At Fleewinter we think that staying in a villa or a small boutique hotel on holiday is by far the best way to enjoy your time away. Compared to the traditional vacation solution of a soulless room in a large hotel you get much more space, better privacy, but probably most important of all you get to live in and experience the community you are staying in.

With this vision of the way to travel, Fleewinter was set up in 2003 by Alisdair Luxmoore with Cape Town as the first destination. Alisdair had been a regular visitor to South Africa for over 10 years and was fed up with the hassle and trauma of booking villas and apartments remotely and never really knowing what to expect when you arrive. Turning up at an apartment after a 12 hour flight with two young children and fist full of Rands and praying that; a) the property exists and b) it fulfils expectations, was no way to start a holiday. This gave birth to the Fleewinter concept of an impartial advice service to find the best property for you, arrange payment and contractually bind the owner of the property.

The second destination was Tobago in the Caribbean run by Simon Gill who has since added Barbados and then St Lucia to the portfolio.

2004 saw the launch two new destinations, the Garden Route to the east of Cape Town and Sri Lanka in the Indian Ocean . Both hit our criteria of being highly accessible winter destinations with amazing climates but also much more to do than just lie on the beach. Vicki Luxmoore runs the Garden Route operation and Sri Lanka is operated by Kate Glover.

2005 saw the launch of Morocco which is run by Alisdair and Barbara, and whilst one of our newer destination, it has rapidly become our number 1. Our focus here is on the stunning riads – small boutique hotels with between 2 and 10 bedrooms – you can have them all to yourself or just take a room for your stay but there is no better way to immerse yourself into an extraordinary culture.

More recent additions to the offering Thailand (run by Kate ) and expanding our South Africa presence to provide a touring service to cover all southern Africa including Mozambique, Victoria Falls, Kruger, Botswana and Namibia . In reality we have arranging these tours for some years for our Cape Town clients but now with its own website and the vast experience of Anthea Myburgh behind it, it is getting the attention it deserves. And newest of all is Bali run by Barbara and Zanzibar run by Caroline who rejoined us in 2010 having originally set up our Morocco op.

And of course most important of all is Gosia our Director of Operations without whom we would cease to function. For more team news check our Facebook page.

Anyone for Cuba, Australia, Costa Rica? For the future there are many other destinations planned and if you have somewhere you are passionate about and would like to be part of the Fleewinter team, give us a call.

Why don't you list all your properties on your website? Two reasons. The first is that our total portfolio (over 1000 properties) is constantly changing and we don't want to show off properties that are only available for a few months a year or about to be sold. Secondly, we don't think the best way for you to choose your holiday accommodation is not to wade through thousands of sets of details trying to make sense of photos and descriptions. We know the properties so email or call us and let us do the work.

What happens when we arrive at the property? This varies depending on the location but in most cases our local representatives will meet you and check that you are settled in. We can also arrange to collect you at the airport and strongly advise this as the most hassle free way to arrive at your new destination - even if you want a hire car it is usually cheaper to get it delivered to your holiday home just after you arrive.

Are linen/towels provided? All our properties are fully equipped and beds will be made when you arrive and bath towels will also be provided although beach/pool towels sometimes are not provided.

Are there babies/childrens facilities? We can usually provide cots and high chairs and babysitting can be arranged in advance, but many of our proprerties are not child safe and you need to discuss your requirements with us.

Other special needs? There is growing awareness of the needs for people with disabilities and restricted mobility so do ask.  Be aware however that most of destinations are not as advanced in this respect as the UK, US or Europe.  Also remember to check on accessibility - good views often mean lots of steps…

How long has Fleewinter been going? Fleewinter was established in 2003. (see about us tab)

When do I have to pay? We require a deposit (usually 20-50%) to secure all bookings and no booking is guaranteed until the deposit is received. The balance is due before you set off, usually 4 weeks prior to departure.

How do I know my deposit is safe? Fleewinter is a member of the ABTOT (http://www.abtot.com) and all client funds are fully insured. For more information on how this works give the ABTOT a call (0845 4504 618) or look at their website.

What is your cancellation policy?  No monies are refundable as they are passed on to the owners of our properties. We insist that you take out travel insurance and if you do this with us immediately after booking you will get cover for many cancellation situations.

Am I protected against currency fluctuation? If you do buy in sterling the price is guaranteed and will not change even if the local currency fluctuates although occasionally we do make special arrangement to fix the rate to the local currency

Will you help with flights? Usually clients arrange their own flights but we are always willing to help and can arrange flights if required. We have an ATOL licence so if required can construct your holiday as a fully bonded package for most destinations

Who owns Fleewinter? Fleewinter is owned by the people that run it. There are no banks, venture capitalists, or other shareholders to satisfy.

Can you help purchase properties? We are not estate agents but obviously know the property market very well and will be happy to offer advice and put you in touch who good local agents - the unique aspect of our advice is that we'll be able to give you rental forecasts and no estate agent will provide that. We also have a few development projects in selected locations where we think there is a gap in the market and we are able to get a good rental return for us and our investors

Any jobs going? We are looking to expand as fast as we can whilst still maintain our high standards of service and if you think you can help give us a call - it is an exciting and very satisfying area to work in - we love it anyway.