KEEP CALM AND TRAVEL ON!
The world’s in a state so take a soothing break in 2016 with the help of our what’s hot guide . . .
PURE PERU
It’ll soon be easier than ever to be enveloped by this wonderful country once BA direct flights to lima from london start in May.
Machu Picchu is, of course, sublime, but there are so many other highlights. the capital, lima, is building a big reputation for food, and a mere 25 miles south you must explore the Pachacamac complex, with its pyramids, palaces and temples.
If trekking is your thing, the options are endless. You’ll love the people and are bound to return with a vibrant jumper. HOW TO DO IT: the Ultimate travel Company (theultimate travelcompany.co.uk, 020 3131 5588) offers a six-day trek in association with Mountain lodges of Peru. Spend two nights in lima, two in Cusco, then the trek, from £3,985 including direct BA flights.
CARIBBEAN CALM
the little island of Bequia is part of the Grenadines, but has its own take on life. Relaxed, unpretentious and something of a throwback to the Caribbean of old, long before the likes of Simon Cowell started hanging out in glitzy Barbados.
Port elizabeth, the capital, is a magnet for yachties and from this season you can walk all the way from the town past Princess Margaret beach to lower Bay, one of the world’s most perfect beaches. HOW TO DO IT: Just Bequia (justbequia.co.uk) offers seven nights at the Bequia Beach hotel from £1,175pp, including flights and transfers.
NORWEGIAN WILDERNESS
YoU might not get a mobile phone signal, but you’ll be in touch with the natural world like never before in hindseter, close to Norway’s Jotunheimen National Park. Simple pleasures abound — being given sausages and a bundle of firewood to take into the fells for a meal in the wilderness, snowshoes provided.
Farmer otto ostrem showed great foresight when he built his hotel here in the late 19th century, and though some creature comforts have since been added, it remains much the same, with just a handful of summer farms and a seminomadic reindeer herd for neighbours. Go in February when the elk are around. HOW TO DO IT: Inntravel (inntravel.co.uk, 01653 617000) offers six nights’ full board from £1,135pp based on two
sharing including BA flights from Heathrow to Oslo.
LOVE AND PEACE IN IBIZA
YES, Ibiza can be full on, but not when you’re all loved up in an original Seventies VW camper van — but with 21stcentury technology.
WeDubYou will bring your vehicle to the airport and then you just throw your stuff in the back, set the satnav and off you go. Bluetooth speakers, ipads and iphones (pre-loaded with music, films and local guides) all come as standard. They’ll even provide an Ibizan beach blanket and parosol. HOW TO DO IT: Seven nights camper van hire with WeDubYou (wedubyou.com, 020 7193 9058), picking up and dropping off at Ibiza Airport, costs from £595.
VERONA, WHEREFORE ART THOU?
THIS year marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death and Verona was the setting of Shakespeare’s greatest romance.
Love is perpetually in the air. You can even go on a Romeo And Juliet tour of the city. people say the locals can be austere, but that’s no bad thing. Just immerse yourself in the pink City’s grandeur. HOW TO DO IT: Inghams Italy (inghamsitaly.co.uk, 01483 791 115) is offering three nights at Hotel Firenze from £506 per person B&B, departing in June 2016, including return flights and airport transfers.
HIDE AWAY IN SRI LANKA
A BRAND new — though not cheap — offering from Uga Escapes and we like the sound of it. Amid acres of wilderness, with the Yala National park on one side and the Indian Ocean on the other, Chena Huts comprises 14 wooden cabins with semicircular roofs made from palm leaves. All have a plunge pool and provide complete privacy. Elephants are often spotted bathing in front of the restaurant. And you can go on game drives with experienced rangers who may well chance upon a leopard. HOW TO DO IT: Chena Huts (ugaescapes.com, 00 94 11 2331 322) start from £650 per cabin per night based on two people sharing.
SADDLE UP IN GERMANY
WHEN Norman Tebbit said people should ‘get on their bikes’, he was talking about finding work. But that will be the last thing on your mind if you sign up for Butterfield & Robinson’s six-day cycle trip from Munich to Salzburg.
This is Bavaria, a land of sweeping mountains, sparkling lakes, timbered houses, lederhosen, felt hats and frilly blouses.
It takes six days and includes cheese tasting, a cable car excursion to the top of the Wallberg and ends in a guided evening walk around the Old Town of Salzburg. Hotels along the way include the Ueberfahrt, which has three Michelin stars. proper refuelling. HOW TO DO IT: The Munich to Salzburg bike tours leave on June 26, September 4, September 11 and September 18, and cost from £3,960 pp, which includes everything except flights. butterfield.com
AFRICA’S WINNING COMBINATION
YOU can’t go wrong with beach and safari. Start with three nights at andBeyond Exeter River Lodge in Sabi Sands private Game Reserve in South Africa and move seamlessly on with three nights at andBeyond Benguerra Island, its sister resort in Mozambique.
There’s a good chance of seeing the Big Five in the former and you’re guaranteed talcum powder beaches in Mozambique, a country just waking up to tourism. In both countries, you’ll be amazed how far a pound will stretch. A holiday of a lifetime. HOW TO DO IT: Wexas (wexas. com, 020 7838 5892) offers a tenday African safari and Mozambique beach break from £4,395 pp (with a saving of £1,700 per couple with bookings made before September 30), based on two sharing all-inclusive, including flights, game drives, transfers and water sports.
ICELAND’S WARM FRONT
THIS extraordinary country, which at times feels as if you’ve landed on the moon is the perfect answer for those who really want to get away.
Reykjavik, the capital, is surrounded by majestic waterfalls, glaciers, volcanoes — and the Northern Lights might just make an appearance.
The intrepid should take a tent and live wild and free for a few days, But leave enough time to talk to people. Icelanders’ perspective on life is, well, different. HOW TO DO IT: easyJet holidays (easyjet.com/holidays, 020 3499 5232) offers seven nights’ B&B at the three-star Reykjavik Lights Hotel for £412pp, including flights from London Stansted.
BALI BLISS
A LONG haul, but once here, the living is easy. The Seminyak is a beachfront resort which offers a fusion of Balinese charm and sophistication.
That means a captivating landscape of native vegetation, lily ponds and traditional thatched pavilions. Terrific spa and the staff do their utmost to make you feel special. HOW TO DO IT: Virgin Holidays (virginholidays.co.uk, 0844 573 0088) offers seven nights’ B&B at The Seminyak, including flights and transfers from £1,297pp.