Our last few days have been spent unashamedly enjoying the hot sun, blue skies and swimming pool. It has been really hot – 31C – and we’ve just enjoyed being lazy. There’s a few more British people staying here now, taking advantage of the mutual open travel corridor, I guess.

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We feel we have very much made the right choice coming here for so many reasons, we’ve honestly felt very safe.

As I have said, we have enjoyed it so much and have only really scratched the surface of the area so we are seriously considering returning at the end of August. It will depend on whether the travel corridor holds up or collapses as the one with Spain has. We wouldn’t mind doing 2 weeks quarantine at home, we are retired after all, but France would probably reciprocate by making Brits quarantine for 2 weeks on arrival and that just wouldn’t work. So, we’ll see.

We will be busy when we get back tomorrow evening. Daisy is going straight from the ferry to the train ready to start work on Thursday. I then have to get the main guest room ready for Lucy, who arrives from Dubai on Saturday. Daisy is also back for the weekend. So it will be a lovely full house. Lucy had a covid test today as per Dubai rules and it must be negative for her to get on the plane. She has to go into quarantine for the two weeks she’s home with us – we are free to come and go as we please – and she hasn’t got to stay in her room or anything. Just limit the “bubble” for potential test and trace purposes. Then she has to have another test 3-5 days before flying back to Dubai and take a negative certificate with her. It will be interesting to see how that works. She said the test was deeply unpleasant but at least quick. Apparently they poke the stick right up your nose and just as you think “that’s not too bad”, they poke it up another inch!!!!!

So, we would definitely recommend a holiday in Europe at this time provided:

1. The Country is on the “safe” list.
2. You are prepared that this could change, and change fast, and it wouldn’t be a disaster for you to have to quarantine on return to the UK.
3. Highly recommend somewhere you can drive to. Takes all the stress of the plane and the airport out of the equation.
4. The shuttle is safer than the ferry but the ferry was fine.
5. Pick a location that’s got plenty of space ie not a big city or a popular beach resort, unless it’s somewhere like the west coast of France where the beaches are enormous and you can be sure of being in space.
6. Stay in a cottage or a self contained unit where you can minimise shared spaces, especially indoor spaces..
7. Check the safety precautions the host has put in place i.e. cleaning, reduced contact, controlled use of pool/gym. Even better if you can find a place with a private pool.
8. Take a mask – take several – and use them.
9. Take the opportunity to dine outside in restaurants and cafes.
10. Check the statistics of your area before you choose.

To be honest, it’s only since we’ve been here that some of these points have come home to us as being very good ideas. They would apply to a staycation at home in many ways.