November 17th, 2008 at 05:37pm
Under About Villa Exchange+ Save Money with Villa Exchange
The current fluctuations in exchange rates make travelling to the US from Europe more expensive for those looking to travel from the UK and Europe. Of course for those looking to do the reverse journey there has rarely been a better time to make the journey to Europe.
One great way to reduce your costs even further is to take part in a home exchange and make significant savings on your holiday. Over 260,000 people in Britain for example own a second home overseas including fantastic resort destinations such as the Algarve, Spain, and Cyprus. Why not look to exchange your US vacation retreat with a European property owner. Select Exchange offers an easy to follow holiday home exchange scheme, and for a limited time only are offering membership at just £10.
Visit www.selectexchange.co.uk and see how you could save thousands of dollars on your European vacation.
By admin
November 11th, 2008 at 12:58pm
Under Uncategorized
Before going make sure you check all your paper work – many of the problems you might encounter while away can be resolved by spending 20 minutes a few days before departure checking everything is as you want. Things to look out for include who to contact on arrival, do you have maps, can you understand the directions, has everything you may have requested by confirmed?.
Take all the telephone numbers with you for the management company etc and bring the holiday confirmation and directions with you.
If you have changed your own numbers or will have a different telephone number whilst away let your Holiday home exchange partner know.
Take your own pool towels just in case as sometimes these are not supplied.
Pool heating is usually an additional extra when renting a villa. Have you asked for pool heating to be provided? If so has this been confirmed? If you have not requested or confirmed pool heating then you can have not have any comeback if you do not have it on arrival.
If possible book a car to allow you more freedom to explore the resort and surrounding areas.
A food pack on arrival will also help you to settle in particularly if you are arriving late at night. You can then relax with a cup of tea or a glass of wine rather than having to find a supermarket etc. Many of our owners will have management companies happy to provide this service for a small fee.
If you have a complaint about a holiday home property, let the property owner, or their management company , know as soon as possible as they will do all they can to help. This will ensure that they are given every opportunity to put things right for you whilst you are still on holiday.
Select Exchange, www.selectexchange.co.uk, is a Holiday Home Exchange program specialising in destinations such as the Portugal, Spain, Italy and Cyprus and many many more.
By admin
November 10th, 2008 at 06:45pm
Under About Villa Exchange+ Save Money with Villa Exchange
• Ensure the property you want to exchange is adequately furnished – for example a master bedroom should have where possible a bed, two bedside tables, drawers mirrors etc. Also ensure there is enough seating (internally and externally for the number of people your property can sleep)
• Make sure your descriptions of the property are as accurate as possible.
• Leave plenty of clothes hangers in the bedrooms – there is nothing worse than not being able to hang up your nice holiday clothes!
• Keep your villa well stocked of homewares – as a minimum make sure you have enough cutlery, glasses, crockery etc for the number of people the holiday home sleeps. However it is recommended that you have extra as you guest may have visitors and of course day to day breakages can occur. As a rule of thumb having twice the amount needed. Also leave salt, pepper etc in the kitchen – it may not be appreciated but it will definitely be mentioned if it is not there.
• Leave clear instructions for your gadgets and machines – Again it will prevent unnecessary complaints and phone calls and will also help reduce the risk of damage.
• If you have a Private Pool – get a pool cover
• Replace sun cushions which have become worn and stained – they don’t have to be expensive but they should not be dirty.
• Supply Useful Telephone Numbers – restaurants, taxis, local information and include your own recommendations as people appreciate the personal touch.
• Use a property management company you can trust. – They are your representative on site as well as your eyes and ears, therefore they can make things so much better or so much worse – ask around when choosing who to use.
Select Exchange, www.SelectExchange.co.uk, is a villa exchange program which offers holiday home exchange opportunties in destinations such as the Portugal, Spain, Italy and Cyprus.
By admin
October 28th, 2008 at 10:33am
Under About Villa Exchange+ Save Money with Villa Exchange
With the strengthening of the dollar and the Euro against the pound, many owners who have bought properties overseas have been hit by the double whammy of increased running costs and possibly higher mortgage re-payments.
If the properties are rented out, there is probably a third whammy in the form of increased competition on rentals, which means that they have to negotiate lower rates with potential clients.
It’s at times like these, when everything is going against you that a little lateral thinking is required and it pays to search out for new options on how you can get the most out of your holiday home.
Canny owners like Ann and Chas Cameron, featured in a recent travel article in the Saturday Telegraph by Graham Norwood, joined Select Exchange and enjoyed a two week free accommodation in the luxurious Discovery Resort in Marigot Bay St. Lucia by exchanging their holiday home in Cyprus, thereby saving several thousand pounds!
“The arrangement gives us predictability, with the convenience of quality and a good holiday home but without having to visit the same place every time, the resort is five star and the actual accommodation is used by the resort when the owners are not using it” says Ann Cameron.
“The idea of home exchange is not new, but what is novel with Select Exchange is the fact that every holiday property is rated, according to their rental value, like hotels. It makes perfect sense”, says Michael Reilly, “the director of Select Exchange; most of the properties in the scheme are situated in upmarket resorts and are rented out anyway, so the members know the value of the other member’s homes.”
By introducing a point system at 1 point per £1, owners swap points for the difference in values which they can use when visiting other properties. The website; www.selectexchange.co.uk works everything out and allocates points to members when they join and when they exchange.
The scheme can also increase rental income via a third option, whereby members can accept a one way exchange. If one party cannot travel, they simply request an amount of points (and or rent) that they feel is acceptable.
The joining fee is £10 and there is a small introductory/administration charge when the members exchange, but well worth paying when considering the total savings.
Details on; www.selectexchange.co.uk or tel. 0044 (0) 1202 769 570
By admin
October 24th, 2008 at 02:30pm
Under Uncategorized
Christopher Columbus claimed the island of Puerto Rico for Spain during his second trip in 1493, the island at that time was inhabited by Arawak and Taino Indians who were friendly compared with other Carib tribes inhabiting other islands of the Caribbean.
The Taino Indians were quickly enslaved and put to the task of digging for gold which didn’t last long and in 1511 there was an uprising. The peaceful Tainos up to this point believed that the Spanish were gods, then took a soldier and dunked his head in a river for several hours to see if he would die, just in case they had prepared a feast for him if he came out alive!
Most of the Tainos and Arawak Indians gradually died out but not at the hands of the Spanish, it was the diseases brought from Europe against which they had no defences. The Indians were later replaced by African slaves to work the fields growing primarily sugar cane. Puerto Rico remained Spanish until Spanish-American war in 1898 when it was ceded to the United States.
Some Puerto Ricans hope the island will become the 51st state of the union but many prefer status quo and move between the island and the US to get the best of both worlds. The island has prospered with a variety of industrial and commercial activities in addition to the now vibrant tourist industry.
Puerto Rico Villa Exchange
Beautiful tourist resorts have been recently created, one of them is Wyndham Beach and Golf Resort. You can visit the resort and potentially stay there for free in a luxurious 2 bed 2 bath apartment with golf and sea views by joining Select Exchange! For details please access www.selectexchange.co.uk
By admin
October 24th, 2008 at 12:40pm
Under Uncategorized
When we think of Switzerland, we think of chocolate, cuckoo clocks, watches, skiing and wonderful scenery, amongst other things. Switzerland is divided into 3 cantons each bordering with different countries where different languages are spoken; Italian, French and German.
Switzerland has remained neutral since the formation of the federal state in 1848, the last war was in 1847, it was an internal war between Catholics and Protestants, it lasted less then a month and there were less then 100 casualties.
During world II the Germans prepared detailed invasion plans and the country’s trade was blockaded by both the Allies and the German Axis with each party exerting pressure not to trade with the other, but Switzerland was never attacked and managed to remain neutral.
After the war Switzerland prospered greatly and has played a great role in many United Nations and international organizations. It is a great holiday destinations both in summer and winter. Skiing is very popular with guaranteed snow in many Alpine resorts; one of the most popular is Zermat near the Matterhorn.
Switzerland Apartment Exchange Zermat
You can visit Zermat and stay in luxurious two bed apartment with amazing views of the Matterhorn. The ski run is only 100 meters away and from there you can access some of the highest ski runs in Europe. You can potentially stay there for free by joining Select Exchange. More details about this beautiful apartment on; www.selectexchange.co.uk
By admin
October 15th, 2008 at 02:55pm
Under Italy
Located in central Italy along the Mediterranean coast, Tuscany is a hilly region known for its vineyards, olive groves and rolling landscape. The beautiful countryside is not all that Tuscany has to offer, as the stunning scenery surrounds beautiful towns and cities with renaissance art and architecture.
Villa Exchange Tuscany
Tuscany really does have something for everyone. For the active, the breathtaking countryside offers stunning walks and cycle routes while others adore lazy beach holidays on the Tuscan coast. Some enjoy the wonderful cuisine and wine produced in the local area, and many go in search of fine art and architecture in the cities.
Plus there a host of opportunities for cookery courses and wine and olive oil tasting to painting and language lessons, ensuring that a visit to Tuscany offers something for everyone.
When not exploring rural Tuscany, why not visit some of the charming cities and towns such as Florence, Pisa, Siena and Lucca which can be reached by car or some by public transport.
Select Exchange have a number of properties available for villa exchange so you can save yourself thousands of pounds on your trip, giving you more to spend on fine wine, fine food and if your wife is like mine, fine Italian fashions.
By admin
October 14th, 2008 at 05:26pm
Under Testimonials
One of our members recently exchanged their Cyprus Apartment for a week in San Lourenco in Quinta do Lago on the Algarve. They were kind enough to write us this short note.
Hello Michael
We really enjoyed our stay in the apartment: it was very homely and had all of the conveniences we could wish for. Quinta de Lago was a beautiful resort with excellent facilities, and the beaches were superb. Many thanks for arranging our stay at the Sao Lourenco Village.
Regards, Mrs. White
By admin
October 9th, 2008 at 04:00pm
Under France
It’s a well known fact that many recipes for famous French liqueurs, and even for Champagne, were produced by monks. Benedectine, as the name implies was produced by the Benedectine monks at the monastery of Fecamp in Normandy. The inscription on the bottle DOM stands for Deo Optimo Maximo, latin for “To God most good, most great”.
Monk Don Bernardo Vincelli originally designed the “elixir” to sustain the monks in their work and as a medicine to defend them against malaria. I suppose you could say that even if it the remedy did not work, at 40% volume, it would certainly help them to feel better for a while, not sure how much work got done though!
Chartreuse is another popular liqueur originally produced in the 12th century by the Chartreuse Monks in the most beautiful section of Chartreuse mountain range in south west France. The original Monastery has been converted to a museum and you can experience how the monks lived at that time.
Home Exchange France
The French seem to enjoy life more then other nationalities, especially when it comes to food and wine. France is a beautiful big country, if you visit in early autumn; you can experience the wine harvest and visit all the famous vineyards. The best way to do this is to take a vineyard tour; most regions of France produce good and famous wines, one of the most popular is the Bordeaux region.
The Lamarque residence, in the village of Montreal du Gers, situated between Bordeaux and Toulouse, is an ideal base for visiting nearby wineries. You could possibly stay there for free! Lamarque is one of the many properties featured by Select Exchange, for more details visit;
www.selectexchange.co.uk
By admin
October 9th, 2008 at 03:49pm
Under St Lucia
“Michael Winner is not welcome here!!”
So said the sign at the entrance to a beach restaurant in Rodney Bay St. Lucia, in truth I would not be surprised to see similar signs outside most restaurants, that name must strike fear even to the most professionally run establishments! Sunday Times readers will be familiar with the regular column by the ex film director, now food critic, which appears on the back page of the Review section. The articles are amusing but seldom complimentary.
Michael Winner is a regular visitor to St. Lucia, he regularly boasts about hiring private helicopter to go for lunch during his frequent visits to the Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados. His latest visit was to the Ladera restaurant located in a idyllic position overlooking the magnificent Jalousie Bay with the Pitons rising to almost 3,000 feet on either side of the bay, it’s an awesome view!
The food is pleasant; the place is very peaceful with only the constant chirping of colourful birds that incidentally also like the food, hence the reason for the water pistols placed on every table!
Discovery in Marigot Bay is a small Boutique Hotel recently opened; the accommodation consists of privately owned suites leased back to the Hotel by the owners. You can stay at Discovery by booking through the usual channels, or if you own a holiday home elsewhere, you could possibly stay for free by joining www.selectexchange.co.uk
There are many unique dining locations in St. Lucia, if you like waterfront dining I suggest the Charterhouse in Rodney Bay or the Coalpot near Castries for a very romantic setting. Further north, still on the west coast, is Marigot Bay, the setting for Dr. Doolittle film. Marigot Bay is often referred to as “The Most Beautiful Bay in the Caribbean”. Here you will find The Hideway restaurant built on stilts and only accessible by boat a short ride from The Discovery hotel on the other side of the Bay. The Hideaway is seriously romantic, candlelight, soft music, calm water and good food, all the ingredients for a perfect atmosphere.
By admin
Previous Posts