Catalonia ready, sleddy, go
Back safe and sound PA in your pocket For more great holiday ideas, see page 39
flights, departing on December 26, from £745pp.
Mallorca, Spain
You may only think of
Mallorca as a summer destination but its ancient ent port of Palma is a city break in its own right.
This pearl of the Mediterranean offers a blend of Gothic, Moorish, and Renaissance monuments alongside palm trees, harbours and a great selection of shops and restaurants.
The wonderful old cathedral dates back to the 13th century and the narrow streets and alleys of the old town offer monuments and historic architecture to explore alongside quirky galleries, IT is known for sunshine but the Spanish region of Catalonia has mountains of snow appeal too. F From December 23, Jet2 la launches weekly flights, d departing Sundays, to L Lleida – giving ving access to C Catalonia’s lesser-known cafes ca and tapas bars. Four nights here at the Palma Bellver Be by Melia cost from £375pp, room only, but with flights from Gatwick on December 26 included. See e loveholidays.com.
MMalta MT
The h Canaries are the go-to destination for winter sun su at this time of year, but it is a long flight and prices pr go sky-high for betwixtmas breaks.
The Mediterranean island of Malta, , however, ho is also pretty far south, h, so offers a great chance of winter warmth without the price spike. .
And you can count on the popular holiday resort of Qawra to be fairly peaceful in late December.
Three nights here at the Canifor Hotel cost from £399pp, , half board, including flights winter attractions. With the Pyrenees on your doorstep, you can enjoy sledding, snowmobiling, snow-shoe treks and cross country skiing as well as heli-skiing and traditional skiing.
See jet2.com for details. departing from Gatwick on December 26. See mercuryholidays.co.uk.
Business hotels
Business grinds to a halt over Christmas, so upmarket executive hotels all over Europe stand half empty and drop their rates to attract customers who otherwise couldn’t afford to stay.
The Hilton Garden Inn in Brussels, for example, sinks from the normal average of £120 to £66, hiltongar hiltongardeninn3.hilton.com.
Euro Eurostar fares to Brussels are around 25 per cent lower too.
I In Frankfurt, the Hotel Maritim drops from fro £80 to £67, maritim.com, with British Br Airways fares from Heathrow down do by almost half.
So pick a city you want to visit and see seek out those fancy business hotels – they will be very pleased to see you. Idle
Free, IOS