Snorkel your way to a holiday in the Maldives

IN the joyous spirit of Christmas and to celebrate the season of giving, Coco Collection is offering the opportunity to play an online game for the chance to win a holiday in the #Maldives. 

Designed to follow the journey of a guest who is out snorkelling at a reef and is keen to leave the ocean debris free, the game encourages you to help the guest pick up marine debris floating around the reef, and dispose of them so that they do not harm the marine life. Once the reef is clean, a friend will show up to guide you to enter the raffle and win a stay at the luxurious boutique resort, Coco Bodu Hithi.

The raffle will be closed for entries on 27th November 2018 and the winner will be announced through our social media platforms on 29th November 2018. The lucky winner stands a chance to visit Coco Bodu Hithi for 7 nights with full board meal plan and return speedboat transfers, and stay in an Island Villa. 

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk
All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture credit: pintrest

Banyan Tree & Accor Hotels announce collaboration

BANYAN Tree Holdings has announced that it has entered into a heads of agreement with #AccorHotels. Under a long-term partnership, both parties intend to collaborate to develop and manage #BanyanTree branded hotels around the world. Banyan Tree will also have access to AccorHotels’ global reservations and sales network, as well as its loyalty programme Le Club AccorHotels.

AccorHotels is a world-leading travel & lifestyle group and digital innovator offering unique experiences in more than 4,000 hotels, resorts and residences, as well as in over 2,500 of the finest private homes around the globe operating in 95 countries. Banyan Tree Holdings Limited is a leading international operator and developer of premium resorts, hotels, residences and spas, with 43 hotels and resorts, 64 spas, 77 retail galleries, and three golf courses in 28 countries.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit:Banyan Tree Lijiang, Banyan Tree Holdings

Party island

ELITE HAVENS is promoting a holiday #villa in #Bali that could be just the job for party people: Villa Kalyani has a dance floor, two bars, a dining room, gourmet chef, a rooftop terrace, a professional DJ booth, and a movie theatre. 

It also has five bedrooms, a large swimming pool and the services of a full-time manager, personal butlers, a private chef and driver, and a 24-hour security team.

The house is in rice fields of Canggu and just a couple of miles from restaurants, bars, and a black-sand beach.

Established in 1998, the agency has more than 200 private luxury villas in Bali, Lombok, Phuket, and Sri Lanka.

www.villakalyani.com




Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Tuscany escapes

#TUSCANY NOW & MORE has added three holiday properties to its portfolio:   

Casale Il Melograno – This converted farmhouse, close to the medieval city of Cortona, has three al fresco dining areas for entertaining on balmy summer evenings. It sleeps six and has a private pool. From £2,634 to £4,637 a week.  

La Sugheraia – A villa, sleeping up to 16, minutes away from the white beaches of the southern Tuscan coast. It’s surrounded by lawns filled with olive trees. From £4,057 to £9,167 a week. 

Spini Bianchi – Offering total privacy on a remote point, this house provides views of the coast and the island of Giglio. It has a pool and a tennis court, and a private road to the shore, where there is a platform for sunbathing and swimming. It sleeps up to eight people. From £3,552 to £6,089 a week. 

The agency is offering a 5% summer discount to previous guests.

www.tuscanynowandmore.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: www.tuscanynowandmore.com

Luxury villa specialist gets £1m funding

EDGE RETREATS, a London-based tech start-up specializing in #luxury villas worldwide, has closed a seed funding round of close to £1 million. 

Launched in 2015, the company says it is the first global curated marketplace for booking both luxury villas and concierge services online. It provides access to the world’s most #exclusive #villarentals – whose owners rarely want to use mass-market products.

The company was founded by travel journalist turned tech entrepreneur, Luke McCormick, who estimates that the value of the luxury villa rentals market will be at least £23 billion by the end of this year. With online travel sales growing at 12% annually, he sees plenty of room for growth.

McCormick says: ‘After getting great support from Forward Partners over the past year, we’re excited to be partnering with Lean Investments to accelerate the growth of our company. This investment will allow us to continue to build a world-class product while increasing the number of properties and countries that we feature.

‘We’re pleased to be simplifying the process of finding and booking luxury villas around the world while offering exceptional concierge service.’

The company currently has more than 2,000 upscale holiday properties in 35 countries from the US to Australia … and some of them are on private islands.

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Book a mansion in the Orlando

LUXURY RETREATS announces the expansion of its portfolio of high-end vacation rentals with 25 private #villas for holiday lettings in #Orlando, #Florida.

Highlights of the agency’s new Orlando portfolio include:

• Muirfield 460, a custom-built seven-bedroom luxury villa in the Disney Parks area. It has Mine Craft game room, tiered cinema, golf views, swimming pool and spa, and a wheelchair-accessible ground-floor bedroom. 

• Radiant 1239, a nine-bedroom vacation home that sleeps 20, with A-list amenities that include a private pool with a waterfall, grotto and spillover spa, and views of the Independence golf course by Tom Watson.

• Gathering 7433, a nine-bedroom mansion that sleeps 24, with seven master bedroom suites and two themed bedrooms, swimming pool, spa, movie theatre. 

www.luxuryretreats.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Learn to make pasta the Sicilian way

 SOLOSICILY, the Sicilian villa specialist, has introduced pasta-making lessons under the guidance of a professional chef at some of its holiday properties.    

Families can get hands-on experience of making pasta by booking a private Sicilian chef for a lesson in the comfort of their own villa. For younger members of the family to join in and for adults to hone their skills, the lessons include the preparation of a typical pasta dish.

One of SoloSicily's chefs is Stefania Petrotta, a local chef with a passion for organic, local ingredients and the history of traditional Sicilian dishes.  She co-authored the book, 'Il Sole a tavola'. 

The lessons take three to four hours including a pasta lunch accompanied by Sicilian wine and cost £53 €70 (£53) per person.  The company offers the lessons at more than 20 of its #villas.

Founded in 2006 and based in #Palmermo, SoloSicily is a private villa rental company with a collection of more than 40 hand-picked villas.

www.solosicily.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: www.solosicily.com

Lagoon luxury

GILI LANKANFUSHI, named the Best Hotel in the World by TripAdvisor in the Traveller's Choice Awards 2015, has upgraded its Private Reserve – the world’s largest overwater villa – with the addition of a freshwater swimming pool, a library, and a study. 

Standing alone in lagoon, 540 yards from the #Maldives resort and accessible from the hotel only by boat, the three-bedroom villa guarantees maximum #luxury, privacy and seclusion.

It also has a spa with sauna and steam room, a cinema, a water slide from the top deck into the lagoon, a personal chef, and a wine cellar and bar.

The Private Reserve re-opens on November 15, when rental rates per night will range from US$11,000 to $23,630 (£7,100-£15,300) plus local government taxes … so start saving – very seriously – now!

www.gili-lankanfushi.com

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: www.gili-lankanfushi.com

Villa firms say sector growing despite Meon closure

VILLA operators have sought to reassure travel agents that the #villas market is alive and well despite the decision by Tui Group’s Specialist Holidays Group to close Meon Villas. 

Tui blamed declining demand for individual villas and increasing popularity of hotel villas, featured by sister brand Sovereign. A spokeswoman said: ‘We have seen less demand for individual villas, and an increased demand for hotel villas, so we took the decision to move this focus from Meon to Sovereign. Within Sovereign, we already have a sizeable collection of hotel villas, and we will look to grow this in the future. We are speaking to the villa owners and, while some will be dropped, some may transfer to the Sovereign programme.’

Mark Bloxham, managing director of rival trade villa specialist Villas4You, said the decision to close Meon would enable Tui to focus on its other villa programmes, including Thomson Villas with Pools, and did not reflect a downturn in the villas market as a whole.

He said the decision was unlikely to be linked to last week’s collapse of Exclusive Escapes, which also sold villas but operated in Turkey, a destination hit by its proximity to Syria.

Mr Bloxham said the market for individual villas continued to grow, although contracting units could be ‘an inefficient use of contracting and product time’ for larger operators.

‘Exclusive Escapes ceasing to trade and the Meon brand dissolved could be misconstrued. The truth is that the villa rental market is growing and big competitors such as Villas.com and Airbnb are bringing in new audiences. We are seeing double-digit growth through the trade every month. Customers are demanding villas.’

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/52443980@N03/12568283715">villas cantua in puerto del carmen lanzarote 12-11-2012 7-50-040</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/">(license

The luxury collection

A TOUR operator offering #privatevillas, villa resorts, and #privateislands to UK clients has launched operations.

The Villa Collection – established by tourism industry veterans Andrea Lovering and Gemma Lewis – handles luxury villas in locations including Barbados, St Lucia, Anguilla, and Antigua.

#Luxury properties in the Hamptons, Miami, and New York are coming on stream, and a range of Indian Ocean & Middle East destinations will also be available. Clients can currently book directly with the company, but plans are in place to begin working with travel agents.

‘The brand and our product offering has been carefully designed and selected with the target market in mind,’ says Ms Lewis. ‘We will be offering a highly personalized service to our clients and sharing our knowledge and experience to ensure our customers stay in the perfect villa and destination for them.’

Ms Lovering adds: ‘Many people initially assume private villas are more expensive than hotels, but villa rates often work out more affordable per person and clients enjoy privacy and space that a hotel cannot offer. We also offer villa resorts which combine both resort facilities with villa accommodation, and for ultimate luxury and privacy, we feature a range of private islands.’

www.thevillacollection.co.uk

Go Holiday news : www.govillasandcottages.co.uk

All your holiday needs: IN PRINT - ON-LINE - DiGiMAG - SMARTPHONE -TABLET - BLOG - TWITTER - G+ - FACEBOOK

Picture Credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/28402582@N07/8806746124">Beach patio</a> via <a href="http://photopin.com">photopin</a> <a href="https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/">(license)