A good time to enjoy Provence

Autumn is of course a break from the main holiday period of the summer, also known as a shoulder season or mid period. Aside from the technicalities of how to describe it(!) this means effectively prices are significantly reduced compared to the main July-August time but one can still enjoy the same villa and the same surrounding towns and villages, but less crowded!
The weather is still generally very good - often the season for enjoying the great outdoors and the pool can run into early October, so in many ways a September stay is a great way to holiday.
A suggestion from us is the villa 'Les Fontaines' sleeping 8, near Carpentras in Provence. This delightful house is located near the village of Pernes-les-Fontaines with shops, bars and restaurants in proximity.
The villa is currently offered for £3215 per week (was £3530) in September.
If this villa is of interest to you, or you would like to speak to one of our friendly sales team to discuss holiday options, we invite you to call us on 0044 (0) 1442 870055 or email on info@qualityvillas.com - we look forward to being of service to you. http://www.qualityvillas.com

France in September

September has long been one of my favourite months so it is no surprise that I think it is one of the very best times to visit France. Not only will you get to enjoy plenty of sunshine and warm weather, but the tourist season is beginning to wind down which means cheaper travel, fewer crowds and villas offering great value for money.

September marks the beginning of grape harvest season in France and in the medieval and picturesque town of Saint Emilion the wines of Saint-Emilion have been well recognized and respected for centuries. A celebration honouring the harvest of these very special grapes takes place in the middle of the month with open air festivities.

This month is a great time to check out the many vineyards around the country and go wine tasting or join in the local Vendange. The Vendange is great fun even though a bit strenuous the superb open air lunch and lively chatter dispels all that plus its fascinating to see how the grapes get to your bottle of wine.

We still have some availability at our villas in the wine regions of France. Why not call us now to discuss your French villa holiday in September. If you would like to speak to a specialist regarding our villas or where best to visit, do visit us online to view our French villas with pools.

Gill Woolsgrove, Area Manager South West France

A last gasp to Umbria?

Amongst one of several late availability/special priced villas in our programme for 2009, is Villa La Colomba, a luxury villa in Umbria.

Sleeping 12 persons, located just outside Todi with stunning views across beautiful Umbrian countryside this villa is ideally poised for the latest of late getaways. Available from 8-15 August at £3000 for the week (was £5600). The property is a restored cottage, divided between a main villa and an additional small cottage in the grounds. There is a grocers, bakery and bar within a mile, whilst Todi and Orvieto as well as a host of magical Umbrian towns are within easy day trip range.

Our staff are ready to book you into this villa if you want to make that late escape!
The forecast in Umbria for next Saturday is 32 degrees, warm sunshine!
Tel 0044 (0) 1442 870055 or email at info@qualityvillas.com

The rain returns...

As I post the latest missive to the blog, the rain continues to come down and flashbacks to the last two wash out summers are a sobering reflection of bbqs that remain in the shed, unused garden furniture and bored children!

Fortunately Quality Villas still have a number of unsold villa weeks, not many however, but we are still placing clients at this moment, including some very short notice departures. France and Italy naturally benefit from better weather here than in the UK, Tuscany for example at the time of writing (23 July at 2.30 pm) was bathing in 34 degree heat, the south of France at 32 degrees! The outlook for the following 7 days are also similar...

If you are still interested in a late escape to the sun, our staff are on hand to discuss with you any requirements you may have.
We have a wide range of family friendly villas across both programmes and in many cases reduced rates. We look forward to hearing from you!
Tel 01442 870055 or email on info@qualityvillas.com

Our latest special offer...

Luxury in Italy...

Tenuta D'Oro, a magnificent property sitting midway between Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio hosts 10 persons on a large private wine estate. The owners have just revealed a very special offer for the remaining unsold weeks of 2009.

The usual rental for the villa during July and August would be £13,660 with daily breakfast included.
However from 18 July - 29 September 2009, the house is offered for £11,900 per week with chef services included for lunch and dinner also.
Grocery items to be prepared and cooked for lunch and dinner are at additional cost, the chef services however are included.

The house itself is set against a verdant green background of olive groves and vines, near Orvieto in Umbria. For more details on this luxury Italian villa , please click here.

Changes in your meal bill!

As of 1 July 2009, VAT on all restaurants and cafes will be cut from 19.6% to 5.5%, in real terms this means a saving of about 10% on an average meal price.

The French government introduced the measure to encourage consumer spending during the summer, something which comes as welcome news and helps further, given the recovering Sterling against the Euro of recent weeks.

Quality Villas continues to offer luxury villas in France and luxury villas in Italy - including late availability and special offers.
Please call to speak to one of our staff or visit us online and browse our portfolio.

Latest addition to our Italian programme...

Our Italy villa portfolio has just increased its number by 1, with the addition of 'Il Gallinaio' near Viareggio on the Tuscany coast!

Sporting an indoor pool, enclosed grounds and palatial accommodation, this is a luxurious retreat on the doorstep of the Tuscan beaches, with Forte dei Marmi and Viareggio close by.
The rest of Tuscany, Carrara and the Cinque Terre are also close. Florence in one hours drive.

The property benefits also from a billiard room and sauna.

Good availability for the remainder of 2009, please visit our Tuscan villa near beach for more information.

If you are looking for a late escape for 2009, we still have availability and good offers to suggest.
Please visit us online : France villas or Italian villas or call us on 01442 870055.

Are you getting yours?

Every few weeks, we release a newsletter to our clients and other 'passers by' who have spoken to us in the past and given permission for us to contact them... our newsletter is a run down on any changes in the villa market from us, plus any special offers we may have. We also add in occasional details from partners of ours, for example France magazine, GoLearnTo.com or Travel Time World (an Advantage travel agency). Of course this blog, our website or just calling us are also great ways to stay in touch!

If you would like to hear more about us and haven't added your email address yet to our database, please do so, we would be delighted to keep you informed about our news! Click here

If on the other hand, additional emails in your in-box are not to your liking, we fully understand! There is an unsubscribe button at the bottom of every email we send, so if you decide you prefer not to get such mailings, it is easily fixed.

If you are yet to book your summer holiday to France or choose a villa to Italy , please do call us or visit us online, we would be very happy to assist you.

Learn and enjoy on your holidays!

Fancy learning to cook in Tuscany, surf the big ones in Biarritz, play the Flamenco guitar or learn to salsa dance in Spain? How about organic perfume making courses in France?

www.GoLearnTo.com are learning holiday specialists with over 1000 inspirational holiday courses in 30 countries worldwide to suit all timescale and budgets.
Your holiday is the perfect time to indulge in a new interest or hobby so give yourself a holiday to remember and treat yourself to a holiday course in an activity you’ve always aspired to do.

Holiday courses are ideal for singles holidays or travelling with friends and our exhilarating learning holidays are a little bit different from the rest.

If you are looking to get more from your holiday and are in need of some inspiration, then take a look at this excellent website and you could be taking home a new skill that will stay with you long after the holiday is over.

Be inspired – see what you can learn on your next holiday....

Recently in Italy...

In the last few weeks, our Managing Director John Gerry and his family enjoyed a holiday in Italy at two of our flagship Tuscan villas.
In the first week, John stayed at Il Pescatore, a large villa near Siena, which in Johns words, is 'ideal for a family re-union'. During his stay, John had some chefs come to the property who cooked for his party (and showed him how to cook and prepare Italian food during the time) as well as a pizza evening, making use of the built in pizza oven.
On the second week, with many of his family and friends having headed in different directions after an enjoyable time together at Pescatore, Johns holiday continued at La Riserva. This charming restored farmhouse near Greve, just south of Florence ensured another pleasurable week. Wine tastings, meals out in nearby Greve and a chance encounter with one of the estates resident roedeer completed a fine stay!
Our villas in Tuscany are currently all visible online, whilst many owners have been reducing their rates as the season encroaches, there are several good deals to be had. If you would like to find out more about either Il Pescatore or La Riserva, please follow the links or call us to speak to one of us who has seen the villas, or John himself if you prefer!
Click for:
Italian villas or for French villas

Outstanding special offers for Italy

Villa Domus Romana
With the season marching on, we have been receiving some exceptionally good deals here at Quality Villas via our forward thinking owners.

The green heart of Italy, Umbria, is an area of outstanding beauty, tradition and culture. Wonderful towns and cities like Assisi, Perugia, Todi and Orvieto await whilst Tuscany is just a hop, skip and a jump across the border.

We have two special offers, one at the Domus Romana, sleeping 12, with large infinity pool, panoramic views and all mod-cons including Wi-Fi, the other is Villa la Colomba, also sleeping 12, similarly well appointed.

Domus Romana was £5665 in the summer, La Colomba £5600...however both villas are now on offer for any remaining weeks at just £3000 per week. A saving of £2665 and £2600 respectively.
Both are luxurious properties of the highest standards.

If you might be interested in renting either of these villas, please do email us (info@qualityvillas.com) or call on 0044 (0) 1442 870055 and speak to one of our staff who has seen the properties and can answer any questions you may have.

Villa La Colomba

The Loire valley and its elegant chateaux

Think of the Loire Valley and one conjures up images of breathtaking chateaux – there are more than three hundred in fact in this famous region! Built around the 17th – 18th century in the heyday of French royalty most of these chateaux have magnificent ornamental gardens which can be as interesting as the chateaux themselves.

Chateau des Perdrix, one of the featured Loire chateau in our programme, sits within a 240 hectare estate and dates back to the 15th century with lovely original features. This superb property has traditional furnishings, tapestries, original fireplaces and wonderful beamed ceilings.

Another in our portfolio is Manoir du Lac. This impressive property sits on the banks of its own private lake surrounded by well tended gardens and mature trees. This house oozes charm with original tiled and wooden floors, panelled walls and ceilings, and marble fireplaces.

Coupled with superb scenery and great wines such as Anjou and Saumur the Loire is a breathtaking region to visit. Our full selection of rental accommodation in the Loire is visible on our website, by following the highlighted link, or please call on 01442 870055 for details.

Quality Villas adds a little Polish...

Technically speaking, the title in fact means we have expanded our distribution slightly and now also have a small selection of our villas appearing on a new Polish website!

Quality Villas has a network of travel agents around the world: it means owners of villas in our programme could receive clients from the USA, New Zealand, South Africa, Malta, pretty much anywhere, in addition to clients from the UK! With our new Polish connection, we hope to welcome new clients from this country also.

Normandy and Brittany

Normandy is of course famed for its sights of historical interest such as the D-Day landing beaches and the Bayeaux Tapestry. However, holiday makers also come for the great mix of lush countryside and miles of unspoilt coastline. In addition, the region offers fantastic local produce including Calvados and of course great cheeses. Day excursions range from Mont St Michel, the Normandy D day landing beaches, to Honfleur with its picturesque port and long history. To the west, Trouville and Deauville with their renowned sandy beaches, casinos, luxury shops and delightful local markets await, whilst if golf is your thing then there are many good courses around the area to try.

Think of Brittany and one imagines rugged beaches, rocky bays and sandy coves. Quaint fishing villages and sea side ports groaning with the days catch also beckon. Brittany’s south coast, the Gulf of Morbihan is a popular choice. This area groans with things to do and see from Carnac, Quimper, Pont-Aven and Concraneau. Seafood is in abundance along this coastline as well as the famous crepes which are delicious!
Quality villas have holiday villas in Brittany and villas in Normandy. Please follow the links for details or call on 01442 870055 and speak to one of our friendly staff.

A very special offer...

One of our most popular properties, the 'Ferme de Campagne' located in the Loire, has unexpectedly not been booked anything like as heavily in previous seasons. Musing over the availability of today, in July and August, there is only one week rented! In previous years the property was nearly completely booked by this time of the season, so what changed?

Well of course the global economical situation is a concern, but at the prices being asked for this property, it actually looks to be excellent value: sleeping 8 and July prices from £1570 per week (meaning effectively £196 per person, per week). There are spacious grounds and a private swimming pool, whilst the location (driveable from the UK incidentally) is in the Brenne regional park, an area abaundant in wildlife and nature. There have been many happy clients from previous years that have enjoyed the house, we only hope that 2009 can offer the same happy memories to some more! The owner has offered 20% discounts off the second week of two week bookings, an added incentive to make your summer holiday complete...
Please click to view this Loire farmhouse .