Searching for your dream holiday villa can be time-consuming and confusing. We know that. The things we’ve been asking ourselves at Villas to Go are:

“Can too much choice be a bad thing?”, “Can having a massive selection of villas for rent actually hinder people from finding what they want?”

Well, we hope not, but we do understand that when you have a lot of things to consider it can be difficult to keep track of all your options. But instead of limiting your choice, we’ve recently added a shortlist section to our website where you can pop properties you like the look of as you browse. Then when you’ve had enough of searching, all your favourite’s will be in one place for you to look at or send as an email to yourself or someone else.

There’s no signing-up to be done. No forms to fill in. Anyone can use the shortlist functionality (as long as you have cookies enabled), and you can come back to the site at any time and your list will be preserved.

But that’s not the end of things. Keep an eye out for the other exciting changes we’ll be making to the site over the next few months – all to make your holiday research easier…

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Every week from now and right through 2010 we’ll be searching through our portfolio of over 1000 villas and apartments for the very
best Late Deals – typically for travel in the next 4-8 weeks -  and loading a selection of them on our website! There will be savings of 25% +, perhaps as much as 40% in some cases, but with these kind of discounts, availability will sell-out fast! To ensure you don’t miss the boat and to keep up to date with all our latest offers as they go live, sign up to our newsletter and recieve all of our news straight to your inbox.

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We know booking a villa holiday for the first time can be a bit daunting – getting something that suits all your groups needs and doesn’t disappoint can be challenging. That’s why at Villas to Go, we’re always just a phone call away to answer any questions you may have on any of our villas or apartments, or just on the whole process in general.

However, many of us nowerdays don’t just want assurances from the company we’re booking with; we crave real feedback from others that have used their services and can vouch for the good and the bad. That’s why we feel our customer feedback is so important in helping you make the right decision:

“It is so easy to book the holiday with Villas to Go – very good communication (even only via email)” Mrs Magdalena Nowinska, Villa Finoula – Algarve – Portugal

“Best ever cleaning service – cleaned at least twice a week compared to most villas where once a week is the norm. On arrival everything was just waiting for us smoothest unpack ever!” Mr Sean Coleman, Tall Pines 2 bedroomed apartment – North East Mallorca

“Everything worked out as per your websit and the instructions were very good. Standard of cleanliness was good and the maid service was excellent.” Mr Francis Beattie, Vivenda Barbara – Algarve – Portugal

“The villa was well maintained,had all the amenities and was cleaned daily in a beautiful area.” Mr Andrew Hamilton,Villa Cimeira – Algarve – Portugal

“It is the way to go – total privacy.” Mr Martin Garner, Quinta Do Moleiro – Algarve – Portugal

“It was very straight forward from start to finish from the booking to arriving at the villa. The caretaking staff at Southcrest were fantastic. The villa was beautiful, can’t wait to go again.” Mr Howard Jones, Southcrest – Algarve – Portugal

“From the initial booking, until we left the Villa we had excellent service from every-one we dealt with, from the girls on the telephone in the UK and the Rep in Portugal.” Mrs Deborah Heasman, Villa Aguia – Algarve – Portugal

“All the staff were very helpful in helping us to arrange my sons 21st birthday weekend in the Algarve for the family and friends. Everything went smoothly and was as expected. Everybody was very happy with the villa and the beach. We all had a very enjoyable time. The weather was just right. Comments were being made that we should do this again. A very satisfied customer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!” Mr I Khehra, Vivenda Luz – Algarve – Portugal

“Excellent idea to have the option to hire a Playstation or Wii , the children loved it.” Miss Cerys Punshon, Villa Flavia – Algarve – Portugal

“I have used villas to go villas now 4 times and all have been great . It is hard to go back to a hotel holiday after the quality of these villas . villa mestral was the best ever, after being there in april i was so good i booked it again in october and had a great holiday.” Mr Ian Lynn, Mestral – North East Mallorca – Mallorca

“We all had an amazing time at the villa it was more than our expectation, we had everything we needed and more. The people looking after the villa were brilliant, very helpful.” Mrs Farida Grimshaw, Southcrest – Algarve – Portugal

“You have your own privacy, your own space, you can holiday at your own pace. The choice of villas is superb. You will never go back to package holidays.” Mr Justin Gough, Villa Raposas – Algarve – Portugal

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The washout summer has convinced thousands of Britons to book next year’s holiday abroad, according to a report in the Daily Telegraph this week.  Following the Met Office’s predicition of a barbecue British summer, many people who decided to have a ’staycation’ in this country ended up with a total washout instead.  July 2009 was the wettest in England and Wales since record began and many people now feel that their holiday at home was a false economy.

Travel companies are already reporting that their summer 2010 bookings are ’strong’ or ‘ahead of expectations’, with many holidaymakers choosing Turkey for its cheap prices and fabulous climate.

So what are you waiting for?  Take advantage of Villas to Go’s current ‘Book now, Pay 2010′ offer and secure your dream villa or apartment in the sun!

Filed under: Travel News, Travel Tips by adam
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It seems there’s something of a difference of opinion between The Times and The Sunday Times (Times Online, 7 July 2009)

When it comes to pronouncing and spelling the names of foreign places long associated with Brits, The Times tends to opt for anglicised versions eg  Majorca for Mallorca and Minorca for Menorca, whereas The Sunday Times is far more politically correct and favours the local name.

However proud we may be of our language skills, we are all guilty of anglicising place names – think of all those foreign capitals  from Prague (Praha) to Vienna (Wien) and whilst we spell Paris the same we definitely don’t pronounce it like the French! But London’s always London surely……

Mallorca v Majorca:  which is correct?

The islanders are campaigning to stop people taking the ‘ll’ (pronounced ‘y’) out of Mallorca.

“It has always been double LL – it is only in Britain that it became Majorca. People say it with a hard ‘J’ and it conjures up images of drunks in Magaluf,” says one campaigner.

I tend to agree that ‘Mallorca’ is far more synonomous with the island’s more recently acquired reputation as an idyllic place to spend a relaxing villa holiday.   But because of the way internet search engines work, I’ll have to use both for now…….

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If you’ve booked with Villas to Go this summer, you can relax in the knowledge that your villa or apartment, handpicked by our own experienced overseas team, definitely does exist!  We only deal with reputable and trustworthy suppliers, and have resort representatives or house managers close at hand to help ensure everything runs smoothly during your stay.

It seems other would-be holidaymakers have not been so lucky – hundreds paid an average of £3000 per booking to rent fictitious villas on the Costa Blanca through the bogus holiday rental company morairaway.com.  For many, there is little hope of getting their money back and most have also already paid for their flights and transfers.

The shocking news of the morairaway.com villa scam (as reported on Times Online) shows just how careful you should be if you use a directory site which simply takes a fee from the advertiser and passes on enquiries rather than handles your booking.  Morairaway.com and its two sister websites – ipuertobanus.com and denia-rentals.com - advertised through the UK based directory sites holiday-rentals.co.uk and holidaylettings.co.uk.

Villas to Go reservations manager, Pauline Whiter, says that she has seen an increase this year in holidaymakers frantically looking for last minute accommodation due to being let down by directories.  

According to Times Online, questions are being asked about holidaylettings.co.uk and holiday-rentals.co.uk – both of which carried adverts for the rogue websites – but which both failed to pick up suspicious behaviour before the Spanish site shut down and its owners disappeared.  

Spanish police have launched an investigation into morairaway.com whose website no longer works and whose telephone number is out of order.  

Anyone concerned should contact Spanish police on 00 34 965 791 085. In the UK, the Thames Valley Police Economic Crime Unit has assigned a Unique Reference Number (URN 1158 – 30/6/09) for the Morairaway case. Quote the URN if contacting them on 0845 850 5505.

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Simon Rimmer, of BBC’s ‘Something for the Weekend’ fame, has been filming at our delightful villa, Casal Antiquario this past week as part of a series of 1-minute-recipe slots that are going out on GMTV. You can view these shows by tuning in to GMTV at approximately 07:30 and 08:30 each day between June 22nd – July 3rd.

For the insiders view on all the work that goes on behind the scenes to get these shows on TV, look out on our travelogue for Maria’s filming diary. Coming Soon!

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Tenerife now has a Thai-style water park at Cost Adeje on the south coast of the island. This new aquatic attraction is under the same ownership as the island’s long-established Loro Parque theme park and zoo and is sure to add some extra thrills to your holiday!

With rides ranging from the relatively tame Mekong Rapids to the Tower of Power which sends you down an almost 90 degree slide into a tube surrounded by alligators, there is something for people of all ages…and dispositions! For more details, go online at www.siampark.net

Filed under: Destination Guides, Travel News by adam
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According to a report in Travel Weekly magazine, self-catering is a great way to have a quality holiday whilst keeping within budget, with the added bonus of giving you the chance to sample local food, wine and entertainment at the best possible prices.  With low cost airlines offering flights from the UK to destinations throughout Europe, why not take a look at the Villas to Go website to choose from our array of villas and apartments to rent in Portugal, Spain, France, Italy, Turkey and more.  Have a memorable holiday in 2009!

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In a recent travel article in the Sunday Times Travel Magazine, Kaya Valley in Turkey was described as a ‘Turkish Tuscany’ with its peaceful, pine-forested hillsides and fascinating stone ruins now entwined with fig-laden vines.

Teach your kids to swim in the warm, shallow waters of the stunning blue lagoon at Olu Deniz; sunbathe on the white, Mediterranean lapped sand of Patara Beach (approx an hour’s drive away) famed for its rare turtles or explore the ruined port city where St. Nicholas was born; bag a bargain at colourful Fethiye market; take a boat from Gemiler Bay to the sun-baked, uninhabited isle of St. Nicholas; enjoy a meal at a family run restaurant to experience Turkish hospitality at its best.

You’ll receive a warm welcome from the locals and find plenty to do in the surrounding area whatever your interests – a holiday here offers timeless appeal for adults and children alike.

Filed under: Destination Guides, Uncategorized by adam
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