The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
Last-minute CLASSIC SUN & SAND
NO-FLY HOLIDAYS
LANZAROTE ALL-INCLUSIVE A 10-minute walk from a sandy beach, the four-star Holiday Village Lanzarote in Playa Blanca suits families looking for kids’ clubs, swimming sessions and football tuition. There are three restaurants and three bars, plus a splash park for small children and an aerial adventure course for over-6s. Tui (020 3451 2688; tui.co.uk) offers stays at the 4T Holiday Village Lanzarote from £1,002 all-inclusive, based on a family room. Departs July 25
BY THE SEA NEAR BODRUM
On the beach in the small resort of Ortakent, the low-rise Tamarisk hotel has flower-filled gardens surrounded by a large swimming pool. There is windsurfing, sailing, waterskiing and kayaking available locally, and Bodrum is only 20 minutes away. Cachet Travel (020 8847 8700; cachet-travel.co.uk) offers stays at Tamarisk Beach Hotel, from £1,245 half-board. Departs August 4
ALGARVE KIDS’ CLUB
Ideal for families who want space and kitchen facilities, the Pestana Dom
Joao II villa-hotel is a short walk to the town of Alvor with kids’ club activities for 4-12s. Sports include tennis and volleyball and it has two pools in its leafy grounds, plus live music and shows in the evenings.
Easyjet Holidays (easyjet.com) offers stays at Pestana Dom Joao II villas from £1,145, based on a superior two-bedroom villa. Departs August 2
LESVOS ISLAND ESCAPE
A simply furnished, family-friendly place on the edge of Skala Kalloni on the island of Lesvos, with a large sun terrace and freshwater swimming pool in grassy gardens, the Pela Hotel is just under five minutes’ walk from the beach and there are child-friendly tavernas close by.
Sunvil (020 8568 4499; sunvil.co.uk) offers stays at the Pela Hotel from £1,298 based on a family room (children must be under 11). Departs August 4
MASSERIA IN PUGLIA
Originally a farmhouse, the four-star Masseria Santa Lucia has guest rooms in the main building and more scattered around its gardens, overlooking the Adriatic. Within easy reach of Ostuni and the “trulli” of Alberobello, it has a swimming pool, sandy beach, wellness centre, tennis, golf and a restaurant specialising in traditional Apulian cuisine. Citalia (01293 324671; citalia.com) offers stays at Masseria Santa Lucia from £1,125 based on two interconnecting rooms. Departs July 27
CALVI IN CORSICA
Calvi, in the north of the island, offers families a good choice of restaurants, watersports and a lovely sandy bay. Boat and catamaran trips are readily available from Calvi harbour to some of the surrounding bays and to Scandola Nature Reserve, a World Heritage site with spectacular rock formations. Serenity Holidays (01489 866931; corsica.co.uk) offers stays at Hôtel Casa Bianca from £1,244 based on a suite. Departs August 7
Prices quoted are per person, for a seven-night stay, based on a family of four with two children under 12, including breakfast (except in villas), flights and transfers unless otherwise stated. All are subject to availability and prices may rise
CAMPING À LA FRANCAISE
Head to Biscarrosse for a stay at fivestar Campsite Mayotte Vacances with pine-shaded pitches, four outdoor swimming pools and sandy, lakeside beaches. On-site activities include mini golf, volleyball, pétanque, table tennis, beach soccer and a supervised children’s club.
Canvas Holidays (0345 268 0827; canvasholidays.co.uk) offers Campsite Mayotte Vacances from £263 (tent) or £291 (mobile home). Channel crossing costs extra. Departs July 30
COAST OF CANTABRIA
Discover one of northern Spain’s best beaches, plus the summer resort and old town of Comillas, with its cobbled streets, fishing harbour and art-deco architecture, including Gaudi’s El
Capricho villa, which is decorated with ceramic sunflowers. Activities include a range of watersports, as well as excursions to Oyambre and the Picos de Europa national parks.
Brittany Ferries (0330 159 7000; brittany-ferries.co.uk) offers the Hotel Abba Comillas Golf in Comillas, with swimming pool and nine-hole golf course, from £650 based on a family room, including a Plymouth-Santander return crossing. Departs August 7
FAMILY FJORDS
Timed for the school holidays, P&O’s family cruises offer an on-board kids’ zone, the Reef, aimed at 2-17s, with activities ranging from sports coaching to talent shows. The itinerary along the Norwegian coast includes stops at the fjords’ gateway harbour town, Stavanger, and the Viking homeland of Haugesund.
P&O Cruises (0344 338 8003; pocruises. com) offers this Norwegian Fjords cruise from Southampton on Iona from £749 full-board in a sea view cabin (children aged 2-17). Departs July
NORMANDY CENTER PARCS Discover the Aqua Mundo water park at Les Bois-Francs Center Parc in Normandy, with slides, wave pool and water playhouse. Further highlights include a mini-farm, a pony club and a new action factory with climbing wall. DFDS (033 0587 8787; dfds.com) offers Center Parcs Les Bois-Francs in Normandy, a two-hour drive from Dieppe, from £606 full-board based on a comfort cottage including a Newhaven-Dieppe return crossing. Departs August 12
KERRY COUNTRYSIDE
Escape to the beauty of Co Kerry for a scenic stay at Raheen, a stone-built farmhouse sleeping six, near Waterville with views over Lough Currane. Activities include walking, fishing and lake swimming, with golf, riding, windsurfing, scuba diving and a choice of sandy beaches close by.
Shamrock Cottages (01823 660126; shamrockcottages.co.uk) offers Raheen from £1,675 including Stena ferry crossings between Fishguard-Rosslare. Departs August 6
DUTCH WATER PARK
With a theme park offering over 40 rides and attractions and a Tiki Pool Waterpark with 21 waterslides, the Duinrell in Wassenaar, southern Holland, offers plenty of high-octane family entertainment. On-site sporting activities include football, volleyball and crazy golf.
Eurocamp (01606 787125; eurocamp.co.uk) offers an eight-night stay at a two-bedroom comfort mobile home at Duinrell from £1,628 rental only. Channel crossing costs extra. Departs August