Magical mysteries
FOR a proper surprise Christmas present, book a mystery tour of the capital.
Travel company Make My Day has just launched a range of mystery days in London from £69. It already runs unusual tours in other cities, such as penny-farthing trips.
Sign up, answer a few questions and expect the unexpected. See makemyday.travel. THE space between Christmas and New Year is one of the season’s gifts. Betwixmas, twixtmas – call it what you will – is a time when many workplaces shut. So let’s make the most of it.
Holiday cottages
Renting your own four walls is the simplest way to fill the Betwixmas gap. Hunker down somewhere where everyone can squeeze in, take board games and go for windy walks.
There are loads of agencies to pick from. Original Cottages, originalcottages.co.uk, offers Osgodby, which sleeps six on the Yorkshire coast, for £766 from December 27-30.
Sykes, sykescottages.co.uk, has Carreg Rhys, which sleeps two, on the island of Anglesey in Wales for £405 from December 27-29.
Among the National Trust’s wide selection at nationaltrust.org.uk/holidays is former gardener’s cottage Orchard Cottage. In the grounds of Gunby Hall in Lincolnshire, it sleeps four and costs £839 for five nights from December 27.
Mulberry Cottages, mulberrycottages.com, has Winchelsea Cottage, which sleeps five and is close to the Sussex seaside. It costs £476 from December 28-31. Also by the seaside, Blue Chip, bluechipholidays.co.uk, has Swallows Cottage in Brixham in Devon. It sleeps four and costs £383 for three nights over New Year’s Eve.
Finally, a dream for dog owners, Holiday Cottages, holidaycottages.co.uk, has Ashera’s Barn, which sleeps four plus two pets, near Glastonbury in Somerset. It costs £494 from December 28 to January 3.
UK resorts
Holiday parks with entertainment provided are a good solution for families with children who like to hang out with other people.
Away Resorts, awayresorts.co.uk, has Mill Rythe Holiday Village on Hampshire’s Hayling Island. It is offering a three-night Betwixmas Showbreak from December 27, with bands and performers, and prices from £149pp for three nights, half-board.
While further to the west, Cofton Holidays, coftonholidays.co.uk, near Dawlish Warren in Devon has two-bedroom mobile homes available for £307 for three-night breaks over the Betwixmas period.
Cofton’s facilities include a heated indoor pool, gym, restaurant, pub, steam room, sauna, fitness studio and soft play area. Guests also have access to five coarse fishing lakes.
Hotels at home
Plenty of hotels up and down the land offer special Betwixmas rates, and some UK tour operators put together packages.
If you want to go wild and windy, combining gourmet dinners and fine scenery, then Airds Hotel, airds-hotel.com, in Port Appin, right up in the West Highlands, is doing a luxury offer. It costs £402pp for three nights half board accommodation from December 27.
Enjoy a two-night Twixmas Escape for £180pp in Conwy, North Wales, at the Quay Hotel, quayhotel.co.uk, from December 27. You get a £32.50 dinner allowance too.
If you want to blow away the cobwebs with like-minded people, check out HF Holidays, hfholidays.co.uk. It has a programme of guided walks from its Thorns Hall property in the Yorkshire Dales. You pay £399 half board for three nights, from December 27.
Those more interested in history and culture should sign up with Shearings, shearings.com, for one of its coach-based city breaks. It has a £107 two-nighter in elegant Bath that departs on December 27, staying half board.
Finally, if you fancy the big city, try an affordable combination of West End show and central ce London hotel stay with Just London Theatre Th Breaks, justlondontheatrebreaks.com.
It has a variety of one-night theatre packages fr from £70pp. Shows on offer this year include Only Fools and Horses, Fast Love – A Tribute to George Michael, All About Eve, Nine to Five, Waitress, The Messiah and All My Sons.
WVerona, V Italy
It is not too late for a complete change of scene – somewhere not quite so grey, where ev everything won’t be quite so shut down.
Try Verona in Italy. The spirit of romance ha hangs over this Unesco World Heritage city – the se setting for the story of Romeo and Juliet.
Visit the Roman amphitheatre, the square fo fort of Castelvecchio or the Torre dei Lamberti, an and stay in the Giulietta e Romeo hotel, within ea easy walking distance of Juliet’s house. Sunvil, su sunvil.co.uk, is offering three nights B&B, plus