The Daily Telegraph - Saturday - Travel
How to crack the February half-term holiday puzzle
Funds are low after Christmas, the UK is bleak and most of the Med isn’t warm yet. Sophie Butler reveals how to make a success of the trickiest half term
There are two ways of looking at February half-term. Yes, the UK and most of Europe is still unpleasantly chilly, plus it comes on the heels of Christmas when coffers are still in need of replenishing. And, yes, it often clashes with Valentine’s Day, which can push already high prices even higher.
But mid-February also offers the whole spectrum of holidaying possibilities. Early spring sunshine can be found in the southern Med – and there’s reliable warmth in the Canary Islands. Or there’s the chance to embrace the opposite extreme and take the kids to the Alps for a fabulous – and likely snow-sure – break.
This month is also a great time for soaking up culture in European cities where, if the weather is lousy, indoor attractions offer ideal activities for families – or you can opt to fly the children a little further for deliciously hot sunshine in places like Florida, Dubai and the Caribbean. There’s even fun to be had in the UK, if you don’t mind packing a raincoat.
Next year, most UK schools begin half-term on the weekend of February 10 and 11, when travel will be expensive and airports busy. To avoid high prices, book in good time or consider a shorter break, travelling on a weekday. Further cost-cutting strategies include picking a destination where flights are plentiful and by booking accommodation within walking distance of the sights you want to visit.
If you’re planning a skiing holiday, opt for cheaper self-catering, or, if your children are old enough to cope with jet lag, perhaps avoid the crowded, pricey Alps and head to the relatively good value slopes of North America where there’s no half-term break. From snow to cities to sunshine, here are five ways to ensure some fabulous family fun in February.
Seek out the sun
Early spring sunshine is still elusive on mainland Europe in mid-February. However, temperatures on the southern Spanish Andalucian coast, and the islands of Cyprus, Malta and Gozo, are easing up to 16C with around six hours of sunshine. Fine for an active family break – perhaps walking, cycling, golf or tennis – but not for a comfortable time on the beach.
In southern Italy – Puglia and Sicily – the mercury is even lower, at around 13C. If your children want to splash around in a pool without flying too far, your best bet is the Canary Islands, where temperatures are approaching 20C – even the sea water is roughly the same temperature. Playa Blanca, on the southern coast of Lanzarote, offers good beaches and family apartments, or pick Tenerife for large resort hotels with lots of activities nearby and onsite.
Half-term pick Tui (0203 451 2688; tui.com) offers a holiday to Lanzarote staying at the 4T Tiu Blue Flamingo Beach, with three outdoor pools, a splash park, baby pool and three restaurants. From £863, staying in a one-bedroom apartment with terrace on an all-inclusive basis. Departs Manchester February 11
Sights in the city
A plus point of taking the kids on a continental city break is that it’s well-suited to a shorter stay. This means that it is easier to avoid weekend travel to sidestep the crowds and the peak-time fares. The difficulty is narrowing down the choice of where to go.
If you prefer to take the train, perhaps visit Amsterdam for Anne Frank’s House, the Rijksmuseum and the Van Gogh Museum, or Brussels, where child-friendly plus points range from chocolate and chips to the Hergé Museum in nearby Ottignies-Louvainla-Neuve, which celebrates the creator of Tintin.
Alternatively, bring the classroom to life by visiting the Colosseum in Rome or explore the wartime history and big museums of Berlin. For the chance of warmer weather along with buzzing street life, consider Seville, where flamenco and tapas is a winning combination for children.
Half-term pick: easyJet (0330 551 5165; easyjet.com) offers a four-night stay at three-star Suites Sevilla Plaza, with kitchen, bicycle rental and within walking distance of the cathedral and Alcazar Palace. From £368 selfcatering based in a superior apartment sleeping four. Departs February 12
Holiday at home
Whether or not the mid-February weather is grey and rain-lashed or bathed in winter sunshine, cover all bases and choose a place that offers the possibility of some indoor fun. Perhaps York for the Jorvik Viking Centre and the National Railway Museum, or Bristol with its Aerospace Museum and Aquarium.
Both the National Trust and English Heritage offer family activities in many of their houses and gardens around the country, and you can book stays at several of the UK’s biggest theme parks, including Alton Towers in Staffordshire, Legoland in Berkshire, and Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey.
You don’t need to travel to the Alps for fun in the snow: try Snowdome, near Birmingham, or Snozone, which has skiing resorts in Milton Keynes and Yorkshire. Alternatively, book a stay at one of the five Center Parcs in woodland locations around the UK.
Half-term pick Center Parcs (03448 267723; centreparcs.co.uk) offers a four-night stay at Whinfell Forest, Cumbria from £1,049 self-catering, for total rental of a two-bedroom new-style Woodland Lodge sleeping four, including entry to the subtropical swimming paradise and access to walking and cycling paths. Departs February 12
Head for the heat
Craving proper heat, turquoise seas and palm-backed beaches? February is perfect for Florida, for some warmth combined with Disney fun at the Magic Kingdom Park and futuristic Epcot Centre. Or fly east to Dubai for top-end hotels with big pools, family -friendly restaurants and temperatures that hover around 25C.
Wildlife-rich Mauritius is also a good option for escaping the chill. As well as its spectacular white-sand beaches, it offers translucent lagoons and tasty creole cooking. There’s also glorious winter sunshine in the Caribbean where temperatures are in the high 20s and you can expect nine hours of sunshine per day, along with bath-like sea water at around 26C.
Half term pick Trailfinders (020 7368 1317; trailfinders.com) offers stays at four-star Bougainvillea Hotel, on sandy Maxwell Beach on the southwest coast of Barbados with two pools, non-motorised watersports, kid’s club for children aged three to 12 years, teenage games room and 18-hole golf course nearby. From £1,699 B&B based on a one-bedroom deluxe suite. Departs February 11
Slope to the slopes
OK, so it won’t be cheap – February half-term is the peak time for family skiing holidays – but it also offers the best chance of optimum snow conditions. Good resort picks for families include the French resort of Les Gets with its village-based nursery slopes and catered chalets, and La Tania with its car-free centre and access to the vast Trois Vallées ski area.
Also Wengen in Switzerland for family-friendly activities and sunny slopes, and Obergurgl in Austria with English-speaking ski schools and family-friendly hotels. Italian resorts offer good value – if your teens want terrain parks, try Livigno. New for this season, Inghams is offering half-term stays in the French resort of Tignes by train: a great option for families who want to avoid flying.
Half-term pick Inghams (01483 945 328; inghams.co.uk) offers stays at L’Altaviva in Tignes 1800, a ski-in ski-out residence with kid’s club for ages four to 10 years, adult-only spa, bakery delivery service, restaurant and heated outdoor pool. From £1,449, self-catering, based on a one-bedroom apartment, including train travel from London St Pancras to Bourg St Maurice. Departs February 10