Travel deals, tips, insider news and comment by 101 Holidays editors, Mark Hodson and David Wickers
Holiday details: See in the New Year at Niton Barns on the Isle of Wight.
Enjoy six nights self-catering in Haven Cottage, located in the picturesque village of Niton. The five-star converted barn is characterful yet contemporary, has top-notch eco-friendly credentials, and sleeps six people.
Price: £95 pp (based on six people sharing) and return Wightlink car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington.
Date: 28 December 2011
Book with: Wightlink
From 101 Holidays newsdesk
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band will headline on Sunday 24 June at the 2012 Isle of Wight Festival; Wightlink is offering ferry-inclusive festival tickets from 9am Friday 25th November.
It’s The Boss’s first gig on the Isle of Wight and tickets for the event (from 22 to 24 June) are expected to sell out fast.
Three-day non-camping festival and travel tickets cost from £183.70 for foot passengers and £255.50 for a car and driver; 4 people travelling together by car will pay £201.65 each.
Camping-inclusive packages are also available from £214.70 for foot passengers, £286.50 for a car and driver and £232.65 pp for 4 travelling together.
Special rates are available for motorbikes and children aged 15 or under. A special delivery charge of £7.50 will be added to each booking.
Tickets go on sale at 9am Friday 25th November.
Find out more from Wightlink.
By Polly Crossman
April is National Pet Month in the UK and two holiday companies – Wightlink and Helpful Holidays – are encouraging dog lovers to travel with their pets.
Dogs travel free of charge on Wightlink ferry trips to the Isle of Wight and are even allowed into the passenger lounge for the duration of the journey.
With more than 500 miles of footpaths for dogs and their walkers to enjoy and many beautiful beaches welcoming dogs outside of the peak summer season, the Isle of Wight makes a fantastic family choice.
Wightlink’s new Green Getaways programme also encourages guests to visit with their dogs, staying at a range of pooch-friendly self-catering properties. At Niton Barns (pictured above right) a week’s stay for a family of 4 and their dog in a newly-converted luxury barn costs £665, including return ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington.
Helpful Holidays has more than 330 properties welcoming man’s best friend on holiday in the West Country. Properties on Exmoor and Dartmoor will be perfect for those with big dogs needing long walks, with options aplenty for lengthy rambles over the moors – a week’s stay for two at The Retreat, Dartmoor, located on a 70 acre farm, welcoming dogs and also boasting a hot tub, is £435.
For smaller or older pets, Helpful Holidays suggests houses close to gentle walking trails near the coast and sandy beaches. An 18th Century Cottage (sleeps 4) at St Kew, near the north coast, costs from £368 for a week, while water loving dogs would be at home at Carsilgey (sleeps 9), a detached house overlooking the 4-mile stretch of sand at Gwithian Towans, south of Newquay – this is available for Easter week, costing £843.
Options for holidays in the UK and abroad at this time of the year abound – with or without your dog. See our other recommendations for Easter Holiday ideas and holidays in April for more inspiration.
Holiday details: Wightlink is offering a last minute one-night Valentine’s getaway to the exclusive boutique sea-facing hotel The Hambrough, Ventnor, saving 50% off accommodation.
The package also includes a six-course dinner at the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant in the price – the romantically-themed tasting menu includes Champagne, Cornish oysters and seared scallops.
Price: £150.50 pp – half price accommodation. Price also includes six-course dinner, breakfast and return car ferry crossings with Wightlink from Portsmouth or Lymington.
Date: departs 14 February 2011.
Book with: Wightlink
From 101 Holidays newsdesk
Wightlink is offering a three night family break with a distinctly ghostly theme on the Isle of Wight during the half-term holiday.
The 18th century historic and reputedly haunted Appuldurcombe House will host its annual ‘Spooktacular‘ each evening between October 26-31, with an extra-spooky event at 9pm on Friday 29 and Saturday 30. Take a ghost walk through the woods, brave the dungeons of death and gruesome graveyard, and be prepared for spooky encounters in the rooms and cellars. There’s a falconry centre too and the grounds were designed by Capability Brown.
Stay for 3 nights in nearby Niton Barns, luxury self-catering accommodation from 29 October for £110pp (based on four sharing) including return car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington. Dogs are welcome too!
Super Saver daytrips are also available from £36 return for a family of four with a car.
Spooktacular at Appuldurcombe costs £24 for a family of four.
Click here for more about Wightlink’s breaks in the Isle of Wight.
Holiday details: 3 nights on a ‘Summer Special’ mid-week break on the Isle of Wight staying at stylish The Hambrough in the pretty town of Ventnor. Perched over the sea on the south coast, the hotel is a great choice for foodies – it’s home to the island’s only Michelin-starred restaurant.
Price: from £178.50 pp, B&B, based on 2 people sharing, saving 30%. The price includes return ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington. Guests are required to dine at least once in the restaurant (£55pp for 3 courses).
Dates: departs August 24, 2010
Book with: Wightlink
From 101 Holidays newsdesk
The Isle of Wight’s most off-beat event, the 2010 Garlic Festival takes place in rural Newchurch on 14th and 15th August.
The festival, sponsored by ferry operator Wightlink, celebrates all things garlic, enabling visitors to try garlic neat, garlic smoked, garlic sausages, garlic beer and even garlic ice-cream.
The 2010 Garlic Festival also provides a wide range of family entertainment, including music by top local bands, TITAN the Robot, Punch and Judy, magic shows and sheep dog trials. Visitors will also have the chance to buy a range of local produce to take home.
Tickets are only available on the gate and cost £7.50 for adults and £4 for children aged 5–15 (under 5s free).
A family (up to 2 adults and 3 children) can get to the Garlic Festival from only £36 using a Wightlink Wight Rover day return ticket, which combines foot passenger ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington and unlimited travel for the day on Southern Vectis buses.
Click here for more about the 2010 Garlic Festival.
Find out more about local food and the Isle of Wight’s producers in Wightlink’s Wight Taste Trail.
Holiday details: 7 nights on the Isle of Wight, including return car ferry crossing, staying in the luxurious Worsley Barn in the picturesque village of Niton, South Wight. Perfect for families, the barn has underfloor heating, a patio and BBQ facilities and is close to beautiful coves, beaches and countryside.
Price: from £660 for a family of four, self-catering, including return car ferry crossings from Portsmouth or Lymington.
Dates: April 2 to 9, 2010
Book with: Wightlink
