Lots of people will be looking to escape the UK for the early May bank holiday weekend or late May half term week – and you may want to avoid battling through the major airports. So why not load everything in the car and hop across the channel to a cottage, villa, gite or chateau in France?

If you want to totally chill with the family - and save some money- grab a spacious holiday home rental, stock up on vin du pays along with some fresh bread, pate and cheese and stretch out in the sun while the kids are happy in the games room, pool or garden. These days most holiday lets have flat screen TV with British channels and wi fi access, so everybody can be happy.

Holiday homes from home are still available throughout France, and you can book a three bedroom house that sleeps six with its own garden and pool for as little as £400 a week. This is fantastic value when compared to a hotel and you’ll have loads more space and can save on eating out.

Accommodation ranges from romantic hideaways for two to comfortable farmhouses and chateaux where the extended family can relax.

With an early ferry crossing to Calais, you can reach Champagne country, Normandy, Brittany, the Loire Valley, Charente-Maritime and even the Dordogne in a day. And if you don’t want to travel far, there are some beautiful spots for a short break in the Nord/Pas de Calais, close to Le Touquet, Montreuil, Old Hesdin and St Valery sur Somme.

Search availability now for the early May bank holiday or for the late May half term