Deals of the week
LONG HAUL Tobago from £579pp:
Jet off for seven nights room only at the three-star Shepherds Inn between May 1-31. Includes BA flights from Heathrow, 23kg baggage and 20% hotel discount. Book by April 7. britishairways.com/tobago
Thailand from £899pp: Save £1,124pp on seven nights all-inclusive at the four-and-a-half star Khaolak Emerald Beach Resort & Spa, Khao Lak, with upgrade to deluxe pool access room with swim-out terrace, 15% spa discount on selected treatments, flights from Gatwick in May, July, September, October and transfers. bluebaytravel.co.uk
SHORT HAUL
Corfu from £596pp: Save 54% on a 14-night, self-catering stay at Kalami Bay Studios and apartments. Includes flights from Manchester on May 2, 22kg baggage and transfers. sunvil.co.uk/offers
Holland for £499: Save £308 on a week in a three-bedroom Azure holiday home in Camping ‘t Hop, Friesland. Arrive May
28. Accommodation only. eurocamp.co.uk
Turkey from £549pp: Relax for a week on all-inclusive at the four-star Casa De Maris in Dalaman. Includes return flights from Manchester departing May 15, 22kg baggage allowance and transfers. jet2holidays.com
CRUISE
Canary Islands from £1,066pp: Enjoy 12 nights’ all-inclusive on board MSC Virtuosa departing from Southampton on May 1. Ports of call are Lisbon, Madeira, Gran Canaria, Tenerife and Lanzarote. msccruises.co.uk
STAYCATION
Devon for £526: Save £236 on a week in Old Hammetts 15th century cottage with 2.5acres of grounds in Woolsery. Sleeps up for four. Arrive April 9. sykescottages.co.uk
Staffordshire for £225pp: Relax on an overnight stay at Moddershall Oaks Country Spa Retreat including a welcome drink, two-course dinner, a 50-minute treatment, use of spa facilities and gym and breakfast. Available during April except for Easter weekend. moddershalloaks.com
Young’s hotels from £250 per couple:
Escape to a southern England Young’shotel for a two-night stay including a two-course meal, breakfasts and a gin and tonic on arrival. Offer valid for stays until September 30. youngs.co.uk
STAR BUY
Skiathos from £281pp: Go for seven nights’ self-catering at the two-star
Alekos Studios in Skiathos town. Departs from Manchester (other airports available) on May 9. olympicholidays.com *Prices correct at time of publication and based on
two sharing unless stated otherwise were toasty throughout our stay.
Also recommended is the two-day breakfast box for £15. Swing back the doors to the hut each morning, then cook up the bacon, sausages and eggs, sourced locally.
There’s also a pair of binoculars provided, so you can look at the gentle hills surrounding the marsh land where more sheep are grazing, and imagine you’re Jeremy Clarkson.
Best of all are the bathroom facilities. There’s a hot shower, and a flushing loo.
How do they squeeze it all in?
You need to pinch yourself that you’re actually in a farmer’s field.
There is much to explore locally, in what is a designated area of natural beauty. Romney Marsh Visitors’ Centre on the A259 is a great place to start. Ask one of the guides to recommend a short walk, most of which are circular and will lead you away from the car park at the centre.
We took the “Sheep Trail” (of course) from the centre, which is waymarked. It allows you to take in the expansive marshland, while also giving you a glimpse of the famous Romney, Hythe and Dymchurch Railway, whose impressive green livery might flash by every now and then, pulled by a steam locomotive. There are stations at
Hythe, Dungeness and Romney.
A family Rover ticket for five costs £65.
If you fancy it, Dungeness is well worth a short diversion. Noted for the famous residency of late avant garde filmmaker Derek Jarman, you can drive up to his pretty Prospect Cottage, whose yellow decorative trim matches the surrounding gorse bushes. Many also make the pilgrimage to what is designated as the UK’S only “official” desert, albeit of pebbles. And all this in the shadow of EDF’S nuclear power station, giving the excursion an eerie feel.
Drive on to the Britannia Inn, where local artists’ works adorn the walls. You’re bound to see many hipsters lolling about, making it more like Shoreditch by the Sea. Many seem drawn to paint Jarman’s cottage. The ice cream and cakes are good too.
After two days in the Shepherd’s Hut it’s easy to see the appeal. For a short stay, it provides immediate peace and quiet, combined with pleasant countryside views, along with a touch of luxury.
But actually, it’s the presence of the cuddly-looking Romney sheep that makes this innovative stay so diverting. I will never eat lamb again – at least not until next Sunday.
You need to pinch yourself that you’re actually in a farmer’s field