X Factor villas...

Whilst the UK seems to drag to a halt for what is probably far too many people than is healthy (watching X Factor finals and Strictly and all the rest), so the national grid powers up for all those TV sets and commercial break cups of tea whilst everyone bemoans/celebrates the various winners and losers.

So the idea came to me, why not blog about the QV 'X' Factor villas for 2011?

By this, I don't mean trawling through the 350 villas on our books but some of the newcomers that have gone onto our site in the past few months. There have been some great ones, coastal property in Morocco, stunning villas in St Tropez and various family villas across rural France.

My top 5 then (you will need to click each link to see the detail):

5: Villa St Hilaire (a coastal property in the Vendee)

4: Beaute Marine (check out the seaviews from this St Tropez villa !)

3: Les Pierres Tuffeau (very nice Loire farmhouse restoration )

2: L'Ancienne Abbaye (country house near Poitiers)

...But the winner for me (cue drum roll...) and please remember this is based entirely on my own tastes, so apologies to all the other new villas that made it onto our books of recent:

Villa Natalya
I won't even give any clues as to what this one is about, if you decide to have a look, I hope you will see the appeal! I can't remember if it was the champagne reception, the sauna, the cinema room, the beachfront location or the speedboat that is thrown in with the rental for 2 days that does it for me... Click here.

In the grip of ice, warm hope is on offer...

As the UK wrestles with ice, cold, snow and general issues getting anything done, so questions will be asked about why this happens every time the weather turns a little chilly. However as a villa company, we don't have the answers. Possibly some more grit outside our office would be nice and then we might start feeling a little better though.

In any event, one thing we can propose is to browse our villas. Its possibly a little unfair, given the conditions at the moment, to start suggesting that sun and warmth aren't that far away, but really they aren't! November has been a very busy month for us with villas being snapped up, however with 350+ villas online, we still will have plenty to offer. Make your booking now, then sit back with that warm feeling inside that summer is already taken care of, which surely will see off some of the winter blues.

For French villas - please visit us on line or call +44 (0) 1442 870055. Click for villas in Italy.

Our latest arrival...

As the season of 2010 is now comfortably wrapped up, so we are preparing for 2011 and a summer of thrills and spills...and of course a revamp of our villa selection. In the past week, 7 new villas have been added, the pick of the bunch is our latest addition in the St Tropez region, ' Les Deux Lions '. Located just a mile from Gassin, sleeping 8, the property boasts air conditioned bedrooms, heated saltwater pool, wifi internet, fantastic views and stunning grounds.
Available from £6300 per week.
For a closer look at this St Tropez Var villa to rent please follow the link.

Other additions include 3 new ones in Morocco.
Click for our Morocco villas.

Telephone Quality Villas on 0044 (0) 1442 870055.

New villas in Lake Garda

We are pleased to announce the arrival of two new properties in Lake Garda that have significantly improved our portfolio in the region.
Alex our area manager for the Lakes was able to pull the rabbit(s) out of the hat with some very nice connections of his, so we are proud to now market:
Villa Alexena (click here for this Lake Garda villa ) and click here for Villa Gardese, a villa located on Garda Lake.
Prices start from £2550 per week at Gardese.

The image shown above is from Villa Gardese.


If you would like to reserve one of these villas, find out more, or speak to Alex about the properties, this is easily arranged.
Tel 0044 (0) 1442 870055

Coming soon!

Many of our regular clients will have received our preview brochure some days ago, however just in the final stages of development is our full 2011 brochure. This should be ready at the end of November.
The 2011 brochure focuses on France of course, but Italy and Morocco are also present - Morocco in fact is growing and will grow more in the coming months as we are slowly but surely sourcing new properties in the region of Agadir and further round the coast. Please have a look at our Morocco villas .

2011 is also a special year for us, being 25 years in the villa business! We hope you will consider reserving your villa holiday with us in our celebration year!

For villas in France - please view online.

We look forward to being of service.
The Quality Villas Team
01442 870055 or info@qualityvillas.com

Christmas in France, New Year in Italy?

We're currently enjoying a spell of crisp, sunny weather here in the Chiltern hills,
which is turning our thoughts towards Christmas... and some of our clients are now reserving villas for the end of December. What could be more memorable for your family and friends than Christmas in France, or New Year in Italy, experiencing local customs and enjoying your own in a novel setting? One luxury Tuscany villa is Sorrettole: with its large fireplace, formal dining room and cosy lounges, and its proximity to a wintertime Florence, it would make a fantastic venue for a large group. Alternatively, a Provence villa like Mas des Murets near Gordes (pictured above) would be another great choice.

If you can't wait until Christmas for some warm weather, you might like to consider warming up at one of our Morocco villas, where the temperature in November is usually in the seventies! One of our most attractive Marrakech villas is Villa Sultan, which is very convenient for this wonderful and exciting city.

Back in the office, we are all very pleased to welcome Federica to our expanding team!

If you would like more information about renting one of our luxury villas, please browse our website at www.qualityvillas.com or call us on +44 (0) 1442 870055. We will be very happy to discuss your requirements with you.

New look, new design, lets go!

To clients old and new, hopefully you will recognise our new style and new look website. The design was to bring us up to speed with a modern world that is becoming more and more dependent on the internet.

On browsing the site, you will notice several things have changed, we price villas in both Sterling, Euros and Dollars for one. Further, images of each villa are larger...check the detail! To further enhance the pleasure of selecting one of our villas, why not see if any customer reviews are present...or a review by our area managers.
In short, we are proud of our new site. We hope you like it!

For those that prefer to speak to someone, remember our French and Italian staff who know our villas are just a phone call away. We also have a printed brochure for more relaxed browsing!

For French villa holidays - please call us on 01442 870055.

This green and pleasant land…..

A long time ago when I was wealthy and famous (!) I owned a typical Normandy farmhouse with beamed ceilings and beamed frontage. Situated in a tiny commune near Pont L’Eveque where the famous cheese comes from. To me, Normandy spelled out lush landscapes, forests and excellent beaches and still just a few hours from the UK. Perfect for a long weekend!!

Our portfolios of luxury Normandy villas are all accessible to the French ports and each farmhouse or Country manor house is perfect all year round. The summer sees long warm days and the winter toasting yourself in a different kind of heat in front of a blazing fire.

There is so much to see and do in this lovely region from bike rides, walking, horse riding and sightseeing. Honfleur with its pretty boats and quay side houses, Trouville for excellent fish and restaurants and if you fancy something a little more up market then Deauville and its horse racing is a great day out.

Take a poignant, memorable day trip to visit the Normandy battlefields and landing beaches of World War II. You can visit famous wartime sites and the American cemetery, spend time on the historic beaches and gain invaluable insights into the wartime experience of the Allied soldiers and the French citizens they liberated.

Why not consider your Normandy holiday accommodation or elegant Normandy chateau contact us now and speak to one of our experienced staff.

Gill Woolsgrove (area manager)

A new vision!

In order to keep up with the times, we will shortly be launching a new website. This all singing, all dancing site will show a variety of new features, enhancing the user experience for visitors to the site and hopefully being far more informative.

The site will feature area manager reviews, customer feedback (previous clients), higher resolution images (than the current site) and opportunity to search according to more exacting criteria.

The look is far more modern, we hope you will like it!

Coming soon...

In the meanwhile, if you would like to speak to one of our staff about a holiday villa in France for 2011, please call us on 0044 (0) 1442 870055.

Dangerous times for villa renters!

Now where is that villa?!

Once more, we at Quality Villas shook our heads in disbelief at the audacity of the latest con men to damage the villa industry as well as feel extremely sorry for the latest set of families undone.

Click here for the article from the Daily Mail

There are many owner direct websites in existence - all showing authority and a safe way to book. However are the villas genuine that are on the site? Are the owners con men? Well there is no way to find out until you send that huge sum of money and then arrive in resort and find well...the villa is there...or maybe it isnt!

The only sure and tested way is to book with a genuine villa agency, one with bonding and preferably membership of ABTA (e.g. like us!)
We visit all our villas personally and respect our clients, we have integrity as well as 25 years of experience as a villa rental expert. Its something the new boys on the internet cannot match.
If you are thinking of booking a villa without the safety of an agency behind it but direct with an owner, remember the risks.

For late french villa deals ; please call 01442 870055 or visit us online.

Autumn Agadir Adventures

Sunshine throughout the year in our finest selection of villas near Agadir!

Quality Villas expanded into Agadir early last year which is one of Morocco’s most visited Southern cities. Agadir is not your typical city of traditional Morocco, but it is a modern, busy and dynamic town with well maintained beaches and palm-lined boulevards. There is a very western feel about the place with its beachfront bars, promenades and long sandy beaches. We have luxury beachside villas in Aglou Plage and we will soon be adding more villas from a neighbouring domain once our Queen of Morocco (Gill – our Morocco Manager) has visited in September.

With a moderate climate with Mediterranean-like weather throughout the year with warm temperatures and plenty of sunshine, late summer and autumn are the best time to visit, and an ideal time to take advantage of the miles of wonderful beaches and extensive tourist facilities. However, as Agadir boasts over 300 days of sunshine each year then it’s an ideal holiday destination at whatever time of the year for your luxury beach villa holiday.

Spring temperatures see highs of around 17C-19C, with Agadir receiving only a maximum of around 40mm of rain during April and May. Rainfall during the summer months is practically non-existent, and during these dry summer months the sun shines for an average of 10 hours a day, with an abundance of cloudless blue skies. The region sees average temperatures of between 20C and 23C's between June and August, and occasional highs reaching 28C. Southwest trade winds blow along the coastline, serving to keep the temperatures down a little, and together with an average water temperature of 18C, help to create excellent surfing conditions for enthusiasts. Autumn sees temperatures slightly higher than those in the spring, averaging around 19C-21C. The winters tend to be mild, with Agadir still experiencing a minimum of 7 hours of sunshine each month. Perfect for your Agadir beach villa holiday. With weekly prices from £330 per person in a luxury, fully serviced villa on the beach where better to take that Autumn holiday. For more details visit our website www.qualityvillas.com

Villa partner Dream Villa Rentals

Other villa websites in the industry, in theory at least, are competitors for us. However a partnership with website Dream Villa Rentals, means that villas featured on the French and Italian websites of Quality Villas are also featured on their site.

Clients can choose to view villas in either format, although to speak about a Quality Villa, we recommend speaking to one of the Quality Villas team on 01442 870055.

Dream Villa Rentals : Large site offering luxury villa holidays across the globe

An escape to Northern France

August typically is the middle of our travel season, there are more clients in villas featured by us now, than at any other time. For bookings, well, amazingly, they are still coming in for the latest travel we have ever known...
For anyone looking to snap up a last minute offering, a property that is usually fully rented but for some reason this year is still showing some good availability is the Breton Manor House. Sleeping 12, this 15th century manor has been renovated to a high standard and enjoys spacious grounds. It is currently on offer for £5320 per week in August. Click here for this Brittany rental .

We have numerous offers across France and Italy, however here is a selection of some remaining:

Villa near St Tropez (La Galline) was £6380, now £5050 per week, with good August availability.

Villa Prelude - spacious south of France villa - from £8350 per week.

Last week left at Les Lauriers, family villa with pool near Nice , was £4150, now £3075.

For further offers in France, please view our special offers page directly here or call one of our team, alternatively make sure you are signed up to our enewsletters to catch the best offers...Sign up here.

Wherever you choose this year for your summer holidays, we hope it is a good one!

The last gasp...

As we enter the tail end of July, so we reach what is effectively a peak in travel to France and Italy for luxury villas...in short, its very busy here at HQ and we are still taking bookings!
The last minute dash has never been more in show than today. July looks to be the busiest July (ever) in Quality Villas history for bookings as our clients wait until the last moment to reserve their villa. The only slight issue is that many properties are already let, in fact they were booked some months ago, often by our less hesitant European based clientele. The early bird gets the worm, though the bargains can sometimes be at the last minute, but would you really gamble on your family holiday that way and end up somewhere less desirable, just for the sake for a hundred pounds or so?
Although we have some super bargains remaining, if you missed your preferred property in 2010, what not have a think about putting a deposit down on a property for 2011? With the Euro-Sterling rate expected to return to the favour of the Sterling (as it has steadily been of late) a European holiday in 2011 may well be in vogue this time next year...and you could have your spot in the sun guaranteed now!

Our sales team, who know the properties we feature personally, are available to discuss your needs as and when you require.
Tel 0044 (0) 1442 870055 or visit our French villas here.

If you would like to view our Italian villas - please also follow the link.

Shutting the Shutters

Many travellers to continental Europe don't realise that shutters aren't just a quaint way to keep the daylight out of rooms or make the house look pretty, they were invented long before air conditioning to keep the rooms cool. If you stay in a villa in France or Italy with shutters, close them while you are out during the day. You will be surprised how cool the room is while outside it has been in the 30's even in the shade. Many of our luxury villas in France and Italy have air conditioning as standard. Closing the shutters means that you don't have the expenditure of keeping the air conditioning on while you are out.

All our luxury villas have private pools to keep you cool in the heat of the day, but if you sun bathe around the pool please remember to use and re-apply the appropriate level of sun screen for your skin. Don't fall a sleep in the midday sun, it could spoil the rest of your summer.

As the song says "Mad dogs and Englishmen go out in the midday sun," avoid the temptation to visit the tourist sites in the heat of the day and maybe do what the locals do - take a siesta.

We still have some luxury villas with private pools, shutters and air conditioning available in France and Italy. Why not take a look at our website and make an online enquiry or call us to discuss your requirements with one of our reservation staff on 01442 870055.

Holiday Spending Money

You can save a lot of money by doing a little research before you travel and plan what you are going to use for purchases while you are abroad.

Cash is the simplest, but most insecure way of carrying and using money, but it is always worth having some foreign currency and sterling with you. Check your insurance policy to see how much the insurance company will cover in the event of loss. For foreign currency shop around on line and don't leave everything till the last minute. There are some great deals for advance purchase and currency delivery to your home. Never rely on cash as your only option.

Credit and Debit Cards are the simple and convenient way to have a reserve of funds, but they are generally expensive to use drawing cash from an ATM, although they are relatively inexpensive when making purchases. Check the fees charged by your card company before you go. Please also note that most 24 hour petrol automated pumps in France do not accept UK issued credit or debit cards.

Travellers Cheques are one of the most secure options, but they are expensive to purchase and changing sterling cheques usually incurs extra commission or poorer exchange rates. Moreover, especially in Italy there are less and less places that accept them or even banks willing to change them, including some of the most famous names in travellers cheques. One of our customers recently who had changed all their holiday money into sterling travellers cheques, were told once they got to Italy was that these could be changed only in Rome ! Our villa owner very kindly lent them some Euros until they could organise a transfer of funds to a local bank.

Pre-paid Cards are the new travellers cheques Many cards are now offered with free cash withdrawal facilities , no charge for usage and can be delivered to your home or picked up at your departure point. This should always be considered as it does not advertise to potential burglars the fact that you are going to be away from home. You have a personal pin and can top up your card on-line or by phone. Shop around for the best deals.

The Euro is at €1.20 to the £ today and looks like staying there for a while. We still have a number of luxury villas in France and Italy available for selected weeks in July and August. Many of our villa rentals are on special offer so take advantage of the exchange rate and call us on 01442 870055 to speak to one of our reservations team or visit our website to browse our collection of handpicked villa rentals

Who invented Football ?

Well the Brits didn't invent the version called soccer, but through William Webb Ellis we can claim rugby football as a native game - at which currently we would appear to be better ! No it was the Italians who developed a Roman game "harpastum" into the medieval "Calcio Fiorentino" or "Calcio" the name by which soccer is still called in Italy today.

Piazza Santa Croce in Florence (Firenze) is called the cradle of football and Count Giovanni di Bardi drew up the rules in 1580 for a game with 27 on each side. That's probably where another present day Italian called Capello learned his skills.

We we still have a number of luxury villas in Italy to rent this Summer. All our villas have pools and many of our Italian villas are within easy each of the home of football and many other great locations. During World Cup intervals why not cheer yourself up by browsing our site of luxury villas in France and Italy or call us on 01442 870055.

Taking the car

Recent experiences with the delays in air travel caused by the ash cloud from the volcano called ....cool remind me how uncool air travel can be especially on some budget airlines and how convenient and pleasant it can be to take your car to the continent. The weaker Euro make petrol and moreso diesel significantly cheaper than in UK. If you haven't planned your summer holiday yet, why not think about taking the car. Set out on Friday and you can even be on the Cote d'Azur by Saturday evening. Enjoy the famous resorts of Villefranche, Antibes, Juan-les-Pins or Cannes which offer the France for so long sought after by discerning Brits. These gems are complemented by their historic inland neighbours such as Valbonne, Grasse, Vence or Mougins. If you have more time take a week on the way there or back in the Dordogne or Loire Valley. We still have rentals available on the Cote d'Azur, in Provence, the Loire and Dordogne.
The motorway system on the continent makes destinations in Italy comfortably accessible by car with an overnight stop recommended. Our website can show you rentals in Italy still available.
Safe and happy motoring!

The Euro!

The cost of France and Italy grows cheaper by the day...or so it seems. The last time the Euro was worth this amount against the pound was way back in December 2008.

So its official...now you really are getting something for your money when you travel to the Euro zone. The reasons are a multitude, but mainly down to the weakness of Greece and several others with debt, rather than an apparent strength of the pound. With the UK also heavily saddled with debt, the good times might not always last, so nows a good time to take advantage if you are looking to purchase your holiday Euros. At the time of writing, the rate is 1.21... now if only we had have known that a few months ago!

If you are still thinking of a holiday villa for summer 2010, we have late villa deals in France and late villa deals in Italy. A further way to save is to click through and see whats on offer, however availability is of course limited.

Our trained and knowledgable reservation staff are on hand to guide you through the late deals we have: Tel +44 (0) 1442 870055.

St Tropez : focus for 2010

The bedrock of the Riviera in France, the region where the highlife and the high living flock to, to be seen and to be seen in, is of course St Tropez. From tasteful villages like St Maxime, Grimaud, to fun places such as Pampelonne beach, Beauvallon, Club 55 and more, its a vibrant, exciting and joyous destination for a holiday.

In high season, the place literally buzzes with activity, laughter and frivolity. Further along the coast, or indeed inland, one can of course see other exciting places: Cannes, Nice, Montecarlo, or even to Menton and to cross the border into Italy!

So how do you get your piece of the action? We at Quality Villas have one of the most select portfolios of St Tropez villas available in the market. The good news is, we still have some availability for summer 2010, so if you havent yet booked your summer villa vacation, we recommend giving us a call. If St Tropez is a little too lively for you, we can of course offer property from other regions in France, for example the rural south west; a much more placid offering in a green, welcoming location.

The featured villa is Villa Prelude (image above), sleeping 8, it has a private heated pool, air conditioned bedrooms and views across the gulf to St Tropez. Further, it is within walking distance of the beach, golf and tennis. A week in high season summer: was £9280, now £8350. Click here for this French villa near beach .

If you wish to speak to one of our experienced villa consultants to discuss your requirements, please call us on 01442 870055 or email info@qualityvillas.com

Exciting, Mystical and Diverse

...I am talking about Morocco, a country that one of our area managers is in love with. Our very own Queen of Morocco (Gill) has been visiting Agadir to develop our villa programme in Aglou Plage (a beach side resort, south of Agadir).
This fascinating country where the old customs and way of life still exist in rural areas to the newly built up and westernised areas of Agadir offers so much to any traveller who is looking for sun, fascinating cities and long sandy beaches.

There is a very western feel about the place with its beachfront bars, long boulevards and the mild winter climate (January average temperature 20 centrigrade/68 farenheit) which has made it a popular winter sun destination for northern Europeans.

We have three luxury villas at the moment, right on the beach and all in a residential domain that offer quality accommodation with comfort in mind. Our newest recruit is Dar Soumaya, a lovely brightly painted villa and sparkling blue infinity pool right next to the beach!

Contact us now to discuss your autumn and winter sun holiday on 01442 870055 or visit our website of luxury villas in Morocco .

A great Italian offer!

A new villa to our programme for 2010, but one which has been quickly seen as an enticing prospect by many of our clients is Casa dei Pellegrini.

Located near Orvieto, at the crossroads between Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio in Italy, this charming property sleeps 8, has a 12m x 8m swimming pool and enjoys wonderful views of the surrounding countryside. There are cotto floors and chestnut beams - lovingly restored by the owners (the property was derelict until a few years ago!)
There is also a games room at the property, something to keep the family active, or simply why not relax by the pool!

Click here to visit this villa in Italy - or please call to speak to one of our staff about our villa portfolio.

The best news, the last remaining weeks for 2010 have been reduced as follows:

12-19 June 2010 was £2600, now £1865
7-14 August 2010 was £4100, now £2950
18-25 September 2010 was £2660, now £1865

If you would prefer a French holiday villa - please click also to visit the website.

Lets keep in touch!

The blog, our website, or even just calling us are all great ways to stay in touch. As we have mentioned so often, the real plus of dealing with Quality Villas for your villa holiday is the fact that we visit and know our villas. Remember also our staff are mostly French or Italian and know the regions and countries personally. In addition, we have no complicated call centres and if you ring us, you will never be kept waiting to speak to someone: get straight through and talk to a villa expert.

In addition, we also have an enewsletter that goes out monthly. In this publication one can see latest offers, news about our company including new destinations we feature and why booking with Quality Villas can be so different for you than choosing someone else. Remember we are ABTA members and every villa booking is financially bonded - always worth checking before booking.

If you might like to sign up to our enewsletter, please click here and enter your email address (thats all!)
Please visit us on line for French villas or for Italian villas . Call us on 0044 (0) 1442 870055.

Our latest addition!

Although Quality Villas are predominantly known for luxury villas with pool in the South of France (Cote d'Azur, St Tropez and so on), we also have strong offerings in the south west, central and north of France.
In paticular, of recent weeks, we have been making a number of visits to Brittany in order to take on more villas to supplement our programme.
Our latest additions are Ferme de Trez and Villa de la Torche.
Please click the links to visit the properties directly.

Villa de la Torche for example enjoys a heated pool and is just under a mile to the beach. There are still weeks available in July and August. This simple farmhouse has been restored to a high standard and will surely be in high demand.

If you are interested in this Brittany villa and would like to speak to someone that has visited it, we would be happy to help!

01442 870055
Visit us online for our French villa selection.

More special offers...

As Spring sunshine abounds across the UK, so do promises of a warm summer! However as we all know from the past three years, summers and summer sun in the UK generally don't appear in the same sentence!

Fortunately France and Italy benefit slightly more from our sporadic climate, such that relaxing by the poolside under blue skies is usually a certainty.

We at Quality Villas have our fingers on the pulse for what our clients desire : we still have a number of excellent properties available, some at specially reduced rates, across the south of France (picture yourself relaxing with sea view, glass in hand, poolside) to our sublime Tuscan villas (much of the same as in France) but slightly better views, but I am biased!

In any event, our staff who visit the villas personally would be very happy to discuss villa arrangements with you, or alternatively why not browse online :
click here for French villas and here for Italian villas

Late deals...

As we edge towards the end of the month, so we edge closer to the summer and the main rental period for our many villas owners.

Several owners with unsold villa weeks have decided to reduce the rates they usually ask, so over the coming days, these offers will be posted onto our special villa offers page.

We hope you will see something you like if you are looking for a late deal, however we also have a number of competitively priced villas (that are not reduced) - we only ask that you call us with an idea of budget and your preferred travelling period. Our staff will then find a selection of villas for you.

Of special note, villa Le Mazet - a very popular rental property in Provence has returned to our programme. With good availability, due to its late arrival on our programme, its sure to rent out quickly. Please call us if you could be interest in this small holiday villa Provence .

A slight deviation from our usual fare, we have recently been speaking with our friends at Trip Advisor. Writer Mike Riga was keen to express his view of Argentina, we hope you find his words of interest:

One of South America’s best kept secrets, Argentina is a beautiful country with a lot to offer to an intrepid tourist. Mixing vibrant, cultural cities with pastoral countryside and a long, scenic coastline, South America’s second-largest country is a spectacular place to spend an extended sojourn. A great area for a family with divergent interests, Argentina is worth every penny. One day you could find yourself gazing upon the majestic Andes and the unique natural ecosystem within its shadow and another could find you amongst the spectacular architecture and bustling streets of Argentina’s cultural center and capital, Buenos Aires. While its takes an extended stay to truly bear witness to all that Argentina has to offer, a discerning traveler will find himself in luck, as TripAdvisor has much to offer by way of Buenos Aires Vacation Rentals as well as all the necessary travel information needed to navigate this truly unique part of the world. With over 150 rental options of all shapes, sizes, locations, and prices, TripAdvisor is the number one place to begin your South American journey today.

Jasmine Festival in Grasse

Quality Villas has many properties around the town of Grasse - this region is ever popular with our clients each year.

One event taking place in August is the Jasmine Festival in Grasse. The festival marks the start of the jasmine harvest. To further enlighten ones olfactory senses, there are also various perfume factories one can visit (Fragonard, Galimard, Molinard...) and indeed even the International Musuem of Perfume! This 3500m square building was re-opened in October 2008 and is open June-September.

If scents aren't your thing, Grasse has a host of other activities available, including the tourist train (daily Apr-Oct) a fine way to explore the old town in style and cathedral. There are also olive mills, museums, gardens and golf nearby.

If you think you might be interested in a visit to Grasse or villas in France - we would ask you to visit us online or to call one of our friendly sales team.

For a villa near Grasse , please see Villa Mozart (ref PR436 on our website.)

Holidays at the ready!

March has been a busy month for us thus far, placing clients far and wide across the beautiful lands of France and Italy for their summer holidays!

Our posting for this week however is a little look at Normandy, a region closest to us geographically but one we know less about than the much travelled French Riviera for example.

We have a number of french cottages along the Normandy coast, for example Ferme de la Haye - sleeping 10, not far from Honfleur. This particular cottage is featured above (image) and can be rented from £1635 per week for the complete property.

On the 20th June this year, the 'Grand Picnic' takes place in Normandy - part of the impressionist festival - everyone is invited! The idea is to recreate the famous impressionist paintings such as Renoirs 'Dejeuner des Canotiers' or Manets 'Dejeuner sur l'Herbe. Special check tablecloths will be available!

If you would like to know more about our properties in France and in particular Normandy, please call one of our staff on 01442 870055 or email us : info@qualityvillas.com


We do have other cottages in France , but those along the Norman coast have a certain characteristic in style and architecture quite unique to the region.

Special offers...

Featured left: Maison St Gervais - a lovely property in SW France - the rates just having been reduced by almost 15%. Click here to visit this South of France villa

As the season ticks by, so more and more owners approach us with unsold weeks left. Of course the best way to get the holiday you want on the date you want is to book early. Given that once a villa week is sold, it is 'gone' and that each villa is so unique to each persons requirements, we always advocate this approach and to book before the chance goes.

However for someone looking for the last minute deal - and this does happen from time to time, even with luxury villas, we do get them and will post them either here or online on our special offer villas page.

Its always an idea to get the best offers straight to your inbox - so why not sign up for our e-newsletter?

Alternatively if you have a restricted budget, but an idea of where you want to go and for how long, our trained sales consultants can usually suggest something. Please give us a try : info@qualityvillas.com

Mini brochure

Just released in the last few days and due to hit the doorsteps of our former clients over the coming week, is the mini brochure from Quality Villas.

This is an experimental print run from us, in addition to our usual brochure we release each autumn. We intend to run a second mini brochure later in the season with any more offers or villas that we have added since the first brochure.

The intention of the mini brochure is keep our clients advised of new villas as they come onto our books (after all, we add villas on all year round...), further as owners reduce their rates which can happen from time to time, we endeavour to make our clients aware so they might benefit.

If you did not receive a mini brochure and would like one, please do call us (01442 870055) or email us (info@qualityvillas.com) of course our website of French vacation villas is also available any time for browsing! For Italy villas please click. We hope to hear from you soon.

The Quality Villas Team.

Last weeks left at the ever popular Villa Osanna!

As family friendly villas go, the Tuscan holiday Villa Osanna possibly offers the most options of any of our Italian villas.

Large flat lawns, enclosed grounds, solar heated pool (in fact a very large pool at 18m x 6m)with roman stepped access : all are perfect for children.

In addition, the thoughtful owners have left a ping pong table, boules pitch to play on plus six mountain bikes. They will also organise tennis (locally), archery (in the villa grounds) or fishing at a lake less than 100 metres away (outside the villa grounds). The nearest restaurant and shops are 700 metres away, whilst the rest of Tuscany awaits to be explored (Arezzo 25 miles, Lake Trasimeno just over an hours drive as examples).

As can be imagined, this villa rents fast each year: returning clients know they are onto a good thing and rebook usually on their return home the year before!

However of the weeks left, the owners have kindly arranged reasonable reductions for Quality Villas guests, the details of which are below:


31 Jul-7 Aug 2010
Was £4500 now £3995 SAVE £505

21 Aug - 4 Sep 2010
Was £4500 now £3990 SAVE £510

4-18 Sep 2010
Was £4000 now £3400 SAVE £600

Prices shown are per week for the complete property.

We hope this might be of interest to our clients and look forward to hearing from you. Our Italian villas for rent are online here, or call 0044 1442 870055.

An Easter special!

If you are considering an Easter escape this year, we would like to propose Villa Le Patronnage in the Carcassonne area, south west France.

Located 200 metres from shops and restaurants, the property sleeps 8 and enjoys an indoor heated pool, meaning a relaxing break is in store : an ideal way to spend Easter. This is a very attractive property and offers an ideal way to enjoy a holiday in France.

The property itself dates from the 18th century, with period pieces in place and is a fine restoration. The original barn now houses the indoor pool, whilst a secluded garden offers a private refuge. Places to visit include Toulouse, Perpignan or Carcassonne, whilst there are numerous villages and smaller towns to visit.

The property has been reduced in price for the 2010 season, however on special offer is the period:
27 Mar - 09 April 2010.
Price was £3960, now £2970.

If you think you might be interested in this property (or requesting other available dates also on offer) or even to see further villas like this within our programme, we would be delighted to assist you.
info@qualityvillas.com or 0044 (0) 1442 870055. Click for our website of French villas.

Holiday suggestions with Quality Villas.

Grey skies, damp days and summer seemingly a long way off. January can have that effect on people! Thankfully, we at Quality Villas have the perfect antidote, as always, by offering the opportunity to reserve a villa holiday for this summer, thus meaning a chance to sit poolside with warm sun, sizzling bbq and possibly a glass or two in hand later this year!

Our French holiday villa selection and Italian holiday villa selections online are fully updated with availability, prices, images and more. As always our staff here who know the properties personally are ready to answer any questions you may have about our villas to ensure you choose the right one for your holiday.

We have some special offers coming through from our owners, so for clients interested in this, we suggest visiting our special villa offers page.

We look forward to hearing from you. Tel 0044 (0) 1442 870055 or email at info@qualityvillas.com

New arrival in Umbria!

A recent addition to our Italy villa programme is Villa Il Merlano in Umbria. We are quite excited about this house: its extremely good value, plus it has a host of added benefits that are rarely all found together in one villa, save for the most expensive ones, so is really unique and likely to be snapped up quickly this year!

Such highlights include: classic Italian countryside setting (sunflower fields, olive groves), Wifi internet access, Solar heated pool, outdoor jacuzzi bath, Finnish sauna, gym area, covered eating area with bbq and more. The villa sleeps 8 and the high season rate is £2800 for a week.

To see more of this Umbria villa please visit our site, or call one of our staff for more information.

We also offer French villas - we look forward to hearing from you.

Tuscan sun in 2010!

As the snow continues to fall in the UK this January, what better cure than to start planning your holidays for 2010? You really need look no further than Italy, where sunshine, stunning scenery, beautiful hilltop towns, World Heritage sites, wonderful food and, of course, the relaxed Italian lifestyle, guarantee a truly memorable experience for everyone!

Renting a villa with private pool in Tuscany offers you the freedom to plan your holiday as you please. One such villa is the delightful Rosario, a beautifully restored farmhouse located on a private estate just outside the charming walled town of Lucca, yet within easy reach of Pisa, Viareggio and beaches on the coast. Travelling inland, Florence, Siena and San Gimignano would all make excellent day trips. This comfortable villa has been tastefully modernised but original features such as the oak-beamed ceilings and terracotta floors ensure that it remains full of character.

The 2010 rental rate for Rosario, which sleeps 12, is from £3,675 to £5,650 per week.
Please click to view this Italian holiday villa on-line.

If you are feeling inspired and would now like to start arranging your holiday, why not call one of our sales team on 01442 870055 or email us at info@qualityvillas.com

We have a wide selection of high quality villas in Italy and, as we have personally visited all of our villas, we will be happy to help you find the ideal destination for your party. We also specialise in luxury French holiday villas.