We bought a huge garden umbrella years ago at the Ideal Home Show. Bit of a rip-off really - it cost £££, came with a 10 year guarantee and the company has now gone bust! It's looking a bit knackered and the canopy has holes in it. Plus the base is huge and takes up a fair bit of patio space and easy to trip over etc.
So I'm thinking about awnings as an alternative. Has anyone got them and would they recommend? They seem a 'neater' solution and cover most of the patio. I've seen some that are remote control that look good.