http://www.articletrader.com/ Articles at ArticleTrader en-us http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/family-favourites-holidaying-in-south-devon.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/family-favourites-holidaying-in-south-devon.html Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Safe, enclosed gardens are often next on the list for parents of young children looking for a bit of a rest whilst away from home. If outside space is important to you , discuss your requirements before booking as many properties do offer gardens, but with miles of beautiful, unspoilt beaches close to hand and the glorious Devon countryside all around there is plenty of space for tiring out young legs!

Many visitors simply do not consider access to the property they have chosen before booking a cottage or apartment for a holiday, but this can be quite an issue if you have to carry a double pushchair up and down a flight of steps every time you go out! Knowing and visiting our properties as often as we do gives us the opportunity to advise on any access queries and to recommend one of the many more suitable properties. Before booking a property, it is worth asking questions – how far is the beach, are there ‘child-friendly’ pubs and restaurants nearby, is there a cot/highchair or can we hire them, where is the nearest shop, how steep are the internal steps/is there a stair gate or can one be hired?

Whilst equipment for babies and young children, such as cots, highchairs and stair-gates, can be hired locally, many property owners do provide them, so check before you book – it might save you squeezing one (or two!) in the boot of the car along with the kitchen sink! Over near Dartmouth the owners of one luxury development, Hillfield Cottages & Country House, have invested in a large number of cots and highchairs and will position the required number in the property prior to arrival. With beautiful grounds, children’s play area and just a short drive from award-winning Blackpool Sands with it’s organic beach café, the apartments and individual barn conversions and cottages of Hillfield are proving popular with families.

When booking accommodation it is also important to think about sleeping arrangements, particularly when more than one baby is in the party. Cosy cottages might well have smaller bedrooms whilst bedroom furniture might not be moved that easily to accommodate more than one cot. Checking room layouts and bed configurations prior to booking is important, whilst choosing a slightly larger than required property is one solution taken by many families, particularly out of season when special offers and cheaper prices for larger families are often available. Twins Holly and Alex Weston (aged one) recently enjoyed a week’s holiday in popular Hope Cove, staying at Tidewave, a detached house with views of the sea and a very large garden, with their parents and grandparents. A spacious, 3 bedroom property enabled the girls to have their own large bedroom, perfect for two cots and with plenty of room for all their associated luggage! Plus with one cot and highchair already provided they only needed to hire one set. Cot bedding is usually not provided as most mothers prefer to bring their own, but it is worth checking at time of booking.

Travelling in the car with children - particularly in busier holiday periods - can often be stressful for parents, so some arrive tired and with fractious children to cope with, as well as the unpacking to do! Thinking of arrival days, avoiding the main school holidays whilst children are pre-school aged, is best and, if unavoidable, travelling either very early or later in the day can be worth considering. Journey times can be considerably shortened with a bit of careful planning and you could even go straight to the beach to burn off any pent up energy after sitting in the car. Don’t, however, presume that you will be able to access your holiday property early just because you have chosen to travel earlier. Whilst we always aim to try to get properties ready earlier than the 3pm arrival time wherever possible, the volume of changeovers to complete is a mammoth task particularly during the busy summer period. We are also dependent on those leaving the properties on time and in good order! Its certainly worth calling ahead, though, to find out the situation as we will always try to assist parents with young children as much as we can. Packing a picnic to tide you over and planning a walk on the beach or an exploration of the village if you expect to arrive several hours earlier will avoid any end of journey disappointment.

With the car bursting to the seams with baby equipment, planning food requirements and ordering ahead is a good way of cutting down the luggage for a family. Local food hampers can be pre-arranged from companies such as Goodstuff of Kingsbridge, containing all you will need and more for a hearty breakfast and/or ready prepared full evening meal. Wine can be delivered from Red & White of Kingsbridge whilst local deli company Red Earth Kitchen can supply picnics, catering and good quality frozen gourmet ready meals with items on the menu aimed at ‘very ickle people’. Tescos deliveries can also be pre-ordered so you could even avoid packing the nappies and baby wipes (those for the journey excepted!)

With safe sandy coves for sandcastles and swimming, plus crabbing, rock pooling and surfing still proving popular pastimes, this really is the perfect destination for a family seaside holiday. Local attractions including award-winning farms such as Pennywell, places of interest including National Trust properties and gardens and adventure parks like Woodlands, with the largest indoor play centre in the UK including a separate area for Under 5’s, offer entertainment whatever the weather. For food loving parents, the area is a haven with regular Farmers Markets, readily available local produce, an abundance of tea rooms, award-winning restaurants plus the local ice cream is delicious! With the mildest climate in mainland Britain we welcome visitors to this area of outstanding natural beauty throughout the year and we hope to see you soon too!


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http://www.coastandcountry.co.uk/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/and-fido-tiddles-hammy-and-percy-came-too.html http://www.articletrader.com/travel/destinations/and-fido-tiddles-hammy-and-percy-came-too.html Mon, 19 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600
And it’s not only dogs, a surprising number of other pets have been included in the travel plans of holidaymakers. From cats to goldfish, from hamsters to even a parrot, enquiries have been received from those looking for the perfect holiday retreat with their special pet.

Whilst many properties are ‘pet-friendly’, many are not and it is vital that all intended occupants of a property, whether human or otherwise are declared prior to booking. A typical holiday booking form requires the completion of all names and ages of the party, plus whether a dog is included, together with breed. We had to chuckle, though, when a form was received for one of our properties listing, as part of the party, ‘Rover aged 8’!

Joking aside, the rising incidence of allergies today means that it is imperative that those who are allergic to pets check that a property is not dog friendly or that it has not been so in the past. At those which accept pets, for the comfort and enjoyment of all, it should be stressed that dogs must be kept under control at all times and never allowed in bedrooms or on furniture. Dogs staying in holiday properties should also not be left unattended and exercised away from the property. With the choice of wonderful walks around here, this is not too difficult!

The vast majority of dog-owners are very responsible and actually leave their properties cleaner, in many cases, than those without dogs. I remember taking a call from a lady planning to book a certain property for herself, her husband and her two dogs. Having visited South Devon before and having experienced our brownish/red mud, she was keen to check the colour of the carpets at the property – whilst stressing that she was extremely careful to wipe her dog’s paws after walks, she told me that she did not want to be confronted with cream carpets upon arrival! Another enquirer, when being told that, regrettably, a certain property she wanted to book was not ‘dog-friendly’, tried to persuade us (unsuccessfully, of course) to accept her dog, as he was ‘from a good home’!! Luckily suitable dog-friendly accommodation was soon found for this customer and her well-mannered canine offspring.

Nevertheless some property owners are reluctant to accept dogs due to concerns of greater cleaning requirements and potential damage. When advising on a new letting programme it is important that the owner decides whether or not to accept dogs. If, however, the property is suitable for dogs, has it’s own garden, a large kitchen perhaps with a separate utility area, tiled flooring downstairs and is ideally placed for dog walking it is worth investigating the potential benefits of so doing.

Extra charges (typically charges for dogs vary from £10 – £20 per dog per week depending on agency) can cover any additional cleaning, such as regular carpet cleaning to keep the property smelling and looking fresh and welcoming. As many visitors with dogs tend to visit the area out of season the letting programme of a property can be extended considerably by accepting a four-legged companion too. A property overlooking a Start Bay beach popular with dog walkers, for example, is let almost all year round. And of course more revenue from letting means that any extra wear and tear on the property should be comfortably covered too.

Targeted marketing of this lucrative sector of the market can include websites, magazines and publications aimed at dog lovers as well as special offers and short breaks and promotions at key times of the year. With more bookings being taken than ever before for four-legged visitors, more Fido’s, Bruno’s and Patch’s are set to enjoy wonderful ‘walkies’ around our stunning coastline and glorious countryside in the years to come.


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http://www.coastandcountry.co.uk/

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]> http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/this-valentines-day-what-to-buy-your-valentine.html http://www.articletrader.com/shopping/this-valentines-day-what-to-buy-your-valentine.html Tue, 13 Feb 2007 00:00:00 -0600
Scentstore is a large independent perfumery situated in the Cathedral City of Truro, Cornwall. The shop is now in its tenth year of trading and can provide a wealth of specialist fragrance, cosmetic and skincare advice for any individual and/or occasion either in store, via e-mail, fax or telephone.

Scentstore stocks one of the largest fragrance selections in the South West including many niche and ‘hard-to-find’ brands – most of which are available through the Scentstore’s successful website which currently has a wide range of Valentine gifts such as the Calvin Klein Eternity Moment Gift Set.

Linda White at Scentstore added, “Valentine’s is a very busy time of year for us and we have already received many orders for gift sets via the website.”

Scentstore customer service is second to none and the majority of products are priced very competitively all year round (many at less than duty free) so no unwanted impulse sales – they provide what you want, when you want and at a great price.

Delivery is only £1.75 per item anywhere in the UK and gift wrapping is free on purchases over £10 (excluding postage).



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Author of online press releases on behalf of Scentstore a leading UK independent perfumery in Cornwall.

Source: http://www.articletrader.com ]]>