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The benefits of holiday cottages in Europe
Arriving at a little villa or luxury lodge after a hire vehicle trip down winding roadways and the claustrophobic turmoil of a flight is quietly amazing. Opening the door and going in, you are no longer a visitor staying in a hotel hallway but rather someone with a temporary residence. Perhaps the biggest joy of a brief European vacation spent in self-catering homes is that change in attitude.
Popular stops for this kind of trip are like favourite postcards spread around the continent. Tuscany and Umbria in Italy entice guests with their golden farmhouses and cypress-lined roads. The south of France provides run-down stone farmhouses surrounded by olive trees and lavender fields. Portugal's Algarve features whitewashed houses close to fishing communities where the Atlantic breaks against the cliffs. Still farther north, the Cotswolds in England offer honey-stone homes with gardens smelling of cut grass and roses. Greece also boasts several modest island residences where the terrace serves as your living area for the week.
The beauty is found in the great range of the lodging itself determined by your budget. At the premium end, you may find yourself in a refurbished villa with a private pool, outdoor kitchen, and bedrooms that appear as though they have been arranged for a magazine shoot. These locations usually have wine cellars, views that warrant the cost before you have even unpacked your swimming suit, and concierge services. Budget cottages are simpler things at the other extreme of the scale. The furniture could not match, the shower pressure could be erratic, and the kitchen might have precisely one dull knife and a wobbly table. Still, these more modest locations provide real delight. Whatever you get at the nearby store, you sit on a plastic chair on the balcony with a glass of inexpensive wine, and you feel rather unpretentious.
The food and the culture around it is what ties these events together. A few days in a European cottage thrusts you into the pace of daily life in a manner that hotels seldom do. Your morning in Italy can start with a visit to the baker for cornetti still warm from the oven, then a leisurely walk through a market where tomatoes really smell like tomatoes. In Spain, lunch takes centre stage, stretched over hours with plates of Manchego and Jamón. France provides the delight of a long evening aperitif, maybe a pastis in Provence or a crisp Muscadet in the Loire, with bread and cheese costing less than a sandwich back home. Portugal offers grilled sardines and custard tarts eaten at a plastic table as the sun sets. Every nation has its own spin on slow delight; having your own kitchen and eating area helps you to dab in and out of these customs at your own speed.
The contrast it can provide is among the most beautiful features of this kind of vacation. One day you might spend totally silent reading by the pool or wandering amid vineyards where the crunch of your own footsteps and the buzz of insects define the only sound. The remote areas down uneven roads with poor phone reception, give you a rare opportunity to reflect on what boredom feels like and how healing it can be. Then you drive twenty minutes to a busy seaside village, possibly the next day. Suddenly, there are ice cream stores, the scent of sunscreen, crowds, and the sound of kids on the beach playing. The change from isolation to soft anarchy is invigorating. It serves as a reminder that you are on vacation, able to select your own trip, and that both extremes have their place.
Few days of this, you get a little darker, definitely slower in your motions, and usually with a bottle of something local hidden in your clothes. It is not a life-altering event; that is the whole idea. Few days spent, it is just a very nice approach.
