For sale... a route to fun in the sun
EVERY week our Holiday Hero NEIL SIMPSON takes an in-depth look at a brilliant holiday topic, doing all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: low-deposit travel bargains.
HOLIDAY bargains abound in the January sales – and many of the best deals can be secured on low or even no-deposit terms.
Turkey is tipped to be one of 2023’s best-value holiday destinations. A top choice for active families is the low-rise Holiday Village Turkey, set beside a wide stretch of private beach on the Dalaman coast. Free sunbeds and parasols are set out on the sand each day, or you can swim in any of the hotel’s seven swimming pools.
Parents can relax while children play on waterslides, head to classes at the on-site football, swimming and stage academies or join daily activities from crazy golf to canoeing. Alongside five restaurants and four bars, the hotel even has its own ten-pin bowling alley.
Book this month in Tui’s Live Happy sale and save up to 22 per cent, taking seven-night, all-inclusive breaks down to £1,052pp in August, with flights and transfers.
Low-deposit, interest- and feefree deals ask for just £60pp today with the balance due in three months. Alternatively, pay nothing today and spread the cost of the holiday over a series of regular direct-debit payments in the spring, also fee- and interest-free (tui.co.uk).
Similar low deposits of £60pp are all it takes to secure summer holidays in easyJet’s annual Big Orange sale. Flights, transfers to beach resorts and luxurious hotels are all included as the company tries to move on from its no-frills, flightonly reputation. It also offers discounts of up to £300 per holiday booking until the end of January.
Style and picture-perfect sunset views are promised on the Greek island of Santorini, where the boutique Splendour Resort allows guests to spread out on a series of flower-filled hillside terraces overlooking the Aegean Sea. Some rooms have private swim-up pools, traditional domed ceilings and exposed stone walls.
Sale prices cut £155 off holiday costs, taking weeklong breaks down to £863pp including direct easyJet flights, private transfers, accommodation and breakfast.
Book before the sale ends on January 31 and, after a £60pp deposit, the balance isn’t due until 28 days before departure (easyjet.com).
Upgrades and added extras sit alongside discounts and low-deposit terms in Virgin Atlantic’s January sale. Its New Year offers include ‘kids eat free at breakfast and dinner’ deals in many Florida hotels, as well as automatic upgrades from intermediate-grade cars to roomy SUVs on American fly-drive holidays. Book this month and you can also qualify for ‘two weeks for the price of one’ deals on Disney theme park tickets.
Budget options in Florida include seven nights at Dockside Inn and Suites, part of Universal’s Endless Summer Resort in Orlando. Larger families can choose two-bed suites, sleeping up to six, with free transport to Universal’s three theme parks plus exclusive early admission to The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter.
Room-only packages, including direct flights from London or Manchester, start at £855pp and can be reserved with deposits of £175pp.
Otherwise, upgrade your accommodation and choose the Loews Portofino Bay hotel at Universal Orlando, where there are more places to eat; bigger, just-renovated rooms; an adultsonly spa and a water taxi service to the main theme parks.
Pay £175pp deposit now to get two-week stays in the summer, including direct flights from London, from £2,232pp (virgin holidays.co.uk).