Happy New Year 2009 |
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We hope you celebrated a peaceful Christmas and had a jolly New Year. Up here on the moor we can’t remember one as ‘brisk’ as this for some time and, as we write, the thermometer hangs around -5°C. The log fires are roaring and wood smoke fills the air! Chilly though it is, that cold has been accompanied by clear skies, still, sunny days, crisp air and wondrous walking weather. A great start to the year.
We think it’s easy to talk oneself into a depression and important to try not to. We look forward to 2009 with great anticipation. We’re confident the properties we offer are good places for happy holidays and remain great value. The West Country is a special place with a special way of life and remains an outstanding place for a holiday. We hope you’ll choose us for your holidays and look forward to welcoming you here in 2009. Happy New Year!
Here’s some bright news to welcome in the New Year …
New for 2009 – two night breaks with late checkout
We’re now offering two night breaks with late checkout at a selection of our holiday cottages. Arrive after 3pm on the first day of your holiday, stay for two nights and rather than the normal checkout time of 10am, stay on until 6pm. Have a leisurely breakfast, perhaps a quick stroll and an even more leisurely lunch before heading back home – there might even be time for tea! The price is 4/7ths of the standard weekly rate. That gives you the chance of a genuine weekend break at an unbelievably reasonable rate. Two night breaks can be booked within 28 days of your holiday start date and during the low season.
Special Offers
Also, in January, there are quite a few holiday homes on offer with great discounts. A couple of the bigger ones are A24 in Chagford from £37 per person, sleeping 10; B12 in Combeinteignhead from £74 per person, sleeping 15; and B20 in Highweek from £102 per person, sleeping 21. If you need somewhere a bit smaller, have a look at T21 in Helston, £47 per person sleeping 8 and L535 in Bigbury-on-Sea, from £50 per person sleeping 6 for the week commencing 17th January.
Don't forget to check all our other New Year Offers on our special offers page.
Are you one of our Raffle winners?
In last month’s newsletter we told you about our fantastic raffle with free holidays as prizes. The closing date was 6th January. We’ll be announcing the winners next week and some lucky people will be going on holiday for a week with Helpful Holidays for absolutely nothing in 2009.
Just 20% deposit for previous bookers
Here’s another bit of help to make your 2009 holiday a little easier to finance. If you've booked and taken a holiday with us before, then we'll only ask for a deposit of 20% instead of the usual 33% when we reserve the dates for you. Be sure to mention this when you speak to our telephone team.
And in these days of economic uncertainty, rest assured you’re also covered should you have to cancel in the unfortunate event of redundancy – please see our full terms and conditions.
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Take to the skies!
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Improved air links to the West Country
And continuing our theme of making your holiday easier, how about flying to the West Country this year and missing all the traffic? Newquay Airport is now fully operational again and both Air Southwest and Flybe are offering frequent daily services from Gatwick and other regional airports. Plymouth Airport is well placed to bring you directly in to both south Cornwall and south Devon, whilst Exeter Airport is very handy for east as well as south Devon.
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Here’s to thee old apple tree!
Join the Stoke Gabriel magical ancient Wassail ceremony on Saturday 17th January at the Scout Hut and village orchard at Stoke Gabriel. Follow the lantern parade led by the Wassail singers to the orchard for the traditional ceremony. Then be entertained by the Newton Bushel Morris Dancers, Bovey Tracey Mummers, folk music and story-telling with Clive Fairweather. Bring your lantern and a torch and wrap up warm. Procession starts at 5.30pm All the juicy details
L104 is just over the water at Dittisham!
Primrose Cottage
Dittisham, South Hams
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More wassailing...
Or was that wailing? Beware: don’t knock this ancient West Country tradition if you want a good harvest in the orchard this year. Join the party in the orchard at Trelissick near Feock on Saturday 17th January and help scare away any evil spirits with as much noise as possible. Gates open at 6.00pm.
Party details
S237 is very handy (and out of earshot)
Lilypond Cottage
Feock, Cornwall's Med
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Still time to catch a Panto...
Oh no there isn’t. Oh yes there is. Sleeping Beauty is playing at Exeter’s Northcott Theatre until 17th January. With plenty of comic mayhem and all the fun of the magical world of pantomime, this traditional story will amuse all the family.
Panto dates and times here
A80 is just a short ‘spin’ away
Willhayes
Doddiscombsleigh, Dartmoor
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Or perhaps a World Premiere...
The groundbreaking musical, The Likes of Us, written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, is having its World Premiere at the St Ives Theatre in Cornwall in January 2009. This is a great opportunity for Kidz R Us, chosen by the National Operatic & Dramatic Association and the Really Useful Group from over 2,500 societies across the UK to have the honour of being the first amateur theatre group to present this production. The production runs from January 15th onwards. Check out the dates
Not far from the theatre Z442
Venwyn Manor
St Ives, End of England
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New properties...
Just a few to tell you about as the first of our new property supplements will be coming out in a few weeks' time. Imagine sitting by a cosy wood burner in a little chalet (R67) near the bottom of Tregonhawke Cliff at Whitsand Bay in south-east Cornwall with just the stars over the ocean to look at! Also, take a look at a 17th century thatched cottage (J13) in mid-Devon – what an ancient fireplace! Or this stunning detached house (S244) in St Mawes, set in beautifully landscaped gardens with outstanding sea views. |
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What are we doing about VAT?
We’ve obviously had to respond to Mr Darling’s directive to reduce the VAT rate. The amount we as a company pay per booking is in fact very small; a 50p reduction for every £100 paid by a holidaymaker. We have therefore decided to give the VAT reduction to our regular charities (and some others) and not decrease our brochure prices. By the end of next year that should amount to quite a lovely pot of money we can distribute to organisations which might, by then, be finding funds hard to come by.
Make sure you get in early for 2009...
It’s not very long to the February half-term and shortly afterwards the Easter holidays will be upon us. Whilst we know it’s a cliché, the best places really do book up early - please get in touch as soon as possible so we can steer you towards those cottages and houses that suit your hopes, dreams and pocket best. As ever, all have been carefully inspected by us, star-rated for quality and come with our wholehearted recommendation as good places for holidays. Please make use of the considerable expertise and experience of our telephone team (01647 433593), all regular visitors to the properties we let. They will listen to your thoughts, make recommendations from their first-hand knowledge and steer you towards a place that’s just right for you.
Wherever you go for your holidays this year, we hope you have a great time but, of course, we hope you’ll choose our magnificent part of the world - the glorious West Country!
Best wishes
Moray Bowater
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© 2009 Helpful Holidays, Mill Street, Chagford, Devon, TQ13 8AW Tel: 01647 433593 Email: help@helpfulholidays.com
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