by Brian Stephens

Created on: July 20, 2010   Last Updated: July 23, 2010

Good Value, Sunny Holidays in France

Are you fed up of the British weather, rain all summer and now freezing all winter? Global warming might be melting the North Pole but it's not bringing sunshine to the British shoreline. Are you thinking about affordable alternatives, if so, for many people the option of holidays in France has to be worth considering. Particularly if you want value for money and a chance of decent sunny weather.

Clearly the further South you go the better the odds you have for that decent weather. You also have a few options for getting there at an affordable price; many budget airlines fly into the airports located in the South of France. Places like Toulouse, Carcassonne, Perpignan, Rodez or Bezieres. Each one either on or within easy travel distance of the Mediterranean coastline.

Alternatively you can drive down, many of the cross channel ferries are very competitively priced and affordable, or of course you have the option of the channel tunnel for a quicker crossing.

Once over the water you can be in Toulouse in as little as 9 to 10 hours later. If that sounds a little long, especially with kids in tow, then what many people do is to take advantage of the option to stop off on route. Hotels in France are very reasonably priced and usually charge on a room basis rather than per person.

Orleons, Tours or even Paris offer great facilities for a stop off and are all interesting places to visit, even Paris is nearly half way, from a time perspective. Of course by driving you save on the cost of a hire car and it gives you the flexibility to have a bit of a tour around on route and to see a few more places of interest. Having a Sat Nav, as most people do these days, can give you the confidence to explore a little and the opportunity to avoid the 'Peage' (toll roads). You would be amazed how many dual carriages or very good 'A' roads there are heading your direction with hardly any traffic on them.

Once you arrive in the sunny South of France, there are plenty of opportunities to get yourself a reasonable priced self-catering cottage or apartment, often with a pool available for exclusive use.

A holiday cottage or apartment in France is called a gite and many of them are owned and run by English or English speaking owners. The standards of these types of gites have changed over the years, select the right ones and they can be very comfortable with fully fitted kitchens, nice comfortable bedrooms and plenty of bathrooms. More of a home from home,

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