REST OF THE WORLD

Croatia has more than 1,000 islands, and the most highly prized of them all is Hvar. It gets overrun in late July and August with a party-hearty crowd of beautiful young things draped over the decks of superyachts, but come before then to appreciate Hvar’s quieter charms: its sandy beaches, high-end restaurants, and bays of crystalline green-blue waters.

Maslina is Croatia’s finest hotel – a wellness resort arranged along a secluded shore. Original Travel (020 3958 6120; originaltravel. co.uk) offers a week there from £4,120pp in June, including B&B, flights from London airports, fast-track service and transfers (August price: £5,050).

Join the gulet set

A pine-forested finger of land stretching into the Aegean on Turkey’s Turquoise Coast, the Bozburun

Peninsula is largely undeveloped and unknown to British holidaymakers. By mid July it gets uncomfortably hot, and its sleepy fishing villages swell with the gulet set coming ashore for lunch and parties. But June and September are wonderful – warm, sunny, and still fresh enough to go exploring around its calm bays, ancient ruins and seaside villages. Selimiye is the loveliest of them – it is quite remote so has retained an undeveloped feel, but thanks to its location on the Blue Voyage route it has plenty of smart restaurants and bars.

Simpson Travel (020 3839 4520; simpsontravel. com) has a hotel in Selimiye called Losta Sahil Evi, which is rustic, quirky and utterly charming, and still has availability for this summer. A week’s holiday in late June and early July costs £1,659pp, including flights, transfers and B&B (August price: £1,779).

Elephants in June

Mid June is the start of the dry season in Kenya. It’s a prime time for going on safari – the air is clear, the scenery still green, and it’s not yet too hot; but predators and prey are beginning to gather at the watering holes, making for a thrilling wildlife viewing theatre.

Red Savannah’s Essential Kenya is an eight-day safari that includes stays at luxury camps in the Loisaba Conservancy (including a night in a Star Bed, on a platform under the stars) and Maasai

Mara at Elephant Pepper Camp (01242 787800; redsavannah.com). From £5,142pp in June, full-board, including internal flights, transfers, and conservation fees (August price: £6,200).

Or, for a really cost-effective Kenyan safari, try Kuoni’s small-group, six-day Taste of Kenya trip, which takes in Nairobi, Lake Nakuru and the Maasai Mara, from £2,675pp (August price: £3,345) with a June 20 departure, including flights, accommodation, transport and experiences (0808 258 9048; alfredand.kuoni.co.uk).

Spice up your summer

Off the coast of Tanzania, the spice island of Zanzibar is where Dr Livingstone presumed he was in paradise. It feels like a proper adventure – exotic, laden with riches and history, its shores

Rise and shine: wake up to a fabulous view at waterside resort Maslina on Hvar

desert-island transportive – but is also host to an increasing number of fivestar beach resorts.

Our summer is the ideal time to visit Zanzibar: dry season runs June-October, with daytime highs of about 29C. Surprisingly, a trip here can cost less than a summer holiday in a European beach destination, especially if you go outside of late July and August.

Kenwood Travel (020 7749 9220; kenwoodtravel.co.uk) offers a week’s holiday at suite-only five-star hotel the Residence Zanzibar, from £1,691pp in June, including half-board in a garden pool villa, transfers and return flights from Gatwick (August price: £3,032).

Walking into sunshine

The start of summer is ideal walking weather in the northern hemisphere, from Cumbria to Canada. The Sunshine Coast Walking Summer Adventure is a five-day journey from Vancouver to the Sunshine Coast by foot, road and sea, hiking beach trails, boating along tidal rapids and including some well-earned craft-beer tasting. From £1,132pp in June (August price: £1,460), including four nights’ accommodation, activities, transport and some meals, with Intrepid (0808 274 5111; intrepidtravel.com).