It has been said that Gascony has the landscape of Tuscany, the weather of Spain and the food and wine of Kings - it has for a long time been Frances best kept secret. Fantastically unspoilt, it can boast a wealth of culture, traditions and pleasantly preserved villages like no where else in France. We are therefore delighted to be able to share with you this new addition to the Stopover Connections accommodation pages in the heart of the region. You have the choice of either studio bed and breakfast accommodation or alternatively a beautifully restored self-catering cottage on this British-owned vineyard estate on which they produce Vin de Pays des Côtes de Gascogne, the regional aperitif  ‘Floc de Gascogne’ and also their own Armagnac. Vineyard visits and tastings can of course be arranged. There are cheap flights from the UK into Pau and Toulouse which are both just a short drive away. Oh, and did I mention that they also have a swimming pool?!

If you have not yet booked your short break or summer holiday in France, check out this wonderful new accommodation and click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to submit your request for specific dates.

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This fantastic family-owned chateau in the western Loire Valley has once again come up with a very special offer, this time for a short break over the Easter weekend. The stay is on a half board basis and includes a Champagne reception, a costumed lunch feast at Leonardo da Vinci’s former home, where you will be introduced to the unique culinary art of the Renaissance, plus a festive dinner at the chateau on Easter Sunday before departing on Easter Monday with a special gift from the chateau. Treat yourself this Easter! For full details of this special Easter break in France, visit this page or click on the photo to enquire for availability

If you are travelling between Friday 29th January 2010 and Wednesday 31st March 2010, save up to 75% off overnight trains in France with Rail Europe. To take advantage of these reduced fares, you must book between Monday 25th January 2010 and Friday 12th February 2010. Save up to 75% on lots of destinations from Paris including Aime La Plagne, Bourg St Maurice and Moutiers - ideal for skiing and winter breaks. Or why not try Biarritz or Nice for a little winter sunshine? Plus many more destinations including Paris to Perpignan, Irun, Briancon, St Gervais les Bains and more. Now is the perfect time to book that spring break to France.

Looking for an ‘away-from-it-all’ break and a chance to explore the beautiful, rugged West coast of Brittany? This painstakingly restored accommodation is set amidst beautiful gardens of palm trees, mimosas, hydrangeas and many other trees and shrubs that thrive in the microclimate of this stretch of the Brittany coast. Set midway between Brest and Quimper, it provides an ideal base for exploring the many coves and inlets, little villages and historical sites of the area. The more active will enjoy walking along the coastal path which is just a few steps away from your accommodation. Click here or on the photo to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Yes, the perfect antidote to these grey, winter days - a carnival. This is THE annual event in northern France at this time of year. It starts on 23 January and runs over a 6 week period until 6 March, culminating on the Sunday before Ash Wednesday with a fantastic parade through the streets of Dunkirk. In the course of 6 weeks, groups called fisherbands take the measure of each other, confront each other with sarabands and songs, liven up the town, and finally come together in one huge choir to celebrate their sailors and claim, with body and voice, their herrings thrown from the top of the belfry! It sounds mental, it IS mental and like no other carnival you will ever have been to. Full of colour, music and good cheer. Being just a short hop across the English Channel, there really is no better excuse for a short break to France!

For your stay in the area, we would highly recommend this charming manor house bed and breakfast accommodation which is peacefully situated just 20 minutes inland from Dunkirk. Your English-speaking host will be more than happy to assist you in planning your carnival experience! Click here or on the photo to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

The b&b owners also have three  self-catering gites which are perfect for families wanting more independence for a longer stay in the Pas de Calais area. They are all fully-equipped and can accommodate up to 4 people. Nightly rates are also available. Click here or on the photo to view full accommodation details and then click the ‘enquire for availability’ link to make your request for specific dates

Many people these days use a GPS navigation system when travelling. However, you should be wary of relying too heavily on the GPS system when travelling in France, as the French postcodes can and often do cover several square kilometres. When we send you email confirmation of your reservation, we include both the full address details and postcode of your accommodation AND either a map attachment pinpointing the accommodation or detailed driving directions for getting there. You should always refer to and be guided by this information once you reach the final few kilometres of your trip if you are to avoid getting hopelessly lost!

If you do not have a GPS system and would prefer to print out detailed driving directions from the internet, we recommend either Via Michelin or Multimap - simply enter your start point and then the postcode and commune that we provide for your accommodation in the destination field. These sites will also advise how much you can expect to pay in motorway tolls on your journey.

Love ‘em or hate ‘em, it is still possible to get a cheap deal on flights to France with Ryan Air.

From midnight (24:00hrs) Thursday 14^th Jan, they will release 500,000 €5 seats for travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays in February and March on over 500 European routes. Flights  must be booked on www.ryanair.com before midnight (24:00hrs) Monday (18^th Jan). Ryanair’s €5 Seat Sale includes all taxes and charges so passengers who chose to avoid discretionary fees by paying with MasterCard prepaid, travel with carry on luggage only and forego priority boarding can book, check in online and fly for this advertised €5 fare.

So why delay, get that spring break arranged - check out the cheap flights to France and look through the Stopover Connections website for some superb quality accommodation possibilities.

If you are yet to plan your holiday to France, you should bear in mind the following dates which are public holidays in France. It is also important for you to know that if the public holiday falls on a Thursday or  a Tuesday, the French usually make a long weekend of it! This means that a) the roads will be busier around these dates b) accommodation will get booked up quickly and c) supermarkets and other amenities will be closed. As you will see, May is overloaded with public holidays in France, but the biggest public holiday weekend of the year is that of ‘Assumption’ in mid August. You would be strongly advised to avoid travelling over that weekend like the plague!! You have been warned!

So here we go;

It’s now France’s turn to be affected by the snow and freezing weather conditions that have been crippling the UK transport network for the past couple of weeks. Ryan Air announced at 17.30 hrs today that Brest, Bergerac, Nimes,  Limoges and Carcassonne airports are currently closed. See their website for full details of flights affected.

For Easyjet flights affected by the severe weather, please see their news page

Much of France is on ‘orange alert’ due to the heavy snowfalls and freezing temperatures expected over the next 24 hrs. The main areas affected are Brittany and the Normandy coastline, the Rhone-Alpes, the Auvergne, the Limousin, eastern Aquitaine and the Midi-Pyrenees regions.

So please take particular care if you are travelling in France over the weekend and allow extra time for your journey if your trip is absolutely essential.

Here’s a quick summary of the latest deals on flights to France being offered by the low cost airlines.

Flybe currently have a ‘just pay taxes and charges’ offer on selected flights, which runs until midnight on Monday 11 January. Check out their ‘offers page’ for full details

Ryan Air have released 1 million seats from £8 for travel in January and February to various destinations. The offer ends at midnight Sunday 10 January

Lastly, Easyjet are offering up to 25% off flights from the 3 February to the 14 July. The offer ends at midnight Tuesday 12 January.

So don’t delay, start planning that trip to France now!