Keep stressing that we will travel 600 miles by car to South of France only to discover that there is no villa. Check out this website for me - does it look 'legit' to you?

[handlemecarefully]

www.luxurybreaks.co.uk/luxury_villas_France_Cannes+-+Cote+D%27Azur_6_35_1.htm

We have already paid the deposit and are about to pay the balance in full. Am probably being completely ridiculous and OTT but I can not seem to shake niggling doubt that we well travel 600 miles by car with 2 small children only to find that we have been done.

Am I being ridiculous? What are you impressions of the website, does it look okay to you?

There is certainly a lot of detail on it...which is reassuring is it not?. But it seems to be run by a one man band (he is the only guy who answers the phone)

That in itself is not cause for suspiscion is it? Is it?

Also there is no hard copy brochure of properties (is that an issue?)

Thanks Aloha - I have been known to be hysterical . You're probably right!

Wotznot - the bank likes to keep it's Black card customers sweet - that's all.

They tend to bend over backwards to help (which is a refreshing change with banks)

I think the site looks a bit amateurish, but all that need mean is that he did the web design himself or got a friend to do it, rather than using a decent web designer.

Also I'm not sure that 50% deposit is all that suspect (although I respect everyones opinions) - after all ultimately you have to pay 100% upfront; i.e. before you actually get there...iyswim

I've booked from far less glam sites. And ones hosted abroad! Never a problem. Though they never mention the fact that next door keep very noisy and smelly donkeys, I've found.

Aloha I have too, but putting a bollock certification on a website that means jackshit rings alarm bells.

I hopy it all goes OK. But websites that allow you to deal directly with the owner are better.

You pay wwww.letmetakeyourmoney.com and they do, take everyones money and then go bye bye!

Intersting. Their web site gives Luxury Breaks Ltd as the legal entity in the terms and conditions so I clicked on Companies HOuse UK companies site and that company is dissolved. Please be very careful. That is not a very good sign at all is it - dissolved 13th June 2006. Now it may not matter as they may have just transferred assets to another company but do be careful. May be call ABTA or whoever deals with that stuff.

"LUXURY BREAKS LTD

THE BRISTOL OFFICE
2 SOUTHFIELD ROAD
WESTBURY-ON-TRYM
BRISTOL BS9 3BH
Company No. 05418729

Status: Dissolved 13/06/2006
Date of Incorporation: 08/04/2005

Country of Origin: United Kingdom
Company Type: Private Limited Company
Nature of Business (SIC(03)):
None Supplied
Accounting Reference Date: 30/04
Last Accounts Made Up To: (NO ACCOUNTS FILED)
Next Accounts Due: 08/02/2007
Last Return Made Up To:
Next Return Due: 06/05/2006

The chap has always been easy to contact when we've phoned with queries.... am going to try not to worry about it I think....(eek)

Oh cripes - thanks Xenia

So does that certificate mean jackshit then?

'certification'

Oh and me, to ring alrm bells and be slightly hysterical

In the travel trade yes, complete bollarks.

Does this make you any happier - the place they run the rental from is also on the Cornish Tourist board site - they ain't going anywhere

216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:enN9O4ciIFQJ:www.cornwalltouristboard.co.uk/productpage.asp%3Fp roviderid%3DLIOLQLFYDI%26templateextension%3Dsac+little+cutmadoc+farm&hl=en&gl=uk&strip=1

Relax...look forward to it. Don't let the Chicken Lickens get you down

found this

my dp went on holiday with his family in the 60s when he was little. the couple were renting out their house and planned to sleep in the back shed! tears all round

don't fly - one hour on plane fine - but don't forget 2 hours to get to airport, 200 quid to park, 2 hours hanging around including standing stationary in security queue for godknowshowlong, not being able to take as much stuff, lots of small annoying delays adding up to twice the length of the flight, and of course crashing, having to eat fellow passengers and/or losing your luggage, plus feeling guilty whenever you catch sight of Al Gore in the papers. Then getting a hire car that smells really weird.

All while you could be enjoying lovely ferry ride and meandering through France.

PMSL @ 'crashing, having to eat fellow passengers'

I suppose that is in there favour if they are also listed on Cornish Tourist Board....

You do need to chek this ought though because if they have gone out of business they have gone out of business, haven't they? That's what dissolved means. But don't panic.

It's blardy Thomas Cook for me next time I think!

I'm going to get dh to look at the thread Xenia - I've just mentioned this to him and he said there could be a valid reason. How do we check this sort of thing out - anyone know?

Nah, I wouldn't fly, we're driving to France this year aswell. I have nothing against flying but I loathe airports.

Interesting that their privacy policy on the web site is not with Luxury Breaks Ltd but with "Luxurybreaks LLC" . Did you get an invoice with the name of the limited company or whoever your contract is with?

why not call them and ask?

Message withdrawn

We don't really use LLC in the UK I don't think but I might be wrong. There's Ltd and plc. On that certificate thing it says
Luxburybreaks LLC (sole proprietorship) which sounds like legal rubbish to me. So they mean Mr Jones trading as Luxury Breaks who isn't registered because the Ltd co dissolved in june? then it says owner's name is confidential although actually on the web site there's a legal requirement to give the full corporate name and if not a company then the individual's name - they can't hide behind a trading name. So have to say Mr Joe Bloggs trading as Luxury Breaks I think.