Essential Travel Warns of Hidden Costs

Essential Travel Warns Holidaymakers to Beware of Hidden Costs

“Hidden charges” could add 25 per cent or more to the cost of airport parking, reveals EssentialTravel.co.uk

July 29, 2010 - It’s often the last thing holidaymakers think about before they head off on their travels but those opting to drive to the airport this summer could find themselves out of pocket when arranging their airport parking, according to leading travel essentials provider EssentialTravel.co.uk.

Research by EssentialTravel.co.uk has shown that airport parking could holidaymakers 25 per cent more than they expect, due to “hidden charges” levied by airport parking providers.

The company has revealed that a week’s airport parking, which can be booked for as little as £20.00, could creep up by an additional £5.00 once booking charges, credit card fees and cancellation waivers are taken into account.

In addition, sun-seekers could find themselves as much as £10.00 out of pocket if they decide to cancel their airport parking.

“Holidaymakers have grown wise to the 'hidden costs' associated with low-cost airlines and are becoming experts on how to avoid them but most don’t apply the same tactics to booking their airport parking,” says Stuart Bensusan, EssentialTravel.co.uk.

“Parking at the airport can be a really affordable option, but only if you do your home- work and make sure you are aware of any hidden 'add-ons' or extra costs.”

To help customers save money EssentialTravel.co.uk has opted to reduce or eliminate its own cancellation waivers, charges and credit card fees in time for the peak summer holiday period 4. The company has scrapped its two per cent credit card fee completely, reduced the cancellation waiver from £0.99 to just £0.50 and instead of charging a £9.50 cancellation charge, customers will now only forfeit £5.00 if they wish to cancel a booking that has been made without paying the cancellation waiver. EssentialTravel.co.uk has also reduced the cancellation notice period from 48 hours before arrival to just 12.

For information on Essential Travel - Travel Insurance CLICK HERE

For Information on Essential Travel - Car Hire Insurance - CLICK HERE

Chalet Miranda, Champex, Switzerland

We might be inmid summer in late July, however the ski season is not too far away.

Chalet Miranda in Champex, Switzerland has just been listed on the jmlvillas.com website it is available in the summer as well.

New, luxury Alpine chalet covering 150 sqm with reasonable South facing garden, in the beautiful unspoilt peaceful village of Champex-lac situated in the Swiss Canton of Valais at an altitude of 1420 m. Superb skiing within the village, and within easy distance of several other ski resorts, including Verbier which is 40 minutes away.

Described as the 'Little Jewel' of the Valais region with 300+ days sunshine, the lakeside village of Champex-lax is both a summer and winter resort and offers a safe family environment or a peaceful retreat in the heart of the Swiss Alps.

This delightful chalet •Sleeps 8 •Skiing or Walking •Winter or Summer •Luxury Accommodation .

Chalet Miranda is newly constructed, and has been finished to a very high standard with balconies and shuttered windows. It is suitable to sleep Up to 6 adults, and 2 children.

It is built on 3 levels, and has 3 good sized bedrooms and 2 fully tiled bathrooms/shower rooms. One bedroom has a Queensize bed and the other 2 house single beds, the largest bedroom also has a pair of bunkbeds for children.

The central area is open-plan with a typical traditional Swiss fireplace and plenty of comfortable seating. This floor has very efficient underfloor heating throughout and a new flatscreen hdTV with cable and several English channels including BBC. There is also a video with a selection of films available. The chalet is stocked with plenty of towels and sheets.

The chalet houses a luxury modern fitted open-plan kitchen, with an AEG oven, Siemens hob, seperate AEG fridge, freezer and dishwasher. AEG washing machine and seperate tumble dryer are in the downstairs utility. There are an iron, hairdryer and other essentials.

Chalet Miranda also has a sunny South facing garden and large private parking area at the front. It is on a private road shared by 4 other chalets.

Champex is 1.5 hrs drive from Geneva Airport circling the beautiful Lake Geneva. It is 2.5hrs from Chambery Airport and 40 minutes from Sion Airport. Champex borders the French & Italian Alps.

Excellent Swiss rail facilities from Geneva Airport via Martigny to Orsiere which is 15 minutes drive from the chalet.

Immediate local facilities include an immaculate outdoor swimming pool, tennis courts, table tennis, beach volley ball, hiking trails, cross country and off-piste skiing, biking paths, boating and fishing on the lake. All these are very close and walkable from the Chalet. Paragliding and bungee jumping facilities are nearby.

There are beautiful walks around Champex-lac, and for the more adventurous, the village is on the Mont Blanc 'walk'.

There are boulangeries, and various other shops plus several quality restaurants, cafes and bars. There is also an excellent ski-hire and walking boot hire outlet.

The famous lakeside town of Montreux is 45 minutes from Champex with its annual jazz festival. This is accessible from the Castle of Chillon where you can board a steamer over the lake to Montreux.

Martigny is the nearest large town. Here you can find great shops, galleries and several Museums (including the Great St Bernard Dog Museum!).

For fans of the Da Vinci Code, a visit to the capital of the Valais region, Sion, is a must.

Swiss wines are a well kept secret within Switzerland, and the Valais wines are possibly considered to be the best. Most of these wines can only be bought within Switzerland as they only export 1%.

Winter: Champex itself is a charming crowd free resort with 25km of piste with four ski lifts including a nursery slope, also a further 30km of cross country routes. A small branch of Swiss Snowsports School (SSS) operates, and two restaurants on the mountain cater for the resort.

Winter time normally runs from December 18th to 17th April

Summer: In summer the well-marked network of walking and hiking routes allow one to enjoy the local wildlife, flora and fauna and the delightful scenery of the Swiss mountain countryside. Champex is on the Mont Blanc to Zermatt walkers route. From the chalet three glaciers can be reached, with two refuges within a 4 to 6 hour walk from the top of the chair lift.

Chair operating times: 08.30am-12.15pm then 13.30pm-17.15pm -Summer time is from 11th June to 25th September and then in October, the chair operates weekends only.

For more information please visit the Chalet Miranda Page at jmlvillas.com HERE

If you are going skiing don't forget your ski insurance. Find out more here

Villa Astonita Gata de Gorgos Costa Blanca Spain

This luxury villa has just been advertised on the jmlvillas.com holdiday homes rental advertising site.

Located in the Costa Blanca, Spain the country that recently one the World Cup football trophy for the first time.

A delightful, spacious three bedroomed house offering excellent accommodation for up to 6 people. Lovely friendly community with community pool very close to property. The little town of Gata de Gorgos is at the bottom of the hill and is famous for its craft work, including cane furniture and guitar making. The stunning beaches of Javea are a short drive away, as is the pretty town of Moraira.

The bustling town of Denia is also only a short drive away. La Sella golf course is a few minutes drive.

•Sleeps up to 6
•3 bedrooms
•2 bathrooms
•Dishwasher
•Washing machine
•Room fans
•Shared pool
•Shops nearby
•TV
•Microwave
•Golf

The property has its own private, shaded parking space immediately outside the property. There is a good sized patio which is equipped with seating and sun loungers. There is a large parasol for use over the dining table and a retractable sun blind over the terrace, as well as an undercover terrace area, thus ensuring you can always provide shade, even at the height of summer. There is a community pool, with gated access, very close to the property.

Within a five minute drive there is a large supermarket and an excellent restaurant which also has a bar area for light meals and with Sky sports.

On the development there are two children's play areas and a shady picnic area with tables and benches. The nearest beach is Javea, which is approximately 15 minutes by car, where you will find an extensive range of bars and restaurants to suit all tastes and budgets. Javea is a very family friendly town. Excellent beaches and facilities can also be found in nearby Moraira and Denia. La Sella golf is approximately 10 minutes away by car.

More information at http://www.jmlvillas.com/villa/793

Algarve summer news

Just had some information in from The Algarve in southern Portugal

Villa Margarida:

Villa Margarida (pictured above)is a large and comfortable six bedroom villa with pool and tennis court that has recently been completely refurbished to a high standard. It is situated in the picturesque fishing village of Carvoeiro.The villa has air-conditioning. Accommodation consists of two double bedrooms and two twin bedrooms (which can be made into doubles if required). There are a further two bedrooms which can sleep three in each bedroom in a combination of single or double beds, as required. All bedrooms have either an en-suite bathroom or shower room. Car not essential. Peak season prices are €4800 euros per week. We also have a simpler 3 bedroom villa in Vilamoura for €1250 euros per week for July and August.

Santa Eulalia:

There is alovely brand new little complex is situated in the area of Santa Eulalia within the “New Town” of Albufeira that is known as Praia da Oura and encompasses two of the most beautiful beaches in Europe, both having a Blue Flag Award for safety, cleanliness and beauty. The location is relatively quiet and yet on the edge of the buzz of “The Strip”. This pretty little resort caters to both singles and families where small children are looked after in a very safe environment. Car not necessary. Two bedroom villa for €1400 euros per week. One bedroom for €950 euros per week. These are peak prices for July and August.

Available in Vilamora:

This is a lovely 2 bedroom, ground floor apartment located in the highly popular area of the Old Village in Vilamoura. It has been newly decorated and refurbished giving it a fresh appearance. It has its own small private garden terrace leading from the living room. The complex has 3 communal swimming pools, all within easy walking distance. The local supermarket, bars and restaurants are all on your doorstep making it an extremely convenient holiday apartment for those that do not wish to drive. Fully air conditioned. Available for the whole month of August for €900 euros per week.

To find out more and make a booking go to the Portugal section at the jmlvillas.com website HERE

Advertising your villa can cost a lot less than £5 a month

Just had a an email span flyer from a villa advertising service for owners of self catering holiday homes.

They are inviting home owners to advertise their holiday homes for only £5 a month. (£60 per year) Sounds very good. They have been around since 2008.

This made us look at our costs at jmlvillas.com. The current annual charge is £11.75 including VAT that is around 98 pence a month. The UK's Chancellor of the Exchequer in the Conservative Liberal Democrat Government recently announced that VAT would be increasing in the UK from January 2011. We decided to look at our prices and have kept them very low for a number of years to help owners of holiday properties be able to market their holiday homes.

jmlvillas.com has been in business since 2001 (in association with www.euro-rentavilla.com)

The bad news is that we will be increasing the cost of advertising in the next couple of month, but only to £12.50 (Twelve pounds fifty pence) a year including VAT and when the new VAT level come in next January. our price of £12.50 will not increase.

£12.50 per year works out at £1.05 a month. That is still excellent value.

So what do you get for your £12.50 ?

No Commission or booking fees for owners or renters

Web site advertised in Holiday Magazines

6 photos per ad

You load up your own details -including availability, prices & photos.

You change your details and photos whenever you want by using your own password.

Live link to your personal website

Excellent search facilities

Main worldwide holiday destinations covered. If the country is not already listed - we will add it.

Advice for property owners and renters on the site

Payment accepted by secure credit card on line

To find out more Click Here