THE LATE LATE SHOW!
Still not booked a sunny family break? Step this way for some last gasp bargains...
SChooL’S out for summer and if you haven’t yet sorted a family getaway, then worry not. europe has plenty of availability and bargains galore, from cut-price villas in Tuscany to cheap-as-chips lodges in rural Denmark.
SAIL THE CANAL DU MIDI
Kick-start the engine on a self-sail cruise on the Canal du Midi in Southern France. Bypass lush vineyards and medieval villages as you pootle through the heart of the Languedoc region. No boating experience required. BOOK IT: A seven-night sail on August 16 costs £328.50pp based on four sharing a boat. Includes Ryanair flights from Stansted to Beziers, leboat.co.uk.
SWISS GLAMPING
The Bella Tola campsite, north of Zermatt, puts you in the midst of the Swiss Alps, with the prospect of summer skiing on your doorstep. BOOK IT: A eurocamp safari-style tent sleeps six and costs £1,065 for an eight-night stay on August 19, eurocamp.com. Return crossing from Dover to Calais including a car and four people costs £135, dfdsseaways.co.uk.
TRADITIONAL SAMOS
Experience Greece’s quieter side, on Aegean idyll Samos. Self-cater close to the pretty sweep of beach near Votsalakia on the island’s south west, where traditional life — including sweet local wine — still rules. BOOK IT: A fortnight’s stay at the Anastasia apartments costs £726.50pp, flying from Gatwick on August 3, sunvil.co.uk.
GLORIOUS ADRIATIC
FIND your spot on a lounger at the hillside hotel Dalmacija, perched on the edge of Croatia’s glorious Makarska Riviera, a largely unsung holiday beauty between Split and Dubrovnik. BOOK IT: Thomas Cook offers a week’s half-board from August 14 for £634pp, based on a family of four sharing a room. price includes Manchester flights and transfers, thomascook.com.
TUSCAN VILLA BREAK
Holiday like the cognoscenti in Casa del Cavaliere, a converted tobacco barn that’s now awash with mod cons and its own pool. And the view? The pastoral beauty of the Niccone Valley on the Tuscany/Umbria border. BOOK IT: CV Villas has a week’s self-catering from August 26 costing £1,652, sleeping four,
cvvillas.com. Flights to nearby pisa with Ryanair cost £261pp from Glasgow prestwick, ryanair.com.
SPANISH THRILLS
Strap yourself in for teenfriendly thrills at Spain’s biggest theme park in Portaventura. The most magnetic draw is the stomach-flipping rides at recently opened Ferrari Land. BOOK IT: Jet2 holidays has week-long, half-board breaks to hotel Caribe, Portaventura. A family room is £638pp, including flights from Manchester on August 24, jet2.com.
A CABIN IN CADIZ
BAG yourself a beach-side cabin at the laid-back retreat, Magic Ranch, a short drive from Jerez on Spain’s southern tip. BOOK IT: Canopy & Stars has three-night Magic Ranch stays from August 21. A cabin for four costs £102 per night, canopy
andstars.co.uk/magichq. Flights to Jerez cost £93, flying from Stansted, ryanair.com.
ALL-IN AT OLUDENIZ
Turkey’S seemingly neverending Garcia is an all-inclusive mega resort in oludeniz with oodles for the children, a spa and the dreamy Turquoise Coast. BOOK IT: hays Travel has a week all-inclusive at the Garcia Resort and Spa for £623pp, based on a family of four sharing. prices include flights from edinburgh on August 12, haystravel.co.uk.
DANISH HIDEAWAY
Beautiful countryside and plenty of blue-flag bathing beaches await on Denmark’s North Zealand. A cute four-star wooden lodge is surprisingly affordable, even in peak season. BOOK IT: Book with Novasol and pay £589 for a week’s selfcatering on July 22. The lodge sleeps five in two bedrooms; return flights from Glasgow can be added for £327pp, novasol.co.uk.
MOROCCAN ESCAPE
A Family-friendly riad resort in essaouira, on Morocco’s windy Atlantic coast. Wander around the exotic medina and watch the fishermen bring in their catch. BOOK IT: A family room at the Jardin des Douars costs £751pp for a five-night B&B break on August 25, jardindesdouars.
com. Fly to essouaria with easyJet from Luton from £265pp, easyjet.com.