Latest news - the offers and the changes

Flying - where from, where to, roughly how much and links

The following information is for guidance only and hopefully will help to make your search easier when you decide to come and visit Gascony. Prices indicated are a guideline for mid week flights during the 2010 season - the actual flight cost will vary from day to day dependent upon demand. Early booking is generally recommended to get the best deals from most airlines. However, you will also find late deals in mid and low season. Unfortunately flight times change a little by season.

Prices shown are based on mid-week return trips in April/May/June 2010. For comparison purposes we have assumed that passengers check in one bag at the airport and do not pay for any form of prioritised boarding or seat allocation or on-line travel insurance.

The above has been compiled with links as an aid. It would be helpful to us if you notice a schedule has changed. If you could inform us by emailing info@gasconyexperience.com this will allow us to update our site and ensure the information is useful to all fellow passengers. 

Car hire - who from, roughly how much and links

In our experience of spending hours comparing providers the only answer is http://www.travelsupermarket.com/ They will give you all the comparisons you need.

For some reason (he says naively) if you go direct to companies web sites it is almost always more expensive.

Having said that in our recent experience Avis has been by far the best provider for courtesy, ease of pick-up, occasional free extra driver and damage to the car seems to only be assessed if it is over 1cm in size. Anyway we like them shame they do not offer good prices on their own website.

Ferries - the shortest and cheapest routes

If you want to bring your own car we have found there are two good options:

 1. Take the overnight ferry from Portsmouth to Caen or St Malo, at approximately 23.00, book a cabin, sleep all the way across, drive off at 6.30am feeling reasonably refreshed and drive down to Gascony with a couple of stops and arrive at the place you are staying by 4.30 to 5pm just ready for a delicious meal with lashings of fine wine.

Doing it this way you can leave work at 5.30pm on a Friday, drive to the port and by Saturday afternoon you are here ready for a weeks relaxation in Gascony.

 2. This option is really for those taking a longer break. Take a day crossing or the tunnel starting at a reasonable but civilised time in the morning and stop off at some delightful places on the way down. We have some recommendations in our driving section.

The alternatives, like Dover Calais and the tunnel require an 11-12 hour drive which we have found is OK going down but a bit of a killer going home, especially if you have a distance to travel in the UK.

The cost of ferry crossings can be very high so it is worth shopping around. We have given three links here. Brittany Ferries is usually but not always the same price as brokers.

Our June example is for 4 adults on the night crossing from Portsmouth to Caen return with a four berth outside cabin both ways with a Renault Scenic.

The July-August summer holiday example is based on 2 adults and 2 children aged 4-15 with day crossings.

All the prices shown were offered on March 15th 2010. Prices appear to vary by demand and time of year and we were unable to find a price list on-line so these are just bench marks. It is worth remembering that sometimes brokers will show no availability when the actual operator has availability.

Direct Ferries and ferrybooker will give you prices for all the possible crossings and Eurotunnel's prices vary considerably depending on what time you choose to make the crossing.

Driving - enjoying the trip down

Take your time, think a lot, think of all the things you've got, for you will still be here tomorrow but your dreams may not. (Father and son Cat Stevens c1970).

You can use the trip down to get you in the mood. Listen to music and talking books or even Michel Thomas's fantastic language course while you watch the country change and grow. And when you feel like it stop and take your time.....

Favourite stopover places if you are coming down the west coast include La Rochelle and Charente Maritime or if you go a bit further Cognac. Or if you are coming down the centre La Cognette at Issoudun is another of the favourites.

We will shortly be recommending guests favourites stopovers so if you have a favourite please give us your recommendations by submitting them in the ‘your views' section under ‘Gascony info'.

Insurance - why bother and the better options

We are always being told travel insurance is essential but the trouble is it is true. Most of our properties and breaks require, as is the travel industry norm, travel insurance to be taken out to cover cancellation, public liability and health cover for illness while away, fortunately non of these happens very often but they do happen.

So it is a good idea to be insured. If you pay by credit card many guests will supposedly be covered but often you will discover that you are not.

If you travel abroad more than twice a year you are generally better off buying annual cover. Which is available from £40 upwards depending on what cover you need.

To compare prices again try http://www.travelsupermarket.com/ they will certainly give you prices to compare but how the cover and excesses compare you will need to look into.

For those who find life is too short for comparing cover between insurance policies we are planning to find a good insurance company that will provide good cover, which has a good reputation for paying up on cancellation, illness and public liability claims, at a reasonable price. But until then compare and contrast on the site above.