A Fabulous French Getaway #SummerLove

For the past five years we have holidayed in France, we love the sites, food and lifestyle and a big bonus is that we can drive there. I have a fear of flying and with the channel tunnel providing quick and easy access to France, it makes this a great alternative. However, this year I have decided I need to face my fear, I have spoken to a hypnotherapist and we are going to work on it together, even as I write this though, the thought of flying makes me feel slightly ill.

Our French holidays have always been in gîtes, these are holiday rentals, usually rural but sometimes in the middle of towns. This gives us our own space, where we can do what we want, when we want, make our own food and have plenty of room to play and relax together. This has always made our holidays special, spending time with just the four of us, enjoying something different to home.

Our favourite holiday memory is of a place that we loved so much, we went back the next year, the garden at our sprawling gîte in the middle of nowhere was the perfect place for us to let off some steam. Having a huge garden means the children can play together and have enough room to run around and do what they do best, be silly.

Having a country park complete with lake and beach nearby was the icing on the cake. It was the perfect place for the children to build sandcastles and have a paddle and for mum and dad to spend some time relaxing time in the water and sunshine.

The picnics on the beach were a perfect opportunity for us all to snuggle under towels and eat slightly sandy baguettes while mum and dad sipped on some local cider. Being on holiday and experiencing new things is always the highlight of our year. Looking back, one of our fondest memories on this holiday was heading back to the lake later on in the day to celebrate a French bank holiday, with fireworks, live music and some lovely French cuisine it was a great way to immerse ourselves in the local community and culture.

This year though I would love to spread our family's wings and take the children on a plane for the first time. It would be amazing to return to a place I fell in love with when I was about 13, Menorca is a beautiful island and I'm sure the children would enjoy it there, visiting the beaches and water parks and maybe even taking a glass bottom boat trip to see some barracuda. The prospect of a gin distillery and vineyards also sounds good for the adults. Having a villa to ourselves and being able to lie in the sun undisturbed would be such fun, but being a short walk away from amazing food and beaches would be equally as welcome.

Life as two hard working parents is always busy, so having some space to just chill out and relax is our idea of heaven. We would most definitely hire a car to help us explore as much of the island as possible, picking up fabulous new memories on the way.

NB: This is my entry to the James Villa Holiday #SummerLove competition, all words and pictures are my own.