Your indispensable guide to 48 rigorously vetted villa rental agents

The Report: Click here to view Wendy Perrin's Worldwide Guide to Affordable Villa Vacations

Worksheets: Click here to download "How to Identify the Right Villa Rental Agent" and "What You Need to Know Before You Arrive"

Audio Slideshow: Wendy Perrin finds a great villa deal in Jamaica

Below is a roster of villa rental agents whom I consider best qualified to match Condé Nast Traveler readers with properties. To compile the list, I created a 53-question application designed to assess a rental agent's competency, connections, and business practices.

We asked each agent to send a sample house book (that invaluable guide to a villa and its environs), sample driving directions and other preparatory information and questionnaires that they give clients, checklists they use to evaluate properties, and at least one client reference. After carefully combing through the materials, we interviewed the most promising rental agents by phone to evaluate their friendliness, honesty, and familiarity with the villas and regions they represent.

Only 48 agents made the cut. What separates the honorees from the also-rans? The best have personally visited all of the villas they represent and have slept in a good many of them. They re-inspect the properties at least annually. They speak the local language fluently. They handpick villas that have an authentic sense of place. And they themselves write or at least vet their house books, update them at least once a year, and fill them with insider tips. Some agents have a preponderance of modest cottages, others fairy-tale estates, and we've characterized their overall portfolios accordingly, from a single dollar sign ($) for the least expensive to four ($$$$), indicating generally very expensive accommodations. Unless otherwise noted, prices reflect the cost of a one-week rental. If you would like to nominate a villa rental agent for a future list or to comment on your experience with one of the agents listed below, please e-mail me at perrinfeedback@cntraveler.com.

CARIBBEAN

MULTIPLE ISLANDS

Janis Gibson, Villas Caribe, Atlanta
900 properties (low seasons, $1,750–$140,000; high season, $2,400–$140,000).
Overall portfolio: $$
Gibson has a vast property selection on 28 islands but offers the kind of customer service you'd find at a boutique agency. She'll pepper you with questions to ascertain which island best suits you, and if you happen to decide on one that she's less familiar with, you can speak to one of her colleagues who specializes in that location. You can also use the company's Web site for virtual tours of many of the properties and for an interactive villa locator map for each island (800-645-7498; janis@villascaribe.com; villascaribe.com).