Posts Tagged ‘Elegant Resorts’

Summer holiday deals 2009

Friday, July 3rd, 2009

From the 101 Holidays newsdesk

Ece hotelSunset from EceEce turkey

Escape the crowds and save £200 pp on a week at the 12-room Ece hotel on the pedestrianised island of Sövalye on Turkey’s Lycian coast. Departing Gatwick or Manchester on July 11 or 18, a week with Exclusive Escapes now costs £700 pp including accommodation on a B&B basis, flights, transfers (by boat), a day’s Gulet cruise and a courtesy boat service across the water to the distinctly livelier resort of Fethiye.

New Yorker Hotel

If you fancy summer in the city and want to take advantage of the improved exchange rate (currently around $1.59 to £1), Hayes & Jarvis is offering 3 nights in the Big Apple for £569 pp, a saving of £244 pp. Departing on July 18, the price includes flights from Heathrow with Delta Airlines and 3 nights room only at the 3* New Yorker Hotel, close to Macy’s and Madison Square Garden.

Ananda in the HimalayasAnanda spa

It may be the monsoon season in the Himalayas, but Ayurvedic doctors tell us that’s the very best time to receive treatments. Elegant Resorts is offering 7 nights at the Ananda in the Himalayas from £1,775 pp full-board, a saving of £150 pp. Also included in the price are a consultation with the hotel’s Ayurvedic doctor, 13 prescribed Ayurvedic treatments, 1 spa treatment, 1 private meditation class and 3 private yoga classes. Valid for departures up to October 15.

kerala tour

A 9-night group tour of Kerala departing on August 1 is on offer from TransIndus for £1,098 pp on a B&B basis, a saving of £400 pp. Taking in historic Cochin, spice plantations, wildlife reserves, the beach resort of Marari and the charming backwaters, the tour is based in a range of luxury hotels and includes a night on a traditional rice barge. Scheduled flights and all internal travel are also included.

Casa do Eido da Devesa29 2 Summer holiday deals 2009

Vintage Travel has availability for July 18 and August 15 and 22 in Casa do Eido da Devesa, a stunningly restored 17th century house in northern Portugal. They’ve dropped the rental price by £600 to £2,395 excluding flights and car hire. The house, close to Ponte de Lima in the Labruja valley, sleeps up to 18 with 8 bedrooms, 7 bathrooms, a private pool, gardens, sauna, gym and table tennis. Sandy dune-backed beaches and the Peneda-Gerês National Park are both within easy reach.

somak oman holidays

Somak is offering half-price holidays in Oman. Stays at the 5* Al Waha hotel, part of Shangri-La’s Barr Al Jissah Resort & Spa on the beach at Muscat now cost from £529 pp for 3 nights, £693 for 7 nights. Upgrade to a seaview room for £6 pp pn. The price includes scheduled flights from Heathrow, transfers, accommodation and breakfast. Available up to September 30.

Sheraton Sharm Hotel Resort & VillasSheraton Sharm el SheikhSheraton Sharm

Kuoni has teamed up with British Airways to offer some great early booking offers. Book by July 14 for 7 nights B&B at the 4* Sheraton Sharm in Sharm el Sheikh and pay £399 pp, virtually half-price with a saving of £386 pp. Departures are from Gatwick departing November 28 on BA’s new service to Sharm.

Sorrento guide: our editor’s insider tips

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria 5 stars Sorrentosorrento guideBay of Naples itineraries: The islands of the Gulf of Naples | Bay of Naples Travel

By David Wickers, editor of 101 Holidays

Sorrento, which has been putting out the welcome mat to visiting Brits for decades, is an ideal resort for those who want to get more from the Med than a sunbed - yet who don’t want to rent a car.

From its main harbour, confusingly called the Marina Piccola (the little marina), you can zip across to the islands of Capri or Ischia by fast ferry, with some services also going along the spectacular Amalfi coast to glittering Positano and Amalfi.

If your stomach can cope with the twists, turns and hairpin bends of the Amalfi Drive, hacked out of the solid rock face, I thoroughly recommend one of the world’s most scenic bus rides, travelling to the medieval streets and casbah-like alleyways of the main town of Amalfi.

Or head up into the lemon and olive groved hills to Ravello, rightly famous for a pair of beautiful gardens (Cimbrone and Rufolo).

A short walk from Sorrento’s central piazza Tasso, you can board a local train service that will take you to the main entrance of Pompeii, to the funicular that travels up the lava slopes of Vesuvius and on into Naples.

GETTING THERE

From Naples airport there are bus services straight to Sorrento, or take a taxi and be sipping that first Campari and soda on your hotel terrace in less than an hour.

WHERE TO STAY IN SORRENTO

At the budget-testing but spectacular Grand Hotel Excelsior Vittoria (top left), one of Europe’s most authentic grand hotels and host to an A list of royals, statesmen and celebrities ever since it first opened in 1834. It has 5 acres of gardens, an oasis of lemon trees with a large pool and a spa. The views from the hotel terrace, overlooking the Bay of Naples with Vesuvius looming on the far horizon, are to die for.

WHERE TO EAT IN SORRENTO

In the hills above town is the Michelin starred Don Alfonso in Sant Agata. In town, Il Buco is excellent for fish. For no nonsense Italian food served in a huge conservatory setting with a garden at the back, try O’Parrucchiano. For ice cream head for Gelateria Davide or Bougainvillea - my favourite is the vanilla and mango combo. A good place to sample local Campania wines is the Bollicine wine bar on Via dell’Accademia.

BEST SHOPS

Along the Corso Italia – which is pedestrianised in the evening - and the narrow, flagstoned streets of the old town, especially the traffic-free via San Cesareo.

BEST BUYS

“Tassia” inlaid wooden crafts, the local lemon liqueur, vacuum packed wedges of parmesan.

HOW TO BOOK

To book a holiday to Sorrento, we recommend the following tour operators: Long Travel, Elegant Resorts, Kirker Holidays and Seasons in Style.