When you are researching suitable accommodation for your holiday you are spoiled for choice and various options might come to mind. In recent years renting a holiday home in the form of a luxury villa, cottage or apartment has become more mainstream and acceptable. The increase in the popularity of the Internet has allowed holiday homeowners to list their pride and joy online and for you as the holidaymaker an opportunity to consider more properties than ever before. One of the most popular destinations amongst holidaymakers who are looking to reside in a holiday home is France. Whether you are considering renting the property directly or using one of the many holiday villa companies, the following tips will prove useful.
Bring all documentation
It is entirely your responsibility to ensure that any required legal document such as a passport or visa is available. If you are a EU member and wish to vacation in France you require only a passport, however if any of your party are non-EU members they should consult with the French embassy to avoid disappointment.
Confirm check-in and check-out times
Each country has a different time for checking-in and checking-out. It is acceptable to check-in to your villa in France after 5pm and before 7pm in contrary in other countries such as Croatia where the acceptable time is much earlier so please check with the villa owner or the villa company from which you are booking with. Checking-out on time is also essential, as the villa will require cleaning prior to the arrival of the next party. In France the acceptable time for checking-out is 09:30.
Sort out your transport
Often overlooked, you are responsible for your travel to the villa and of course for any traveling in the area you might want to try. As you would expect France has a suitable and on time public transportation system and you can safely count on its performance during your holiday. Nevertheless if you are contemplating a villa in the south of France, as a more rural area you should consider hiring a car so you are spending more time on holiday and less time focusing on travel. Should you decide to take the route of hiring a car be sure to bring a valid driving license (if you have a UK photo card driving license you will also need to produce the paper part) in addition to a credit card all in the driver’s name.
Confirm what’s included
Perhaps one of the most important pieces of research prior to booking is to check what is included in the price. Naturally the property itself and essentials such as linen, bedclothes and small towels are included and also electricity and gas unless otherwise stated, however from here on the level of spec might vary depending on the villa. Note down what is important to you and compare it against the offer. Modern facilities and equipment are often hard to do without even on holiday. These might include Wi-Fi, TV, DVD, Telephone and other modern amenities that your party might need. Work on a checklist and you’ll be sure to miss little if any at all.
Enjoy your holiday!