Best Holiday Lettings

Author: Alicia

  • The World’s Best Airport for Transit Passengers

    The winner of the 2015 award for the “World’s Best Airport for Transit Passengers” as voted by air travellers in the World Airport Survey, was named as Incheon International Airport, Seoul, South Korea.

    For anyone who has had to spend more than a couple of hours in transit, waiting to change planes, this can be a very tiresome and tiring part of a journey. However, a visit to Incheon Airport for transit passengers, appears to be more of a delight than an ordeal.

    So, what makes a good airport for transit? Incheon has several rest and relaxation areas with loungers for travellers to lie down and stretch out and modular couches for comfort. Transit at Incheon may offer the ideal opportunity to catch up on much needed sleep. Free showers are also available to use for those who wish to freshen up.

    If you have more than a couple of hours spare, pay a visit to the cultural experience zone where you can learn how to make small, traditional Korean gifts which you can take with you afterwards. The Museum gives visitors an insight into Korean culture and history and there is also the chance to watch performances of dance and music.

    Other attractions to entertain the transit traveller include a skating rink, several gardens, a casino, golf course and the possibility of a transit tour to places of interest outside the airport.

  • Will neighbouring countries benefit from India’s confusing tourist visa rules?

    Six weeks ago the broadsheet newspapers were reporting on changes in obtaining an Indian tourist visa.

    Up until that point it had never been a particularly easy process for UK tourists anyway.  It required completing an online application, at the same time as submitting paper forms. Depending on where you lived, it was often confusing trying to work out to which office to send your application – it was not necessarily the nearest one.  Once you had answered all of the questions, some of which were bewildering and a little ambiguous, then you needed to part with approximately £100 for a six month visa which begins the day your application is processed and not the day you first set foot on Indian soil.

    However, about six weeks ago, the Indian High Commission announced that from March 14th 2015, UK passport holders would need to book an individual appointment at an application centre (one of 14 in the UK) for biometric testing.  However, at the time of the announcement, only 3 centres were actually open.  There was no guarantee that members from the same family would obtain consecutive appointments on the same day.

    In the UK, a company called VFS processes UK visa applications.

    Travel agents and tour operators, in particular, as well as regular travellers to India, expressed grave concerns about the proposed changes.  As a result of the outcry, the Indian High Commission seems to have changed its mind about biometric testing.  A notice on the VFS website states that it “has been deferred until further notice”. The website also currently states that “Scheduling appointment to visit the application centre is now mandatory effective 16 March 2015”.  Yet, there have also
    been reports in some newspapers that it will not be necessary to turn up for an appointment.

    This added layer of bureaucracy to a process that was not easy to start with, plus the high cost and the confusion of what is needed, is likely to deter many UK tourists to choose to visit other Asian countries instead, like Thailand.

  • Cookery Courses in Italy

    If cooking is your passion and you have plenty of money, then you may relish a week of perfecting your cookery skills in a Tuscan castle or manor house. However, you will find most of these 7-day courses can cost somewhere between £1500 and £2000. The price does include a residential stay in luxury surroundings and views over Italian countryside, which are worthy of an E. M. Forster novel, plus tuition from skilled and talented local chefs in professional kitchens. There will also be trips and excursions organised to local vineyards or specialist cheese producers and fresh food markets.

    However, if this is outside of your budget, then you could consider a day’s course which may only set you back £100, or even less in some cases. The surroundings are still picturesque but the morning is usually spent wandering around a local produce market with cooking tuition in the afternoon. One day courses may be more specific – pasta making or Italian confectionery, for instance. However, if you are on holiday in Rome or staying in a villa in Tuscany for a few days anyway, a day spent on an Italian cookery course might be a welcome alternative to spending time at a beach or exploring museums and art galleries.

  • House swap holiday homes

    Swapping your house with a someone for a holiday is growing in popularity. When this concept first came about, many people could not get their heads round it and it was often only a very few select group of people that would actually try it. Following on from Britain entering the recession, people needed to find different ways to have a holiday that cost very little money. House swapping seemed like the perfect answer with often no money having to exchange hands.
    There are now many websites dedicated to this idea, allowing people to list their homes and areas in which they would be interested doing a swap in. Many people obviously have reservations about this concept, but there are is some very helpful information online which can help you get ready for a house swap. If you are lucky enough to have a home that is separate from your family home then you may want to look in to letting this out as holiday accommodation instead to possibly make an additional income instead of it being stood empty for 70% of the year.

  • Hiring a French gîte for a week

    In French, the term gîte originally meant “a form of shelter”, though nowadays it has come to signify “holiday accommodation that is available for rent”. Thirty or forty years ago, gîtes tended to be quite basic accommodation for the holidaymaker who wanted a reasonably priced self-catering break in France, and were often converted barns or former farmworkers’ dwellings.

    With the opening of the Channel Tunnel in 1994, it has become even easier to journey to France. Today finding and booking a gîte is very simple as there are many online companies which specifically offer this type of accommodation. It is also easy to find listings of gîte locations on tourist information websites.

    Spending a week in a French gîte still tends to be relatively inexpensive but many now have more modern amenities like fitted kitchens, wet rooms and en-suite bathrooms, TVs and DVD players and internet access. Some may even offer the use of a swimming pool or tennis court. Gîte holidays are ideal for those looking for peace and quiet in the idyllic French countryside. For holidaymakers who rent larger properties, it can be an ideal opportunity for gathering together and enjoying the company of the extended family all under one roof.