The entries were so good this month that two winners were announced for the February writing competition! Congratulations to Jim Metcalf and Jacob Wiggins, both of whom have been rewarded with a £50 Marks & Spencers voucher, and both will go into the prize draw to win a short stay in one of our finest properties! Jim enjoyed a stay at the charming Fish Cellars in Portwrinkle, while Jacob and his family explored picturesque Paignton. If you fancy a chance of winning this fantastic prize, simply email an article around 500 words long, to ewan@bluechipvacations.com. To read more of Jim’s Portwrinkle adventures, click here, or to read Jacob’s charming account of pretty Paignton, click here.

With summer breaks still available, why not book your summer holiday in Devon or Cornwall today?

 This weeks green blog reports on Jon Presslings recent trip to the Green Awareness Training that he attended earlier this week. 

Two years ago, Blue Chip Vacations was rewarded for its work towards sustainable tourism by being awarded the Silver Green Tourism Business Scheme (GTBS) award. This involved our business being assessed against a rigorous set of criteria covering a range of areas including energy and water efficiency, waste management, biodiversity and more.

Not wanting to be a business that lets the grass grow beneath us we are now striving towards achieving a Gold Award. As part of this I recently attended a course on "Green Awareness Training", organised by the Devon Tourism Skills Network.

 The Sunday Times has once again ranked Blue Chip Vacations' cottages in its top 100 cool cottages. This year the stunning Bryher Cottage in St. Mawgan, Cornwall came in the top twenty at number 13. And it's not difficult to see why. This beautiful barn conversion boasts a roaring Charnwood Stove, comfy mattresses and blackout curtains making Bryher Cottage a cosy home from home. Ideal for families, with a cot, high chair and stair gate all provided, it makes for a special family break. The walled garden is a real sun trap and a great place for family barbeques in the warm summer months. Sat in a characterful corner of the region, close to a quaint village shop, a cosy welcoming pub and a fascinating monastery, there is certainly plenty to see and do. In addition to this, the great family beaches of Mawgan Porth and Watergate Bay area mere five minute drive away, ideal for a lazy day on the sun kissed sand.

 Eagle-eyed viewers of the fascinating ‘Country Tracks’ programme on BBC 1 on 14th January would have spotted the beautiful surroundings of stunning Somerset, which plays host to Blue Chip Vacations’ pioneering eco-homes.  If you missed the Country Tracks programme, or simply want to enjoy the splendour of this enchanting region again, then click the link below to enjoy presenter Joe Crowley’s journey across Somerset. He begins with rock climbing at Cheddar Gorge, visits a cider auction and takes part in a gruelling orienteering time trial on the shores of Wimbleball Lake, all activities you could enjoy during your holiday.

To celebrate Blue Chip Vacations' 10th birthday, we ran a prize draw for all bookings between 1st November to 31st December 2009 for a holiday in 2010, with some amazing prizes up for grabs! The winner of the first prize will get their 2010 holiday paid for up to the value of £1,000, as well as a fun day out for all party members at one of the top local attractions in the area including Paignton Zoo, Living Coasts, Kents Cavern and Babbacombe Model Village, or a great day fishing, at a spa or an evening at the theatre. To round the fantastic day off, we're even throwing in a scrumptious meal at a fantastic local restaurant! Two runners up will enjoy fine dining at one of the finest restaurants in the South West.

Blue Chip Vacations recently announced that it has agreed a deal with Comer Homes to market 50 apartments at its Ocean Views Portland development.  The apartments, which include a number that have been booking well since October, will be made available in batches of 10.  The first full batch will be ready in early 2010, with the remainder coming on board throughout the rest of the year, 2011 and in the run up to 2012.

Blue Chip Vacations' recently announced that it has appointed former Sales and Marketing Director for Crest Nicholson South West, Philip Newnes, as its new Head of Property Portfolio.

In this newly-created position Philip will be responsible for achieving Blue Chip Vacations’ ambitious plans to further expand its range of high-end properties across Devon, Cornwall, Dorset and Somerset, while embarking on a new drive to build an industry-leading choice of luxury holiday homes in the Cotswolds.

Torbay Lifeboat Station gave Blue Chip Vacations a warm welcome despite the wintry weather, when Alan Taylor, MD of the self-catering holiday home specialist, and Maggie Sycamore, its Accounts Administrator, came in to present a cheque for £250 to the RNLI.

The money had been raised over the Christmas period when a festive email was sent to its 600-plus self-catering owners instead of a Christmas card. All money saved was donated to the RNLI, and the initiative even resulted in a number of separate contributions from property owners.

Over half of us are likely to take fewer overseas holidays in 2010 replacing these with UK breaks instead. The survey of 949 people undertaken by Blue Chip Vacations showed that 56 per cent of us would ditch the overseas holiday in 2010, while over two-thirds (69 per cent) will choose to holiday in the UK instead. Respondents said their decision was influenced by the combination of positive UK weather predictions for the next decade, continuing poor exchange rates, concerns over the environment and the impact of increasing Air Passenger Duty. These findings are supported by strong domestic self-catering bookings that are already on the rise for 2010.

Name : Kerry Curtis

Age : 22

Joined Blue Chip Vacations : June 2009

Job title: Holiday Bookings Advisor