Booking a villa for a big group? Read this first

Eight friends, three families, one house. The practical questions that make or break a group stay.

Group villas are some of the most rewarding trips you can take — and the easiest to get wrong. The property is only half the job; the other half is logistics and expectations. Sort both early and the week runs itself.

Before you book, settle these:

• Bedroom parity. Are the rooms broadly equal, or will someone draw the short straw? It matters more than people admit.

• Catering. Self-cater, daily chef, or a mix? Agree before anyone arrives hungry.

• Money. One person pays and splits, or a shared pot? Decide on day zero, not day six.

• Room to escape. The best group houses always have somewhere to be alone.

For larger parties, an exclusive-use estate with its own team is usually worth the premium — it takes the organising off whoever would otherwise spend the holiday as the unpaid manager.