Travel deals, tips, insider news and comment by 101 Holidays editors, Mark Hodson and David Wickers
Subscribe with RSS
Follow us on Twitter
Holiday details: stay 2 nights at the luxurious Port Palace, Monte Carlo and get the 3rd night free. The hotel’s Mandarine restaurant is presided over by Monaco’s only Michelin-starred chef and there’s a spa and hammam.
Price: from £486 pp B&B including flights with regional departures and helicopter transfers.
Dates: valid for departures up to April 8 2010
Book with: Kirker.
Want more holiday bargains? Subscribe now to our daily holiday deals.
Fancy getting away for Valentine’s Day? We’ve selected some of the most romantic breaks both in the UK and abroad. Here’s our pick of the best.
Chic love nest: as well as great beaches, cosy pubs and its own Tate gallery, St Ives is home to the ultra-chic Sail Lofts apartments: 4 nights in Driftwood from February 12 costs £194 pp including a welcome hamper. Extra touches: pre-book a local chef to whip up dinner in the privacy of your apartment (from £30 pp).
Cosy cottage: romantic Stove Cottage has all the requisite ingredients for a cosy weekend in the country, not least a sumptuous four poster bed, log burner and sexy panelled bathroom with roll top bath. It’s within easy driving distance of Suffolk’s glorious heritage coast, and costs £240 for 2 nights from February 12 with CV Travel.
Urban chic in the country: with its “groovy grand” interiors and romantic grounds, a night with dinner and breakfast costs £385 per couple at The Grove, Hertfordshire. Add on a 2-hour treatment for 2 with lunch in the Sequoia Spa (£400) or a 2-ball round of golf with lunch (£230). Extra touches: hand-made chocolates and a copy of ‘Love Letters of Great Men’.
Gourmet indulgence: head for The Hambrough, a 7-room seafront boutique hotel in Ventor, Isle of Wight. Departing February 13, champagne breakfast, dinner in the Michelin-starred restaurant and a bottle of champagne costs £230 pp including Wightlink ferry crossings. Extra touches: Chef’s pulling out all the stops with his 6-course Valentine’s tasting dinner - oysters, langoustines, roast duck, wild strawberry mousse.
More gourmet indulgence: overlooking stunning St Ouen’s Bay on Jersey, The Atlantic Hotel has 2 nights B&B for £260 pp from February 12 including a 3-course dinner and 5-course gourmet Valentine’s dinner in the Michelin-starred Ocean Restaurant. Fly or take the ferry. Extra touches: a half bottle of Taittinger, handmade chocolates and car hire.
Chocks away: take the helicopter from Penzance to the Isles of Scilly for 3 nights at the über-romantic 16th century Star Castle Hotel (Great Britain’s Island Hotel of the Year 2008/2009 in the Cesar Awards). £349 pp half-board including helicopter transfers (10% off the usual rates).
Sheer indulgence: wave goodbye to Luton as your own private jet whisks you off for lunch in the Michelin-starred Château Les Crayères, Reims in the heart of France’s Champagne region. Not cheap but jaw-droppingly romantic at £3,400 each with private jet experts, Jeffersons. Extra touches: private tasting at a prestigious Champagne house.
Roman Romance: The so-called ‘city of light’ has all the ingredients for the perfect romantic break. 3 nights of amore in the 4-star deluxe Hotel d’Inghilterra with Kirker Holidays costs from £710 pp including flights and private transfers. Extra touches: 3 nights for the price of 2 - you’re saving £175 each.
Natural wonder: cruise through the Lofoten Islands and cross the Arctic Circle as you look out for the Northern Lights on Hurtigruten’s special Valentine’s sailing. Departing February 11, 4 nights full-board costs £845 pp including flights from Heathrow.
Dubai Desert - escape the city’s big lights and head for the newly-opened Banyan Tree Al Wadi. Four nights departing throughout February costs from £1,050 pp (saving £450 pp) in a Deluxe Pool Villa, including flights, taxi transfers and accommodation with breakfast. Extra touches: a falconry centre on site.
Fine dining in Tenerife - Sovereign Holidays is offering 5 nights from February 11 for £989 pp at the 5-star Hotel El Mirador, overlooking Tenerife’s Playa del Duque beach. Extra touches: free upgrade to half board.
From the 101 Holidays newsdesk
Spend Christmas on the Nile on board a traditional Dahabiyya; these beautifully crafted traditional sailboats are fitted out in colonial style with just 6 individually designed cabins. Save £300 pp with Bales Worldwide; 8 days from December 19 now costs £2,165 pp, a saving of £300. 12 days from December 23 now costs £2,465 pp, also including 3 nights in Cairo. Prices include all meals, sightseeing with an expert guide, entrance fees, flights and transfers.
Kirker Holidays is offering 3 night short breaks to Copenhagen for the Christmas Markets in the famous Tivoli Gardens. Starting on November 13, the price is from £681 pp, including flights from Heathrow or some regional airports, private transfers, B&B accommodation at the 3* superior Strand hotel and Kirker’s guide notes to restaurants and sightseeing.
Red Funnel is offering 3 night festive breaks at the Wellington Hotel overlooking the sea in Ventnor for £248 pp half-board, also including a traditional dinner on Christmas Day. Red Funnel also offers a choice of self-catering holidays at Christmas and New Year. Save 25% off the cost of your ferry crossing if you book your accommodation with Red Funnel.
If you can’t wait until Christmas, Classic Cottages has 20% off the rental price of Manor Farm Barn, a beautifully furnished cottage located a short drive from the Cornwall Christmas Bear Fair (10am-4pm, November 22) in Lostwithiel. Arriving Saturday 21 November, a week’s rental is now £334, sleeping up to 5.
Or soak up some sun with a Thanksgiving break in Miami. Jetsave is offering 4 nights (room only) at the 3* Ocean Five hotel departing November 25 for £599 pp including Virgin Atlantic flights. The hotel is located close to South Beach on Ocean Drive, in the heart of Miami’s famous Art Deco district.
Discover more winter holiday destinations.
From the 101 Holidays newsdesk
This week we’ve found two great deals to Sri Lanka and some other autumnal treats.
Departing on October 29, Hayes & Jarvis is offering 10 nights at the 4* Eden Resort & Spa, set on Beruwela, one of the best Sri Lanka’s beaches, for £549 pp. The price, a saving of £403 pp, includes 10 nights’ accommodation on a B&B basis, transfers and return flights with Qatar Airways from London Heathrow.
Save £120 pp on a week’s stay with Tropical Sky at the 3* Hotel Seashells Negombo, departing on selected dates until October 23. An attractive fishing port with a wide stretch of beach, Negombo is under an hour away from the airport. The price, from £599 pp, includes flights from Heathrow with Qatar Airways, transfers and half-board accommodation in an ocean-view room.
Mark Warner is offering a week’s half-board at the 5* Abu Soma Hotel in Hurghada for £599 pp, departing Gatwick on October 15. Windsurfing, canoeing and sailing are included in the price; one of the best places to learn the sport, pre-booked British Kite-Surfing Association courses for beginners through to experienced kite-surfers cost from £51 (25% off). Departures are available throughout the winter; courses must be pre-cooked by November 9.
Departing on November 22, Jetsave is offering a 15-day tour Canadian Winter Wonderland escorted tour for £1,299 per person. Travel from Toronto to Vancouver on board the Canadian, a luxurious train, with 4 nights in Jasper en route and followed by 4 nights in Vancouver. The price includes Air Canada flights Heathrow, accommodation in hotels and aboard the Canadian, and an experienced tour director.
PCI Holidays is offering 15% off villa rental on the Costa Brava throughout October, including half-term week. Close to Pals, Villa Blanca sleeps up to 6 in 3 bedrooms with a shared pool and is a short walk from shops, restaurants, a tennis club, golf course and the beach. Rental for 7 nights from October 24 costs £470; flights to Girona currently cost around £195 pp.
Kirker Holidays is offering 3 nights for the price of 2 at the 4* deluxe Relais Oud Huis Amsterdam, one of Bruges’ most charming hotels. Departing between Friday and Tuesday throughout October, November and December (excluding Christmas and New Year), the cost of £398 pp includes Leisure Select (first class) Eurostar to Brussels, rail tickets to Bruges, 3 nights B&B and Kirker’s guide notes to restaurants and sightseeing.
From 101 Holidays newsdesk
Thomson Tailormade is offering a week at the 3* plus Grand Pineapple Beach Resort in Antigua from £699 pp all-inclusive, a saving of £573. The price includes return flights from London Gatwick with Virgin Atlantic departing December 5, transfers and all-inclusive accommodation and non-motorised watersports.
A week’s rental with SunIsle Holidays in the Liminaki Apartments on Zante’s north-east coast departing throughout October (including half-term) now costs from £381 for up to 3 people sharing. Flights are available from a choice of UK airports and cost from £121 pp.
Prestige Holidays is offering 4 nights at the Puente Romano hotel for departures up to the end of November, saving £110 pp. For example, 4 nights departing October 4 now costs from £504 pp with return flights from Gatwick, private taxi transfers and B&B accommodation.
Anatolian Sky Holidays is offering £79 off a week’s holiday at the 4* Rhapsody Hotel in Kalkan, departing Gatwick on October 26. One week B&B now costs from £449 pp.
Classic Cottages has cut the cost of a week’s rental of La Miette, a 1st-floor apartment sleeping 3 in the Port Pendennis private gated estate in Falmouth. One week from October 3 now costs £86 pp.
Book a Qantas Walkabout fare to Australia or New Zealand, and Qantas Holidays will throw in a free night’s stopover accommodation in Singapore, Hong Kong or Bangkok for travel up to March 30 2010. Return fares cost from £935 pp.
Departing October 20, Hayes & Jarvis is offering 35% off a week’s full board at the 3* Biyadhoo resort. The package costs £699 pp including return Emirates flights from London Heathrow and speedboat transfers.
Kirker Holidays is offering 5 nights for the price of 4 at the 4* deluxe Grand Hotel Majestic on the shores of Lake Maggiore. Prices from £749 pp including flights (regional departures) to Milan, private car transfers to/from the hotel or car hire and B&B accommodation.
From 101 Holidays newsdesk
We’ve had to scratch around a bit for this week’s round-up of late offers but we’ve managed to find an eclectic mix.
One week from August 28 for up to 4 people at Cleveland Cottage on the Devon/Somerset border now costs £399 in total, a saving of £100 pp. Try your hand at the nearby clay-pigeon shooting school with one of Britain’s top shooting coaches. Details from Classic Cottages.
3 nights at the 5* de luxe Lapa Palace in Lisbon now costs £672 pp including return flights, private car transfers, B&B accommodation and a 48-hour Lisboacard for free public transport and entry to selected museums. Valid for departures up to August 29. Contact Kirker Holidays.
Save £400 pp on a 15-night escorted tour along Route 66, from Chicago to Los Angeles via St Louis, Oklamhoma, Albuquerque, Sante Fe, the Grand Canyon and Las Vegas. Scheduled flights departing September 18 and accommodation with breakfast are included. Details from Jetsave.
For stays up to December 18, save £575 pp on a 7 night stay at the new Four Seasons resort on Mahe in The Seychelles. One week on a B&B basis now costs from £2,190 pp. Details from Bailey Robinson.
Luxurious and contemporary Villa Ca’n Jordi (pictured below) on Ibiza sleeps up to 12 and is available for a week from September 5 for £7,050, a saving of £1,750. Details from CV Travel.
By 101 Holidays newsdesk
10 nights from August 25 in the Sol Pins apartments in Tamariu now costs just £594 for up to 5 people (apartment rental cost only, flights to Girona and car hire extra), saving 40% on the original price. Details from PCI Holidays.
A week from August 22 at Butterfly Farmhouse near Ilfracombe costs £1,625 - saving £500 - for up to 12 people. Contact Classic Cottages.
3 nights B&B in Prague’s 5* Hotel Aria with flights, private transfers and a private 2-hour walking tour from £658 pp - saving £154 - for departures up to August 31. Details from Kirker Holidays.
A week for 2 from August 22 in Ca Na Xidoia, a stone-fronted cottage with private pool near Old Alcudia, now costs £1,150 (villa rental cost only, flights and car hire extra), saving £200. Details from Vintage Travel.
A week from September 10 at the 3* Mermaid Hotel on Sri Lanka’s Kalutara beach now costs just £499 pp all-inclusive (including Emirates flights). Details from Hayes & Jarvis.
On selected departure dates in September, a week at the St Lucian by Rex Resorts, bang on Reduit Beach, costs from £799 pp all inclusive including a free room upgrade (saving £200 pp) or a week at the Sandals Halcyon Beach costs from £1,399 pp all-inclusive (saving £400 pp). Details from Tropical Sky.
7 nights at the Shangri-La Rasa Sayang on Batu Feringgi Beach, now costs from £1,055, B&B, a saving of £420. Departures between now and November 30. Details from Tropical Locations.
Departing from Manchester on September 5, a week self-catering in a villa in the Riverside Holiday Village costs from £466 pp, saving £178 pp. Details from Anatolian Sky.
By 101 Holidays newsdesk
Head for Thailand in September and save £785 pp on an 8-night luxury Thailand and Jungle Safari with Tropical Locations. The price, from £1,119 pp, includes 6 nights on the beach staying at the 5* Sarojin in Khao Lak on a B&B basis, 2 nights full-board at the Elephant Hills tented camp, an elephant-back safari, scheduled flights and private transfers. Book by September 7 for departures throughout September. For more details, visit Tropical Locations.
In the UK, Classic Cottages is offering 20% off stays at The Old Coach House in Dorset’s stunning Piddle Valley. Sleeping 4, a week from August 14 now costs £677, a saving of £169. Set in the village of Ansty Cross, this stylish hideaway is in easy striking distance of spectacular Lulworth Cove, the market town of Dorchester and one of the region’s finest foodie pubs, The European (as testified by 101 Holidays Director, Catherine Leech, who lives locally). More details from Classic Cottages.
Kirker Holidays is offering 5 nights for the price of 4 at La Perouse hotel in Nice from £760 pp for departures up to August 31. Soak up the poolside views of the Baie des Anges or explore Nice’s charming old town and flower market. The price includes return scheduled flights, private transfers and accommodation on a B&B basis. Kirker’s handy guide notes will give you some cracking restaurant recommendations too. More details from Kirker Holidays.
Save £150 pp on a week’s stay at the Grand Hotel Anthelia in Tenerife. Departing September 1, a week with Prestige Holidays now costs from £854 pp on a B&B basis, including flights and private transfers. Set on the waterfront in Costa Adeje, this 5* resort has a spa, 7 pools, 5 restaurants, a children’s club, tennis courts and reduced green fees at a choice of local golf courses. More details from Prestige Holidays.
Hurtigruten is offering free flights, 2 free excursions and no single supplement on bookings made by August 31 for their Classic Round Voyage departing on selected dates from October to December. Departures include Christmas and the New Year and there’s a great chance of seeing the Northern Lights. This 11-night cruise now costs from £957 per person full-board including free flights from a range of UK airports. More information from Hurtigruten.
Hayes & Jarvis is offering a week at the 3.5* Veranda Paul & Virginie hotel on Mauritius for £699 pp from September 1, a saving of £275 pp. The price includes half-board accommodation, flights with Emirates Airlines and transfers. More details from Hayes & Jarvis.