The Globe Trotter: 24 August
Present-day technology is all very well, but for charm and elegance, you really have to look to the past. How about one of these lovely nostalgia breaks, at home or abroad?
Plas Rhianfa, overlooking the Menai Strait near Beaumaris, Anglesey, in north Wales, is a stunning, newly renovated, grade II-listed Loire Valley French chateau-style house built in 1849. Sightseeing of local stately homes and excursions by RIB (Rigid Inflatable Boat) can be arranged, but nothing offers a quaint feel more than a steam train. Plas Rhianfa is offering The Lady readers two free tickets for the Snowdon Mountain Railway when booking a minimum of two nights in September at their special rate, starting from £210 per night for a superior suite, including dinner, bed and breakfast. The train trip must be booked in advance and chugs up to the summit of Snowdon to breathtaking views.
01248-713656 quoting The Lady, www.clarenco.com
Guests of the Bedruthan Steps Hotel, Trenance, Mawgan Porth, near Newquay, can learn how to bake bread on a special break this autumn. Baker and chef Tom Hazzledine will be sharing his breadmaking skills and you’ll get to bake a whole host of goodies from focaccia to bagels, as well as sampling the end products. The two-night break (12 to 14 October) costs from £324 per person, including tuition and full board in one of Cornwall’s most beautiful spots.
01637-860860, www.bedruthan.com
The Priory Hotel, Wareham, a riverside retreat not far from historic Corfe Castle, Dorset, dates back 1,300 years and has beautiful gardens overlooking the River Frome. It’s also only a stone’s throw from The Rex, a charming, independent cinema and originally the Oddfellows Hall, built in 1889. It has an old-fashioned ticket booth and a small bar selling Dorset ales – it’s among few cinemas in the UK where it’s possible to have a glass of wine or beer while watching the film. A one-night stay at The Priory Hotel, including a pair of tickets to The Rex, dinner, bed and breakfast, costs from £144 per person.
0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com
The Priory Hotel, Dorset
Capture the glamour of a bygone era by exploring the Cotswolds countryside in a gorgeous Morgan Plus 4 convertible. Stylish town house The Hotel in Cheltenham is close to all the boutiques and art galleries, and offers a two-night Morgan Luxury Weekend Break from £438 per person, including two-day hire of the car, champagne and canapés on arrival, accommodation in a superior room, fresh flowers and full English breakfast.
0800-089 3929, www.prideofbritainhotels.com
And finally… one abroad. Relive the elegance of Agatha Christie’s Death On The Nile. After a 15-year break, the 10-night ‘long cruise’ on the Nile, from Cairo all the way down to Aswan, is back. Abercrombie & Kent is offering several departures next year (10 or 24 May, 2 July, 10 September) on Sanctuary Sun Boat IV or Sanctuary Nile Adventurer. In keeping with the retro golden-era ambiance of the luxurious Sanctuary cruise boats, guests can enjoy a 1930s-themed party, so pack your finery.
0845-485 1526, www.abercrombiekent.co.uk
Prices are lead-in, per person, based on two sharing and subject to availability.
Contact Wendy at Wendy.Gomersall@lady.co.uk
Make a beeline for... The Devonshire Arms in the Yorkshire Dales has just moved 6,000 bees into a new hive in the kitchen garden. The busy bees will produce lime and heather honey to be used in the hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant. A two-night stay costs from £167.50 per person, including dinner and breakfast. 0800-089 3929, www.thedevonshirearms.co.uk
Pilates retreats Melanie Walters (Gwen in Gavin & Stacey) is leading Pilates Retreats at Champneys Tring, 28 to 30 September and Champneys Forest Mere on 12 to 14 October. Melanie is an Advanced Pilates trainer and presenter. The price, from £399.95 per person, includes all meals and use of facilities. 0843-316 2222, www.champneys.com
Mystery cruise Hebridean Island Cruises is offering seven-night mystery cruises aboard the luxurious Hebridean Princess. The Hebridean Surprise cruise, departing from Oban on 25 September, costs from £3,310 per person or £2,890 per person, departing on 8 October 2013. 01756-704700, www.hebridean.co.uk