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Posts Tagged ‘PV-Holidays News’
Five Great Cycle Routes for Families in France
With the Tour de France upon us – Saturday 2nd to Sunday 24th July – we thought we’d pay homage to the French love affair with pedal power.
Of course, you don’t need to be Lance Armstrong to enjoy France by bike… There are miles of meandering lanes, canal-side towpaths and beautiful stretches of coastal paths perfectly marked out for le vélo.
And there’s nowhere quite like France for a self-catering cycling holiday! You’ll see more of the sights, meet the locals and have the opportunity to engage with the places you pass through. Not to mention a rental apartment will give you the chance to sample local food, and the odd glass of wine…
It’s also a great way to enjoy a healthy and active holiday option – think of it as the summer equivalent to skiing!
The Voies Vertes, or Greenways, are an extensive network of dedicated cycle routes across France linking up nearly 2,600km of safe, marked paths. So whether you want to embark on a week-long tour or an afternoon in the saddle, there are plenty of routes to choose from. Here are some of our top suggestions of the best places to get peddling.
The Loire à vélo, The Loire – For châteaux fans
The Loire River
The Loire à vélo is an ambitious project linking two regions, six départements and six major urban areas over an 800km trail between Cuffy and Saint-Brévin on the Atlantic coast, two thirds of which run alongside the River Loire with its fabulous châteaux.
There are specific segments of the route between Muides sur Loire and Ancenis recommended for families, with a number of short distance options to choose from.
And to rest those tired legs between trips Pierre & Vacances have a range of self catering apartments in the Loire Valley.
Avenue Verte Dieppe-Forges, Normandy – For budding athletes
Normandy Countryside
Destined ultimately to link London with Paris in time for the 2012 Olympics, this 45km route runs from Dieppe on the Normandy coast to the spa town of Forges-les-Eaux along the former Dieppe to Paris railway line.
For now you’ll have to make do with some picture-perfect Normandy countryside with lots of apples and cider to help you on your way. And to kick-back and enjoy the views during your stay, Pierre & Vacances have a range of family apartment rentals in Normandy.
La Baie de Somme à Vélo, Picardy – For beach fans and bird watchers
Picardy Pastures
Le Baie de Somme is made up of seven trails, many kilometres of which run alongside the seashore, weaving through dunes, mudflats and reed beds full of migratory birds. The Baie de Somme railway carries cycles free of charge, so you can hop on and off and tackle as much or as little of the trails as you wish. And to enjoy hopping around Picardy, Pierre & Vacances has a range of self-catering accommodation to rest those weary wheels.
Le-tour-de-Bourgogne-a-vélo, Burgundy – For vineyard fans
Burgundy countryside
The cycling tour of Burgundy, much like the Loire and Somme equivalents, is made up of five individual trails showcasing the region’s main attractions and eventually destined to cover 800km.
The route is made up of towpaths, paths through vineyards, disused railway lines and country lanes. The Santenay-Nolay track, the ‘Voie des Vignes’, is particularly recommended for easy family cycling. And to make the most of your stay Pierre & Vacances has a range of holiday accommodation in Burgundy as a great base to explore the region.
Piste du canal de L’Ourcq, Paris – For city slickers
Cycling along the canal de L’Ourcq
This cycle path alongside the canal offers a flat and picturesque option, great for a day out from Paris. The route takes you from the Parc de la Villette in north-eastern Paris out into the countryside to Claye-Souilly, 27km from the city. Ultimately this route is intended to link Paris with Moscow!
For a shorter route families can choose a pit-stop at La Poudrerie Forest Park at Servan, 14km along the canal. And to make the most of your stay in the area, Pierre & Vacances has a wide range of holiday apartments to rent in Paris with both scenic and central locations.
And for those after some serious cycling…
Here are two long-distance options for those seeking a serious cycling challenge!
Voie Verte Trans-Ardennes
Voie Verte Trans
This greenway is graded as an easy route, running 85 km in total between Charleville-Mezieres and Givet near the Belgian border. The train which runs through the valley is a great back up option for tired legs. And as for accommodation along the route, Pierre & Vacances has a wide range of family self-catering rentals in Ardennes.
Canal du Midi, Languedoc-Roussillion/ Midi-Pyrenees
The Canal du Midi is a UNESCO World Heritage site, bordered almost all of the way by striking plane trees. The route takes you through the heart of the beautiful South West countryside with ample opportunity to sample local wines and visit ancient towns and monuments.
Canal du Midi
The full route (240km) will take you from Toulouse along the canal to the little port of Marseillan on the Mediterranean, but can be broken down into stages for easily manageable chunks!
The other option is to head North West from Toulouse towards Bordeaux and the Atlantic Ocean along the Canal de Garonne, the full canal route originally designed to link the two coasts. For those wanting to make the most of a cycling holiday in the sublime region, Pierre & Vacances has a selection of self catering accommodation in the South of France .
Pierre & Vacances launch www.pvtransfers.com
Some good news for our Pierre & Vacances customers today, we’ve teamed up with Holiday Taxis to launch http://www.pvtransfers.com . PVtransfers can provide our customers with tailored airport taxis and transfers to any of our properties in France and Spain.
Our customers can now save time and money by booking their transfer in advance through our dedicated website, www.pvtransfers.com.
Customers can also check the price of their taxi online when visiting our own website www.pv-holidays.com. We’ve added a handy link at the bottom of all our property pages, enabling our customers to work out the cost of their accommodation and transfers before booking.
Pierre & Vacances customers travelling with lots of gear to our key ski resorts such as Avoriaz, Val d’Isere and Arc 1800 in the winter months can use PVtransfers to book taxis or shuttle buses from train stations or airports, saving on stress and hassle of finding suitable transportation on arrival.
For families travelling to their summer holidays in France, transfers are available to all of our holiday villages including Belle Dune Holiday Village and Cap Esterel Holiday Village. Affordable airport transfers are avaliable to our customers who will be arriving at key European airports such as Nice, Malaga and Barcelona.
Find out more by visiting www.pvtransfers.com
“Like” Pierre Vacances on Facebook and win a family holiday to France!
Pierre & Vacances launches “A-Z of France for Kids” competition in the UK
Enter now: www.facebook.com/pvholidays
Pierre & Vacances (www.PV-Holidays.com) is offering a fantastic family holiday for four people at any of its 120 holiday residences in France plus a crossing with P&O Ferries, for the best family-friendly France travel tip. Free France ferry crossings will be awarded to a further 10 lucky runners up.
We are looking for the best child-friendly France visitor attraction, thing to do or place to eat. Tell us why your kids loved it or what makes it great for families.
The competition, which will run until the end of May 2010, is taking place via the PV-Holidays Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/PVHolidays).
To enter the competition, click the “like” button on PV-Holidays Facebook page and enter your top “A-Z of France for Kids” travel tip into the competition entry form.
Tips will be judged for:
1. Fun factor
2. Cultural or educational value
3. X Factor – a little bit of Je ne sais quois!
Again, visit our Facebook page to enter: www.facebook.com/pvholidays
GOOD LUCK!
Terms & Conditions
Pierre & Vacances
1 Closing date June 1, 2010. 2 The prize comprises 1 seven-night holiday for families (of up to four people) staying at one of the 11 Pierre & Vacances Resorts in France. Return ferry transport travelling in one car (up to four passengers) with P&O Ferries is also included. 10 additional ferry crossings comprise runner-up prizes 3 The winners will be chosen from valid entries received before the closing date. No cash alternative will be offered and the prize is non-transferable. 4 The prize is valid one year from the closing date of the competition and is subject to availability. Accommodation stay must be taken out of school holidays and is subject to availability. Accommodation will be confirmed at least one month in advance. 5 Insurance not included. 6 Entrants must be 18 or over. No bulk or ‘spam’ entries accepted. 7 No purchase is necessary. 8 Winner will be bound by P&V booking conditions, for full terms and conditions, visit www.pv-holidays.com 9 We acknowledge that the promotion is in now way sponsored, endorsed or administered by or associated with Facebook <http://www.pv-holidays.com>.The promoter is P&V 11 rue de Cambrai, 75109 Paris, France.
P&O Ferries
1.Crossings cannot be taken in peak season – July and August and all school holiday periods. 2.Subject to availability 3.Insurance is not included. 4.Not transferable. 5.No monetary value
Pierre & Vacances is offering savings of between €100 and €400 on accommodation at all 15 of its family-friendly holiday resorts until November 2010. The offer, which includes discounted accommodation during the peak school summer break, is now live on the Pierre & Vacances website, PV-Holidays.com
Pierre & Vacances offers 15 family holiday resorts –12 in France, one in Spain and two in the French Caribbean. All of the resorts offer free children’s clubs as well as excellent facilities for all ages including outdoor swimming pools, sports lessons and family restaurants on site. The self-catering apartments and villas are all equipped with a fully fitted kitchen area.
The Pierre Vacances resorts offer is valid for bookings made before the 3rd July 2010 for stays taken anytime before the 13th November 2010. The discount varies from between €100 and €400 depending upon property, arrival date and apartment type. Below we have listed some of the best deals currently available:
Save €270 (£240) on holidays to Northern France for May half term
Pierre & Vacances Belle Dune Resort, Picardy
A two bedroom house suitable for up to five people starts from €500.50 (previously €770) for one week from 29th May 2010
One of Pierre & Vacances’ largest family holiday villages: Belle Dune Resort is a lakeside eco-village nestled in an area of sand dunes and pine trees in Northern France. The 250-hectare site is totally traffic-free and accessible via a number of pedestrian and cycling trails. The park boasts access to the local Belle Dune Golf Course (ranked amongst the top ten courses in France) and also features an outdoor ‘Aquaclub’ water park, tennis courts, mini golf and archery. The park is just a forty-minute drive from Calais ferry port.
Save €300 (£267) on summer breaks to the Costa del Sol in July 2010
Pierre & Vacances Terrazas Costa Del Sol Resort, Manilva
A two bedroom apartment suitable for up to four people starts from €600 (previously €900) per week in July 2010
The Pierre & Vacances Terrazas Costa del Sol Resort was recently opened in summer 2009; offering fully equipped self-catering apartments with panoramic views of the Costa del Sol and the rock of Gibraltar. Developed around a main square dominated by patios, fountains and palm trees, the village offers many leisure activities including a swimming pool and kids clubs for 3-18 year olds. Located less than an hour’s drive from Malaga airport, the property features a large infinity pool, private beach area with tapas bar, fitness clubs, kids playground and bike rental.
Save €400 (£355) on breaks to the French Riviera in August 2010
Pierre & Vacances Mandelieu Resort, Cannes
A two bedroom apartment suitable for up to six people starts from €1,290 (previously €1,690) per week in August 2010
Located on ‘Robinson Island’ on the bend of the river Siagne, the Pierre & Vacances Mandelieu Resort is ideally located for a family break on the French Riviera. The property is just 800m from the beach and a 10 minute drive from the centre of Cannes. On site, there is a large outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts and daily group fitness sessions. Free children’s clubs are also on offer with a range of sports lessons and competitions organised throughout the summer.
For further details, or to make a booking, please visit http://www.pv-holidays.com or call 0870 026 7144.
Don’t forget to enter our Facebook competition and you could win a holiday to France! Enter here: http://www.facebook.com/pvholidays
Ski news: Surprise snow fall and customers heading to lesser-known ski resorts in 2010
With the ski season now well and truly underway, we felt it was time to reveal some of the sales trends we have noticed and pass on some insider tips to our customers.
The recent snow fall in the UK has inspired many people to book a ski holiday to France.
Tip one: Take advantage of great ski conditions
Snow conditions are currently excellent across the Alps with lots of fresh snow and cold temperatures reported, particularly in the Southern Alps in resorts such as Alpe d’Huez and Vars, where snowfall of up to 14cm per day is expected this week.
Tip two: book at a lesser-known resort
We’ve also noticed that bookings for lesser-known resorts are up at an average of 17% which means brits are saving cash but still heading to the slopes, but steering clear of expensive resorts.
Customers are also booking for later in the season, when rates are lower but the snow is still good. We’ve noticed the last week in March are particularly strong – this is a school holiday in the UK but not in France, so is classed as ‘off-peak’ on PV-Holidays.com!
Pierre & Vacances offers ski accommodation in over 40 resorts across the Alps and Pyrenees. Throughout January, lesser-known resorts have had lots more bookings, which offer large ski areas and more affordable ski packs and après ski activity.
Pierre & Vacances properties in resorts such as Les Coches, Valloire and ValmeinierAvoriaz, and Les Carroz have reported increases in bookings at an average of +17% on previous years, indicating that customers may be willing to try slightly less well-known resorts in order to get the best value from their annual trip to the slopes.
Hot offer:
Résidence Pierre & Vacances Les Chalets Valoria in Valloire offers one-bedroom apartments for as little as €476 per week.
