Go Continental
You don’t have to travel for hours and miles and miles to find a great holiday, whether it’s a short break or the full fortnight of relaxation you’re after. There are many wonderful places on our doorstep in Western Europe, with particularly good reasons to go in 2013.
Marseille is the European Capital of Culture 2013, and makes a great short-break destination for opera lovers. Highlights include American soprano Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet as Elektra, Inva Mula as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello and Carmen Giannattasio as Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito.
Kirker Holidays has a concierge who can book tickets for you. For instance, two-night weekend breaks cost from £539 per person, including flights from Heathrow and a four-star superior hotel with breakfast. The company’s new and first-ever dedicated brochure to France features holidays in Corsica, the Camargue and the champagne town of Epernay, too.
020-7593 2283, www.kirkerholidays.com
Just 24 square miles and only an hour’s flight from eight UK airports, Guernsey is renowned for its distinctive mix of French and English heritage, as well as wonderful local food. Sightseeing can include a visit to Victor Hugo’s private home, Hauteville House, where the author completed his epic novel Les Misérables, now a film starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Or time your visit for the Guernsey Autumn Floral Festival in October.
The refurbished Duke of Richmond, St Peter Port, is one of the most stylish hotels to open on the island. The latest addition to the awardwinning boutique Red Carnation Hotels collection, the four-star hotel’s Leopard Bar and Restaurant, offers delicious cocktails, fine wines and cuisine, and the outdoor terrace has a heated swimming pool and sun deck. Rooms cost from £130 per night. Flights to Guernsey operate from many UK airports.
01481-726221, www.dukeofrichmond.com www.visitguernsey.com
Combine exercise, culture and relaxation on Spanish Thyme Traveller’s new Iberos Tour. The walking holiday incorporates four different parts of the Valencian interior – the vineyard area of Fontanares; canyons and hills under the partial shade pine, olive and carob trees; open plains, ideal for spotting peregrine falcons and Bonelli’s eagles; and a hike into the mountains.
Highlights include beautiful countryside, the medieval city of Xativa, original home of the Borgias, independent wineries, and archaeological remains dating back more than 2,500 years.
The five-night tours, from €1,180 (£962) run from late September and include accommodation with breakfast and most meals, transport (but not flights) and pick up, Englishspeaking tour leader, local guides and entrance fees.
00 34 96 225 41 48, www.thespanishthymetraveller.com
You don’t have to spend all your holiday sightseeing – do save time for some much needed rest and relaxation, too. Luxury travel specialist Western & Oriental’s new Beaches And Retreats programme for 2013 offers more Greece, including the new Daios Cove Luxury Resort and Villas in Crete, the largest and probably the most well known of the Greek islands.
The new resort occupies a hillside location in a secluded cove with its own private beach, is family-friendly with a crèche and kids’ club, and has four restaurants, three bars, a spa and fitness centre and a water-sports station. Prices start from £929 per person for a week at half board, including flights and transfers.
020-7666 1234, www.wandotravel.com
We all want to return from holiday a stone slimmer and a lot healthier – and we can with new Illumanis fitness holidays. Fitness sessions and nutritional presentations are led by experienced trainers and consultants, guests can expect to lose up to a stone of body fat and kick-start a new healthy way of life, all in five-star luxury in Turkey. A week’s Ultimate Weight Loss programme, from £1,295 per person, for example, combines a precise diet with resistance-training to avoid the weight gains that yo-yo dieters often incur. There’s time to use the hotel’s extensive facilities, visit nearby Alanya and book in for a massage, too. The price include flights from Gatwick, seven nights’ half board and all training and fitness sessions and supplements.
01670-785015, www.illumanis.com
The Portuguese island of Madeira is a flower-lover’s favourite holiday choice, and the place to stay has to be Reid’s Palace, a charming, luxurious retreat with sub-tropical gardens. You’ll find a spa hidden in the trees, offering gorgeous treatments featuring world-class spa brands including Aromatherapy Associates, La Prairie, and LaStone.
Book a seven-night holiday here by 31 March with Carrier and get 15 per cent off, so pay from £1,205 per person. The price includes breakfast, return flights from London Gatwick, a complimentary regional spa treatment, plus €30 spa credit. The offer is valid for travel between 3 to 30 June.
0161-492 1357, www.carrier.co.uk
Berlin stars in the video promoting David Bowie’s first single in 10 years, Where Are We Now?, in which he is seen reminiscing over old haunts. One of the coolest cities in Germany, Berlin is an intriguing mix of East and West, old and new. Sightseeing includes the Brandenburg Gate, of course, the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi Exhibition and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
German Travel Centre offers a two-night break from £249 per person, including return flights from Heathrow, Birmingham or Manchester and B&B accommodation in a centrally located hotel.
020-8429 2900, www.germantravelcentre.co.uk/offer/germany/berlin
This year Amsterdam is celebrating the 400th anniversary of its famous canals and in April, the fully renovated Rijksmuseum reopens after a 10-year closure. The museum is famously home to art from the Golden Age of Dutch painting, including masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. Amsterdam is a great minibreak destination for Brits, because it’s so easy to get there. Stay somewhere different – a canal boat at Water Home, moored in Oud West, a tranquil residential neighbourhood 10 minutes’ walk from the heart of old Amsterdam. The whole boat costs from £124 per night and has two double bedrooms and one double sofa bed, accommodating up to five adults. Airline easyJet flies to Amsterdam from several UK airports.
0117-942 8476, www.i-escape.com
OPERA IN MARSEILLE
Marseille is the European Capital of Culture 2013, and makes a great short-break destination for opera lovers. Highlights include American soprano Jeanne-Michèle Charbonnet as Elektra, Inva Mula as Desdemona in Verdi’s Otello and Carmen Giannattasio as Vitellia in Mozart’s La Clemenza Di Tito.
Kirker Holidays has a concierge who can book tickets for you. For instance, two-night weekend breaks cost from £539 per person, including flights from Heathrow and a four-star superior hotel with breakfast. The company’s new and first-ever dedicated brochure to France features holidays in Corsica, the Camargue and the champagne town of Epernay, too.
020-7593 2283, www.kirkerholidays.com
FOOD AND HUGO IN GUERNSEY
Just 24 square miles and only an hour’s flight from eight UK airports, Guernsey is renowned for its distinctive mix of French and English heritage, as well as wonderful local food. Sightseeing can include a visit to Victor Hugo’s private home, Hauteville House, where the author completed his epic novel Les Misérables, now a film starring Hugh Jackman and Russell Crowe. Or time your visit for the Guernsey Autumn Floral Festival in October.
The refurbished Duke of Richmond, St Peter Port, is one of the most stylish hotels to open on the island. The latest addition to the awardwinning boutique Red Carnation Hotels collection, the four-star hotel’s Leopard Bar and Restaurant, offers delicious cocktails, fine wines and cuisine, and the outdoor terrace has a heated swimming pool and sun deck. Rooms cost from £130 per night. Flights to Guernsey operate from many UK airports.
01481-726221, www.dukeofrichmond.com www.visitguernsey.com
GAIN FROM SPAIN
Combine exercise, culture and relaxation on Spanish Thyme Traveller’s new Iberos Tour. The walking holiday incorporates four different parts of the Valencian interior – the vineyard area of Fontanares; canyons and hills under the partial shade pine, olive and carob trees; open plains, ideal for spotting peregrine falcons and Bonelli’s eagles; and a hike into the mountains.
Highlights include beautiful countryside, the medieval city of Xativa, original home of the Borgias, independent wineries, and archaeological remains dating back more than 2,500 years.
The five-night tours, from €1,180 (£962) run from late September and include accommodation with breakfast and most meals, transport (but not flights) and pick up, Englishspeaking tour leader, local guides and entrance fees.
00 34 96 225 41 48, www.thespanishthymetraveller.com
GREECE IS THE WORD
You don’t have to spend all your holiday sightseeing – do save time for some much needed rest and relaxation, too. Luxury travel specialist Western & Oriental’s new Beaches And Retreats programme for 2013 offers more Greece, including the new Daios Cove Luxury Resort and Villas in Crete, the largest and probably the most well known of the Greek islands.
The new resort occupies a hillside location in a secluded cove with its own private beach, is family-friendly with a crèche and kids’ club, and has four restaurants, three bars, a spa and fitness centre and a water-sports station. Prices start from £929 per person for a week at half board, including flights and transfers.
020-7666 1234, www.wandotravel.com
TURKEY AND TRIMMINGS
We all want to return from holiday a stone slimmer and a lot healthier – and we can with new Illumanis fitness holidays. Fitness sessions and nutritional presentations are led by experienced trainers and consultants, guests can expect to lose up to a stone of body fat and kick-start a new healthy way of life, all in five-star luxury in Turkey. A week’s Ultimate Weight Loss programme, from £1,295 per person, for example, combines a precise diet with resistance-training to avoid the weight gains that yo-yo dieters often incur. There’s time to use the hotel’s extensive facilities, visit nearby Alanya and book in for a massage, too. The price include flights from Gatwick, seven nights’ half board and all training and fitness sessions and supplements.
01670-785015, www.illumanis.com
MONEY OFF MADEIRA
The Portuguese island of Madeira is a flower-lover’s favourite holiday choice, and the place to stay has to be Reid’s Palace, a charming, luxurious retreat with sub-tropical gardens. You’ll find a spa hidden in the trees, offering gorgeous treatments featuring world-class spa brands including Aromatherapy Associates, La Prairie, and LaStone.
Book a seven-night holiday here by 31 March with Carrier and get 15 per cent off, so pay from £1,205 per person. The price includes breakfast, return flights from London Gatwick, a complimentary regional spa treatment, plus €30 spa credit. The offer is valid for travel between 3 to 30 June.
0161-492 1357, www.carrier.co.uk
BOWIE AND BERLIN
Berlin stars in the video promoting David Bowie’s first single in 10 years, Where Are We Now?, in which he is seen reminiscing over old haunts. One of the coolest cities in Germany, Berlin is an intriguing mix of East and West, old and new. Sightseeing includes the Brandenburg Gate, of course, the remains of the Berlin Wall, the Stasi Exhibition and the Checkpoint Charlie Museum.
German Travel Centre offers a two-night break from £249 per person, including return flights from Heathrow, Birmingham or Manchester and B&B accommodation in a centrally located hotel.
020-8429 2900, www.germantravelcentre.co.uk/offer/germany/berlin
ARTY AMSTERDAM
This year Amsterdam is celebrating the 400th anniversary of its famous canals and in April, the fully renovated Rijksmuseum reopens after a 10-year closure. The museum is famously home to art from the Golden Age of Dutch painting, including masterpieces by Rembrandt and Vermeer. Amsterdam is a great minibreak destination for Brits, because it’s so easy to get there. Stay somewhere different – a canal boat at Water Home, moored in Oud West, a tranquil residential neighbourhood 10 minutes’ walk from the heart of old Amsterdam. The whole boat costs from £124 per night and has two double bedrooms and one double sofa bed, accommodating up to five adults. Airline easyJet flies to Amsterdam from several UK airports.
0117-942 8476, www.i-escape.com