The Christmas Festivities Approach !!!!

As Christmas approaches we forget all about our summer villa holiday and focus on the festivities. Whereas UK has one long holiday that stretches from Christmas Eve to New Year, in France it is quite different!! When I first moved here 16 years ago there was nothing – no Christmas trees, no decorations, no Christmas lights in the towns or villages and no turkeys! Now, it is quite different with all these things but France still retains its own traditions.

Most French homes decorate their homes at Christmas time with a Nativity scene or crèche with little clay figures called 'santons' or 'little saints' that are still made from moulds that have passed down since the 17th century. Christmas markets have now begun and this year marks the first of these in my area of South West France. Generally, the Christmas markets, with their little wooden huts selling gifts were traditionally in the North of France around the Alsace region. Night markets have started this year too in my region and if they are good as the summer night markets then another tradition has been born.

Food in France at Christmas time is quite different from UK. However, there is a traditional Yule log-shaped cake called the Buche de Noel, meaning 'Christmas Log.' The main Christmas feast is quite grand and is known as 'Le Reveillon', served as a very late supper held after midnight mass on Christmas Eve. Different regions have different traditional menus and in the South West it is oysters, turkey and foie gras. French families also bake a Three Kings Cake with a bean hidden in it on the Twelfth Day after Christmas. The lucky person to find the bean in their slice is crowned the King or Queen, for the day.

We at Quality villas enjoy our Christmas and New Year but we are still on hand to discuss your 2010 summer holiday. So, when the holiday programmes come on the TV on Boxing Day it will be your reminder to call us to discuss your French villa holiday!!

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com

If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com

Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco

Black Diamonds in South West France !!!

In South West France there are many markets which vary from Night markets in the summer to Farmers Markets or just plain Bric & Brac markets so it’s a perfect area for your South West villa holiday whether in summer or off season.

The most famous truffle market starting on the first Tuesday of December until mid-March is in Lalbenque which is close to Cahors in South West France. It takes place in the main street, called " La rue du Marché aux Truffes” and is well worth a visit. The market opens on the dot of two o’clock and generally lasts just a few minutes with everyone hiding their “black diamond” treasure under red checked napkins, in paper bags or small wicker baskets. If you are to make a day of it then arrive before midday and have a truffle omelette in one of the restaurants that line the main street. We even have rural farmhouses to rent within easy reach of this village and many others.

Truffles are strange looking fungi found just below the ground in open woodland, usually under oak or hazel trees, and their pungent aroma attracts many animals, particularly female pigs. The sow is said to be crazy about truffles because the truffle has the same musky smell as the sexual odour of the wild boar. Unlike mushrooms, truffle spores are not spread by the wind so they need animals to disperse them. Pigs need no encouragement to look for truffles. In fact, it requires constant vigilance and firmness on the part of the truffle hunter to prevent them from swallowing the lot. Nowadays, dogs are replacing pigs; they have no natural interest in truffles and can be trained to indicate with a paw the place where they have smelt them. They are also smaller, more manageable, don't tire as easily, and they don't go into a sexual frenzy when approaching a truffle.

I love the South West France area with its rural landscape and rolling hills which is so popular with our clients for their family villa holiday.

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com

If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com

Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco

Gastronomy & Wine – perfectly coupled with your French Villa Holiday!!

I have just come back from a week in UK whereby I had to have my obligatory fish and chips, curry and take away Chinese. I really enjoy these foods when I visit “the old country” and often visit the country pubs which I really miss. However, after a week I am hankering to be home and to return to my French food diet which is regional food and wine!!

If there is something clear in the world, it is the gastronomy language is defiantly French!! Its kitchen is the national pride of the French people and the fame of the French is good eating and drinking. As you read on think about your french family villa rental for your 2010 holiday.

From the Northwest coast as well as Mediterranean, there is quality fish, as well as seafood in the form of oysters, mussels and clams, especially in the zone of Aquitaine and the Charente.

In the area that I live duck, goose, and foie gras are elements of the kitchen of the region of Dordogne and Midi-Pyrénées. Mainly accompanied by plums, raisins or truffles.

While in the Languedoc the typical Mediterranean kitchen is based on olives, garlic, fish soups mussels, fresh fish and salads.

Not forgetting the wonderful cheeses where there are more than 400 varieties. The most famous are Brie, Roquefort, Camembert and those of goat. My favourite are the ripe, runny Camembert’s and St. Felician and the stronger the better! I like my cheese to take the roof of my mouth off and leave the milder cheeses to the less adventurous.

What about the wine you say!! The glasses are always full in France, in spite of the recognized spiritual drinks like Armagnac, cointreau, the cider or the calvados, the king is the wine!! The French are authentic lovers of good wines and its country is seeded from corner to corner of vineyards. The great producing regions are Bordeaux and Champagne, although good wines can be found in the valley of the Loire and of the Rhone.

If this has wetted your appetite and tingled your taste buds then why not think about your South West France holiday now by booking one of our family villas or rural French farmhouse today. We still have good availabilities in the summer months – but hurry this area is popular!

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com

If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com

Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco

Escape to the country!!!!

The Lot Valley is one of the most beautiful regions in France, a perfect holiday destination for your rural French farmhouse holiday. The area has remained fairly untouched by 20th century development and tourism and the rural way of life continues very much as it has for centuries. Local farmers seem happy to live a fairly subsistence lifestyle, and village markets continue to flourish. This is due, no doubt, to the local taste for fresh ingredients and traditional methods of regional cooking. Although medieval villages and towns are starting to be discovered by tourists looking for a more authentic France, they have managed to retain their old-world charm. Visitors are drawn to the stunning countryside, pâté, truffles, foie gras and fine wine.

This area boasts many beautiful villages and the scenery is without a doubt truly stunning. It’s a perfect area to enjoy a wonderful family holiday in a countryside villa with your very own swimming pool. This region is vast but its worth mentioning just a couple of areas of interest.

The ancient city of Cahors sits on the River Lot and steeped in history. It is now a fashionable town with some superb restaurants, nice shops and an excellent Saturday market, bursting with local produce. Across the river is the town's signature piece, the Pont Valentré. This magnificent fortified bridge was built between 1308 and 1500 and features a trio of towers, battlements and seven pointed arches. The Cathédrale St-Etienne dominates the old town and features a sculptured Romanesque north portal, which was carved around 1135. Today the town is best known for its excellent cuisine and the fine deep red wine that is made in the surrounding vineyards. A good excursion from Cahors is the stunning cliff-edge village of St-Cirq-Lapopie, (31km) to the east. Perched high above the south bank of the Lot, the village, with its cobbled lanes, half-timbered houses and gardens, it is most visited village in the region!

Why not book your South West France villa today so you can enjoy the beauty of the Lot Valley. We have a few rural French farmhouses still with high season availability.

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com
If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com
Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco

A hidden gem in the Dordogne!!

The Dordogne is a wonderful department and has been popular for many years. The Dordogne River and its wonderful chateaux and quaint villages still attract thousands every year. I am so lucky to work in so many different departments and they are all wonderful in their own delightful way. To me the Dordogne is not only about the river and many tourist attractions but the medieval hilltop villages and the wonderful properties that lie nestled in their valleys. A perfect area to book your countryside villa or renovated farmhouse in Dordogne.

New to my Dordogne portfolio is a beautifully restored manor house that is near one of these hilltop villages and tucked away in lush countryside yet close to all amenities. This wonderful Manor House was once an important bastide domaine with a connection to the amazing Château de Biron which is but a short distance from the estate. It is a beautiful house with a fine history where part of the house dates back to 1673. It was a refuge for families from Alsace and hid soldiers during World War II. Situated on a high point in the region, the 100-acre domaine has its own small herd of organic cattle as well as being a lovely haven for wildlife and wild flowers. The house has been meticulously renovated and refurbished to an exceptionally high standard that blends well with its centuries-old history. This charming family villa is sure to be popular so early booking is recommended.

Call our office now to discuss your countryside villa in Dordogne and speak to one of our specialist staff who all know our family villas personally. Visit our site now for your family villa holiday www.qualityvillas.com and contact us or email.

Gill Woolsgrove
Quality Villas
France & Morocco

Water Sports & Water Jousting in the Languedoc

The Mediterranean coast has wide sandy beaches and rocky creeks along the Côte Vermeille. There are also clear lagoons, lakes, canals, rivers, swimming pools fed by natural hot springs, and even subterranean streams. Equipment can be hired for water skiing, sailing, windsurfing, fun boarding, scuba diving, sand yachting, kite flying, sea kayaking, jet skiing, canoeing, river kayaking and white water rafting. For those water sport lovers it’s a perfect area to have your French villa holiday.
If watersports is not your “thing” then you must go and see the water jousts that take place in the summer, mainly in August, along the Mediterranean coast of the Languedoc. They are exactly what the name suggests, medieval style jousts, but with the jousters mounted on board boats. They attract large crowds of supporters and spectators and are great fun to watch. Two substantial wooden boats are rowed towards each other by eight or ten oarsmen. They pass each other on the left, much like horses in conventional land jousts.
One jouster on each boat stands on a special raised platform at the stern of the boat about three metres (10 feet) above the surface of the water.
In addition to the jouster and the rowers, the crew consists of a helmsman and two musicians, one playing a kind of drum and the other a kind of oboe. Also on board are other jousters who will take part in the next joust.

We have many Languedoc villas for your French family holiday from an elegant country house near Lagrasse to a small family villa near Mirepoix.

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com
If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com

Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco

Sunny holidays in France with Quality Villas

Here at Quality Villas, we are confident that a French villa holiday with Quality Villas will put a smile on your face.

This year was an amazing year for sunshine. From Spring right through to end of September the sun shone and shone.

Many of our clients had some wonderful holidays lazing by the pool topping up their sun tans to balmy evenings having the BBQ’s they were promised in UK but never had!!

Whilst we at Quality Villas cannot guarantee sunshine every day for your 2010 holiday we can guarantee beautiful villas, farmhouses and in some cases your very own chateau.

We have been taking bookings for 2010 for a few weeks now and some of most popular houses are getting booked up so hurry and book your French villa holiday now and look forward to long sunny days by your exclusive pool and BBQ evenings.

If you would to talk to one of our experienced staff about your luxury villa in France contact our office on 01442 870055 or visit our website www.qualityvillas.com

If you would like a copy of our new 2010 brochure call our office on the number above or order a copy via our website www.qualityvillas.com

Gill Woolsgrove
Regional Manager
France & Morocco