British Isles
Love is in the air — earlier in Wales than in the rest of Britain. January 25 marks the feast of St Dwynwen, the Welsh patron saint of lovers, and Graig Wen B&B in Snowdonia is celebrating with a two-night package starting that day from £110. Included is breakfast in a room overlooking the mountains and Mawddach Estuary, tea and cakes, champagne and chocolates.
01341 250482
A Valentine’s weekend is on offer at Temple Sowerby House, in the Eden Valley, Cumbria. Two nights from February 12 or 13 cost £215, with B&B, dinners with special menus, cocktails and chocolates. The Georgian country house hotel is close to the Pennines and a 20-minute drive from Ullswater in the northern Lakes. 01768 361578
A romantic break away from it all, in a traditional whitewashed Highland cottage standing alone on the foreshore of Loch Sunart in the West of Scotland and eight miles from Fort William, is on offer with Ecosse Unique. Despite its setting, Lochhead Cottage boasts 21st-century comforts, sleeps four and costs £345 for a week from February 13. 01835 822277
Whether three nights on board a cruiser on the Norfolk Broads qualify as a romantic break is debatable but Waterways Holidays thinks so. It includes a bottle of champagne, a discount and free parking for three nights’ hire of Classic Time 1 from Ludham, starting on February 12. 0845 1271020
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This deal excludes the week with Valentine’s Day in it, but is available every other week in February: a newly converted stone barn near Loddiswell in the South Hams district of South Devon from £222 a week. It sleeps six, has oak beams and vaulted ceilings, country views, welcomes pets and is available with Helpful Holidays. 01647 434063
A weekend break in a Victorian Gothic hotel near Bath is on offer for £220 with Expedia.co.uk. This is the room-only price for a couple for two nights from February 5 at the four-star Rudloe Hall, with a sauna, spa bath and fitness rooms in extensive grounds. 0871 2260808
Two nights in Jersey, with a flight from Gatwick and car hire, cost from £199 with flyjersey.com until late February. The holiday includes B&B at the charming, three-star Revere Hotel on the St Aubin’s side of St Helier. 0845 2303240
Short haul
City breaks are on offer at bargain rates in the coming weeks. Fly from Stansted on February 7 to Riga and three nights’ B&B and two dinners in the four-star Gutenbergs Hotel in the centre of the Latvian capital’s old town cost £147. The price with Baltic Holidays is available on additional dates; the supplement for single travellers is £60. 0845 0705710
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Three nights in Florence for £189 is only a little more expensive and this offer with Cities Direct includes B&B in the three-star Liana Hotel, set in a lovely 19th-century building within walking distance of the city’s sights — and a flight on February 27 from Gatwick. 01242 536900
You cannot expect Venice to be cheap, especially during its carnival — famous for its masks, decorations and dance — so this offer represents good value: a four-day carnival tour for £549. This package with Travelsphere starts with a flight from Gatwick on February 14 for three nights’ B&B, welcome drinks and the guidance of a tour manager. 0800 1123313
With private transfers, discounted sightseeing and guide notes to restaurants and attractions, Kirker Holidays’ city breaks also offer value for money — like this one to Madrid. Three nights until March 28 at the three-star Cason del Tormes hotel, next to Plaza de España and close to the Royal Palace, cost from £479 with flights from a choice of UK airports. 020-7593 2283
Excellent value is also available on breaks to the Azores, the temperate islands in the Atlantic, with Sunvil Discovery. From February 13 for five weeks, B&B in the Hotel Talisman in the centre of Ponta Delgada on São Miguel costs from £345 for a week, a £189 saving, with flights from Gatwick or Manchester. 020-8758 4722
For guaranteed hot weather, head for Sharm-el-Sheikh with On the Beach. A week with all meals at the four-star Delta Sharm Resort costs from £366, flying from Manchester on February 4, while a week also with meals from February 9 at the Falcon Hills Hotel is from £319 with a flight from Gatwick. 0871 9110202
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Long haul
A fortnight’s break in Cancún, Mexico, from £719 is a good deal with lowcostholidays.com. It starts with a flight from Birmingham on February 1 and is based, with all meals, at the three-star Celuisma Imperial Las Perlas Hotel. 0800 1116271
The Holiday Place has a choice of 13-night deals to exciting destinations. Both start with a flight from Gatwick to Cuba next Wednesday. The first continues to a three-star resort in Guardalavaca for an all-inclusive ten-day break, followed by three nights’ B&B in Havana, and costs £699. The second takes in a week’s B&B amid the jungles and beaches of Costa Rica before heading to Havana for six nights and costs from £1,099.
020-7644 1747
Prices are per person based on two sharing a room unless stated otherwise.
LATE TRAVEL EXTRA: PAGE 67