Why Rent An Apartment or Villa For Your Next Holiday?

The Benefits of Apartment & Villa Rental Holidays.

With the children now back at school and the cool chill of shorter autumn days now upon us, your thoughts may already be turning to next summers holiday or perhaps you are looking to get away from the damp and dreary British winter for a few days in sunnier climes.

So once you have drawn up your shortlist of suitable countries where the amount of sunshine and average daily temperature is significantly warmer than Margate or Skegness in January or July, the next most important decision is where to stay. What type of holiday accommodation will be most suitable for you and the family?

Thankfully, the days of the all inclusive package holiday with its rigid 7 or 14 day options, with flights only from Manchester or Luton airport on the 1st and 3rd Thursdays in the month, are for many of us no more than a distant memory which should now be consigned to the 1970’s… With the advent of cheap flights from an increasing number of UK airports to dozens of resorts around Europe, there has never been more choice and flexibility in terms of when and where to go!

From apartments to rent in sunny Spain,villas in France, Cyprus, Turkey,Portugal or Italy, vacation rental properties in Florida, beautiful holiday cottages in Ireland,Scotland,Wales or England or even ski chalets in the French Alps, the Austrian Tyrol or Italian Dolomites, today the world really is one’s oyster!

However despite all of these wonderful choices of destinations, the wrong choice of holiday accommodation can put a real dampener on what should be a time of carefree relaxation under foreign skies, a time to relax and distress from the daily grind in the UK.

For families of more than the typical two parents and two children, and for those who may consider extended winter breaks for example, the typical hotel offering can be very restrictive not to mention the expense!

More and more people are now aware of the many real benefits in renting a holiday home, apartment or villa directly from the owner.

With the advent of holiday home ownership, many owners are looking to create a regular stream of rental income from their investment in the sun and or the ski slopes and so the choice of property available to rent is undoubtedly greater than ever before.

Renting your own holiday apartment in Tenerife or Lanzarote, a holiday villa in Majorca or Menorica or a holiday cottage in Scotland or Wales, gives you so much more flexibility in terms of privacy, sleeping arrangements, and quite simply, being able to do what you want when you want! No more rushing down 6 flights of hotel stairs each morning to make sure you don’t miss breakfast!

It has never been easier to locate holiday apartments and holiday villas to rent and all manner of self catering holiday accommodation anywhere in the world!

The advent of the Internet has given rise to many holiday property rental websites where you can choose in the comfort of your own home, the resort, the time and the type of accommodation which suits you best.
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I Love French Wine and Food – A Provence Bandol

If you are looking for fine French wine and food, consider the world famous Provence region in southeastern France. You may even find a bargain wine in this sun-drenched ideal tourist location, marred only by the number of tourists. I hope that you’ll have fun on this fact-filled wine education tour of this French candidate for paradise in which we review a local red wine based on the red Mourvedre grape.

Among France’s eleven wine-growing regions Provence ranks ninth in acreage if you include the island of Corsica, which most people do in spite of their considerable differences. Provence is synonymous with rose wine, and although its percentage is declining, happily according to many wine lovers. Over 50% of Provence wine is rose, or as some might say, pink. Many of its wines are pink and flabby, but others are not. The region is home to dozens of grape varieties, often not found elsewhere. With an average of three thousand hours of sun a year, a lot of Provence wines taste baked.

One secret to making fine tasting wine is limiting its production. The Bandol AOC reviewed below and its high-quality neighbors are capped by law at 180 cases per acre (40 hectoliters per hectare). In this area growers could generate at least twice as much output, almost without trying. But any gains in quantity would be lost in quality. Voila. Limiting Corsica’s wine output has helped reduce Europe’s famous, or rather infamous, wine lake.

While there is no shortage of great places to visit in Provence, let’s start by honoring this wine’s home town, Bandol, population eight thousand. It’s right on the coast, about thirty five miles (fifty five kilometers) southeast of Marseille and has become quite a tourist attraction. Bandol’s port has a capacity of fifteen hundred sailing vessels and that includes a lot of yachts. It is quite a center for scuba diving, deep-sea fishing and even sexy lingerie shops. In high season unless you love crowds you are better off visiting the vineyards right outside town.

For a change of pace go about four miles (six kilometers) north of Bandol to La Cadiere d’Azur, a medieval village of about three thousand perched on a hilltop overlooking the vineyards. Vincent Van Gogh was here. When you see it you’ll know why.

Before reviewing the Bandol wine and imported cheeses that we were lucky enough to purchase at a local wine store and a local Italian food store, here are a few suggestions of what to eat with indigenous wines when touring this beautiful region. Start with Caviar d’Aubergines (Egglant Puree). For your second course savor Poisson aux Herbes de Provence (Fish with Provence Herbs). And as dessert indulge yourself with Tarte aux Noix (Walnut and Honey Tart).

OUR WINE REVIEW POLICY All wines that we taste and review are purchased at the full retail price.

Wine Reviewed Domaine Le Galantin Bandol Rouge 2005 14.0% about $20.00

Let’s start by quoting the marketing materials. Description Bandol, the most serious wine of Provence, [is] typically a deep-flavoured, lush red blend dominated by the Mourvedre grape. Tasting Note (Jancis Robinson, Oxford Companion to Wine, 3rd Edition, 2006) This version is mostly Mourvedre with a touch of Grenache for balance. Its lovely collection of aromas include cherry, anise, marzipan, and garrigue. And now for my review.

Before the first meal I sipped some of this wine. It was dark, fruity, powerful, and long. You know that the wine is present. The first meal was delicatessen-made thin strips of beef with sliced vegetables. I added rice and a Thai hot sauce. The wine remained long and strong with dark chocolate. I have the feeling that it could hold up to anything. I am getting an image: people sitting around a campfire devouring raw or scarcely cooked bear meat – I have no idea what bear meat tastes like but I know this Bandol could handle it. This is not a wine for watercress sandwiches – with or without the crusts. I liked the wine with a cocoa strudel. The chocolate of the wine accompanied the “chocolate” of the cake. There was, however, a discordant note, I’ll talk about it in the next round.

The second tasting was with broiled beef ribs accompanied by jerk sauce, barbecued red skin potatoes, and commercial grilled eggplant. The wine was thick and mouthfilling, but there was something about its acidity that was not quite right, let’s not mince words; it was unpleasant. This also happened with the first meal. It may be hard to believe but swirling the glass vigorously removed this secondary defect. In the present series of reviews covering more than sixty wines this is the first time that I have encountered such a problem.

The final meal consisted of a pan-fried lamb chop that had been marinated in olive oil, garlic, and sliced red onion plus an artichoke, garlic, and tomato salsa and corn on the cob. The wine was full and long brimming with chocolate and to a lesser extent tobacco. The defect is long gone and the wine was excellent. As strong as it was the Bandol accompanied rather than overpowered the subtle meat. Jancis Robinson was right, who am I to doubt her? I tasted garrigue, Mediterranean spices.

The first cheese pairing was with a mild-tasting Italian Pecorino Fruilano, which somehow cut across the wine. It surprised me that such a weak cheese could denature such a strong wine. The Bandol was able to keep its taste when paired with the more flavorful Dutch Edam. I tasted deep chocolate.

Final verdict. This wine is a winner. I confess that I don’t understand fully the problem with the defect. But I am more than willing to take the chance on it again. However, just between you and me, I won’t waste it on cheese pairings.

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Levi Reiss has authored or co-authored ten books on computers and the Internet, but he prefers drinking fine Italian or other wine, accompanied by the right foods and people. He knows about dieting but now eats and drinks what he wants, in moderation. He teaches classes in computers at an Ontario French-language community college. His new wine, diet, health, and nutrition website www.wineinyourdiet.com links to his other sites.

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Germany – Great Cities, Endless Holiday Ideas

If you have not considered a holiday in Germany before, you should expect to be enticed and amazed by what is on offer. Germany is year-round holiday destination, with fine cities for Autumn and Winter cultural breaks, the famous German Christmas Markets, music, beer and wine festivals, spa holidays, summer river cruising plus of course alpine scenes for family summer holidays and winter skiing.

As well as its amazing scenery, including the breathtaking Rhine and Moselle rivers, Germany has a fascinating history and wide range of cultural events. The Italian Renaissance painters were discovered, for example, by a young Albrecht Durer, who brought their influence to Northern Europe via the fine mediaeval town of Nurnberg.. The Reformation had its toots in Germany through the revolutionary thinking of men such as Martin Luther, and of course the evolution of printing also had roots in the country. So if you are planning a European holiday with a difference, Germany’s cultural history alone is well worth taking a look. Read more »

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