DEALS OF THE WEEK
BY
LONG HAUL
Malaysia from £1,339pp: Save up to 20% on a week’s B&B at the five-star Berjaya Langkawi Resort in Burau Bay, Langkawi. Book by October 31 for departures from Heathrow in November. awayholidays.co.uk
Antigua from £1,849pp: A seven-night all-inclusive getaway at the five-star Sandals Grande Antigua Resort & Spa at Dickenson Bay comes with flights from Gatwick on June 9 or 23 and transfers. Saves £100 per couple with code AUTUMN100 when booking by October 3. sandals.co.uk
SHORT HAUL
Spain from £586pp: A five night halfboard stay at the four-star Hard Rock Hotel in Marbella, Costa del Sol, comes with flights from Gatwick on November 11. easyjet.com/en/holidays
Malta from £424pp: Depart from Liverpool on October 23 for a week with breakfast at the four-star Santana Hotel in Qawra. onthebeach.co.uk
Greek Islands from £884: Save 15% on a seven night self-catering stay at Margarita villa (sleeps two) in St Stephano, Corfu. Arrival on October 9, with private pool and wi-fi. Flights extra. Call CV Villas on 020 3993 7802 to book.
Egypt from £734pp: Fly from Manchester on November 7 for a week’s all-inclusive at the four-star+ Stella Makadi Beach Resort & Spa in Hurghada. With 15kg baggage and transfers. tui.co.uk
CITY BREAKS
Rome from £349pp: A three night B&B stay at the four-star Romanico Palace Luxury Hotel departs from Stansted on November 20 with 22kg baggage. jet2holidays.com/city-breaks
Venice from £199pp: A two night B&B stay at the four-star All’Angelo Art Hotel departs from Heathrow on selected dates in December, with 23kg baggage. Book by October 3. ba.com/venice
CRUISES
No-fly Mediterranean from £1,186pp: Join P&O’s Arcadia in Southampton on November 1 for an 18 night round trip to Cadiz, Valencia, Ajaccio, Genoa, Rome, Naples, Gibraltar and Lisbon. Saves £63pp, includes gratuities. cruise.co.uk Mediterranean from £1,369pp: Join Marella Discovery 2 in Majorca on July 16 for a seven night all-inclusive round trip sailing to Gibraltar, Cadiz (for Seville), Malaga, Melilla and Cartagena. Includes flights from Belfast International, use code CRUISE300 when booking. tui.co.uk
STAYCATION
Scottish Highlands from £959: Save £180 on a week’s self-catering at the fivestar Taigh Glas cottage (sleeps two) near Gairloch, Wester Ross. Loch views, wi-fi, walking distance to beach, for arrival on October 13. sykescottages.co.uk
STAR BUY
Las Vegas from £579pp: A seven night room-only holiday at the three-star+ The STRAT Hotel, Casino and Tower on The Strip is for travel from Heathrow on selected dates between January 8-February 8 with 23kg baggage. Book by October 3. ba.com/lasvegas
*Prices correct at time of publication and based on two sharing unless stated otherwise.
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Paddling out into St Brelade’s to ride a couple of the gentle breakers and Callum tells us the best places to surf along the island’s west coast.
We finally drag ourselves away from this perfect beach and head around the coast to Staks La Pulente, for a delicious surfers’ dinner with a view.
There’s a laid back family feel as the setting sun streams in. We sip cold beer and cocktails and enjoy awesome tempura battered courgette to start us off, all light and crispy and with a mellow tender core and rich garlic mayo. Then we feast on a juicy burger, skewered chicken and prawns. The carrot cake pudding is a home-made moussy perfection.
Heading up the west coast at the end of the day, the landscape takes on the feel of Cornwall with granite crags, gate posts and squat cottages. At the next turn, we find a pretty village picked straight from Brittany – that could be the Hôtel de Ville standing on the crossroads. Just a 10-minute drive and it feels like we’re on three holidays in one.
Our first 24 hours in Jersey are done and we have definitely unwound. We picked the ferry for the convenience of having our own car and bringing whatever we wanted, and on a good day Condor’s catamaran is a sleek enough way to cross from Poole to St Helier in just over four hours. But our journey was hit by bad weather, a technical problem and then a medical emergency. The rough ride left me and many others feeling pretty ill, though you can’t help but be impressed by the professionalism of the crew in these circumstances.
When we return, which we will, we’ll fly. There are more than 20 departure points from the UK and Ireland, with some flights taking under an hour.
This is an overseas holiday no doubt, with enough of the exotic and a minimum of inconvenience. UK bank cards work, though your phone may not. Driving is much like at home with a couple of twists. Traffic lights look the same as they do at home but go straight from red to green, and the national speed limit is 40mph, though you soon realise there’s no need to hurry on an island where you can drive no more than nine miles in any direction.
Our second day starts just 10 minutes down a dappled lane with a peaceful stroll around the serpentine Queen’s Valley reservoir. It feels like a world away.
The achingly scenic harbour village of Gorey and its towering castle are quite rightly one of Jersey’s must sees. The fortifications offer incredible views across land and sea, while art installations, sculptures and videos fill