Click on Meteor meet and greet above and enter the promotional code ELY050 to receive a 10% discount; or call 08704 111118 and quote ELY050 to receive your 10% discount.

'Your indispensable guide to 49 rigorously vetted villa rental agents

Below is a roster of the villa rental agents whom we consider best qualified to match Condé Nast Traveler readers with properties. To compile the list, we created a 47-question application designed to assess an 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, as well as other preparatory information and questionnaires that they give clients, checklists that they use to evaluate properties, and at least one client reference. After carefully combing through these materials, we interviewed the most promising rental agents by phone to evaluate their user-friendliness, honesty, and familiarity with the villas and regions they represent.

Only 49 agents made the cut. What separates the honorees from the also-rans? The best have personally visited all of the villas that they represent and have slept in a good many of them. They re-inspect 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, updating them once a year at minimum and filling 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 one dollar sign ($) for the least expensive to four ($$$$) for very expensive accommodations relative to their regions. 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 below, please e-mail me at perrinfeedback@cntraveler.com.'

Elysian Holidays properties have been chosen to appear in various features every year since 2001 in Andalucia, Greece, Mallorca, Italy and the Caribbean. Click on the Conde Nast Traveller Magazine link to view the articles.

If you are looking for a holiday in the sun, then Elysian offer villas in Greece, Spain, Portugal, Tobago and Grenada, and also in South Africa, Thailand, Mexico, Italy, France and Morocco. One new feature is that you can create a shortlist of properties which are of interest and then email them to a friend for their comments. We like the excellent descriptions of each of the places which give a real feel of the area in which the villas are located. Each villa is illustrated and there are full details of what you can expect when you get there. Elysian now also offer an advanced search which allows the customer to search by area and by price. Like all the best travel operators Elysian give full contact details and you can book by email or by post/ telephone".