Archive for July, 2008
SNOW MUCH FAMILY FUN IN CANADA
Humber Valley Newfoundland
Western Newfoundland, Canada’s most easterly province, is a real haven for lovers of the great outdoors and, at only five and a half hours flight from the UK, it makes for an easily accessible and cost-effective family holiday destination. The luxurious Humber Valley Resort, nestled into the Appalachian Mountains, is perfect for families and friends wishing to enjoy a snow-based activity holiday.
Boasting an abundant natural snowfall and the best skiing in eastern Canada, Humber Valley Resort has direct access to over 745 miles of groomed snowmobile trails that stretch from ocean to mountainside. A spectacular terrain is waiting to be explored by the adventurous with a huge array of winter sports for adults and children alike including alpine skiing, snowboarding, cat skiing, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice-fishing, sledding and ice-skating to name just a few.
An on-snow programme for those aged three upwards means that children can quickly learn more about mobility on the snow and can take part in family exploits such as sleigh rides and snowshoe adventures in search of caribou, moose, silver fox, lynx, seal and artic hare. After a hard day on the snow, the Aveda-concept spa on the edge of the forest and the shores of Deer Lake is the perfect retreat with a choice of massages, facials and body treatments as well as an outdoor hot tub to relax in.
Humber Valley Chalets
Located on the northern bank of the Humber River and Deer Lake and only a 20-minute drive from the airport, Humber Valley provides a variety of self-catering accommodation and excellent on-site restaurant and leisure facilities within the peace and seclusion of a Canadian forest retreat. Spacious chalets to suit all group sizes offer a choice of two to six bedrooms with fully-equipped kitchen and forest, golf or lake views.
From December 2008 to April 2009, Select Resorts is offering seven nights at Humber Valley from £2,545 for a family of four. The price includes return flights from London Gatwick, accommodation in a two-bedroom forest-view chalet, resort transfers, taxes and surcharges. Great deals on winter wonderland packages from under £640 per person per week.
For bookings or more information contact Select Resorts 01202 786490 or visit our dedicated Humber Valley website.
Add comment July 31, 2008
Green Tourism in El Gouna Egypt
A interesting report from www.eturbonews.com – The owners of El Gouna, one of Egypt’s top leisure resort towns, are looking forward to the initial results of a pioneering new scheme, The Green Star Hotel Initiative, to which they committed last year in an effort to drive the country into a new era of green tourism.
Samih Sawiris, the chairman of Orascom Hotels and Development (OHD) is already a well-known advocate of sustainable tourism development, in a region for which currently ecotourism is regarded as the exception rather than the norm, and where eco-friendly products are not easy to source. OHD’s Red Sea resort development El Gouna, which has 14 hotels, an eighteen hotel golf course and a huge range of leisure facilities, was, therefore, a natural starting point to pioneer The Green Star Hotel Label. Auditing of the pilot hotels take place this October after a fast-moving eighteen month process.
The immediate goals of the Green Star Hotel Initiative, which has been specifically developed to combat the problems experienced by the region in meeting criteria laid out by existing eco-labels, are to improve the town’s overall environmental performance. Area-specific criteria have been established for the Green Star Hotel Label, such as a particular focus on water conservation, given the region’s arid climate. Objectives will include the reduction of water and energy consumption, and a reduction in waste generation of hotels, as well as raising awareness among hotel staff and guests, tour operators and residents.
It is also hoped that the scheme will raise awareness of El Gouna and ultimately of Egypt generally among eco-conscious visitors from the UK and Europe.
Savills Select Resorts are working with Orascom Hotels and Development selling fantastic villas in El Gouna
Add comment July 30, 2008
Booking Direct from owners – Villa Nightmares continued
Further to our recent post about the perils of booking your villa direct we have had more instances and read more artciles about this subject and it seems to be getting out of control. A client has recently been in touch who had lost over £10,000 when booking a villa directly from an owner which subseqently turned out not to exist.
There was also an article in this weeks Sunday Times regarding a British couple who booked a villa direct, paid a deposit of £700 which they subsequently lost when the villa once again turned out to be a fraud. the fraud was only identified when a number of other clients reported the sames person as having ripped them off.
While there is no doubt that the majority of direct booking properties are legit there is still no control unlike the greater security which you have when using a professional lettings agency.
Add comment July 25, 2008
A LOT OF TURKEY TO THE POUND!
Turkey is a fast growing destination for UK holiday makers and property purchasers alike; this is not surprising when you consider what the country has to offer! Temperatures in the winter months along the coast are as warm and dry as other Mediterranean countries like France, Spain and Greece.
It’s not just the sandy beaches that attract UK buyers, a wealth of facilities have been added over recent years including many marinas and golf courses. The area has everything you need for a rich and varied holiday or living experience and the cost of living is very reasonable.
The Bodrum Peninsula in particular, on the Aegean Sea, is a popular location for property purchasers attracted not only by the mild winter climate and the new facilities but also by the extremely reasonable property prices and the fact that properties are priced in £ pound sterling, without the worry of currency exchange fluctuations!
Tuzla Park Apartments start at only £35,000! The resort is close to the town of Bodrum. Tuzla Lake is an internationally protected nature reserve and a haven for many different varieties of birds from Pelicans to water chickens. The development is low density, built in free standing blocks of 4 apartments, surrounded by lush green landscaped gardens and directly opposite the 18 hole golf course.
Purchasers looking for something more substantial can consider buying one of the villas in Belek Golf Villas. This superb development has only 26 contemporary semi-detached 4 bedroom villas opposite the Nick Faldo designed golf course. These spacious villas are priced at £173,000, all villas will have Jacuzzi, steam bath with aqua massage, flat screen TVs, wireless internet and solar power heating.
The project is just a 10 minute walk from the beach at Kadriye and 25 minutes from Antalya Airport which is served from many UK airports all year round.
Add comment July 22, 2008
Getting Warmed up in your Villa with Private Pool
Every spring and summer without fail one issue can be guaranteed to arise in our business – heated private villa pools. As someone in the industry we have had the range of issues from pools being too cold to pools being too hot. Unfortunately pool heating is not an exact science and of course one man’s refreshing swim is another mans ice bath. (more…)
Add comment July 15, 2008
The Perils of Booking Your Villa Direct
The rise in direct booking websites has seen a boom in owners advertising their own properties, and as a result holiday makers are seeing a similar rise in villa holiday nightmares.
With the huge amount of concrete gone into building villas in Europe in the last 10 years competition is fierce for holiday rental income and owners have decided to take matters into their own hands to get bookings.
Very often they will be available for a cheaper weekly rental than similar properties with professional management companies or letting agencies. The disadvantage to booking direct however is you have no guarantees of the standard on arrival or indeed how professional the owner maybe.
1 comment July 9, 2008
Egyptian Villas Great Investments in Egypt Property = Great Holidays
Last week I briefly mentioned Egypt as a great new destination for property investment, and I have more details outlined below.
People often wonder how it is that the relics of Egyptian tombs are so well preserved after being buried for thousands of years! The reason of course is that it hardly ever rains in the region, once every 5 years is the norm so the tombs remained perfectly dry!
What a perfect destination Egypt is for a holiday home, guaranteed sunny weather, superb beaches, warm waters of the Red Sea for superb swimming and diving and just over 4 hours flying time from the UK! (more…)
Add comment July 7, 2008
Beating the Property Credit Crunch – Invest in France and Egypt
Daily headlines in UK media are reminding us of falling property sales and falling property prices due to credit restrictions by the lending banks. The latest report out this week confirms that the number of mortgages granted in May this year is down to a third of what it was in May 2007!
In sharp contrast, the situation for purchasers in France appears to be very different for purchasers of leaseback properties. (more…)
2 comments July 2, 2008
