One of the big travel trends this year is staying in a private rental apartment rather than a hotel.
What used to be mainly confined to ski and sunshine holidays has spread to city breaks too - so we checked out Housetrip to see what the fuss was all about.

The concept is simple; as a host, you can rent out your property through the website and as a guest, you can search through the listings then book and pay online.

Vendange today and as it was over 100 years ago.

Here at Real South Apartments we offer holiday gites, self catering gite holiday apartments in the village of Salles d Aude (Region Parc Naturel Narbonnaise) arks the question, "How times have changed" the vendange today and as it was over 100 years ago it would be hard for our predecessors to envisage the vendange of today.

The vendange is one of the most crucial steps in the process of wine making. The time of harvest is determined primarily by the ripeness of the grape as measured by sugar, acid and tannin levels with winemakers basing their decision to pick based on the style of wine they wish to produce. The weather can also shape the timetable of harvesting with the threat of heat, rain, hail, and frost which can damage the grapes and bring about various vine diseases. In addition to determining the time of the harvest, winemakers and vineyard owners must also determine whether to utilize hand pickers or mechanical harvesters. The harvest season typically falls between August & October.

Come and stay at Real South Apartments and visit the archaeological site of Ensérune and discover one of the most important Gaulish villages in the South of France. Enserune archéologique musée d'Ensérune Lying ten kilometres from Béziers between the Languedoc garrigues and the shores of the Mediterranean (Google map) , and while you are there see Canal du Midi also pass under the Malpas tunnel. Just a short and beautiful bike ride away passing by small wine vineyard roads to the village Nissan Lez Ensérune then into the site climbing to the summit to enjoy the breathtaking surrounding views.

La Vuelta 2017 Stage 2 - 2203.4km, Sunday, August 20th - Nîmes / Gruissan. Grand Narbonne. Aude.

Lampaert-Trentin: double-double for Quick-Step

Quick-Step dominated stage 2 of the 72nd La Vuelta through the wind. Yves Lampaert found an opening in the final kilometre to the finish line set at Gruissan. He snatched the victory just ahead of the sprinters led by his teammate Matteo Trentin ahead of Adam Blythe (Aqua Blue Sport). The two riders from Quick-Step also lead the general classification, with Daniel Oss (BMC) 3rd. Lampaert delivers the 17th La Vuelta stage victory for his team and is the first Belgian rider to lead GC since Philippe Gilbert in 2010.