France This Way...the blog!!

If a holiday is truly relaxing it can change an ‘It was fine’ type holiday into a ‘wow that was great’ type holiday. And the great thing is, your relaxing break needn’t cost more than a stressful French holiday!

So for our French holidays section I’ve been trying to think of the things that make the difference, and how you can ensure your visit is the best ever.

It’s a bit tricky because it is different for different people. Whether you do or don’t have children is probably a key factor – if you don’t have children you might not realise how difficult it can be for the rest of us!

I think the key factors are probably (in no particular order):

- The holiday location. If you are close to a busy road it’s hard to unwind. If you are somewhere completely peaceful where you can sit and read a book quietly for hours on end, with an occasional plunge in the pool, it is easy.

- Plenty of things to see and do, all quite accessible and not too overcrowded, and with traffic jams and efforts to find a parking space not occupying hours of each day

- easy access to bars and restaurants. If your holiday rental is 15 km from the bakers and someone has to drive there every morning for the croissants, that is not helpful.

- The quality of the accommodation. People’s expectations differ, but try and book somewhere where the hotel plumbing won’t keep you awake all night, and the spiders won’t fall on your head from the cobwebs in your rental property.

- Staying somewhere within your budget. If you stay somewhere very exclusive but can’t afford to eat in any of the restaurants or drink in the bars that will detract from the pleasure.

- If you have children, be sure there is something to amuse them. Fun and games for younger children, or TV and DVD players for older children perhaps. If they are happy you will be happy! Children of all ages hate traipsing around castles, museums and villages all day! Ice cream works for bribing younger children, shopping trips for older girls. Teenage lads? Perhaps treetop rope adventures, bike hire, and a garden big enough to kick a ball around in will help.

- Weather. Not everyone wants to sunbathe all day, but cold rain can spoil a holiday very quickly. The further south in France you go, the more sure you can be that the weather will be good. Of course, Corsica and the Cote d’Azur in summer might be too hot, which can also be stressful…

All kinds of French holiday can be relaxing if you choose carefully – gites, hotels, river cruises, etc. But it is important to plan carefully. Don’t get carried away by the picture of the lovely gite with roses around the door if it doesn’t meet any of your other needs, or will leave half the family feeling miserable.

We’d love to have your comments below of what you think has made a holiday perfect for you.