Now’s the time for bagging bargains
EVERY week our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: why the end of the year is a great time to book a holiday.
THE days between Christmas and New Year’s Eve may not seem an obvious time to book a holiday in the sun. But tour firms are desperate to add extra bookings to their year-end totals, so bargains abound.
Better still, it’s easy to find lowand no-deposit deals with flexible terms so you can switch your dates and destination for free if needed.
Many tour firms are also throwing in new Covid insurance to win business. Here are six offers from around the world taking bookings now…
For something completely different, check out the architecture of the Titanic Beach Lara Hotel in Turkey. The brand-new main building is designed to look like a giant cruise liner and the hotel is perfect for families.
There’s a water park, four pools, a private beach, a spa and more than a dozen places to eat and drink. Take advantage of a kids’ club in the day and live entertainment at night. Find the hotel in the Luxe Collection with jet2holidays.com.
All-inclusive weeks from £799pp with low deposits and kids-go-free deals on early bookings.
In Cyprus, a short 20-minute transfer from Paphos airport takes guests to the Atlantica Aphrodite Hills Resort where swim-up rooms let you go straight from your terrace to one of the four pools. Work up a sweat on the tennis court or 18-hole golf course, then relax in the Retreat Spa with Greco-Roman heat rooms and saunas.
Tui.co.uk is offering at least £150 off early bookings where no-deposit, all-inclusive weeks start at £990pp. Travel before May 2021 and free Covid cover is included that guarantees extended stays and new flights home if you’re asked to quarantine while away.
Deep discounts are on offer if you book a week on the Mexican riviera where you can go seakayaking, snorkelling or scubadiving at the Now Sapphire resort. You can also observe baby turtles crawl across the sand as part of the hotel’s turtle-release programme.
Staff with Red Cross qualifications look after your kids in play areas while parents take a break at swim-up bars. Dialaflight.com has negotiated price cuts of almost 50 per cent for early bookings. Allinclusive weeks start at £1,135pp.
Some of the most glamorous Caribbean islands also have offers galore and Barbados is especially good value. You can book seven nights at the Halcyon Palm on the island’s Platinum Coast from just £529pp, including flights with British Airways, with deposits starting at just £75pp. The one-bedroom apartments contain mini-kitchens plus balconies looking across gardens towards the pool. More details at ba.com/barbados.
Sporty Antigua is another sparkling option. Gaze at millionaires’ yachts from a waterside room at the surprisingly intimate Antigua Yacht Club Marina Resort, where sevennight trips start at £745pp with direct flights from virginholidays. co.uk.
Or for a real adventure, fly to the ‘cowboy town’ of Calgary in Canada. Ride a mechanical rodeo bull in a bar on your first night, then collect a motorhome for eight days driving through the Canadian Rockies. A highlight is Dinosaur Park, home to more dinosaur fossils than anywhere else on Earth.
Ten-day Canadian trips including a motorhome, maps and support start at £664 for two with trailfinders. com. It has return flights to Canada from about £454.