Your last vacation found you in a microscopic hotel room overlooking an air shaft. To think you could have had your own villa. When to rent instead of hoteling? When you want:

To Feel Like a Local
Dream living on the Amalfi Coast: Villa Sorrentina, with its lemon trees, languorous pool, and Capri views. Zip around on your Vespa then head back for an alfresco lunch under your loggia.

To Settle In by the Sea
Want the best (and most tricked out) beach house for sunset cocktails? Wimco will find it for you.

To Pig Out Fantastically
Pay $25 for room service berries? Feh. Go French foodie in a Provençal farmhouse. Buy fromage at the market — or arrange for a chef to make a fantastique bouillabaisse.

To Party Like It’s 1999
Where can you swim naked and dance into the wee hours? At Villa Hurmuses on Mykonos. The charming caretakers will never tell.

To Pack a Big Crew
For a more out-there house party (how many times can you guys go skiing?), head to Riad Farnatchi in Marrakech for Berber cuisine, beautiful handmade beds, and Moroccan charm.

And Don’t Forget
• Book early: The best properties go six to twelve months in advance.

• Don’t rely on websites alone. Call the agency for special requests, photos, and floor plans — and to check that they have as many rooms as you need.

• Set up services such as extra cleaning (most contracts specify once per week) and prearrange menus for the cook.

• Bring your own phone or buy prepaid cards. Most house phones are unavailable for international use.

And above all, do pretend you’re staying in your second home.