Record numbers of Britons now own villas or apartments in Turkey

According to latest reports, more than 32,000 Britons now own apartments or villas in Turkey, particularly in places like Bodrum, which offer great rental opportunities and low cost flights...

Villas in Spain and why they are such a great way to holiday

Ever wondered why renting villas in Spain is so popular, well take a look at our latest article to see what all the fuss is about.

Renting villas in Spain with Villa-Holiday.co.uk

Latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Worldwide air passenger traffic up by 11.7% in May YoY

Latest figures from the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Worldwide air passenger traffic up by 11.7% in May YoY. This is great news for private holiday home owners and tourist and travel industry alike.

Villa holidays abroad are STILL cheaper than taking a holiday in the UK

Holidaymakers who think they're saving money by staying in the UK could end up spending more than those who jet off abroad.

British resorts and businesses impose such high prices that it might be cheaper to fly thousands of miles to a resort abroad, a study shows.

So a week at the seaside in this country is more expensive than a villa holidays in Bodrum, an apartment in Turkey, Greece or Cyprus villas, which attract millions of families looking for sunshine.

Researchers at Tesco Bank looked at typical holiday expenses for one week for a family of four in August, including accommodation, car hire, eating out and family entertainment.

While they did not include the cost of getting to the resort, the price gap is so large for many countries that it would still be cheaper to travel using a budget airline.

The figure for Brighton came out at £2,209 - £390 more than buying the equivalent items in Bodrum.

So even considering that return flights from London Gatwick to Bodrum would cost around £80 via easyJet, it's still a bargain.

Brighton certainly has a great history and many attractions, from the Royal Pavilion and the pier to nightclubs and the Lanes.

But while it offers standard seaside fare of fish and chips and curry houses, Bodrum, on the Aegean Sea, boasts Turkish food as well as sun, sandy beaches and nightlife.

There are also several all-inclusive hotel resorts where the cost of food and drink is included in the package. John Howells, head of travel money at Tesco Bank, said holiday costs have been impacted by the euro exchange rate.

'With the average cost of a holiday for one week coming in at £2,076, a 2 per cent increase on last year, it is essential holidaymakers are not just looking into the cost of travel but also the expenses they are likely to incur once they are there.

'For instance, car hire and accommodation make up 71 per cent of weekly spend and have risen 6 per cent on last year.' Meanwhile, lastminute.com has seen a rush of people logging on to look for travel deals after England's elimination from the World Cup on Sunday. Bookings rose 25 per cent on the previous day in the hours after the final whistle was blown.

The firm's head of travel, Andy Washington, said: 'People want a way of getting over the football blues, and for many a late summer break is the thing they need.'

Lowcostholidays.com, meanwhile, said the number of people visiting its website rose 40 per cent compared to last week.

source: dailymail.co.uk

Renting a villa in Portugal this Summer? Don't leave car hire to the last minute

Car hire companies in the Algarve claim difficult access to credit and the economic crisis have forced them to reduce their fleets, leaving the region’s tourism sector struggling to meet tourist demand during the high season for the second year running.

The lack of hire cars available to tourists renting villas in the Algarve this summer may mean increased business for taxi drivers, however, tourism experts are concerned about the sector being hit by yet another crisis.

Holidaymakers often book a hire car when purchasing a holiday package in their country, collecting it from the airport upon arrival at the destination. However, this scenario looks bleak for the months of July and August.

Armando Santana, president of ARA, Association for Rent-a-Car Companies in the Algarve, told Correio da Manhã newspaper: “Hire car companies have already told tourist operators to stop booking cars for late July and early August as there are no vehicles available for that period.

“The rent-a-car sector has been severely affected by the economic crisis and banks making access to credit extremely difficult, so fleets have had to be reduced.”

Despite not being in possession of exact figures, ARA estimates that the reduction may be a further 15 to 20 per cent over the same period last year, representing a shortage of 2,000 cars available for hire. Armando Santana added: “This leads to fewer profits for rent-a-car companies and, therefore, fewer jobs in the sector.”

source: algarveresident.com

Pound reaches 19 month high against Euro!

The pound has reached a 19 month high against the euro, as the European economy comes under renewed pressure ahead of a bank loan deadline.

This is great news for UK owners and holiday makers alike. The past 12 months have seen UK holiday makers seek non-eurozone resorts such as Turkey, Egypt and Florida as the Euro stormed ahead of the pound.

"Let hope this is the start of an upward trend for the pound"

For villas and apartments in Europe, go to www.villa-holiday.co.uk

World Cup Trip to an apartment in El Soto, Elviria, Marbella, Spain

World Cup Trip to an apartment in El Soto, Elviria, Marbella, Spain

The day has come, the mighty England take on Germany in the last 16 of the World Cup. The old foes battle it out on the pitch again, will it be settled in 90 minutes? Will the Lions triumph on penalties? Will they go out to the German team yet again? I suppose I can take some comfort that if we do go out, the blow will be softened because I'm in the beautiful surroundings of El Soto De Marbella, 30 minutes drive from Malaga airport, 5 minutes from the coast.

Looking out from the apartments across the coastline, the morning sun shimmering off the Atlantic ocean I'm anticipating a good day, it's 9 am and already too hot to sit outside. I'm very lucky, I'm in a friends apartment but they rent for about £400 a week this time of year. The complex is extremely peaceful with villa holidays in Puerto Banus a short drive away, if you're looking for something more lively. There's also the famous Nikki Beach at the bottom of the hill in Elviria, famous for beach parties, beautiful girls and champagne parties.

Today is all about England though and I'm off to the pool to catch some sun before the big game later, COME ON ENGLAND!!!!!