THE BALKANS
CYPRUS PAPHOS
Although the UK has been on Cyprus’s own “red list”, Nicosia has also announced that fully vaccinated British tourists will be allowed to enter the country from May 1. Like Crete, it has an enormity (3,572 square miles) that gives visitors room to breathe. The five-star Annabelle Hotel is one of a cluster of fine properties on the periphery of south-westerly Paphos. A seven-night half-board holiday, flying from Manchester on August 7, starts at £1,624 per person via Sovereign Luxury Travel (01293 832473; sovereign.com).
THE WONDERFUL WEST
As pine-scented and fragrant as anything in the Aegean, Cyprus can also be a context for breaks in which you put one foot in front of the other along winding trails – although there is no need to go at anything but your own pace. The “slow holidays” specialist Inntravel (01653 617001; inntravel.co. uk) serves up “An Island of Surprises” – a seven-night walking tour that turns an unhurried eye to the west side of the country, setting up stall in coastal Neo Chorio for strolls on the Akamas Peninsula, then going inland and uphill to do the same at Kalopanayiotis in the Troodos Mountains. From £695 per person, with car hire (flights extra). j A unhurried walking tour of the Troodos Mountains in Cyprus will reveal ancient gems such as the Kykkos Monastery
SPLIT
An increasingly central stitch in the European holiday tapestry, Croatia has been open to fully-vaccinated travellers since April 1. Its Dalmatian Coast provides a perfect alliance of splendid scenery and summer warmth, and comes with a range of villas where you can drift through a week while barely noticing the passing of time. One example is Arcadia, which sits by the sea at Zatoglav, 35 miles west of Split. It can be hired for £4,562 in the week starting September 18 (flights extra) via CV Villas (020 3504 3979; cvvillas.com).
Jacqueline Gallacher, 69, Glasgow
My husband John and I are going to the Caribbean for 10 days this September to celebrate our 48th wedding anniversary. We considered a family trip, but we wanted some peace and quiet. I’m in a bubble with my granddaughter, Amy, who’s 11. I’ve walked her to school every morning, then looked after her in the evening, for much of the pandemic. So I’m looking forward to relaxing in the sun at Sandals
Grande St Lucian, which we booked via Ayrshire agency We Travel To.
I’ve been vaccinated, but will take as many tests as they want, as long as I can go
on holiday.
Dalmatia’s islands may be even more alluring. Brac haunts a million postcards with its V-shaped beach Zlatni Rat, and has villas at rates that also catch the eye. The three-bedroom Bonaca – along the south coast from the “Golden Cape”, at Sumartin – costs from £999 a week in September (flights extra), with James Villas (0808 231 9170; jamesvillas.co.uk).
MONTENEGRO
Croatia’s neighbour to the south may also prove to be a key destination for the summer of 2021. Not only is it open to the fully vaccinated, its coastline – all 183 miles of it – is as glorious as that which frames Dubrovnik and Zadar. Senior-travel stalwart Saga (0808 274 7065; travel. saga.co.uk) acknowledges this happy fact with its escorted “Walking in Montenegro” break. This 14-night trip takes things gently, basing itself at a seaside hotel in Petrovac, then stepping out on five guided walks – including to the peaks of Lovcen National Park and the 14th century Rustovo Monastery. From £1,169 a head, with flights.
We have three
grown-up grandchildren
and a great granddaughter, who is nearly 14 months old, and we have been in
a babysitting bubble with her in lockdown. At the start of the pandemic the rules meant we couldn’t see her, so we’ve really enjoyed spending time with her, but
we’re also looking forward to a holiday. We are both fully vaccinated and so we are taking
a cruise on Saga’s Spirit of Discovery. It’s a bonus that it’s adults-only. We’ve been on a number of Saga touring holidays, to South America, Canada and the US, and we always make friends on those trips.
ICELAND A NORDIC FLING
It will be possible for cruise ships to cross borders this summer. Silversea (0844 251 0837; silversea.com) is happy to prove this via a 10-day circumnavigation of Iceland that will see Silver Whisper slip out of Reykjavik on July 4 (from £5,900 per person, with flights). This clockwise inspection of the great Nordic island will pause at the country’s “northern capital” Akureyri, and cast impressed glances at the east-coast Seydisfjordur, but will also skip south-east to Torshavn, the main port on the Faroe Islands. Like Iceland, the Danish archipelago has been open to fully-vaccinated tourists since the start of April.
A COMPLETE 360
If you prefer a long highway to the deck of a ship, you can make the same journey (minus the Faroe Islands side-hustle) via the “Iceland Full Circle” road-trip sold by Discover The World (01737 214 250; discover-the-world. com). This seven-night odyssey is entirely escorted, so you don’t even need to worry about driving. From £2219 per person, including flights.