On Garda for a spring break
flower viewing. The blossom season is so important, the tourist office publishes a detailed forecast (jnto.go.jp/ sakura/eng/index.php). HOW: If you want to see blossom, som, you will pay a high price. Inside de Japan’s 13-night Spring Elegance tour costs from £3,024pp (insidejapantours.com), excluding international flights. WHEN: March to early May. The lilypads in Claude Monet’s water garden at Giverny in Normandy, northern France, inspired his most famous paintings. And the gardens still look exactly as he intended.
They bloom in summer, and are now looked after ENJOY springtime beside the waters of Italy’s Lake Garda with a week selfcatering for £479. C Citalia is offering the deal at the three-star Belverdere V Village Apartments near P Peschiera del Garda and L Lazise. And if you tire of by an English head gardener, who whips them up into seasonal palettes of colour. HOW:HO Travel with Brittany Ferries, sailing from PortsmouthPort to Le Havre (brittany-ferries.co.uk). You’ll need to buy a timed ticket to Monet’s house anda garden (fondation-monet.com). Stay in the picture-postcard fishing port of Honfleur, a key place in the development of Impressionism, across the river from Le Havre. Cour Sainte Catherine (coursaintecatherine.com) offers doubles from £105. WHEN: July and August. And finally, time for something completely different – experiencing the best of lounging by the lake, the Gardaland theme park is a 10-minute drive away. The package includes private resort transfers and return flights from Stansted with Ryanair on May 10.Call 01293 765 066 or visit citalia.com. spring in the southern hemisphere, which actually comes at the end of our summer. For most of the year, South Africa’s Northern Cape is arid, mountainous country. That is, until mid August, when the orange Namaqualand daisy rears its head. They are followed by crowds of gazanias, goose eyes and ice plants, in stunning shades of lemon and purple, scarlet and pink, linen white and china blue. Suddenly the rocky wilderness is completely slathered in colour, as if angels had kicked over a pain paint stall. HOW:HOW Saga Holidays’ Wild Flora of the Cap Cape package (travel.saga.co.uk), which co costs from £2,545, all inclusive, and de departs August 24, is a 16-night itin itinerary that includes Namaqualand, alo along with lots of other beautiful bot botanical experiences. WHEN:WHE Mid August to mid September. We’re thinking of a holiday in the UK this year. What do you suggest to jazz things up a bit? One of the nicest things to have on a holiday is a hot tub. They are the most sought-after features in self-catered properties and it is easy to see why.
Having a beer or a glass of something after lounging on the beach, playing in the surf or romping over the moors is the perfect way to round off a day.
According to cottage specialist cottages.com, almost 50,000 people searched for properties that feature a hot tub during February.
And it is not just cottages that have them, glamping tents and yurts often include them too. See cottages.com or call 0345 498 6900.