On a unique, special website – www.thewoofguide.co.uk – Coastal Cottages of Pembrokeshire highlights lots of pet-friendly properties and also has sections highlighting dog-friendly pubs, restaurants and activities.

All featured cottages have been specially reviewed – with a ‘paw rating’ – for their suitability for five categories of pet – everything from pups to pensioners.

For example, a week’s stay at Rose Cottage (sleeps four) in the tiny hamlet of Lochvane near Newport is £427 in mid April. The cottage is set in two acres of gardens and is minutes from sandy beaches and the coastal path.

Tel: 01437 772760, www.coastalcottages.co.uk or visit www.thewoofguide.co.uk

To relieve some of the stress of packing for a family holiday, www.holidaylettings.co.uk, the UK’s No.1 holiday  home website, has come up with a check list of the essentials needed for a self-catering family vacation.
Best of all they have gone the extra mile and ensured that those homes available on the site that offer specific  baby and toddler friendly facilities are highlighted in their own section. With half the packing done for you, you  can pack lighter and happier.

The Holiday Lettings Baby & Toddler Friendly Holiday Idea links to each of the child friendly properties available  on the site:
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/baby-and-toddler-friendly-holidays/72/ideas/

Even with these key items checked off the list, travelling with children often means packing a lot! Thankfully

Holiday Lettings offers a number of ways around this including:

Baby product home delivery bebebel.co.uk is a service available through the website that will organise all your baby essentials such as   pushchair, nappies and powdered milk, and deliver them to your holiday home in time for your arrival!

Homes that have it all!
Within the Holiday Lettings Baby & Toddler Friendly Holiday Idea there are some home owners that literally pull   out all the stops to accommodate the every need of holidaymakers travelling with young children. Here’s just a
few:

Villa Camellia, Corfu
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/38853
From £300 per week, sleeping six (£50 per person per week)
This two bedroom villa has a private pool and outdoor play area. The owner’s provide an extensive list of   amenities and child specific facilities including a welcome basket of groceries, a wide range of toys, water   inflatable’s and arm bands, a steriliser, sun house, children’s kitchen utensils, night light and much more.

La Mirabelle, Angles, Les Tranche Sur Mer, France
http://www.holidaylettings.co.uk/56624
From £795 per week, sleeping 15 (£53 per person per week)
This five bedroom property sleeps 13 and was made for families! As well as a heated pool and plush furnishings the  house specifically caters to families with children, offering an entire TV/play-room stuffed with toys, board  games, dressing up clothes, train sets, building blocks, dolls house and a huge library of children’s videos and  DVDs as well as an extensive library of children’s books, with ones specially for bedtime. Within the price the  owners also supply a sterilizer, bottle warmer, food blender, a travel cot, black-out blinds for the children’s  bedrooms, changing mat, baby bath, high chair, push chair and children’s crockery and cutlery.

Holiday Lettings Ultimate Baby & Toddler Packing Checklist:

• Night light
• Beakers and bottles
• Sun screen / sun hat
• iPod and docking station for lullaby time
• Camcorder / camera to capture all those special memories
• Arm bands and swimwear
• Soother and/or comfort blanket
• Collapsible pushchair
• A few books and toys
• Sterilizer tablets

Consult the home owner for full details of what equipment is provided so you know what to pack and what you can  leave at home as each home is individually furnished by the home owner.

Ionian & Aegean Island Holidays are delighted to announce the launch of their new look website with a new exciting professional sleek design. Every aspect of the website has been improved to enhance visitors all round online experience.

The user friendly site enables visitors to search for their perfect Greek holiday up to 15 times faster then the previous search engine using the latest cutting edge technology and design.

Booking online has been made simple in four easy steps from choosing a holiday to booking and paying online the process is a fast and efficient one.

Managing Director, Dimitri Patrikios who assisted with designing the new site says “We have attempted to create a user friendly website with plenty of useful information. The development is ongoing and we are constantly making improvements. The feedback we have had so far has been extremely positive and we have noticed a significant rise in web bookings as well as the time visitors spend on the site”.

We have combined the launch with some fantastic special offers departing 24th April with up to 40% off villa holidays. Look out for our property of the week offering extra discounts on selected properties.

Our new website offers visitors more choice, more holidays, more offers! Visit us at www.ionianislandholidays.com

Its never been a better time to book with the Greek Island Specialists!

FEBRUARY 2010 – today nowfly.co.uk unveils the latest version of its successful travel search engine. It’s now even easier to use, with a new look and feel, but still generates fantastically quick results.

nowfly.co.uk successfully launched at the start of 2009 and was rated by Times Online as one of the top ten travel websites. It was also acknowledged by the Daily Telegraph in November 2009.

nowfly.co.uk is also launching its new e-newsletter that’s packed with great flights deals and a selection of articles from its travel column ‘zip it’, as well as offering exclusive offers to its readers. “The newsletter is snappy, topical and has relevant content that will certainly appeal to our users” comments Dan Hart, CEO. “We will avoid the usual boring topics that get churned out week in, week out, and will also offer some great exclusive offers – the first of which is a free TraceMe Luggage tag.”

As part of the launch of the e-newsletter, nowfly.co.uk is also offering a prize-draw of £250 cash*. Participants simply need to add their email details in the email submission box on nowfly.co.uk’s home page.

Using cutting-edge technology, nowfly.co.uk searches over 340 airline websites, including those of 90 low-cost carriers as well as scheduled and charter airlines, to find the very lowest fares available at any moment. But nowfly.co.uk is not just about flights. The new site is also the place to find hotels, hire cars and other travel extras so that users can build their own bespoke holiday. It also features a great selection of inspiring travel tips and ideas, ranging from ‘top ski chalets for families’ to ‘top winter suntraps’. There’s also some great tips that have been contributed from some well-known faces including James, Cracknell, Scott Maslen and Gabby Logan.
*Subject to Terms and Conditions

Bath Tourism Plus has re-launched the official tourism website for Bath and the surrounding area, www.visitbath.co.uk, following a complete design makeover. The new website provides visitors with sophisticated new features and even more information to help plan a trip to Bath.

A number of new developments have been added which not only enhance the look of the website but also its functionality. Navigation across the site has improved with easy-to-use menus, a number of new search options, and a straight forward accommodation booking system allowing users to tailor their search and refine results to their precise requirements. Striking images of Bath and the surrounding countryside and other visual aids have been introduced including a new interactive map providing information on what to see and do nearby highlighting key attractions such as Stonehenge, Wells, Glastonbury and the Cotswolds.

The new website is part of a re-branding project undertaken by Bath Tourism Plus over the last year to give the city a sharper and more explicit brand. The project has also included the design of a new Visitor Guide, logo and a portfolio of new photography to use on a range of marketing materials.

The VisitBath.co.uk website contains all the information needed to organise a visit to Bath and provides a complete guide for holiday-makers and tour operators. Users can search for accommodation options and book online, find out about things to see and do in and around Bath, where to eat out, shops that can’t be missed, as well as a number of other information services including a what’s on guide and how to reach the city.

Samantha Edson from Bath Tourism Plus has been busy putting together the new website and comments, “We wanted to develop a more visually striking and engaging website that would deliver more business to our members and at the same time provide an even better information service for users of VisitBath.co.uk”.

Robin Bischert Chief Executive of Bath Tourism Plus says, “Last year the VisitBath website received over 1.2 million unique users. As more people than ever are using the internet to arrange their holidays and leisure time, we felt that a new website with a modern design was imperative to provide the very best service possible. The new website contains lots of stunning photography which really helps to bring it to life and will hopefully encourage visitors to the city and surrounding area.”

The platform for the new website is provided by New Mind, a company that has provided e-tourism solutions for many of the country’s leading destination marketing organisations including brighton, Liverpool and Lancashire.

Kate Blagrove, Account Manager of New Mind says, “VisitBath.co.uk is already one of New Mind’s top performing sites receiving over 100,000 unique visitors per month and up to 1000 bookings per month during the peak season. The new site aims to build on this success and allow the destination to boost its performance and maintain its position as one of the world’s greatest cities”.

A wider choice of hotels and self-catering holiday villages, together with details of fares and ferry schedules, is featured in the 2010 ‘Holidays’ brochure from Irish Ferries.

With more than 50 hotels and 30 self-catering holiday villages offered, Irish Ferries now boasts the biggest choice of hotels and cottages across Ireland on the UK market.

At all featured hotels there are special ‘free night’ offers for selected dates which means, for example, that a three-night stay with breakfast at the Blarney Hotel & Golf Resort new into the 2010 programme – costs from just £165 per person (twin share and saving £43 each) including return cruise ferry crossing for car and passengers. All hotels also offer free accommodation for children sharing their parents’ room.

Special deals are also available on self-catering holidays with a second-week free offer at all holiday villages for selected dates. This brings the lead-in price of a two-week holiday down to as little as £405 for two adults and up to three children at Neidin View in Co Kerry – valid for arrivals up to 7 May 2010 – again with return cruise ferry for car and passengers.

As well as stay-put hotel and self-catering holidays, Irish Ferries also offers a wide choice of self-drive tours, either with pre-booked accommodation or ‘Go As You Please’.

Online Green Guide is launched

Specialist self catering letting Agency, Classic Cottages, has just announced that their hugely successful free booklet, the Green Guide, is now available online with its own dedicated website www.classicgreen.co.uk.

Throughout this year the team at Classic Cottages has investigated and adopted new ways of working, both as a business and with their property owners and visitors. The drive to operating in a sustainable and ‘green’ way led to the development of the Green Guide and the new website.

www.classicgreen.co.uk is designed to provide useful information to individuals and property owners who are considering ways to make their home or property more eco friendly.

Simon Tregoning, Managing Director of Classic Cottages said: “We produced the free booklet, Classic Cottages’ Green Guide, at the end of last year. www.classicgreen.co.uk is the obvious progression for us as it allows us to add updated information regularly and more importantly, interact with people who may have their own ideas, hints and tips.

“The site has a great forum area for people to suggest new things or comment on our ideas. We really want the site to grow and evolve over time to become an essential resource for people considering ways to make changes to their properties.

“We don’t profess to be experts, we just wanted to provide our property owners or anyone who was interested in our ideas, with a practical guide on ways to develop and integrate ‘green’ thinking, wherever they lie on the ‘green spectrum’ from light to dark green.”

The family run agency, which markets more than 700 properties across the south west, has spent the past year championing green tourism initiatives, both within their own business and the self catering properties they market. As a result of Classic Cottages’ commitment to environmental awareness the company has just been awarded Gold by the Green Tourism Business Scheme.

The online guide offers practical advice for holiday home owners on how to make their properties more eco-friendly. The tone of www.classicgreen.co.uk is much more about what people can do, rather than what they should do. At the same time considering the most important person in the equation, the guest. “The aim of www.classicgreen.co.uk is give property owners all the information they require in one place,” says Simon Tregoning.

For a free copy of the printed Green Guide or to see the new website, go to www.classicgreen.co.uk

Freewheel Holidays are delighted to announce the release of their 2010 brochure. With 12 additional pages of tours, taking you to 14 new locations, we are certain that we can offer the perfect leisure holiday. Cycling has not experienced such popularity and coverage for many years in the UK, and now many people are enjoying this leisurely pursuit whilst on holiday.

Our new locations include the west coast of Ireland, a picturesque trip through the lowlands of Holland, or an exciting tour between two capitals, Prague and Vienna. Not only this but there have been additions to our itineraries in France and Italy. There is also an increase in the number of our ‘boat and bike’ tours – predominantly in Holland and France. Explore glorious culture in towns and cities whilst also taking in stunning countryside in the day. In the evening relax in comfort on a converted Dutch barge with spacious living areas.

Don’t worry if you’re not a cyclist. We design our holidays to be fulfilling and enjoyable – we’re not asking you to enter the Tour de France! The large majority of our holidays are suitable for people with very little cycling experience and a moderate amount of fitness. However, for those who are still not sure, we have introduced our “terrain guide”. This simple 1,2,3 scale which is indicated on each tour page will allow you to easily identify the right holiday for you.

For your free copy of our brochure, contact us on 0845 372 0315, or download the brochure from our website, www.freewheelholidays.com

The magical Northern Lights have bewitched humans since time began. Now you can create your own Aurora Borealis, against a fairytale Norwegian backdrop at www.visitnorway.co.uk/mynorthernlights .

Paint the sky above a dramatic northern Norwegian coastal landscape with your mouse, or use your astrological constellation, in a palette of colour reflecting your mood, to create your own Aurora Borealis. Your personal Northern Lights display will be saved for you to share with your friends via Twitter, Facebook or email. When they click on the link, they will be greeted by a star spangled sky with your very own lights display as well as a star named after the sender.

Viewing the Northern Lights is a powerful, and often emotional personal experience, and virtual displays on VisitNorway.co.uk are accompanied by information about how you can see the Aurora Borealis for yourself. This wonderful display can be experienced anywhere, from an outdoor hot tub surrounded by snow, during a moonlit husky sledge or snowmobile safari, or like Father Christmas, with you own team of reindeer!

Catherine Foster, Country Manager, Innovation Norway UK, comments: “Norway is the ideal setting for seeing the Northern Lights. Its location and landscape of rugged mountains, awe inspiring coastal fjords, pristine forest and wooden huts, offers a magical backdrop for this stunning natural phenomena. Hunting for the Aurora is a journey of a lifetime, one that you will want to share with your friends and loved ones. We hope to convey the beauty and mysticism of this once-in-a-lifetime experience through the new site.”

As well as the Northern Lights website, you can learn more about the amazing display in the sky as well as share your own experiences on our blog www.visitnorway.co.uk/mynorthernlightsblog and via Twitter at: http://Twitter.com/NorwayAurora .

A new interactive website which enables people to share their favourite experiences of North East England is now live and taking its first entries.

Visitors to www.mynortheastengland.com can post individual reviews about the region’s accommodation providers, attractions, leisure activities, food and drink and much more based on their very own personal experiences. To complement their reviews, people can also upload pictures and videos, which others can also see and comment upon.

Managed by One North East, the free online tool is the first of its kind to be rolled out in the region and is part of a new approach in which the agency is adding to its online initiatives to promote North East England to visitors far and wide.

Tania Robinson, Head of Marketing at One North East, said: “The mynortheastengland website is a great way for people to share their thoughts on what makes the region such a popular holiday destination, whilst offering constructive reviews which others can then use when planning their next visit.”

It is hoped that the website will encourage local people to share their knowledge and expertise of the region, which could help maximise the true potential of North East England to visitors.

She added: “We’re looking for local people to get involved, as well as visitors. After all, it’s the people that live and work here that truly know how to make the most out of each venue and attraction.”

The website also features links to existing www.visitnortheastengland.com features including the Adventure Generator, which works by selecting three activities from across the North East at random, creating a diverse and sometimes surprising leisure suggestion.

Posting a review is quick and simple to do, with only the name and email address of a user needed before contributing their thoughts. To post your review today, visit www.mynortheastengland.com