ,,,
There is no in built bbq ,,,it was filthy and concrete lego in a bit of a garden full of cigarette butts and filters , broken bottle and a half take away carton of rice !!!!
Every morning we had the flip flop cockroach run ,,,,really not good .sun bed cushions stained,I forgot to tell u the other issues ..there were so many
Christine veitch

Just stayed in Villa Caterina in a Son Bou, amazing villa with spectacular views.

Villa was lovely and clean on arrival, we couldn’t find the W2M area at airport and when asked for help got told to go to exit so arrived at Villa with no access but luckily cleaners still there to allow us access (don’t think the airport staff member understand) had to phone up help desk which they were very helpful

Bathrooms and rooms all made up on arrival and very clean, en-suite shower does take some time to drain off

Pool lovely temp and plenty of room/beds outside (there was 8 of us)

We would all recommend the villa and staying in Son Bou (there is a path for access than runs up side of villa or can walk up from end round bend)

Only downfall is the villa doesn’t get cleaned on your stay so have to wash bedding/towels yourself, villas I have stayed in past have always had bedding/towel changes at least once or twice a week (maybe cost cutting)

Kitchen fully stocked with plenty cups, plates etc, I’d take your own tea/coffee etc as none provided on arrival, there are about 4 little supermarkets all within 6 mins walk so easily can stock up kitchen, just if your flight later shops shut at 10 so maybe idea to take own tea/coffee.

We went on the Wednesday island tour booked with travel shop in centre near big hotel for €32 each great way to see island and Raphael the tour guide very friendly and knowledgable

Literally less than 25 mins from airport

Lots of lovely places to grab food and drinks, would recommend Las Dunas for their chicken hanging kebabs

We booked Villa Leo in Denia for a week from 27th May until 3rd June. We had the most awful experience and had to move out less than 24 hours after we arrived.
All the beds were damp and we had to sleep on the sofa with a blanket out of our car. We sent a message to the agent on the first night of our stay at 1.00am and we did not get a response from them until two days later when we had already vacated the property. We also did not hear from James Villas until 3.00pm the next day and again we had already vacated the property. The agent and James Villas are totally refusing to compensate us for our total inconvenience and having to arrange alternative accommodation which was very costly. We have no dispute that the property had been cleaned for our arrival but nobody should be expected to sleep in damp beds. Absolutely disgraceful service from all concerned.
The agent admitted that due to the weather conditions the area was humid but again how do they expect us to sleep in beds when we were cold and damp.
This property should be avoided at all times as it is not fit for purpose. Also the photos on the web site must have been taken many years ago as they do not portray the villas actual condition. It is in need of a total revamp and on need of attention.

Awful experience, never again with James Villa, the villas are misrepresented on their website. We called the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline. If you have been deceived by James Villa you can do a chargeback or Section 75 claim (or both) with your debit or credit card company, as it's free and they will fight for you to get your refund. You can read on Moneysavingexpert how to do a chargeback or S.75 claim against Villa James, as they otherwise wash their hands of it. They have a duty of care to make sure the villas are as described and the service corresponds to what they promised, or they are in breach of contract. Don't be fooled by their disclaimer that they are only a broker and you need to deal with the agency abroad that manages the villa, as this is false. James Villa are responsible if they misrepresent what they sell.

ONE STAR SEEMS THE NORM !!
Villa Acomari in Playa Blanca Lanzerote
We stayed at this villa from 22nd – 29th June 2023
We booked our stay through James Villas.
DO NOT EXPECT THE VILLA TO LOOK LIKE THE PHOTOS .. THEY ARE FAKE!!
The excuse of "We are just the letting agent" is a cop out .. JAMES VILLAS are responsible to enusre that the information and photos given are correct and not giving a false impression of a place just to get a booking and take peoples money !!
The villa itself is was cleaned when we arrived, we thought it was well laid out, all on one level, like a bungalow, there is a lounge area, air con, with two, two seater FABRIC sofas that have seen better days, a dining area, (table and 6 chairs), The kitchen has a small table and chairs, and a couple of small side rooms where stuff is stored, pans, coffee machine, microwave, toaster (the one while we were there would pop up every 10 seconds, so took ages to do a few rounds of toast)
There are three good sized bedrooms, all air con, main with en-suite .. good amount of wardrobe space in each room, the main bedroom wardrobe has a safe, but you have to kneel down and reach as its right at the back, just above floor level.
There are patio doors leading to a walkway at the side of the villa, the view from the bed was the wall of the villa next door.
The bathroom has a shower over the bath, with a framed sliding screen (mind your head if you are tall) .. however, the shower leaves a lot to be desired, doesn’t look like the head has been cleaned for a while, so does not give a good spray .. Also, be careful as there is no shower anti-slip mat .. the cold water in the sink is just above a dribble, very slow ..
There is a shower room further down the passage, presumed for the other two bedrooms, this shower, in our view, was dangerous, the shower tray is badly fitted and there is not a lot of support underneath it, so if you move about or turn around, the tray feels like sponge as it moves up and down under your feet and is very slippery, someone unstable could easily fall in here and injure themselves … again the shower head needs a good clean..
The towels have seen better days, especially the pool towels, obviously left by previous renters and now used for future renters, they are old, thin, printed souvenir towels !!
There is a laundry room at the back, past the barbecue area, there is a washing line (2 wires) outside.
The pool area is quite small, but adequate if you just want a plunge to cool off, but, the water is warm so the outdoor shower maybe a better bet to cool off ..
Be warned though, the steps into the pool have been moved from the side (by the shower) where it is shallowest, to the end where its deepest, so there is a big drop off from the last step, that means that these steps are now inadequate for this pool …
The patio area has 6 sunbeds .. BUT during our stay we hardly used them as we found that everyone to be broken, old, badly stained and dilapidated ..
There are two outdoor eating areas should you want to eat alfresco with the annoying flies, ants and mozzies ..
The instructions we got about the villa, alarm code, use of TV etc, obviously haven’t been updated for a while as the Alarm setting instruction was wrong, the TV instructions referred to a different make of TV, there is a Wii games console (No games), a DVD player (No DVD’s) a CD player (No CD’s) .. all pretty pointless in my view!!

WORDS OF CAUTION: We were caught out by what in affect is “False Advertising” this is due to the photos of the villa being all wrong and out of date, the do not depict this villa as it is now.
There are no leather sofas, no nice striped sunbeds, no white dining chairs, no ratan chairs outside, the barbecue area does not look like that now, the pool steps have been moved, the photos were obviously taken when the villa was first put up for rental, but its totally different now, so we felt a fair bit of disappointment at getting the wrong impression!!

In reflection, I was wondering, when was the last time James Villas actually visited this villa and checked its safety, took new pictures, checked and amended their instructions and information??
During our stay, we saw no rep, never had a call to check if all was okay, where is the customer service element, I wonder??
This was our first time we have used JAMES VILLAS, not a good first impression, no one likes to feel duped !!

We booked Villa Salar in Lanzarote with James Villas, do not book with them, avoid this villa and avoid James Villas like the plague. Irresponsible James Villas don't check these villas. If they are substandard James Villas are negligent, yet they trick you with their clauses denying responsibility. There is no Rep with James Villas, so you have to deal with the local maintenance agency yourself. Beware, when things go wrong James Villas refuse to refund you. They don't serve any purpose, they offer no protection in case of issues, so book elsewhere.

Firstly, we couldn’t use one of the bedrooms of Villa Salar as it had a putrid smell like something decomposing, surely something or more likely someone had died in there.
As we arrived, most of the instructions from James Villas were old and incorrect, so for example we couldn't set the security alarm. The next day we had to wait for maintenance who said the alarm had been changed a year ago.
We then had to wait 3 days for other people to come and do an ozone treatment in the putrid bedroom as the smell was awful and it was stinking the whole corridor. The horrible smell didn’t go away even after the ozone treatment, as the mattresses still had a foul smell and at that point there was also a toxic smell of ozone in the room like strong chlorine smell, so the room was unusable the whole week. It was a very disturbing experience.

There's satellite tv but no UK channels, just few news channels, so nothing to watch in the evening. You can't stream video either as the internet is capped.
People see you from the street when you're in the pool area so you have no privacy. There is drilling noise morning and evening from buildings across the street and loud people from neighbouring villas.
The bathroom downstairs is so tiny and crammed the toilet seat is almost attached to the shower door and the rail for your towel is outside the bathroom in the corridor!!!
There's like cameras in the bedrooms and living room, and this could be for the security alarm but it's weird, like someone watching you all the time. We had to clean the cobwebs from the ceiling ourselves and our sheets had rust stains. The table tennis bats are broken so you can't play, even though it takes only few euros to replace them. The washing machine took ages to start, and when it did it only washed at 60 degrees; the iron had a UK plug but no adaptor.Atrocius, nobody cares about the customers renting the villa.
We wasted days staying in due to these issues. We were promised a technician who never came about the TV.
James Villas breached our contract, ruined our holiday and yet refuse responsibility by saying they are just the middle man, but this is not true as they have a duty of care. They also should be stripped of ABTA membership, which anyway doesn't protect clients because booking a villa is not a package holiday. We are taking legal action through the Small Claims Court and won't stop until we get compensation.

Friendly member of staff. Phone answered quickly.

Very smooth with booking and information about payment

Be very careful, any issues with the property ,james villas have a clause in the t&cs , that they are not responsible!!
customer service is non existent
There are much better villa holidays out there do not get stung like we have

Been going on holiday with this company for years and have always found them to be very professional, friendly and helpful.

Never ever will I attempt to use this company again . I didn't want to risk making the booking online so i phoned and booked with an advisor. Stressed the point that I had flights etc ready to accept and wanted them to check availability. I was told if we made immediate deposit the villa was free and would be reserved . Instead I paid in full there and then and was given assurance we had secured the villa .
So I then confirmed flights, car hire etc.
We received a email approx 10 mins later from James villas with documentation confirming the villa was booked and fully paid.
10 mins later email to call them .....the villa was not available !!
As you can imagine ..I'm livid
Spoke to a supervisor the next day , not particularly fussed . I said there was another villa I would settle for .. they said they would meet 50% of the extra and I would have to pay £ 200 .
Their inferior service and I have to pay extra for the privilege of using a villa I didn't want in the first place ?
I will never entertain using this shambles again

They don’t deserve one star… first holiday abroad in years and I presumed James Villa’s might be the best of the bunch… after confirming our booking for a 4 bedroom villa in Cyprus I spent 2000 on flights to be told 5 days after paying our deposit that it was already booked! They found us an alternative villa… 1 bedroom less than we had booked, nowhere near the beach as we had booked and a car was a necessity instead of optional as we had booked! Disgusting…! Usually when things go wrong a company goes above and beyond to sort… an upgrade perhaps.. a slightly better villa even if it was to perhaps cost a bit extra…. James Villa’s want you to make do!! When you book a villa where a car isn’t necessary then they want to pop you in the middle of nowhere… oh and they no longer provide car hire! It might be an idea not to sell villa holidays without checking with the villa manager to see if it’s still available prior to taking deposits?!! I’m now stuck with flights and still to find alternative accommodation! Poor customer service.