Jetsettersblog

The stunning Porthcothan House as appearing in Septembers Cornwall Life available for Christmas and New Year rental.

Are you looking for a large home to rent over the Christmas and New Year period for the perfect family getaway? Well Porthcothan House is one that must be experienced. 5 star luxury. Elegantly furnished, well equipped and extremely comfortable Georgian farmhouse a short walk from Porthcothan Bay and with sea views from almost all rooms. Midway between Watergate Bay and Padstow, and close to Trevose Golf Club and other attractions. Perfect for a really special family holiday, celebration, or out-of-season break.

This impressive property, circa 18th Century, is next to the coast road on the hill overlooking Porthcothan and has super views across an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and to the sea. Recently restored to a high standard it is spacious, light, full of character and extremely comfortable. Features include new oak floors, central heating, woodburning stoves, double glazing, original slate floors, fireplaces and a glass-covered sealed well. Extra luxuries include hand made Savoir beds, Die Zudecke goose down duvets and Egyptian cotton linen, Aga (with extra conventional cooker), steam shower, 42″ digital plasma t.v. and Wesley-Barrell upholstered furniture.

Porthcothan House sleeps 11 and welcomes well behaved pets by prior arrangement. Christmas and New Year weeks’ were avaialble at time of writing for a weekly rent of £3200.00

The full details of the restoration and history that surrounds Porthcothan House are in this months’ Cornwall Life and after reading the article your want to stay there will be even more.
To book online go to www.cornishhorizons.co.uk or call 01841 533 331

For Press and PR enquiries about Cornish Horizons or Porthcothan House please contact Rebecca Tidd.

Cornish Horizons is a family run company based in Padstow with a property portfolio of 190+ holiday cottages across the Cornwall county. If you have a property to let and would like Cornish Horizons to assist. please contact our Property Management department on 01841 533 331.

A stylish and romantic bed and breakfast in the picturesque village of Grittleton is offering peace and tranquillity set in two acres of paddock and attractive gardens. The Old Paddock has room rates starting from as little as £58.50 offering an affordable break for all.

Situated five miles from Chippenham and three miles from the M4, it is ideally located for exploring Lacock, Castle Combe, Malmesbury, Corsham, and northern Wiltshire. With many of these areas being regulars in movies and TV dramas including the likes of Harry Potter and Cranford, it’s an ideal place for film buffs.

The property comprises three lovely guest rooms. The garden apartment consists of two bedrooms, one king size and one twin room, walk-in shower room and sitting/dining rooms. Access to the garden is through French windows where a patio houses garden furniture for relaxing throughout the summer and even watch the village cricket. The main house has a further guest room with a king size bed, en-suite shower and bath, toiletries, digital TV, fridge and hospitality tray.

Room rates start from only £58.50 per room, per night and include a full English breakfast or an award winning speciality breakfast. The garden apartment is accessible for wheelchair users. On arrival guests are welcomed with homemade cake and tea. The B&B is located just two minutes walk from a lovely local pub where lunches and dinners are served.

For further information and reservations visit www.theoldpaddock.com  or call 01249 783211.

Whether you’re looking for the ultimate stag weekend, or simply a boys’ break for the more discerning traveller, then Wineport Lodge in the Irish lakelands has the perfect answer for the modern man – an Action Man getaway that you and the guys will treasure forever; with spectacular food and wine, speedboating on the Shannon, a private cinema screening and some serious pampering at this ultra-stylish retreat.

Boasting a breathtaking setting on Lough Ree, this idyllic boutique hotel is just an hour from Dublin, with flights from 25 UK airports from as little as £14.99*. You will be greeted with a glass of bubbly on arrival and shown to your spacious lakeview room, with contemporary design and plenty of gadgets including a well-stocked iPod to get you in the party spirit. Friday evening will be spent enjoying a casual bite with your buddies in the Harbour Room Cinema with a wide selection of movies to choose from.

On Saturday morning, it’s up early for some serious action-hero fun with a powerboating lesson on the lake, where you will learn to manoeuvre at high speeds as you head up the river Shannon. Back at the hotel, lunch in the Taittinger Bar will be followed by a trip to Wineport’s kitchen, where the renowned chefs will teach you a few culinary tricks that are guaranteed to impress.

In the evening, enjoy shaken Martinis before dinner in The Restaurant – home of Ireland’s leading celebrity chef TV show – with a tasting menu where each delectable course is accompanied by a matching wine, promising a gastronomic delight.

And if you want to venture out, the charming town of Athlone is just five minutes’ away where you can sip a pint of Guinness in Europe’s oldest pub, Sean’s Bar, and hear great bands and local musicians playing most weekends.

For the perfect Sunday morning recovery, take a dip in the rooftop hot tub followed by a Men’s Top-to-Toe massage and a Yon-ka facial at the hands of the hotel’s expert therapists, leaving you feeling totally relaxed and revitalised.

The Action Man weekend package costs £525 per person sharing**, including two nights’ accommodation in a deluxe lakeview room, bubbly on arrival, one casual dinner in the Harbour Room Cinema, a powerboat lesson on Lough Ree, lunch in the Taittinger Bar, culinary workshop, evening Martinis, gourmet dinner in The Restaurant with tasting menu and matching wines, plus men’s top-to-toe massage and facial. To book call 00 353 90 643 9010 or visit www.wineport.ie

2012 offers a unique selection of celestial attractions for travellers with an interest in science, astronomy and all things natural. Specialist tour operator Astro Trails www.astro-trails.com has launched a wide ranging programme of holidays featuring some of nature’s most extraordinary displays.

Solar Eclipses

2011 was a year without a solar eclipse, but there will be two in 2012. An annular solar eclipse can be observed from United States’ West Coast in May and a total solar eclipse will be seen in Queensland, Australia in November.

The annular solar eclipse will be viewed from the banks of the Colorado River, looking along the length of the Grand Canyon and the programme also includes several of the famous astronomical observatories of the region and the Arizona Giant Meteor Crater.

A very extensive programme for the total solar eclipse provides observation from one of Queensland’s most spectacular beaches, just north of the resort town of Cairns. In addition to various tours of Australian highlights, the tour has a host of wildlife combinations including the orang-utans in Borneo, the Komodo dragons in Indonesia and the crocodiles of Australia’s Northern Territory.

The Transit of Venus

This is a rare “twice in a lifetime” event, when the planet Venus crosses the face of the sun. The last one was in 2004 and the next one will be in June 2012, but if you miss that you will have to wait until December 2117! We travel to Hawaii to watch this event and combine it with a visit to the Volcanoes National Park to see the ongoing eruptions and also a trip to the spectacular observatories on the summit of the island.

The Astro Trails team is a group of enthusiastic travel people who devise specialist projects and expeditions for travellers who wish to use their “holiday” to view astronomical phenomena in the best possible conditions worldwide. Astro Trails endeavours to provide full and rewarding itineraries that allow our clients to immerse themselves in the destination, enjoy a variety of experiences and to chase dreams.

Product Executive Nick Whitfield said, “People who travel with us expect to be informed and educated by the experience, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun. Everyone has a story for the hotel bar in the evening and they can usually dine out on their holiday tales for years.”

“Over the past 30 years our staff have taken people to almost every corner of the world to witness rare and spectacular events and we know how to get to the right places at the right time!”

: The traditional holiday season may be drawing to a close, but that’s no reason to discount Tenby for your next break. On the contrary, many prefer to visit this picturesque Pembrokeshire seaside resort when the crowds have retreated and the cobbled streets are quieter.

But just because it’s calmer, doesn’t mean it’s shut up shop. Major family attractions (Blue Lagoon Water Park, Folly Farm) stay open till the end of October (i.e. till after the half-term holiday), and there are various events taking place between now and the end of the year to draw people in.

For example, Tenby Arts Festival (www.tenbyartsfest.co.uk), which celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, takes place from 17 to 24 September and incorporates classical music recitals, literary talks, poetry readings and jazz performances. Then, from 11th to 13th November, The Tenby Blues Festival (www.tenbyblues.co.uk) takes place, bringing together a wide range of blues styles from both established stars and talented youngsters from the UK and abroad. For the brave and hardy, there’s a Boxing Day Swim (www.tenbyboxingdayswim.co.uk), which was first organised in 1970 and is now a major feature on the local calendar with around 600 swimmers taking part each year.

An added bonus of visiting Tenby out of season is the lower accommodation rates. At North Beach Tenby (www.northbeachtenby.com), the collective name for two luxurious, contemporary apartments with stunning panoramic views over North Beach and the Pembrokeshire coast, a week’s rental costs from £650 in November and December, a 35% saving on peak season rates (£1,000 per week in August).

Once you have enjoyed the attractions, one of the local events or a bracing walk along the coastal trail, there’s nothing better than returning to North Beach Tenby to a warm and toasty log-burning stove to snuggle down in front of the TV or around a family board game. With its central location in the heart of Tenby, just a few minutes’ walk from all the old town’s attractions – shops, cafes, restaurants, medieval walls, National Trust property and, of course, the town’s beaches – you’re near enough to get home dry if you do need to dash between the rain drops.

Both apartments accommodate four, each having a double room with an ensuite shower, a twin room and a bathroom with shower, and a spacious living space with separate cooking, eating and dining areas. The kitchens are fully fitted with every amenity, including ovens, dishwasher and washing machines, while the living areas come complete with flat-screen TVs and DVD players and log-burning stoves, for snuggling round in cooler evenings when the wind whips off the Celtic Sea. The apartments also come with off-street parking and use of a kayak, subject to availability.

A week’s holiday at North Beach Tenby costs from £650 per apartment in winter, including use of linens, full cleaning service, the provision of logs for the stoves and use of all of the facilities mentioned previously; an extra single bed to accommodate a fifth person can be supplied on request at no extra charge. Shorter stays are possible, but are subject to a minimum two-night stay and availability. Reservations can be made through the website www.northbeachtenby.com

Wherever you are in Wales you can now link into the Quality Cottages* app for an up to date list of where and what to do locally…. a jolly handy service – and it’s free!

Quality Cottages, in its 50th year as a family run, pan-Wales cottage agency has offered its customers guides to what’s on for years.

“Myself and my team at Quality Cottages know Wales inside out. We love it here so why not share what we know with those who wish to explore Wales” says Leonard Rees, owner of Quality Cottages.

“We add to the list all the time. It could be that one of our team has just eaten in a great new restaurant or my Son has discovered a cove for surfing not yet mentioned. All of this adds a local flavour that helps our customers”

In association with Software Alliance Wales, this app takes information from the Quality Cottages online holiday guide and puts it in the palm of all i-phone, i-touch and i-pad users.

Leaving the beach and the kids are hungry. Forgotten the guidebook at the cottage. Cick onto the Quality Cottages app for local restaurant info.

Want to find craft markets? Click on for local events.

The Quality Cottages app has over 3000 points of reference and this grows every day!

Download the app from i-tunes. Enter ‘Quality Activities’.

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* Quality Cottages is a family run business with 50 years experience renting holiday properties throughout Wales.
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For more information, please contact Hayley Gerry on 07980920690 or hayley@thequalitys.com

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Cottages in Wales:
www.qualitycottages.com
01348 837 871

Unique, boutique abodes in the UK:
www.qualityunearthed.com
01348 830 922

Villas in France, Italy and Morocco – NEW – ski chalets
www.qualityvillas.com
01442 870 055

Cosy Finland offers travellers the chance to meet Finns in their homes, experiencing the country’s authentic culture and cuisine with long home-cooked meals or a sauna in a typical Finnish household.

What better way to get a real insight into a country than to enjoy an evening with locals in their own home? Cosy Finland is a company specialized in giving travellers a unique Finnish experience, getting under the skin of the destination, inviting guests into typical households hosted by Finns.

Experience examples:

Cosy Finnish Evening: A visit to a Finnish home and a Cosy Home Dinner with the hosts – a chance for visitors to learn about the Finnish way of life through a simple and relaxed evening with locals. The dinner includes a salad or an appetizer, a main course and dessert with coffee or tea, with the hosts usually preparing their favourite traditional recipes to show off the local products and flavours.

Optimal number of guests: 1-4 persons. Duration 3 hours, available all year round.

Cosy Gingerbread Evening: Bake with the Finns! Hosts show visitors how to make typical Finnish Christmas cookies. In addition to baking gingerbread men, the hosts offer a chance to taste “glögi”, a warm Finnish Christmas drink with a little something to eat to accompany the seasonal tipple.

Optimal number of guests: 1-6 persons. Duration 3 hours, available October – December.

Cosy Finnish Sauna Evening: Discover a key element of Finnish life. Hosts introduce guests to this traditional national pass-time with an opportunity to experience a sauna in a Finnish household. Visitors will be treated to a light meal or coffee before or after the sauna.

Optimal number of guests: 1-4 persons. Duration 3 hours, available all year round.

Customer feedback: My time with my hostess and her daughter was wonderful, and we certainly enjoyed the long talk over the delicious dinner. I hope more visitors to Finland will be able to participate in this fascinating programme! Kayo / Japan

The visit to the home was a very pleasant experience. Raija and Pertti were wonderful hosts. Raija prepared delicious food for us, and both were very interesting discussion partners sharing several common interests with me and my wife. I also enjoyed very much the sauna in their home. Eli / Australia

All programmes in and around Helsinki. Also available in selected other cities. All programmes are suitable for bigger groups, to be divided into smaller groups placed in several homes.

For more information, booking or rates, please visit www.cosyfinland.com

More information about Finland travel and tourism can be found at www.visitfinland.com ; or follow us on Twitter @ourFinland or on our Facebook page www.facebook.com/visitfinland

Park Plaza Hotels & Resorts, a stylish collection of contemporary, city-centre hotels with locations across Europe and the UK including London, Leeds, Nottingham, Belfast and Cardiff, invites guests to upgrade their stay with the convenience of the new value-packed Park Plaza Plus package.

From £25 per night, guests can upgrade their stay with a host of “extras” including:

a full buffet breakfast
unlimited wireless Internet access
fresh fruit or chocolates on arrival
a morning national newspaper delivered to their guest room
complimentary late check-out until 2 pm, subject to availability
Express check-out and an E-invoice
1,000 bonus Club Carlson Gold Points per stay

In addition, guests who book the Park Plaza Plus package will enjoy access to the hotel’s Executive Lounge including all-day refreshments, evening drinks and snacks. Executive Lounges are available at London’s Park Plaza County Hall, Park Plaza Riverbank, Park Plaza Victoria, Park Plaza Westminster Bridge and the five-star Plaza on the River. In hotels that do not offer an Executive Lounge, guests will be offered a 187 ml bottle of red and white wine in their guest room.

For details about the new Park Plaza Plus Package, visit

www.parkplaza.com/pluspackage

Sixteen thought-provoking garden designs, promoting international peace by some of the world’s best designers, are revealed this week ahead of the opening of Japan’s Gardening World Cup (8 October).

The contestants include four women from Europe who will make the journey to the other side of the world to build their peace gardens. They join 12 other designers, representing a total of 12 countries, to compete for medals.

Visitors to the Gardening World Cup will see work by the best designers from Australia, North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. It is unlike any other gardening event given the caliber of the designers involved and the competition criteria.

Show garden designs by Sarah Eberle (UK), David Davidson (South Africa), Jim Fogarty (Australia) feature alongside those of Jo Thompson (for Italy) and Jonathan Denby (the second UK entrant).

Sarah Eberle, who won her ninth gold medal at the RHS Chelsea Flower Show this year with her Monaco Garden for Prince Albert, has created ‘Finding Unity’ for the Japan event. Her design offers a contemporary European interpretation of ‘motifs’ for peace – the Japanese Hill and Pond, the Greek Elysium Fields and the English Picturesque.

Fourteen times gold medal winner at Chelsea, David Davidson’s design for South Africa’s entry is based on the concept of the ‘rainbow nation’ and through diversity comes knowledge, understanding and ultimately world peace.

The Australian entry, ‘Bushfire’, by Chelsea gold medal winner Jim Fogarty, is inspired by his personal experience of the ‘Black Saturday’ fires of February 7th 2009, only an hour north east from Jim’s home. His design shows that out of destruction comes regeneration and new life. Peace is once again restored to the bush.

Jo Thompson’s, ‘The Reconnection Garden’ for Italy, is intended to be a secluded, peaceful space that can be used as a place of retreat. Jo won gold and ‘Best in Show’ (urban gardens) at last year’s Chelsea Flower Show.

Appealing to the Japanese love of Beatrix Potter stories, is the British entry by Jonathan Denby, entitled ‘Mr McGregor’s Garden’. His sunflowers remind us of their use in helping to cleanse contaminated fields in Fukushima, and of Chinese artist and political dissident Ai Weiwei’s installation at the Tate Modern earlier this year.

The Gardening World Cup takes place in the South East of Japan in a 17th century Dutch replica theme park the size of Monaco, Huis Ten Bosch. With its proximity to Nagasaki, the theme is deliberately, ‘gardens for world peace and a prayer for Japanese recovery’. This year it is being held in aid of the victims of the Japanese Tsunami.

The competitors have two weeks to build large gardens and courtyard gardens ahead of a televised Oscar nomination style awards ceremony on the 7th October 2011 at which the judges announce the winners.

Last year’s show saw 100,000 people visiting in the first week. It was so popular that it was extended by a further three months. Britain won overall with Canada, Holland and New Zealand also picking up gold medals.

For more information about the designs visit: www.gardeningworldcup.com

Prices From Just £252 Per Couple
With its hot weather, sandy beaches, great local food and wealth of cultural attractions, Spain’s Costa Dorada makes the perfect holiday destination for a September break with your loved one. And with one week’s stay at Keycamp’s Torre Del Sol parc starting from just £252 per couple, with the added extra of free guided cycling tours of the local area available, there are some great holiday offers just waiting to be snapped up.

A private beach, beautifully landscaped grounds and a fantastic range of amenities on-parc – including gourmet restaurants and a Jacuzzi pool – make this luxury Keycamp parc the perfect sanctuary for couples to relax and unwind. Tennis, beach volleyball and football are on offer once you’re finished de-stressing; and with Keycamp’s on-parc Lifecycle facilities, including bike rental and the option of free cycling tours, couples can even explore the surrounding area on two wheels.

Out and about, there’s plenty to sightsee, by foot or bike. The Spanish fishing harbours of Cambrils and Hospitalet de l’Enfant are close at hand, while the Roman city of Tarragona is the ideal stop off to take in the ancient cobbled streets and quaint squares dotted with cafes and designer boutiques.

Seven nights from 18 September for a two adults staying in a Villanova mobile home with air conditioning and decking at Torre del Sol will cost just £252, accommodation only. Fly-drive and ferry packages can be arranged through Keycamp at a supplement. Lifecycle bike hire prices start from just 2 euros per day.

To book, or for more information, call 0844 406 0319 or visit www.keycamp.co.uk