Beacon Hill Farm in Northumberland, England can be a perfect choice of vacation accommodation if you want to get out of the big cities, enjoy the British countryside and at the same time not compromise on luxury and style. These are not ordinary cottages; they are all furnished with top quality items and designed to feel like a country home including books on the bookshelves and a well equipped kitchen. There is even a washer and dryer!
The concept is that you get your own home away from home in the gorgeous Northumberland countryside where you can cater for yourself but at the same time have maid service and spa amenities usually only found in hotels.
There are 15 self-catering 4 and 5 star luxury cottages at Beacon Hill Farm each with an individual character. There are cottages suited to 6, 4 and 2 people.
The Beacon Hill Farm Spa
On the farm a short walk from the cottages is a fully equipped spa offering spa treatments and facilities such as Jacuzzi, steam room, pool and gym. All the amenities are included in the price of your stay. The spa has large glass windows facing the beautiful English countryside. This is really a top of the line spa facility and an unusual feature to get when staying in a country cottage. You get the best of both worlds, the secluded independent cottage with the luxurious and pampering spa.
Beacon Hill Awards
Beacon Hill Farm has won several awards: England's self-catering holiday of the year (twice); North-East England's self-catering holiday of the year; Green Tourism Silver Award; Pride of Northumberland (three times) and Country Landowner's Farm and Country Buildings Award.
The Beacon Hill Site
The site meets a good balance of informative text with pleasant graphics, there is a lot of information but it is not overwhelming as with some other travel sites partly because the info is sectioned off onto separate pages.
The site seems to have thought of everything, when going through the site I had no unanswered questions. Your every wish and query has been preempted: order pre-cooked meals; no pets allowed; no smoking; some cottages have wheelchair access; there is WiFi in the cottages and computers in the reception; there is a gym, beautician and spa facilities; plenty of outdoor activities in the area including fly fishing. This site will leave you fully prepared for your stay at Beacon Hill Farm.
Cancelation and Payment Methods
Their payment method and cancelation policy seem a little tough, this is normally the case when dealing with smaller companies as they can't take on the loss of a broken contract or a cottage standing empty when canceled. Full payment is due 8 weeks before arrival and if the booking is within 8 weeks of the stay you need to pay the whole amount up front. Cancellation also comes at a price. It is worth taking up the Rent Waiver of 5% which will cover fees if you cancel.
It is also not possible to book for less than a week in several of the cottages and during the peak tourist season. Rates range roughly from 255 GBP a night to 1845 GBP a week. It is hard to name an average price as the prices vary through the year and for each cottage.
Who does Beacon Hill Farm Suit
Travelers who prefer rural settings to big city life and who have rented a car can then reach the farm easily and explore the surrounding villages, national parks and coastline. This vacation location would best suit older travelers, those on an active hiking, cycling, riding or climbing holiday and couples looking for a romantic getaway, as well as families who want to self-cater. Younger travelers looking for night life and action should look else were, this is more of a sleepy hollow.
The prices could be economically viable for groups or families but for couples they may seem
steep. One also needs to consider the cancellation and payment method as discussed above.
If you've had enough of London and want to see another side of British life and enjoy the spectacular countryside as well as pamper yourself Beacon Hill Farm could be the place for you.
Thursday, November 17, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
Site Review: Thehotelhunter.com
There is no doubt that using a hotel search engine is THE best way to locate the lowest hotel rates online in the shortest possible time, thehotelhunter.com is one these hotel search engines. thehotelhunter.com scans the web searching all the booking sites and hotel sites looking for the hotel you are interested in. thehotelhunter then compiles a list of the best deals online for the hotel in question in descending order from the site offering the lowest rate to the site with the highest. It is then up to you to follow the link to the hotel booking site and complete your booking.
Searching on thehotelhunter.com
Your search for the hotel booking site with the lowest rates begins by browsing thehotelhunter.com either by country of hotel name, from there thehotelhunter.com does the rest.
Useful features
• Unlike similar sites when you give your specifications of how many rooms and for how many guests on thehotelhunter.com you have the option of adding separate number of adults and children. This is clever as there are often different prices for adults and children sharing the parent's room.
• There's a choice of which currency to see the rates, and a range of options to choose how you would like the hotels displayed (according to distance from landmarks; star rating; popularity; price).
• As thehotelhunter is only a search tool and not profiting on your choice of hotel booking site you can be sure that the reviews and any other details on the site are unbiased.
• thehotelhunter's competitors include HotelsCompared.com and Hotelsearchengine.com, each of these sites performs about the same function however thehotelhunter is the only one of the three which also provides travel guides and full length guest reviews. The other two sites also have guest reviews but they are in summary form. Although in most cases these sites present the same final results you can choose the one which best appeals to you in terms of the features, layout and search options.
Customer Service on thehotelhunter
As you are not actually booking your hotel on thehotelhunter.com only searching other sites using their service there is no great need for extensive customer service, however if you do have a query you can contact them on the "Contact Us" form. Once you have chosen your hotel and moved to the hotel booking site offering the lowest rates you can deal with the booking site for all your needs.
Saving time and money
thehotelhunter.com will find you the lowest rates online, and in a shorter time than humanly possible.
A review wouldn't be complete without a few gripes! The site could use more extensive hotel reviews and an affiliate program would also boost their visibility on line. I have found with all hotel search engines that in some non-US countries (in the Middle East and Far East) sometimes some booking sites are not shown. There could also be the addition of a FAQ section. thehotelhunter.com has improved on its competition by supplying travel guides but these could also be expanded to include more information and travel articles.
There is no doubt that using a hotel search engine like thehotelhunter is the best way to track down the lowest room rates online. You couldn't possibly search the amount of booking sites that thehotelhunter.com does, which means you would risk not finding the site with the lowest rate.
Searching on thehotelhunter.com
Your search for the hotel booking site with the lowest rates begins by browsing thehotelhunter.com either by country of hotel name, from there thehotelhunter.com does the rest.
Useful features
• Unlike similar sites when you give your specifications of how many rooms and for how many guests on thehotelhunter.com you have the option of adding separate number of adults and children. This is clever as there are often different prices for adults and children sharing the parent's room.
• There's a choice of which currency to see the rates, and a range of options to choose how you would like the hotels displayed (according to distance from landmarks; star rating; popularity; price).
• As thehotelhunter is only a search tool and not profiting on your choice of hotel booking site you can be sure that the reviews and any other details on the site are unbiased.
• thehotelhunter's competitors include HotelsCompared.com and Hotelsearchengine.com, each of these sites performs about the same function however thehotelhunter is the only one of the three which also provides travel guides and full length guest reviews. The other two sites also have guest reviews but they are in summary form. Although in most cases these sites present the same final results you can choose the one which best appeals to you in terms of the features, layout and search options.
Customer Service on thehotelhunter
As you are not actually booking your hotel on thehotelhunter.com only searching other sites using their service there is no great need for extensive customer service, however if you do have a query you can contact them on the "Contact Us" form. Once you have chosen your hotel and moved to the hotel booking site offering the lowest rates you can deal with the booking site for all your needs.
Saving time and money
thehotelhunter.com will find you the lowest rates online, and in a shorter time than humanly possible.
A review wouldn't be complete without a few gripes! The site could use more extensive hotel reviews and an affiliate program would also boost their visibility on line. I have found with all hotel search engines that in some non-US countries (in the Middle East and Far East) sometimes some booking sites are not shown. There could also be the addition of a FAQ section. thehotelhunter.com has improved on its competition by supplying travel guides but these could also be expanded to include more information and travel articles.
There is no doubt that using a hotel search engine like thehotelhunter is the best way to track down the lowest room rates online. You couldn't possibly search the amount of booking sites that thehotelhunter.com does, which means you would risk not finding the site with the lowest rate.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Truflavorware
Checkout these eco-friendly, organic durable utensils which are portable and a great addition to your suitcase when going away. Read about their advantages to your health.
Friday, October 14, 2011
Site Review: Cruise Direct for mind boggling choice!
The landing page of Cruisedirect.co.uk is a cacophony of cruise deals and specials and although I personally prefer a cleaner and simpler webpage you can understand from one look at the Cruisedirect.co.uk landing page that they offer every imaginable cruise worldwide. In fact they also offer specialty cruises (a Christmas cruise for example) including river cruises and the ultimate luxury cruise.
Value for your money
On Cruisedirect.co.uk you can also find "Value Added Cruise Deals", this means that included in your cruise price will be a bonus such as free onboard credits or a free cabin upgrade and even on some cruises you can get free flights!
If you are from the UK the advantage of booking a cruise through Cruisedirect.co.uk is that you can call the UK number for any inquiries you may have. Also the prices are all in GBP.
Service
One of the interesting features on Cruisedirect.co.uk is that you can request a personalized cruise quote to fit your need, this is as good as the service high street travel agents used to offer in the days when service was everything. As well as this personalized cruise quote you can call Cruisedirect.co.uk's customer service on a freephone number 7 days a week. The site is definitely geared towards the UK market and would be most convenient and useful to European travelers although travelers from anywhere in the world can book a cruise on Cruisedirect.co.uk with no problem.
A site with all the cruise info
If you simply want to book a cruise you can do that here but if you also want to browse the various cruise lines or check out what each ship has to offer you can do that on Cruisedirect.co.uk as well. The list of cruise liners which this site covers is really impressive it even includes the Norwegian Hurtigruten, and the Star Clipper vessels which are not cruise ships but enormous sailing ships which give you the experience of a private yacht.
Once you have selected your cruise you are given all the relevant information such as cabins, deck plans, and facilities onboard. It is also possible to read guest reviews on each ship and cruise.
This site comes out tops for the variety of cruises they cover worldwide, it's really mind boggling the choices they offer! If I were to suggest any improvement in the site it would be to offer the prices in a number of currencies (they appear only in GBP) and perhaps a live customer chat. There could also be the addition of travel articles about the various ports of call. However when all is said and done, whatever cruise you are looking for, no matter in what part of the world, and no matter what your budget you will find it on Cruisedirect.co.uk!
Value for your money
On Cruisedirect.co.uk you can also find "Value Added Cruise Deals", this means that included in your cruise price will be a bonus such as free onboard credits or a free cabin upgrade and even on some cruises you can get free flights!
If you are from the UK the advantage of booking a cruise through Cruisedirect.co.uk is that you can call the UK number for any inquiries you may have. Also the prices are all in GBP.
Service
One of the interesting features on Cruisedirect.co.uk is that you can request a personalized cruise quote to fit your need, this is as good as the service high street travel agents used to offer in the days when service was everything. As well as this personalized cruise quote you can call Cruisedirect.co.uk's customer service on a freephone number 7 days a week. The site is definitely geared towards the UK market and would be most convenient and useful to European travelers although travelers from anywhere in the world can book a cruise on Cruisedirect.co.uk with no problem.
A site with all the cruise info
If you simply want to book a cruise you can do that here but if you also want to browse the various cruise lines or check out what each ship has to offer you can do that on Cruisedirect.co.uk as well. The list of cruise liners which this site covers is really impressive it even includes the Norwegian Hurtigruten, and the Star Clipper vessels which are not cruise ships but enormous sailing ships which give you the experience of a private yacht.
Once you have selected your cruise you are given all the relevant information such as cabins, deck plans, and facilities onboard. It is also possible to read guest reviews on each ship and cruise.
This site comes out tops for the variety of cruises they cover worldwide, it's really mind boggling the choices they offer! If I were to suggest any improvement in the site it would be to offer the prices in a number of currencies (they appear only in GBP) and perhaps a live customer chat. There could also be the addition of travel articles about the various ports of call. However when all is said and done, whatever cruise you are looking for, no matter in what part of the world, and no matter what your budget you will find it on Cruisedirect.co.uk!
Thursday, October 13, 2011
Site Review: Searchflightshotels.com-A travel google!
The Searchflightshotels.com first page is colorful and simple and this is where you choose what you will be searching for on the site. Imagine a Google which only searches for flights or hotels leading you to the relevant hotel or flight booking sites with the lowest rates, well that's what Searchflightshotels.com does. It is a search engine for flights and hotels, Searchflightshotels.com is not a travel booking site but a search tool to find you the best place to book.
Searching for hotels on Searchflightshotels.com
This site lists 2,5000,000 hotels and highlights the most popular tourist destinations offering discounts and deals for these locations. To search for a hotel simply type in the essential details on a no-nonsense form and the search results appear. Although the hotel search results appear as on all hotel booking sites, with Searchflightshotels.com you can choose to see the prices in any currency which is not always an option on other travel sites.
Once you have selected your hotel you are shown a list of the hotel booking sites offering that hotel, on your dates. The Hotel booking sites are listed in descending order from the cheapest to the more expensive. From here you click through to the hotel booking site and make your order.
In addition to showing the hotel location on a map, the hotel's star rate and a guest rate the hotel search results give you the rate including the tax and fees so that you don't have to go through half the booking process before being told the final price.
Searching for flights on Searchflightshotels.com
I found the flight search on Searchflightshotels.com less appealing than the hotel search, from the initial entering of the country of origination to the destination which appears on a map (unnecessary) to the prices which are given in one currency. The search filter does offer you several useful options like selecting to exclude or include red-eye flights and overnight stays.
You also have the option of making multiple bookings. Still this site is useful in giving you a good overview of what is available online. In comparison with other similar sites the flight prices compare favorably, although the initial search results are not as detailed.
Save Time using Searchflightshotels.com
The alternative to using Searchflightshotels.com is to spend hours doing individual searches on all the well known hotel and flight booking sites to find the best rates. This not only would take you a lot of time, confusion and anxiety but would not always result in you finding the lowest rates or best deal.
Save Money using Searchflightshotels.com
Even if you had the time and patience to spend hours searching each booking site it doesn't mean that you would manage to cover EVERY site and so you could miss that one special deal. On Searchflightshotels.com the work is done for you in seconds so there is no chance of not "finding" the lowest or best deal.
In the site's About Us section they mention that they also travel and have experience as travelers, this is not usually mentioned on travel sites and I agree with them that it is an important asset to actually have experience as a traveler and not just a booking agent.
Check out Searchflightshotels.com
Searching for hotels on Searchflightshotels.com
This site lists 2,5000,000 hotels and highlights the most popular tourist destinations offering discounts and deals for these locations. To search for a hotel simply type in the essential details on a no-nonsense form and the search results appear. Although the hotel search results appear as on all hotel booking sites, with Searchflightshotels.com you can choose to see the prices in any currency which is not always an option on other travel sites.
Once you have selected your hotel you are shown a list of the hotel booking sites offering that hotel, on your dates. The Hotel booking sites are listed in descending order from the cheapest to the more expensive. From here you click through to the hotel booking site and make your order.
In addition to showing the hotel location on a map, the hotel's star rate and a guest rate the hotel search results give you the rate including the tax and fees so that you don't have to go through half the booking process before being told the final price.
Searching for flights on Searchflightshotels.com
I found the flight search on Searchflightshotels.com less appealing than the hotel search, from the initial entering of the country of origination to the destination which appears on a map (unnecessary) to the prices which are given in one currency. The search filter does offer you several useful options like selecting to exclude or include red-eye flights and overnight stays.
You also have the option of making multiple bookings. Still this site is useful in giving you a good overview of what is available online. In comparison with other similar sites the flight prices compare favorably, although the initial search results are not as detailed.
Save Time using Searchflightshotels.com
The alternative to using Searchflightshotels.com is to spend hours doing individual searches on all the well known hotel and flight booking sites to find the best rates. This not only would take you a lot of time, confusion and anxiety but would not always result in you finding the lowest rates or best deal.
Save Money using Searchflightshotels.com
Even if you had the time and patience to spend hours searching each booking site it doesn't mean that you would manage to cover EVERY site and so you could miss that one special deal. On Searchflightshotels.com the work is done for you in seconds so there is no chance of not "finding" the lowest or best deal.
In the site's About Us section they mention that they also travel and have experience as travelers, this is not usually mentioned on travel sites and I agree with them that it is an important asset to actually have experience as a traveler and not just a booking agent.
Check out Searchflightshotels.com
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