Q I’ve searched on the net for cheap carhire deals, but to insure any excess costs £12 per day. Is there any way to avoid this?
Bill Whittaker, Edinburgh
A Of all the hidden carhire costs — an issue that generates a huge Sunday Times postbag — nothing is more frustrating than paying for “all inclusive” hire and discovering that you could be stung for a huge excess — anything up to £1,000 — if the car is damaged or stolen. And this despite the fact that you have paid for the collision damage waiver.
Insuring this excess costs up to £12 per day through car-rental companies, which can easily double the cost of a week’s hire in many parts of Europe. But there is an alternative. You can pay an annual premium through Insurance4carhire (020 7012 6300, www.insurance4carhire.com), which means that you won’t have any excess to pay in the event of a crash or theft.
Yearly rates range from £49 for car hire in Europe to £119 for worldwide cover — which includes the USA. This will save you having to shell out the extra when you turn up to collect your car. It also covers damage to items that are not usually included in hire-car insurance, notably the windows, the tyres and the underside.
Q We are driving in the Pyrenees this summer, but are struggling to find any really decent hotel suggestions. We want good views and plenty of character. Can you advise?
Peter Unsworth, Poole
A A perfect pad, if you want some pampering with your Pyrenean vistas, is El Castell de Ciutat. The attractive, modern low-rise hugs a hill just outside the Spanish Pyrenean town of La Seu d’Urgell, and has epic views from its long terrace. Most rooms have private verandas, and there’s a great restaurant, with more than 700 vintages in the wine cellar. The hotel also has an eye-catching pool, a well-equipped spa, and excellent walking nearby. Even better, if you’re looking to base yourself in the area, La Seu d’Urgell is home to the Parc Olimpic del Segre, built for the 1992 games, with superb whitewater rafting and kayaking. Doubles start at £142 through Relais & Châteaux (00 800 2000 0002, www.relaischateaux.com); or visit www.hotelelcastell.com.
For more homely lodgings near a vibrant Pyrenean town, nip across into France and make for La Châtaigneraie, a charming B&B perched on a hillside and set in lush gardens. It’s just a 10-minute walk from Céret, in the heart of the country’s cherry-growing region. The rooms are simply furnished and cosy, and most have private terraces. Céret itself is a picturesque medieval town, with a delicate 14th-century bridge and many lovely squares. Doubles start at £69 (00 33 4 68 87 21 58, www.ceret.net).
Back over the Spanish border, by the village of Camprodon, is the Hotel Grevol — a great place for mountain atmosphere and, global warming permitting, packed with skiers in the winter. It has the style of a chalet on steroids — heavy on cosy timber — along with large grounds, an indoor pool and staff who are happy to organise dozens of activities for you. Doubles start at £60 (00 34 972 741013, www.hotelgrevol.com).
For more information, try www.pyreneesguide.com, the Rough Guide to the Pyrenees (www.roughguides.com; £12.99) or Alastair Sawday’s Special Places to Stay (www.sawdays.co.uk).
Q How do I know whether the villa I choose has been safety-checked for youngsters? I have two children, aged six and four, and I am particularly concerned about the pool area.
Pauline Sherman, Dudley
A It’s a sobering fact that over the past six years, 30 British children under 10 years of age have drowned in holiday swimming pools abroad. Here are a few things to keep in mind when you are booking and once you are on holiday.
At the booking stage, check that the villa has a fenced-off pool and locking gates to the pool area. Toddlers are most at risk, so it’s vital that the water is beyond their reach unless a grown-up is with them. Some properties also have a shallow kiddies’ pool.
In France, there are strict laws on swimming-pool safety. Each one must have an alarm or a cover, or be fenced off. So a bit of Gallic regulation might be just the thing for you.
And don’t forget to use the resources of your villa company. If it is a reputable specialist, it will have detailed information on how appropriate each of its properties is for children, and the staff often have first-hand knowledge of the villas, so don’t be afraid to ask: is the villa on one level? Are the bedrooms upstairs? Is there steep land near the garden?
Q We are taking a self-catering holiday in Tuscany. We want to have the freedom of a car locally, but don’t fancy the drive to get down there. Is the motorail a good plan?
Nigel Reeves, Reading
A Considering the state of the airports in high season, it’s certainly not a bad idea. The perfect motorail route to Tuscany is the overnight service that leaves for Bologna from the oddly named Dutch town of ’s-Hertogenbosch (just north of Eindhoven, and 70 miles from the Hook of Holland). You’ll arrive in Bologna after a good night’s sleep, with a tantalisingly simple 50-mile run into the heart of Tuscany, in your own car.
One-way fares in June for a car and two passengers start at £580 southbound and £420 northbound, including accommodation in a two-bed sleeper compartment, a welcome drink, a simple dinner and continental breakfast. Or there’s a snazzy restaurant car, where you can book a three-course meal for £23pp.
The weekly service starts on Friday, June 8, leaving ’s-Hertogenbosch at 4.15pm and arriving in Bologna at 10am the next day. The return leaves Bologna at 5pm on Saturday evenings and arrives at ’s-Hertogenbosch at 10.40am on Sunday mornings. Trains run until September 1.
Look out for offers on certain travel dates in June, July and August, when you can save £100 on return bookings. For tickets, try the specialist motorail agent Rail Savers (0870 750 7070, www.railsavers.com).
Q Help! I-spy only got us as far as Calais last summer. Then the kids revolted all the way to Umbria. I refuse to let them watch DVDs right across Europe, so can you suggest some good in-car games?
Sarah Chandler, Nottingham
A A bit of planning might ease the pain. Using what’s around you is the key, so why not get the kids to hunt for cars from different countries — first to 10 wins? Or use the numbers on the plates: give one child the task of looking for registrations ending in odd numbers, another even. Set a time limit, then count up the scores.
You might be reaching for the aspirin after a few singing games, but you could borrow from Radio 4’s I’m Sorry, I Haven’t a Clue. Players sing in time to a CD or the radio, then you turn the volume down for 30 seconds and see how close to the track they are when you turn it back up.
If you hit a traffic jam, the AA suggests playing Guess Who’s Next Door? — each person picks someone in the car nearest to them and gives them a persona, including voice, job and destination. Make it a spy mission, and if their chosen stranger catches them looking, then their turn is over.
For AA suggestions on more in-car games, visit www.theaa.com/arewenearlythereyet/index.html.
Answers by Richard Green
Do you have a travel query? E-mail quickfixes@sunday-times.co.uk, or write to Sunday Times Travel, 1 Pennington Street, London E98 1ST
