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Posts Tagged ‘wales’

Coastal Cottages

April 18th, 2010

Seaside holidays are extremely popular which is why every year, millions of tourists head for seaside beaches. Perhaps you like coastal holidays too. seaside holidays are fabulous, but that can be the problem too, because it frequently means overcrowding, queuing, rubbish and noise. Have you ever thought about renting your own private coastal cottage? Many only dream about it, but it is not that difficult or costly to arrange actually.

One item to bear in mind is that, public beaches are well-known and that is why they become too busy. However, private coastal cottages are often secluded or on private beaches, which makes for a much quieter holiday. Often, local people living only miles from the cottage do not know that they exist. Despite this, most coastal cottages do not cost a lot of money to rent.

These coastal cottages are to be had in many countries around the world. They are certainly very popular in Britain, Europe and the United States. The degree of privacy and the amenities available will depend on where you go. A coastal cottage in Wales will give you a far different holiday than a coastal cottage in southern France or Coney Island.

Many coastal cottages are located near a popular vacation destination. Not right in the middle of the location, but generally a few miles or less outside, so that you can easily drive in or even walk in, if you want some livelier entertainment. Typical coastal cottage entertainment activities include swimming, sailing, fishing and walking.

Of course, one of the chief considerations when renting a cottage is the rent itself. Now the funny thing is that is not nearly such a big consideration as you might think it would be. The macro location is more important than the micro location. So, Wales might be cheaper than the south of France, but within Wales itself, there is not a huge variation in price, when you equate like with like. Clearly, a five-bedroomed coastal cottage will be more expensive than a three-bedroomed one.

Another point worth looking into is the ownership of the coastal cottage. Is it owned by a private individual who lives near-by or is it owned by a large business. Is the cottage a real, authentic cottage or is it a new, mock cottage building? If it is old, is it connected with anyone famous or a famous event? Knowing these facts can all heighten your pleasure.

Make sure that you are given some maps or drawings so that you can find the spot easily. Especially if you are travelling to the cottage in the evening or in the dark. Things often look far different at night than in the daylight, and if your chosen cottage is in a secluded spot, there may not be any street lighting

Finally, get hold of some pictures of inside and outside the coastal cottage you finally decide on and then reserve it early, because the best coastal cottages go earlier and earlier every year as this form of vacationing becomes ever more popular.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many subjects, but is currently involved with the rental of Welsh coastal cottages. If you are interested in a cottage or Wales in general, please go to our website at Welsh Products Online

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Boarding Dogs In Kennels

April 14th, 2010

Are you the sort of dog owner who likes to take your companion with you wherever you go? If you are then you know that that there are occasions when you can do this, but there are also times when you can not, for whatever reason.

On the occasions when that happens, you will usually need to find a boarding kennels that will take care of your dog while you are away.

A vacation is a time for relaxing, so you do not want to be worrying about your dog, if you can help it. Within your own country, it is not usually a big problem, but if you go abroad, then taking your dog can be more trouble than it is worth. Not only for you, but for your doggy friend as well.

If you can not place your dog with someone it knows, like a member of your family or a neighbour, then the only option is a boarding kennels.

I have put my dog in a bad kennel once and I learned a few lessons from that. I put my Becky in a kennel in a highly regarded village just outside our town. I was happy with what I saw and the sales pitch of the owner, so I went to Spain, thinking that all was fine for both of us. I had a great holiday and went straight to the kennels from the airport on my return, although I had told them a fortnight before that I would pick Becky up the day after my arrival. I just could not wait to see her.

I went to the kennels and they were surprised to see me. Of course, I was a day early. They said that Becky was ‘resting’ and that it would be better to ‘come back tomorrow’. No way! So they took me to see her. I nearly cried. She was sitting in a good sized cage, but on newspaper soaking wet with pee.

She saw me and just looked down at her paws. I called her name again, but she did not want to know. I paid the bill and put her in the car on the front passenger seat where she always sat. She just looked out the window and showed no interest in me at all.

It was three days before she would speak to me again! The moral of this story is not to be impressed by big adverts or impressive locations as I was. Ask your dog-owning friends, write into the local paper inviting recommendations, phone the local animal protection society or the kennel club or look on the Internet.

If you are interested in Welsh corgi puppies, or Wales in general, go to our website at Welsh Products Online

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