Muscles, Lycra and madness

They say there is a fine line between sanity and madness and the Tour de France is no exception and literally the biggest bike race in the world.

Traditionally, the race starts in the North, whereby this year it will start in the south from the principality of Monaco. Starting on Saturday July 4th to Sunday July 26th 2009, the 96th Tour de France will be made up of 21 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,500 kilometres.


Many of the families who book a Quality Villas holiday ask about hiring bikes with some even bring their own either to amble along country lanes or to tackle steep hills and mountainous terrain. All of them may want to be a “Bernard Hinault” who has won most of the races and nicknamed the 'Badger' but what better than to enjoy this sport decked out in bright lycra to match the army of cyclists that are encountered each week in France. Cycling is particularly big in the south west due to the terrain and open countryside. During the summer there are many cycling events that lead up to the grand race itself.

The route this year will take us past two of the villas in our programme – one on the coast near Sete and the other near St Gaudens south of the Pyrenees. Both properties have availability during the Tour de France so why not book them now for a ringside seat! If you prefer a villa near the sea in France then Villa Mont St Clair is ideal. Situated a short stroll from the pretty resort of Sete, this villa is just a couple of minutes from the sea. For those who prefer the rugged countryside of the Haute Garonne then Le Vieux Grenier is for you, another charming French villa . This converted granary nestles in the small village alongside the river Louge yet only one hour from Toulouse and easy reach to the Pyrenees.

Golf in the Midi – Pyrenees

It is surprising to many people who visit that there are so many golf courses in the Midi-Pyrénées. This is in fact one of France's largest regions. Surrounded by the Pyrenees mountains at the South, the area is ideal for golf players searching quiet but spectacular environments to play their favourite sport. With 36 golf courses across its eight départements, Midi-Pyrénées offers really diverse landscapes for fans of that little white ball. There are numerous courses ranging from 9 holes to 18 holes. Our area manager, Gill Woolsgrove comments as follows: "The first course I played on was a pretty 9 hole course near Cahors which was uphill most of the way and a challenge. I ventured onto other courses and upped my “holes” to 18 – I was confident! This time the course had so many water hazards and bunkers I soon went back to my 9 hole course and retired gracefully to the 19th hole !"
Golf in this region offers beautiful greens and most with stunning views. All have a good clubhouse with a well stocked bar and many offer a 3 course lunch for less that 12€. So, for those of you who want a couple of rounds of golf while the family are sunbathing by the pool, perhaps at one of our villas then give us a call to discuss our villa selections that are near or on golf courses. An example French villa near golf - please click link.













Villa Mont St Clair - a French villa near golf courses

Umbrian Luxury...

Tenuta Fossatello, located midway between Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio is one of the most exclusive villas in the Quality Villas collection.

Our area manager, Elisa Marinangeli makes her comments: " Tenuta Fossatello is one of our most unique villas and is my favourite property - a dream to experience! Surrounded by green Umbrian hills, located between Orvieto and Todi, this is a perfect place to relax. One can settle down with a drink (perhaps one of the estates own wines), swim in the azure pool, or just stroll around the estate, enjoying the beauty and peace all around. The owner of the villa is also a producer of premium Umbrian wines and is happy to arrange tastings.

For an Umbria villa holiday - please speak to one of our friendly sales team (0044 1442 870055) or if you wish to speak with Elisa herself for a local angle on the villas, this can also be arranged.

Summer villa rentals with Quality Villas

As the Spring moves upon us, with a little sun and the flowers coming into bloom, so we can start to dream about summer.
A dream of course is always helped when there is some reality to the story, for example if you dream of lazing by a glistening blue pool, warmed by a hot sun and with cooling drink in hand, it certainly helps if you have somewhere to go to experience this!


Our French villa of the week is Bourg Barn, click here to see this villa in France . Located near Moissac in the rural south west, this is an excellent value property, from £1160 per week in high season.



Our most demanded Tuscany villa rental is La Riserva, a stunning restored farmhouse, dating from the 16th century. Currently there are some remaining weeks left in July, starting from £2680 per week. To see the complete portfolio of all our villas in Italy please click for more details.

Our Tuscany holiday villas have good late availability, though we are expecting bookings to run right up until the date of departure!



If you do not see the villas you are seeking in the above selection, please call us on 0044 (0)1442 870055 and one of our friendly sales team will be happy to offer more suggestions. Our staff visit the properties often and can advise on the smallest details.

When travelling with the family...

Being specialists in the family market, we are aware that a large percentage of our clients that travel with us each year often do so with children of a variety of ages, indeed some bookings have several generations of family that travel, meaning grandparents are as likely to be soaking up the rays and beautiful views from one of our featured villas as are excitable toddlers!

For this reason, we have invited a professional in the family travel market (Anne Coates) who is founder of the website http://www.parentingwithouttears.com/ to offer her top 5 tips for a successful holiday with children this year:

Always pack a first aid kit including plasters, antiseptic wipes, anti-histamine cream for bites and stings, oral rehydration therapy to replace essential body salts in cases of diarrhoea, and insect repellent.


Take plenty of sun protection – creams should be at least factor 15 but remember sun hats/caps and loose clothing with long sleeves to protect children’s delicate skin.

For journeys/days out – a day pack for each child containing their favourite toy, wrap up a new activity/book/toy as a surprise, mp3 player for older children. Include a notebook and pencils for school-age children so they can write about or sketch anything that interests them.

Baby monitor – these are great when you are away from home for children and toddlers as well as babies. If they get up after going to bed they may be disorientated in their holiday accommodation.

Take old towels for the beach/pool – at the end of the holiday you can use them on the last day (if your departure is after you have to leave your accommodation) then leave them for anyone else to use. That way you’ll have extra space in your luggage for any souvenirs!

Anne Coates is the founder/host of http://www.parentingwithouttears.com/



Quality Villas offer family friendly villas in France and family friendly villas in Italy for all tastes and budgets.
Please contact us to discuss your booking requirements on 01442 870055 or info@qualityvillas.com

Always adding new villas...

As the summer gets ever closer, many of the most popular villas in France and Italy start to get booked up. We are very aware of this at Quality Villas, so beavering away quietly behind the scenes are our overseas area managers and Sally (who writes up the end product in the UK), all of whom continue to work together to add new villas to our portfolio.

In this way, with new houses constantly coming online, we are able to offer new availability to interested clients as well as a constantly changing variety of villas. If the exact villa type (location, size...) doesn't appear on our website, its always worth contacting us. We can usually offer something that is a close match, or there may be something waiting to go online, in which case the complete availability of the house is yours!

Sally (pictured) offers her latest selection of 'new' villas to go online below:

Villa Panoramique - sleeps 8, villa St Tropez, France

Les Martinets - sleeps 8, villa near La Garde Freinet, France

Villa Gracieuse - sleeps 10, villa near Villefranche Sur Mer, France

Les Calanques - sleeps 8, villa near Bandol, France

Casa Villaggio - sleeps 8, villa north of Florence, Italy