British Isles
The owners of beautiful Exbury Gardens in the New Forest have a novel
idea for June 7 and 8: petal fall weekend. Children will be admitted free
and encouraged to pick up fallen petals from the rhododendrons and azaleas
for a giant collage to be made. The Forest Park Hotel in the heart of the
forest at Brockenhurst has family rooms from £130 a night; the Montagu Arms
Hotel, Beaulieu, has rooms for two with breakfast from £190. 0808
1449494 / 01590 612234
Early June is still a good time for discounted holidays and Cumbrian Cottages
has savings of up to £150 on a four-bedroom, two-bathroom house for eight in
the village of Finsthwaite at the southern edge of Windermere. Red
Deer Lodge overlooks woods and the church and costs £592 for a week from
June 7, 14 or 21. 01228 599960
A stone cottage, also with four bedrooms, all en suite, is on offer with an
£80 saving with holidaylets.net. High Tipalt is set on an upland farm in the
Northumbrian National Park close to Hadrian's Wall, has use of an
indoor pool and costs £420 for a week from June 7. 01234 756945
A newly renovated ground-floor flat in a Victorian seaside villa close to the
Cobb in Lyme Regis is now available for rental. It has a double and a
single bedroom, both with views of the coast and a welcome for a
well-behaved dog. Cost: £300 for a week from May 30 and June 7. 01297
678424
The Royal Cornwall Show in Wadebridge, featuring agriculture, food and
displays by motorcycle and parachute teams from June 5 to 7, provides an
extra reason for visiting the county - and staying at the Old Quay House
Hotel, above the estuary in Fowey. Rooms for two from £145 a night with
breakfast. 01726 833302
Dragon Trails has discounts of 20 per cent on a hosted walking holiday in West
Wales for a week from May 31. Afternoon tea, dinner and B&B in a
country house near Cardigan, and guided walks with a picnic lunch each day
exploring the wildlife and scenery of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park,
cost £336. 01600 750463
Scotts Castle Holidays still has properties available for Bank Holiday week at
Fordyce Castle, near Banff and a mile from the coast. The West Wing
is full of character, has shot holes in the walls and a bathroom with a
cast-iron rolltop bath; Lady Margaret Cottage is a smart 19th-century
cotter's cottage beside the castle. Both sleep four and cost £475 for a week
from May 24 and are also available for the next four weeks. 01208 821341
Short haul
Available for a week from tomorrow is a three-bedroom house with a pool near
the whitewashed village of Gaucín and a 13th-century castle in the hills of Andalusia.
This holiday costs £445 a person with Simpson Travel, based on five
travelling, with flights and car hire. 020-8392 5853
Sunvil Sailing invites you to join a social flotilla cruising around the Greek
Ionian Islands for a week from June 1 or 8. Prices start at £399, including
flights from Gatwick, transfers to Sunvil's base at Nidri on Lefkas,
accommodation on board and tuition for inexperienced sailors - but with
extra costs for some meals and boat services. 020-8758 4780
A modern cottage for up to seven with views of the river in the western Loire
is available for a week from May 31 with Holiday France Direct. It costs
£375 and is well-placed to visit Saumur, Villandry gardens, the Zoo de Doue
and troglodyte villages. Travel discounts available with Brittany Ferries. 07811
396052
The Thomas Cook group has good deals in three-star hotels in Turkey for
a week from June 9 with flights from Gatwick. Choose from B&B at the
Sidero Hotel, Marmaris, on a Sunset holiday from £234, or a room at the
Jasmin Beach Hotel, Gumbet, on an Airtours holiday from £183. 0845
0702530 / 0871 6647625
A week's half-board at the three-star Hotel Monopol, north Tenerife,
costs from £519 with the Classic Collection - with no supplements for guests
staying on their own. The deal applies to holidays taken between June 10 and
20 and includes a flight from Gatwick and private transfers. 0800 0087299
Does a week in a cowboy ranch appeal to you? If so, you don't have to travel
to the US, just to Italy. The three-star Tenuta Dell' Argento Hotel,
overlooking the sea near the port of Civitavecchia, is run as a ranch, with
cattle-roping lessons and riding from £20 an hour. A week's B&B
from July 12 costs £315 with Carefree Italy. Travel extra. 0871
7000850
Long haul
Three days of pirate events for all the family, including a ball, battles and
parade, take place in Florida from June 6 to 9 in the St Petersburg
and Clearwater area. Enjoy them on a fortnight's holiday from May 29 with
Travel City Direct from £389. The deal includes a flight from Gatwick, car
hire, a week at the Ramada Plaza Gateway and a week at Holiday Inn Sunspree
Marina Cove hotels. 0871 9112415
The unrequited, legendary love of Paul and Virginie is celebrated in a new
three-star hotel of the same name on the northern tip of Mauritius. Hayes &
Jarvis offer the opportunity to learn the legend and discover the hotel on a
week's B&B break from June 16 for £749 - a good price for this island
and including an Air Mauritius flight from Heathrow. 0871 6640246
All prices are per person and based on two travelling together and sharing
a room, unless stated otherwise.
