Hamilton Holiday Houses

HAMILTON HOLIDAY HOUSES – Media Today Online Award Winner 2010

Like many good things Hamilton Holiday Houses started by accident with the acquisition of The Farmhouse at Delettes, an old farmhouse near St Omer in N France with a once derelict manor house forming an enormous private courtyard surrounded by barns; with loads of space and a large garden. Co-owner with Penny, Nick Hamilton explains: 

“We decided very early on, as many people who own second homes do, to let it when we did not use it. But having stayed at holiday rental properties ourselves over the years, which were always a bit functional and bare, often lacking in all the things you would instinctively go to a draw for at home. We wanted to make it a home from home, not only for us but also for visitors who want to holiday there. So the concept of a well equipped overseas home from home for holiday rentals was born.”

“Over the last 20 years we have made many improvements much to the delight to our regular holiday makers, many of whom return again and again for reunions and celebrations. There is so much for kids to do in a safe environment with the big gates closed, with a trampoline, ride on toys, football nets, garden games, badminton in one of the barns, as well as a fully equipped games room with table tennis and table football, that parents and grandparents can relax and have a good time. Everyone remarks on how peaceful and private it is with lots of space if you just want to be quiet or find a private space for a few hours.”

The Farmhouse at Delettes is a year round destination as it has full central heating and a log fire for winter. It is our second home and will be yours too when you are staying there. With a heated swimming pool and a micro climate courtyard, it is hard to believe that you are only 45 minutes into France from Calais and not much further south (in fact geographically you are below Penzance in Cornwall). This is a real plus for anyone travelling for some hours before they get to Dover. You are on holiday much sooner without a long and expensive drive with possibly an overnight stop. Since the tunnel, Northern France has really developed its offering to holiday makers and has magnificent beaches all down the coast.

The Farmhouse sleeps between 4 – 12 people and is priced on an incremental basis so that 4 people can take it from a minimum of two nights at a price ranging from £18 - £35 pp per night, depending on season. It is great for both long holidays and weekends throughout the year.
View pictures and information on The Farmhouse at Delettes by clicking the link to www.hamiltonholidayhouses.com.

Nick added: “We love little island villages with white painted houses like in Greece.  But Greece does not have an all year round climate. Gran Canaria, just off the Saharan coast of Africa, has an all year round climate with a temperature range of up to 30 degrees but with a cooling Atlantic breeze. On a day out to the south of the island, we went to Puerto de Mogan, also known as “The Jewel of the Canaries” with a pretty Venetian style harbour and marina development added onto where the old fishing village climbs up the cliff face in a maze of alley-ways,  just like a Greek village.

                       

 Gran Canaria gets a bad reputation in the North of the island from the mass tourist destinations, however there is no high rise or mass tourism here and you could be a million miles away. From the moment we saw the magic “For Sale” sign on an old village house that needed a lot of “TLC” but   with a great roof terrace, and with a separate apartment, and the rest was history.

The Captains House & Apartment offers comfort and simplicity with a traditional Canarian appearance. Well equipped as a home from home, the house and apartment provides two different types of accommodation. The Captains House with a roof terrace overlooking beach, port and mountains provides accommodation for 2 – 4 people whilst the Apartment with the studio sharing a cool shady lower terrace with a separate entrance, can sleep 2 – 6 persons.
                                 

                          

Both properties can be taken together or separately. Prices are £350 -£380 per week for two people sharing the Captains House and £245 - £280 per week for 2 persons sharing the Captains Apartment, depending upon season. The studio is never let separately; it is only used when larger parties take the apartment. There are loads of budget flights from main and regional airports with EasyJet and RyanAir and Puerto Mogan is about 45 minutes from the airport.
View pictures and information on the Captains House & Apartment by clicking the link to www.hamiltonholidayhouses.com.

It was one of those lucky chance discoveries. We stayed at Cabier Ocean Lodge, a small ten room eco-lodge with a restaurant and bar on a promontory overlooking that stunning beach purely by accident. Standing in clear warm silky water with just two of us on 400 yards of deserted beach, Penny looked at the promontory just above Cabier and said –“If I was to build anywhere in the world it would be right there!” later at breakfast looking through the local information – Plot for sale...so two years from seeing, purchasing, planning, building, and most importantly making it a home from home - Two Bays Villa and Two Bays Studios became reality in January 2010.

Two Bays overlooks a bay on each side with natural beaches and out to sea directly ahead in a stunning position on the promontory. It is run for us by Cabier Ocean Lodge with full maid service enabling Two Bays guests to use all the lodge facilities. Two Bays is fully equipped to enable self catering but with the option to eat at the lodge restaurant on their terrace overlooking the water when you tire of cooking. We have also put together with Cabier Ocean Lodge a selection of inclusive meal plans (with drinks) which are shown below for those of you who do not wish to fully self cater.

Two Bays is finished in an elegant simplicity with all hardwood doors, windows and furniture; it was built with no glass, just fully adjustable wooden louvres, with 9 foot opening folding doors opening onto deep shaded verandas with swing seats to take away the barrier between indoors and outdoors and catch Cabier’s gentle sea breeze. Temperatures in Grenada are fairly constant at 26 – 30 degrees.

Two Bays Villa and the Two Bays Studios (Bayside & Beachside). take two persons each in 4 poster beds. The studios have inter-communicating doors to allow Two Bays to expand for parties of 4 or 6 persons with additional accommodation available at Cabier Ocean Lodge only 100 yards away.

Describe Two Bays and Cabier? Romantic, tranquil, in a natural & stunning position, a time before mass tourism hit the Caribbean. A place to relax completely in really comfortable and elegant surroundings. Everything has been thought through to make living as easy as possible, a home from home - as are all our holiday houses.

Locally Cabier has been described as “Grenada’s hidden treasure” but you do not need to own a hoard of treasure to enjoy it either. Depending on the exchange rate Two Bays villa costs around £60 per night in low season and £85 per night per person in high season (21/12 – 30/04) and the large 500 sq ft Two Bays studios are around £45 and £60 per night respectively according to season.

But check on our website for our inclusive value meal plan nightly rates covering dinner or dinner plus drinks, and breakfast/dinner and breakfast /dinner plus drinks at Cabier Ocean Lodge. These meal plan prices start from around £80 up to £125 for the villa per person per night and for the studios £65 to £100 depending on the plan and whether low season or high season. Prices correct at June 2010.

If you want to experience the Caribbean in its natural state before tourism – this is the place to come. Flights run from around £450 return. Monarch, British Airways and Virgin all fly direct to Grenada.
View pictures and information on Two Bays Villa and Studios by clicking the link to www.hamiltonholidayhouses.com

Special offer of 10% off all Two Bays room rates up to 30 April 2011 for Media Today Online applicants.

To arrange your really special holiday please contact us on:

• During the day, you can call Nick on +44 (0) 207 404 7281
• During the evening and at weekends you can call Penny or Nick on +44 (0) 207 404 7281 or +44 (0) 7831 110229.
• Or email us on: stay@hamiltonholidayhouses.com

If contacting Cabier Ocean Lodge direct via www.cabier.com then be sure to mention our special offer on room rates special to Media Online.

Special prices for Media Online bookings to help with those wedding costs                                              

       10% off the room costs in the above rates and at Cabier