EUROPE

France

Come up smelling of roses at Le Domaine de Foncaudière, near Bergerac, France, which still has summer availability. Readers quoting The Times will get a 10 per cent discount, bringing the price of a cottage such as Parfum de Rose, which sleeps four, down to £720.

Cross over to Corsica - just two hours and £657pp (saving £115pp) with VFB Holidays. The company is offering savings at self-catering properties on the island, departing on July 22 or 29. Prices for a week start from £657 pp, based on six people sharing a three-bedroom self-catering villa with a private swimming pool, and include flights (Bristol) and car hire for the duration. The price is valid for 22 July departures.

Places are still available for summer cooking courses at the 18th century manoir Le Manoir de L’Aufragere, set in 8 acres of land in Normandy, France, commencing July 26 and August 5. The i-escape.com course is run by an Anglo/French couple: one is a Cordon Bleu cook, the other a cheese-making expert. The course includes visits to markets: price £338pp, with full board accommodation for three nights, as well as wine tastings, based on two sharing a double room.

Go green this summer at the brand new Residence Les Rives Marines at Le Teich in Gascony. The apartment complex is offering savings of up to 30 per cent on July holidays or 20 per cent on holidays taken in August. The residence is adjacent to an ornithological park that shelters almost 300 species of birds. Nearby attractions include the Medoc and Graves vineyards, the Arcachon beaches and the numerous cycling routes through the Landes pine forests. The residence has an outdoor heated pool. A one-week stay in a two-bedroom apartment (sleeps 4-6) on July 28 has been reduced by 30% to £565 per property. Further information from www.WakeupinFrance.co.uk or 01484 680855.

Savings of more than £250 on accommodation in France is available for departures on July 21 from siblu. Included in the deal is Le Montourey, siblu’s newest parc, just outside Frejus, on the Cote d’Azur. A seven-night holiday starts from £832, saving £256, when staying in a two-bedroom Esprit+ mobile home. This price includes a midweek Dover-Calais return ferry crossing.

Departing July 21, The Gascony Secret has a split property near Aignan in the Gers that sleeps14 people, which shares a swimming pool, a lake and 66 acres. The main house is a large farmhouse with a library, salon with fireplace, internet connection, DVD and music system and dishwasher. Across the courtyard from the main house is a smaller 3-bedroom Napoleon II house. Special Offer Price: One week’s rental of the two properties during the week beginning July 21 costs £2,890 – a discount of £500 on the brochure price.

Spain

Exodus is running yoga-themed trips to Andalusia. Beginners and intermediates can get to grips with their locust, eagle and tree positions at the company’s base, a pretty little hotel in olive-grove-strewn hills near Ronda; and, when your chakras are neatly aligned, there are escorted trips to Seville, Cordoba and the “white villages“. Leaving on July 28 or August 4, a week costs £780pp, half-board, including flights.

For sheer value, this is hard to beat: Venue Holidays has knocked £264 off a 13-night break at Camping Playa Brava, on the Costa Brava. The price for a family of six in a fully equipped tent from August 19 is now just £490, including Channel crossings. Not the Ritz, but it has a pool, beach, windsurfing and three water parks nearby – the kids should love it.

Mallorca Farmhouses is offering 30 per cent off properties for the week commencing July 28. All rentals in Mallorca include car hire with fully comprehensive insurance, maid service and a starter pack. Choices include: Cas Teuler Petit – save £750. This four-bedroom property in Cas Concos is reduced to £1,750. A restored 150 year old farmhouse, it has a private pool, lawn and a separate BBQ. The nearest shops and restaurants are a two minute drive and beach, 10 minutes away. Na Gatona I – save £1,140, a six-bedroom property in Cala D’Or reduced to £2,660. Pool, child’s pool, brick built BBQ and acres of land.