A selection of special offers from Villa Parade

Here's a little something you may be interested in, should you be on the lookout for a good deal on a villa holiday. The deals in question relate to "Villa Parade", who have about 500 holiday villas around the Mediterranean. Anyway, the web page in question shows a good selection of villas which currently have a special offer on them; so we thought we'd let you know so you can get the chance to find a deal to suit your needs. Follow this link to find the Villa Parade special offers. It's worth nipping across to see what's currently on offer.

Boat hire - Canal du Nivernais

The Canal du Nivernais is a lovely canal to the eastern side of France, only available to boats with a shallow draught - 1.4metres; and height above the waterline which can fit under the many low bridges which span the Nivernais. The height of the bridges, and depth of the draught will stop many of the Mediterranean bound boats which have reached St Mammes to the south of Paris.

Most of the boat traffic on the Canal du Nivernais consists of hire cruisers. With plenty of bases along this stretch of canal to choose from. Should you want to hire a boat to explore the Canal du Nivernais, have a look at places such as South of France, Brittany, Burgundy, Lot, Alsace Lorraine, Anjou, Ardennes, Charente and Somme Picardy.

Origins of Canal du Nivernais

Work started on the Canal du Nivernais in 1874; with the canal being fully completed in 1843. Between the start of the Canal du Nivernais, and the finish, there were some long period of time when no work was being carried out - this was because the politians and the engineers argued about the main use of the canal. Many people wanted the Canal du Nivernais should be used to carry goods, such as fire wood, while others wanted the canals main use to be to navigate to the south of the country.

As transportation by canal declined, the Canal du Nivernais was threatened with closure. Fortunately a Monsieur PP Zippy had the idea of establishing hire cruisers on the Canal du Nivernais, and campaigned for restoration work to be done on the Canal du Nivernais; Thus giving us the canal we have today.

Much care has been taken to protect the environment around Canal du Nivernais, as the canal winds its way through woodland and forests. This has resulted in some spectacular cruising routes along the Canal du Nivernais.

If the Canal du Nivernais is something you fancy cruising along; or indeed, you want to try any of the waterways on France, have a look at Boating-Holidays-France.co.uk to see what they can offer you.

Holiday villas in Costa del Sol

What an eclectic life I lead... it only seemed like yesterday I was writing about holiday cottages, and today I'm researching the Costa del Sol. "Going on holiday, are we?" you might be thinking. But, alas, no. I'm not leaving these fair shores. The reason for my interest in the Costa del Sol is that I'm promoting holiday villas in this little part of Spain

I didn't really know much about the Costa del Sol before; apart from it was known as the "Costa del Crime" back in the heady days of the 1980s. Turns out the Costa del Sol is a lovely place to take a villa holiday though. It's not all high-rise sell here abouts. There's lots of unspoilt bits to getaway to. For example, have a look at Villa Mentirola - tucked away in the hills (and with its own private pool). Who wouldn't want to spend a few days here?

Anyway, if you want to see a selection of holiday villas in the Costa del Sol, just follow that link and see what villas I've discovered.

Holiday Cottages

Just lately I've been doing some holiday cottage work; here at the villa-choice blog I've mentioned a cottage before (Marram House in Southwold, should you be interested), but this time I've has a hand in promoting a whole bunch of holiday cottages.

The website I've been writing for is Internet Affiliation, this website has been going for a while now, and promotes all kinds of online shopping - both holiday, and non-holiday related. But now they've decided to really give holiday cottages a big push. At the time of writing there must be about 200 cottages to choose from - and the number is increasing all the time. You can check-out the latest list of cottages at the holiday cottages page. There are a wide variety to choose from - and I should know, because I've read about them all!

Choose a cottage in rural Norfolk, like the fantastically named Twizzle Tree Cottage in North Walsham; or go for some peace and quiet on the Lleyn Peninsula in Wales, with a holiday at Pengroeslon. Or anything in-between: large; small; romantic; dog friendly - whatever, there's something there for you.

That's it for from me, for now. Better get back to sorting out some more cottages.

Choose a French holiday cottages from Cottages 4 You...

Cottages in France

When it comes to booking a holiday cottage in France (or gite, to give a French holiday cottage its proper title) there's several places you can try for a range of cottages. The company we like the best is Cottages 4 You. Cottages 4 You have a good range of holiday cottages in France, although it has to be said, their range of UK holiday cottages is much better; but with 10,000+ UK cottages to choose from they are hard to beat. But back to the subject in hand, Cottages 4 You have a vast array of gites and holiday cottages in France. You'll find something to suit all needs: from a romantic cottage in Normandy, to a large family gite in the South of France.

Book Early

If you've decided that a gite is your chosen holiday, it's well worth looking at booking early, sometimes you can get a good deal for booking your holiday before the main booking season. Have a little look at the latest Cottages 4 You early booking offers to see what the latest is Whenever you decide to go to France, it's well worth having a little look at Cottages 4 You for inspiration

All-Inclusive holidays with a waterpark

The main focus of this blog is to write about various things holiday villa related. Occasionally I veer off that topic, and although stick to things holiday related, have been known to write about holidays which have nothing to do with holiday villas; like Marram House cottage in Southwold. Variety is the spice of life though, right. Possibly.

Any old how, this entry isn't going to be about villas - but you'd probably instinctively guessed that already. What I want talk about is all-inclusive holidays - which also have free entry to a waterpark.

If you're taking the kids for a holiday in the sun, the chances are they'll want to go to a waterpark (assuming there is one nearby), so you might get one day at a waterpark - and that'll cost a small fortune.

What you could do is book a holiday which has a waterpark on site (or very close). And what about free entry to this waterpark, that'd be good, right? Well, if this appeals to you, read on...

We've discovered two companies which have just such a holiday available. These companies are Thomas Cook, with their Aquamania holiday resorts. And First Choice, with their SplashWorld resorts. There are a variety of all-inclusive holiday resorts around Europe which have free entrance to a waterpark. And this isn't a single free entry - you only blumin' get free entry for the duration of your holiday. So the kids can go as many times at they like, and you don't have to spend a single penny on the entrance fee. Now that has to be good!

If a waterpark holiday in the sun is something which suits your needs, have a look at Thomas Cook Aquamania hotels, or the First Choice Splash Resorts.

Good luck with your family holiday - and I hope the sun shines wherever you go.

The Greek Islands - still a good place for a villa holiday

The Greek Islands have been a firm favourite for a villa holiday in the sun for years now. And it's not surprising to see why; you've got some fantastic beaches on which to ponder the meaning of life; crystal clear seas to cool down in - and some pretty much guaranteed sunshine. Oh, and for those looking for a drop of culture during your holiday, you can't go wrong with a Greek Island - you can hardly go for a walk without tripping over an old monastery, or some kind of ancient ruin. The only problem seems to be the state of the economy - the question is should this put you off going to Greece for your holiday. Well, personally, I don't think you should abort any Greek Island holiday plans you may have. No matter what happens to Greece and the Euro, those islands are still going to be there. It's not like a departure from the euro will cause Rhodes to sink to the bottom of the Aegean.

Should Greece depart from the euro-zone, there maybe a few days when things are in upheaval. But this is a big if; it is by no means certain that Greece will leave the Euro. The other thing to bear in mind is how much the Greek islands rely on tourism for their economy. There's no way they'll jeopardise all that tourism income - so they'll do whatever they can to keep the tourists happy. In my view holidays on a Greek Island are very much on the agenda, so please don't rule them out of your holiday plans. If you want to see some villas on those lovely Greek islands: have a look at some villas in Rhodes, Kefalonia, Corfu, Zakynthos, and Crete. Get out there and enjoy the sun!

Turkey - a new place for your villa holiday

A country which is quite new to the villa market, Turkey now has villas featured on the villa-choice.co.uk website. Turkey is positioned at the eastern side of the Mediterranean Sea, and has resorts on both the Mediterranean Sea and the Aegean Sea.

You'll find quiet secluded coves, and busier beaches with water sports a-plenty on your villa holiday to Turkey. And for some culture and history you won’t be disappointed either: "Ephesus" is in Turkey, and this is one of the best persevered ancient cities in the Mediterranean.

Whether you plan on taking your villa holiday to soak up some of that lovely sub, or you want to see some of the ancient sites around, Turkey will have a villa for you.

Algarve - sun, sea and golf (you can ignore the golf though!)

Ah, the Algarve. Well known for sun, water-sports, night-life – and golf. I’ve put golf at the end, because although golf is very popular in the Algarve, it’s not something I’m very keen on. And for that reasons it goes at the end of the list! Anyway, there’s plenty of everything in the Algarve, so I’m dropping a few words down here to point out the villas in the Algarve which are available.

We got our little website which features villas in many of the popular locations around Europe – and one of the destinations (and one which is new to us) is the Algarve. If you’re thinking about a villa break in the sun, it’s worth having a little look to see what is available.

Thanks for stopping by, and we hope to see you around these parts in the future