We asked four operators – Inghams, Bridge Travel Service, Magic of France and Cresta Holidays – to come up with a recommendation and sample price for three clients who have special requests for a holiday in France.
Request 1: Couple A want to go on a romantic weekend break for two, with good food, sightseeing and shopping, but they do not want to go to Paris, as they have already been there.
Inghams
Area: Aix-en-Provence
Product: 4 nights at the quite Grand Hotel Roi Rene, in Aix-en-Provence.
The hotel is close to Aix, a Renaissance town full of pretty back streets which is still sufficiently secluded for there to many opportunities to be alone.
Marseilles, Avignon and Arles are within close proximity for shopping and sightseeing. When it comes to food, there are Michelin-starred restaurants nearby, including the Clos de la Violette. Alternatively, take a trip to Marseilles for a selection of excellent fish restaurants.
Price: £369 per person in June, including bed & breakfast. Car hire would be an extra £120
Bridge Travel Service
Area: the Loire Valley
Product: Chateau d’Artigny in Montbazon – a four-star property set in a 65-acre park. The hotel restaurant has 40,000 bottles of wine in it cellar and prices for a set menu start at £25, excluding wine. During the day there is a wide range of sightseeing tours, including a visit to the chateaux of the Loire.
Cost: £180 per person for two nights’ bed and breakfast between November and March. The price includes transport by ferry or Eurotunnel from Dover-Calais
Cresta Holidays
Area: Lyon
Product: The Cour des Loges hotel, which dates back to the 14th century.
Lyon is the ideal destination for a romantic getaway, because of its history, architecture and fine restaurants. It has a Roman theatre and pink Renaissance mansion.
Cost: three nights, including breakfast and return channel crossing from Dover to Calais is £191 per person in March.
Request 2: Family B want to spend two weeks somewhere with a good beach and plenty of family entertainment for their two children. It would be helpful if there was a babysitting service available, so mum and dad could go out for a night on their own. They are taking their car.
Inghams
Area: Brittany.
Product: stay in one of the cottages in the 17th Century farm complex at Old Concarneau, Brittany.
The complex includes six cottages. The one chosen sleeps four people and is within walking distance of a beach. It also has a swimming pool.
Concarneau itself is a fishing port, and the town is situated on an island, so there are plenty of beaches. A babysitting service is available.
Cost: two weeks from 16 July costs £1,704, including ferry or Eurotunnel crossing from Dover to Calais.
Bridge Travel Service
Area: Cannes.
Product: a self-catering property in Cannes Mandelieu, just outside Cannes.
It is close to a beach and the complex has a sports programme, kids’ club and baby club. On site is a pool, table tennis and volleyball facilities. Good weather in the south is guaranteed.
Cost: £540 per family of four for a week, including ferry from Dover to Calais in August.
Magic of France
Area: Brittany.
Product: a stay at the Villa Port Manech, which is 500 metres from a sandy beach and 1km from the seaside resort of Port Manech in Brittany. This is a quiet farming area. Nearby is Pont Aven, a small town with cafes, bars and an art gallery.
The villa has large gardens, open-plan lounge and dining room.
Cost: from £315 per person for 14 nights, including ferry crossing in May.
Magic of France
Area: Normandy.
Product: The Hotel de Belle Isle Sur Risle in Pont Audeme in Normandy. This old cotton mill stands on the edge of the river and has extensive gardens.
The restaurant is famous for its fine cuisine and the couple can spend a romantic evening listening to the pianist in the bar.
Cost: from £475 per person for three nights’ bed and breakfast, including ferry from Portsmouth to Le Havre in early April.
Cresta Holidays
Area: Brittany.
Product: The Pierre and Vacances Apartments at Port du Crouesty in Brittany offers the ideal holiday for families. The holiday village has a swimming pool, children’s club, tennis courts, horseriding and mountain-biking.
Cost: from £100 per person for two weeks, based on two adults and two children travelling by car to self-catering accommodation in May. Return ferry crossing fromDover to Calais is included.
Request 3: Couple C are an empty-nester couple who have been holidaying in France for years. They want something different for a seven-day trip. They would like to stay in small, guest-house type properties, and will be taking their own car.
Inghams
Area: Dijon.
Product: a converted winery in Marsannay la Cote near Dijon. It sleeps four, but is ideal for two. The accommodation is a well-equipped cottage with oven, hob and fridge/freezer. It has a covered terrace and a hamper of food and wine is supplied.
The winery has a shared swimming pool. The property is ideally located for visits to the area’s many famous vineyards, as well as the medieval city of Dijon.
Cost: £540 including ferry crossing from Dover to Calais, until May.
Bridge Travel Service
Area: Alsace and Lorraine regions.
Product: take to the water and explore the network of French canals in the Alsace-Lorraine countryside by taking a self-skippered cruising holiday.
Motor cruisers or houseboats are available, complete with maps and cruise itineraries.
Training is given before departure. Mooring is easy and there is plenty of shopping along the route at nearby villages. There’s no need to go round in a circle – the car can be driven to the couple’s final destination.
Cost: £572 per boat for one week cruise during mid-September, including ferry crossing.
Magic of France
Area: Loire.
Product: the four-star Hotel Le Prieure on the Loire river would make an ideal choice for this couple.
It is surrounded by 60 acres of woodland and has an outdoor heated swimming pool and only 20 bedrooms.
Cost: from £705 per person for seven nights’ bed and breakfast accommodation in April and May, including ferry crossing from Dover-Calais.
Cresta Holidays
Area: Alsace region.
Product: a tour by car through Alsace and its wine region. The tour will start at Strasbourg, through the picturesque towns of Obernai and Colmar before heading north to Dieffenthal.
Cost: £381 for seven nights in April, starting with two nights in Strasbourg, including breakfast and ferry from Dover-Calais.