The turning of the year sees us dreaming of summer holidays in France – the joys of relaxing beside your own pool, shopping in the market, savouring vin de pays and strolling or cycling around the local sights.
We really know France – our website was a pioneer in connecting holidaymakers with owners back in 1996 and we’re still going strong. This year, we ’re excited about new holiday homes on offer alongside those whose owners have been with us for years. They are spread right across the country and some are offering great deals for early booking.
Will you return to a well loved location or branch out somewhere new? Hop across to Normandy or Brittany or fly down to Provence or Languedoc-Roussillon? France offers so much choice in a single country – and such excellent value for money. In every destination you’ll find local food to discover, fascinating places to visit and spacious countryside to explore. Couples can visit cities oozing with character, families can enjoy theme parks and water parks that children adore.
Our owners are now taking bookings for 2015 and key weeks – particularly school summer holidays - often fill up quickly. Whether you're after a cottage in a picturesque village, a farmhouse, villa or chateau in the country or an apartment near the sea, there's a great choice available, so act now to find your perfect holiday home.
Search accommodation: https://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/accommodation/france
Check out our fantastic special offers: https://www.frenchconnections.co.uk/accommodation/france?offers=true
Early this year a new bar/restaurant opened in Agen (47).
Most Saturday mornings we visit the covered market in Agen. It’s an outing, not just about shopping, but to get our ‘town’ fix and find some of the best local products to try. Sadly, there was a lack of a sophisticated place to enjoy good wine and a tasty snack so I watched with interest whilst a small, pale and shabby, 70’s shop front on the perimeter of the market was fitted out by new owners promising a wine bar!
I couldn’t even picture what had been there before as the little non-descript street was merely a ‘cut-through’ to the car park and market and definitely could not be considered elegant in any way. I certainly didn’t hold out too much hope for a destination wine bar – style, sadly, being the last thing on your average French bar and restaurant owners radar.
Thinking of a change of scene for the festive season? We reckon that France is a perfect and memorable destination for Christmas or New Year – and our owners are making some great seasonal offers.
There’s something about the way things are done in France at this time of year that truly captures traditional joy, magic and goodwill - and plenty of community events ensure a Joyeux Noel.
Christmas Eve is time to celebrate midnight mass– an uplifting tradition when all churches, from big city cathedrals to small country chapels, are aglow with dozens of candles and filled with the sounds of carols and hymns, which visitors are welcome to share.
Alongside Christmas markets, many towns and cities host cultural festivals for Christmas. Attractions might include skating, colourful parades through streets and squares and concerts, art exhibitions and dance. The atmosphere is fun and inclusive, with all generations joining in.
Festival events often continue into the New Year, which is marked with firework displays, dinners and even balls (une soirée dansante). New Year's Eve is known in France as la Saint-Sylvestre. There’s usually a feast with champagne and delicacies like foie gras. At midnight, everyone kisses under the mistletoe – a New Year rather then Christmas tradition - and exchange best wishes.
On New Year's Day, le Jour de l'An, friends and family gather to share their New Year's resolutions. Although work, routine and services continue as normal between Christmas and New Year and from 2nd January, the official end of the festive season is on 6th January, with the religious tradition of Epiphany, marked by eating a cake called la galette des rois, which has a lucky charm inside.
Some Christmas and New Year special offers from our owners:
La Bouzole, (left) a pretty villa near Carcassonne with Pyrennees views that sleeps seven. Includes woodburning stove and a new six-seater hot tub, decorations, Christmas tree and cheap car hire – all for £450 a week. You can see more about this holiday let and its owners in our major feature on Christmas in France in the December issue of French Property News magazine, published 17th November.
La Mirande, a gorgeous Ardeche farmhouse offering luxury B&B in a stunning location with views to the Alps. From 3rd Dec to 3rd Jan enjoy a short break with a cosy log fire and fantastic food, visit Avignon Christmas market and cultural events. 150-180 Euro per night for dinner, bed and breakfast for two people.
Les Eaux Calmes – a village house in Languedoc. Situated between sea and mountains, the house sleeps seven and is built into the old village walls in Gabian, a delightful fortified medieval village. Christmas and New Year rentals just £440 a week.
Belle Vue - Village house Bed & Breakfast accommodation in Blangy Le Chateau, Calvados, Normandy. For Christmas, there’s 10% off on the third night for a double room, usual price 77 euros a night.
Check out all our Special Offers and search availability by date at our Last Minute Deals
France is deservedly the world’s premier ski destination - and there’s still time to book a ski holiday this winter. The French Alps are spectacular, with truly majestic and unforgettable scenery. They also boast Europe's highest mountain, Mont Blanc, which overlooks Chamonix - one of the best ski resorts in the world.
Our owners offer a cosy home from home for your skiing holiday, whether as a couple, family or group. They include self-catering chalets, farmhouses and apartments conveniently located for the slopes and often in charming villages where mountain traditions have been maintained.
The Haute-Savoie is a favourite skiing area and its capital, Annecy, is a fashionable town with a friendly ambience. The town’s canals give it a sense of romance and is often compared with Venice - but of course Venice does not have the magnificent French Alps bearing down upon it! Also in the north lies the Chablais area, situated along the French/Swiss border. This is known as 'Portes du Soleil' and in the centre is the village of Morzine, France’s largest ski area.
Chamonix is probably one of the most popular Alpine ski resorts and is rooted in skiing history as the site of the first Winter Olympics in 1924. It is situated in a valley and surrounded by some of the most stunning mountains you will ever see. The nine skiing areas undoubtedly make for some of the best skiing in Europe.
For those who prefer to look from a distance, take the train from the Gare du Montenvers to the enormous Mer de Glace glacier. On a day off from the slopes, you can also explore glaciers in the Alps, take a cable car at Le Brevant to the highest peak to gaze on the awesome Mont Blanc or relax in Evian-les-Bains, strolling along the shores of Lake Geneva or enjoying one of the many cutting-edge spa treatments offered here.
There are plenty of options for flights to this region, with budget airlines flying from many regional airports to Lyon and also to Geneva or Chambery. Find ski accommodation in the Haute-Savoie and Savoie and book your travel to France.
I love Christmas shopping in France – especially at atmospheric French Christmas markets. Food, wine and presents from France have an extra cachet – and they offer great value with nice finishing touches like tasteful Christmas wrapping. And there’s no need to go far because the Pas de Calais - the area closest to the ferry port and Eurotunnel terminal and our region of the month – has all you need for a Christmas shopping break.
Christmas shopping is a great excuse for a long weekend or midweek short break before the flurry of the festive season sets in. In the Pas de Calais region we have owners offering cosy gites, studios, converted barns, country houses and chateaux that are ideal for a November or December stay and close enough to restaurants for some relaxing nights to enjoy the local cuisine after you’ve shopped and dropped.
Read more: Hop across the Channel for great Christmas shopping in the Nord-Pas de Calais
In Puisaye, Burgundy, a team of fifty people have taken on an extraordinary feat: to build a castle using the same techniques and materials used in the Middle Ages. Now the Guédelon Castle project has inspired a five-part series on BBC2. Secrets of the Castle started this week and the first episode can be seen on i-player, with four more episodes to come on Tuesdays at 9pm.
This massive 25 year project has been described as the world’s biggest experimental archaeological site. It was conceived by founder and director, Maryline Martin, as both a living educational tool and an innovative way to create work opportunities for the long-term unemployed, offering skills and qualifications that would leave them with a trade for life.
The wood, stone, earth, sand and clay needed for the castle's construction are all to be found on the abandoned quarry site and Guédelon, unlike most other building sites, is open to the public. One of the project's principal raisons d'être is to demonstrate and explain to as many people as possible, the craftsmanship of our forebears.
To visit is to step over the threshold into the heart of a by-gone age. No harsh mechanical sounds, no engines running - just a natural environment that elevates the senses. Explore the site to the sound of metal on stone, the sawing of wood, horses' hooves on bare earth and the hammer striking the anvil - and watch all the trades associated with castle-building in the 13th Century at work. You’ll find everyone from quarrymen, stonemasons, woodcutters, carpenters and blacksmiths to tile makers, basket makers, rope makers, carters and their horses.
See full details of the project and how to visit Guédelon Castle and check out our great places to stay in the lovely Burgundy region
Our ‘front’ door has always given me problems. To start with, it’s at the side of the house. This in itself is not that unusual and it does lead in to the entrance hall, ensuring its status as the main entrance.
However, we do have a much grander and more beautiful door at the front of the house and visitors naturally gravitate towards it. But this door leads in to the kitchen so I refer to it as the back door. Are you still with me?
Well none of this is particularly relevant other than highlighting another small issue with a quirky French house.
My real point is that a front door should be a statement. The first thing your visitors see as they enter your house, it should be welcoming and stylishly in tune with the rest of the house.
But, out of all the really beautiful doors you can find in France (generally speaking I think the French do doors much better than us English!) mine was a sad story indeed.
Yes, the second problem with our ‘front’ door was that, at best, it could only be described as ugly. And I mean ugly!! Fading dark brown stain over a carved wood veneer, a design I have never seen before and hopefully never will again, and the cheapest chrome door furniture you can imagine was the last element to ensure it’s No 1 ranking on the Top 10 of ugly doors. However, I was keen not to spoil the ancient stone feel of the house with a modern addition and, actually, trying to find something in its’ non-standard size was proving difficult.
If you’ve been following my previous posts you will know I’m trying hard to carefully manage a fast diminishing budget and I do love a spot of up-cycling… so out came the paint cards!
Now, choosing a paint colour was not an open and shut case of selecting a colour I liked. There were many considerations. First and foremost, the brown stained shutters are also going to have to go so it made sense to be choosing a colour for both.
Then there was the colour of the stone, obviously it had to compliment the grey and neutral tones of the walls and I wanted something subtle, neutral and definitely not garish. But it didn’t end there, what about the plants and flowers in the garden, I didn’t want any major clashes…this was when my partner truly thought I’d lost the plot! But, actually, he had to agree with me when the huge hibiscus tree next to the entrance burst in to gorgeous purple blooms and I made my inspired choice. A soft lavender grey was the answer and the bright pinks of the roses and other flowering shrubs would look fantastic against it.
Sadly I don’t have a before picture but here is the painted door that I’m already quite pleased with. It’s still a work in progress and I’m now on the look out for second hand door furniture. This is where I see it’s biggest transformation, it’s like putting on jewellery over that plain old jumper don’t you think?
Maybe this is a little OTT but you get my point?
