Carolyn Grote, Ville et Village, Berkeley, California
200 properties (low season, $1,000-$10,000; high season, $1,200-$16,000).
Overall portfolio: $
Grote's villas exude history and authenticity—which means you should not expect all the comforts of home. In traditional Provençal houses, for instance, headboards are uncommon: "Provençal bedrooms usually have a more spare, Mediterranean style." Another rarity is fancy gardens: "Some clients dislike the look of a gravel courtyard and expect a manicured lawn or a concrete patio." The advantage of such authenticity? Your villa's owners may live nearby and take you to a local antiques market or to the annual cherry harvest (510-559-8080; rentals@villeetvillage(.com; villeetvillage.com).

Evan Wood, Homes Away, Toronto
42 properties (low season, $6,600-$21,750; high season, $7,900-$40,000).
Overall portfolio: $$$
Wood hunts down properties with character and authenticity. Each villa includes a local host—an English-speaking longtime resident of the region who is eager to share insider advice and the hidden gems that you might otherwise miss. The host can recommend restaurants, make reservations, take you to a favorite winery or market, and arrange special events (pig roast, anyone?). Homes Away's steep rates reflect the assistance you get not only from the host but also from the housekeeper (all properties are cleaned daily)—not to mention the attention to detail in the house book, which covers everything from how to ask "Do you have this in a size forty-four?" to ways to identify a hand-rolled baguette (800-374-6637; evan@homesaway.com; homesaway.com).

Paris
Gail Boisclair, PerfectlyParis, Paris
38 properties (low season, $950-$2,430; high season, $950-$2,430).
Overall (portfolio: $
Boisclair's listings are all in or near the artsy Montmartre neighborhood, where she herself has lived for eight years. Most of the cozy apartments are in turn-of-the-century buildings with old-world charm. You won't mistake your stay for one at the Ritz, but the small size of Boisclair's portfolio allows her to provide personal service—she might be the one to greet you when you arrive at your flat. In keeping with her budget-friendly focus, Boisclair includes Métro stations along with cafés and restaurants as required nearby amenities for her listings (33-1-44-92-00-84; gail@perfectlyparis.com; perfectlyparis.com).

GREAT BRITAIN
Suzanne B. Cohen, Suzanne B. Cohen & Associates, Hallowell, Maine
418 properties (low season, $639-$8,750; high season, $925-$12,210).
Overall (portfolio: $
The two-night minimum for Cohen's collection—which ranges from manor houses to lighthouses to flats in London and Bath—is welcome news to anyone interested in getting a brief taste of villa renting before committing to a full week. She will steer you around the pitfalls, from homes with no shower curtains (or no showers at all) to traffic fines: "Don't park on the double yellow line even if everyone else has" (207-622-0743; suzanne@villaeurope(.com; villaeurope.com).