High tech holiday ‘super-guides’ are like a concierge in advance at the click of a link!
Next level travel planning ‘super-guides’ are like a concierge in advance at the click of a link! Booking a holiday used to result in hotfooting it to the nearest store for a Berlitz guide or the gold standard Lonely Planet. Obviously, these days holidaymakers have the internet but things have just got that little bit more high tech with some villa owners even sending their guests bespoke online guides dedicated to their property and location. These not only give invaluable advance info on the property but also include a wealth of information from recommended restaurants and best beach clubs to the most impressive historical sights or out of the way ‘secret’ escapes! Guests can book restaurants and arrange their holidays well in advance at the click of a link on their phone.
The best aspect of these online guides that are whizzed over to guests well in advance of their long awaited holiday, is that every time a guest opens the guide, they access a brand new version, reflecting any updates that have been made by the owner. So no more visiting a restaurant that has already closed or a monument that is no longer open to the public.
Sue Flynn, owner of Kalkan Magic, a villa specialist in Turkey, uses Touchstay guides to give her guests the best possible information and the most up to date links for everything that they may need. If anything else is suggested she can simply add it to the guide and even if the guest has already been sent the access link, they will still see the changes when they next open it.
Sue said: “The way travel has changed has obviously been hugely influenced by the internet and of-course by Tripadvisor and other review sites. We find that our guests don’t have the time to search through the myriad of online info available for each destination and would rather have a capsule of information dedicated to their chosen location at their fingertips. And rather than take the advice of a stranger on review sites, they have up to date recommendations from someone who eats, lives and breathes the location in question and can advise on the smallest but important details, even if a restaurant has updated its menu or if a beach club has started charging for sunbeds.”
Christine Brocklehurst, who recently travelled with Kalkan Magic to Villa Sultaniye in Kalkan with 4 female friends, found the guide invaluable. She explained “We were 5 ladies and only had one week so being able to advance plan so we could relax more when we were in Kalkan itself. Not only was it so useful to be able to know how to use the various appliances in the villa and master the air con system but it was great to be able to plan our restaurants in advance and ensure we were going to get a good table, not to mention where to buy the best handbag! We were so impressed with the guide.”
