Starting today, Hayes & Jarvis is offering two adults for the price of one on selected worldwide holidays. There are savings of up to £1,299 for a couple travelling together.
We’ve looked carefully and can’t see any catches - other than bookings must be made by February 19.
A 6-night break in the Big Apple departing on May 4, for example, normally costs £1,098 pp; with one adult free, it now costs the equivalent of £549 pp including 3* hotel accommodation and British Airways flights.
Six nights in Toronto departing September 1 costs £798 pp but is now on sale for £399 pp, including Air Canada flights and accommodation at the 4* Delta Chelsea Hotel.
Departing March 16, a 14-night all inclusive holiday at Almond Smugglers Cove, St Lucia now costs £1,299 pp (down from £2,598 pp) including Virgin Atlantic flights.
This two for one offer also extends to Thailand. A 14-night holiday at the 4* Evason Hua Hin now costs only £499 per person. Departing on May 3, the package includes B&B accommodation and Oman Air flights.
A 14-night holiday from May 3 staying on a B&B basis at the Evason Phuket now costs £699 pp, down from £1,398 pp. Flights are with Thai Airways.
Head to Sri Lanka on June 15 where 14 nights at the 4* Eden Resort & Spa, set on Beruwela beach, now costs £599 pp, down from £1,198 pp. B&B accommodation and Sri Lankan Airlines flights are included.
Tropical Sky has introduced a new Family Diving programme, providing tailor-made diving packages for families travelling with children to Egypt, The Maldives, Mauritius, Turks & Caicos, Grenada, St Lucia and Tobago.
The PADI (Professional Association of Diving Instructors) open-water course is a world-recognised qualification which takes 4 - 5 days with a combination of learning in the pool, the open sea and classroom. Costing between £240 and £300, the minimum age is 15 yrs with a junior version (diving to shallower depths) for age 10 yrs upwards. No previous experience is required and there is no upper age limit but you need to be comfortable in the water.
Adults and children from the age of 10 yrs can try out diving on a one-day PADI Discover Scuba Diving introductory experience and children from the age of 8 yrs can experience diving on the PADI Bubblemaker Course.
As well as offering professional dive instruction, all selected resorts have children’s clubs and, in Sharm el Sheikh, Family Diving can also arrange a UK-qualified personal nanny.
Take the family to the Maldives for spring half-term; departing on May 28, 7 nights all-inclusive at Biyadhoo Island Resort costs from£3,599 for a family of four staying in a Beachfront Villa.
A week in Grenada in July and August, staying in the Grenadian by rex resorts, costs from£3,999 for a family of four on an all-inclusive basis.
Head to Sharm el Sheikh on October 23 for half-term; a week at the Savoy Hotel costs from£3,099 for a family of four on a B&B basis.
All prices include flights, accommodation and transfers; prices quoted are for a family of two adults and two children under 12 sharing. Dive instruction and equipment are extra.
Here at 101 Holidays, we are building a unique collection of hotel recommendations from leading travel writers on Twitter. Each contributor reveals a personal favourite place where they would pay to stay. The price of a double room must be no more than £150 ($250).
Jody recommends: “Harbor View Bed and Breakfast in Doolin, Ireland. The rooms are spacious and well appointed; perfect for families. On a clear day you can see the Aran Islands. Their traditional Irish breakfast is the perfect fuel for a day of exploring.” Double rooms start at €70.
If you have stayed at this hotel - or have a hotel tip of your own - please leave a comment below. You can also subscribe to receive more travel writer tips.
Mark Warner has slashed £300 off the cost of a week’s skiing in Val d’Isere, Tignes and La Plagne.
Departing on Sunday February 7, a week in a Mark Warner Chalethotel now costs £499 pp including flights, transfers and accommodation with breakfast, high tea and dinner with wine.
On piste conditions are currently described by the Ski Club of Great Britain as “excellent” in all 3 resorts with around 20 cms of fresh snow falling over the weekend.
Perfect conditions and a great price. What are you waiting for?
Today’s expert hotel tip comes from Nancy D. Brown, Lodging Editor at Uptake.com. Based in San Francisco, she writes travel for the Contra Costa Times newspaper, Diablo magazine and authors the What a Trip blog. Nancy is the latest of more than 60 travel writers who have contributed personal hotel recommendations to 101 Holidays.
She says: “You’ll see why Oregon’s Weasku Inn was Clark Gable’s favorite Rogue River fishing spot. Great place to relax/write with beautiful grounds. Rates start at $179 including breakfast.”
If you have stayed at this hotel - or have a hotel tip of your own - please leave a comment below. You can also subscribe to receive more travel writer tips.
I took my children last night to the press preview of Dinosaurs Unleashed, a new exhibition on London’s Oxford Street. This is made up of 24 animatronic dinosaurs - some of them huge - and together they are said to make up the largest dinosaur exhibition in the UK.
Some of the exhibits are inside a temporary building while others are set outside - rather bizarrely - against a backdrop of shops and office buildings. The exhibition opens to the public today and will run only until April 30, 2010. Then this plot of land will be handed over to builders for yet more shops.
So is it any good? Scary monsters or super creeps?
Well, the dinosaurs themselves are mightily impressive and there are all the usual favourites, including a Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Diplodocus, a Triceratops and a Stegosaurus. And they move.
But I was underwhelmed by the experience. The dinosaurs make no sound, apart from the whirring of electric motors, and their movements are rather predictable. There is also no narrative structure to the exhibition and no sense of anticipation. You walk in and there are the dinosaurs. The children present enjoyed it, but they didn’t seem to be scared or amazed.
Compare that with the Natural History Museum where the raised walkway leading to the animatronic T. Rex creates a build-up of excitement - and informs along the way. I was disappointed not to see any name plates on the Oxford Street dinosaurs (I relied on my five-year-old daughter to tell me some of the names).
The exhibition is short. Once you’ve seen all 24 dinosaurs, that’s it, apart from the inevitable shop and cafe. That would all be fine - and I’d be happy to recommend it if you were in the area - but ticket prices are high: £15.50 for adults and £11 for children, available through Ticketmaster. Too much, in my opinion. The Natural History Museum is free.
Here at 101 Holidays, we are building a unique collection of hotel recommendations from leading travel writers on Twitter. Each contributor reveals a personal favourite place where they would pay to stay. The price of a double room must be no more than £150 ($250).
Charyn recommends a beach retreat in Nosara, Costa Rica. She says: “Wellness rules at the über-eco Harmony Hotel. Nosara surf paradise with bungalows, open-air yoga, spa, salsa, raw foods, sushi & juice bar.”
Double rooms cost from $186 (£115) including breakfast, yoga class and cycle rental.
If you have a hotel tip of your own, please leave a comment below. You can also subscribe to receive more hotel tips.
Heathrow Express has a Valentine’s Day promotion: 2 passengers can travel for the price of 1 between Thursday February 11 and Tuesday February 16.
The offer applies to return journeys between central London and Heathrow Airport.
When booking Express Class return tickets online between now and 16 February 2010, you will get the second journey free, saving £32. Go to the website heathrowexpress.com and type in the voucher code: HXLOVE
