Where do They Find Such Amazing Places? - Rated 
Thinking of renting a holiday home? Get ready for the boredom of searching the internet for hours and looking through those, what can only be described as boring, glossy magazines, where a house next to the motorway is described as peaceful!!
Well things have changed thanks to Alistair Sawday who has created something very special indeed with this book. I can safely say it is the only book full of holiday homes that I actually enjoy picking up in the evening and reading. There is everything from ski chalets to seaside retreats: rustic, ramshackle houses, to grand châteaux's.
The photography and write ups are amazing, and even when sitting inside on a dreary autumn day with a cup of tea, you can imagine sitting in the garden of a beautiful house in France, drinking a glass of wine and watching the world pass by.
I can't wait for our holiday this summer!!
Sawday your way across France - Rated
In our family, "to Sawday" is a verb; it means to stay somewhere delightful, quirky and characterful. Last holiday we Sawdayed our way across France, using his `French Bread and & Breakfast" and "French Hotels, Chateaux and Other Places" to find us four utterly delicious, unusual, and very different places to linger. We've learnt from experience to trust a Sawday recommendation - we've never been let down, in many years of use. If you're a fan of independent travelling and haven't encountered Alastair Sawday before, you're in for a treat. If you have, you'll know the score. His latest, French Holiday Homes, is as good as the rest. B&Bs and hotels are wonderful to stay in, en France. But nothing quite beats the pleasure of self catering, when you can get up when you like, sit on your own terrace and drift down to the nearest market to construct a meal from the freshest and best tasting ingredients, usually bought straight from the producer. That's where a gite, a cottage, a manor house, château or chalet comes in - just perfect for a holiday on your own, with friends or family. French Holiday Homes is chock full of tiny cottages for two and palatial châteaux for 16 and any size in between. In fact, if more than 20 of you wanted to holiday together several places in this collection could oblige. You can find a farmhouse in Aquitaine which will provide a mature English lady to baby-sit as well as buckets and spades, sterilisers and bicycles for up to 8 plus 2 cots - ideal for two families or one large one with a granny or two in tow, or a dinky retreat for two in the Alps. You can sleep in what was once a monastery's bread oven, at the end of a long lane in the Loire, or in a converted pigeon loft by a lagoon where fish jump, coypu nest and kingfishers, terns and herons fish. Seven are Green Entries - places which have taken special care to be green, using sustainable energy and other measures to be eco-friendly. And one is the joker - as Sawday aficionados have come to expect. One entry is always a leg-pull...but you'll have to find it yourself. It says it sleeps 306, but I'd take that with a pinch of salt! All in all, a book I'd thoroughly recommend. The only problem you'll have is deciding which of the dozen places you gasp over on first scan will be yours for a week next year.
Another special sawday guide - Rated
As with all the Alistair Sawday books, this one is so easy to use and beautifully laid out. For me the best thing about it is that you have one giant photo of each property from outside and also another smaller one of the interior which really gives you a better feel of what its like. With a section on walks and cycling it really does make this book a must buy if you are planning a holiday in France, and you know that whatever property you choose it will be a special one.
Self-catering in France in the future? - Rated
If yes, then snap up this latest edition of Sawday's Special Places, French Holiday Homes (especially at the current Amazon bargain price) and I guarantee you need look no further to make your choice. It may be a cliche but this guide really does have something to suit everyone, whatever your size of group, budget and location preferences. This combined with the sensible layout, at a glance information and superb photos really make it an essential for anyone looking for a gite. The useful indices which give at a glance info are really helpful too.
The whole Sawday's operation started with France and another thing that makes this book that bit extra special is additional pages on, for example, walking in France, plus some helpful translations so you can tell your maison de maitre from your maison paysanne. You can tell it is completely up to date as it mentions the 'Velib' scheme, only introduced in Paris in mid-July where the brave amongst us can rent a bike for a short while. It's also pleasing to see a number of 'green' entries.
Get ordering, you won't regret it.
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