******************************* The dollar is stronger than you think! You may not have noticed but the dollar is gaining value! At the time of writing, against the pound it's back to $/£ 1.86 - a level last seen in May 2006 and an increase in value of 7.5% against its bottom of $2 to the pound. Against the euro the current rate of $/€ 1.49 is a 6% improvement from the low earlier this year. All expectations are that this trend will continue making trips to London and Paris ever more affordable. Thanksgiving London: http://www.londontown.com/London/Essential_Shopping Paris: http://en.parisinfo.com/paris-shopping/ New York: http://nycvisit.com/shopSearch/index.cfm?pagePkey=1281
Late Summer Break There's still time to get in a London late summer break. In addition to such British experiences as The Changing of the Guard (http://www.changing-the-guard.com) and a visit to The Tower of London (http://www.hrp.org.uk/TowerOfLondon), as an added bonus August and September are the only months when Buckingham Palace and The Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament) are open to the public. More details at: http://www.royalcollection.org.uk/default.asp?action=article&ID=30 and http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/summer_opening.cfm. October, November and two uniquely British experiences Looking ahead to October and November you can have two uniquely British experiences - and a great Thanksgiving break. 5 November - Bonfire Night. Bonfires are lit and there are fireworks displays all over London (and the UK) to commemorate the Gunpowder Plot, an attempt to blow up James I and his Parliament. The plot's most famous conspirator, Guy Fawkes, ("The Guy") is burned as an effigy. Although the official anniversary is on the 5th, bonfires and firework displays start up to 2 weeks before and go on for a week after the actual date. More details and history at: http://www.bonefire.org. 8 November - The Lord Mayor's Show. The inauguration of the new Lord Mayor of the City of London. The first Lord Mayor's Show was held in 1215 when King John's Charter stipulated that the new Lord Mayor must swear an oath of allegiance to the King and also to literally 'show' himself to the people. Since then only major disasters such as the Black Death have stopped the Show. From 1422, and for centuries after, it travelled down the River Thames - hence the term 'floats' There then followed a time when the Lord Mayor rode on horseback, but since 1757 Lord Mayors have travelled in the famous ceremonial gold coach. In the 21st century, it's a day out for half a million people, with 3 million more watching on television. The festivities culminate in a fine firework display set off from a barge on the Thames. Good vantage points are from Victoria Embankment, Blackfriars Bridge, or Waterloo Bridge. More details. http://www.lordmayorsshow.org/.
Romantic Paris Paris has always enjoyed a reputation as one of the most romantic cities in the world. Over the centuries many have fallen in love with the "city of lights" and much ink has been spilled in its praise. However most visitors are unaware of the city's most romantic spots: those places where one falls in love for the first time, those places wonderful to steal a kiss and those places that can quite simply save a marriage! This guide offers the chance for romantics of all ages to discover the city's most delectable sights, its most elating walkways, secret gardens, romantic cafés, charming restaurants and out-of-the-way hideaways. Paris will put a twinkle in the eye of any lover. We have put together a great guide to romantic Paris - so read on and discover! http://romance.chsparis.com/ Gourmet Paris Paris has long had a reputation for excellent food, indeed one can choose food from some 65 open-air and 13 covered markets. Here you will find high quality fresh products and a level of professionalism that is often handed down from father to son. In the supermarket-world that most of us inhabit, shops like this are a distant memory. To enjoy this most delightful and essential part of Paris, even if you are not going to indulge in major cooking, you need to have at least some form of food preparation area and space to sit down and enjoy eating what you have purchased. If you are staying in a hotel you can only sadly walk on by. A vacation rental should therefore be the preferred choice of any food lover wanting to make the most of this wonderful city! Coming soon on our Paris web site - a multi-page section for food lovers: "Gourmet Paris". In the meantime here is a brief guide to the most well known markets. Rue Mouffetard and surrounding area. One of the oldest streets in Paris, the narrow rue Mouffetard used to run all the way to Rome! It has now become the heart of a vibrant neighbourhood with a myriad of speciality food shops. The nearby Place Mange also holds a famous food market every Thursday and Friday where you will find an amazing choice of produce, including two fishmongers who bring fresh fish direct from Normandy, organic vegetable stalls and cheese and meat of the highest quality. Nearby Coach House Rentals: PCDB, PCDB2 Rue Montorgueil and surrounding area. The rue Montorgueil has a reputation amongst Parisians for its large selection of specialist food shops, green grocers and delicatessens. Ever since "Les Halles", once the largest market in Paris, moved to the suburbs, rue Montorgueil has become a focal point for foodies looking for the best produce. Nearby Coach House Rentals: PJJR, PJJR2, PSND, PPON Rue Lepic. Located in Montmartre, the rue Lepic is a classic Parisian market street with a truly village atmosphere. Local artists and musicians all buy their food here and the street has an amazing selection of good butchers, bakers, cheesemongers and fishmongers. Food lovers have been drawn here long before the success of 'Amelie' where much of the film was shot. Nearby Coach House Rentals properties: PLPC, PYVT, PGRD Montmartre wine harvest The last existing vineyard in Paris echoes back to a time when one of the most famous French wines was produced here. Since 1934, the Montmartre harvest festival celebrates the arrival of the wines drawn from the vines of this famous vineyard. During the second weekend in October this is an occasion for much merry-making, featuring a popular parade and an evening of music, with stalls, wine producers, traditional folklore, musicians and performers who communicate the festive spirit of Montmartre to all-comers. This year the festival is on 10, 11 and 12 October. See http://www.fetedesvendangesdemontmartre.com (the bottom of the page is in English). Location: Rue des Saules. Métro: Lamark
Planning your stay. If you are not too familiar with New York you might find the "Things to do in New York" page of our web site (http://www.rentals.chsnyc.com/suggestions.htm) useful. It will give you a structured day-by-day suggestion of what to do and see for a 5 day, 6 day and 7+ day visit. Some of our New York Properties. We are currently have 10 properties in our New York portfolio. Among our most popular are: Property Ref: YELD249 - Two bedroom gem in the Lower East Side - sleeps 4/7. From $425 (£220, €285) per night. Property Ref: YE2910 - A two bedroom, two bathroom apartment in the Grammercy Park / Flatiron district - sleeps 4. From $295 (£150, €195) per night. Property Ref: YE79508 - A peaceful one bedroom apartment in the Upper East Side - sleeps 3/5. From $260 (£135, €175) We urgently need more New York properties so if you know of a New York property owner with an under-used house or apartment who would welcome some extra income, do please point them in our direction: http://www.chsnyc.com. London, Paris and New York - booking now for Christmas and New Year We've already had a surprisingly large number of bookings over the Christmas/New Year. If you are thinking of coming to London, Paris or New York over the festive period remember that the earlier you book the better chance you have of getting your first choice of property! If you do not want to receive further e-mailed newsletters and would like to be removed from our mailing list please send an e-mail to newsletter@chsrentals.com with the single word Remove in the subject line.[[ID]] |