Family Escapes
Get some work experience for the kids as part of the new Family Escapes brochure from Carrier, the upmarket holiday company. At the Shangri-La Rasa Ria in Borneo, children can become a ranger and care for baby orang-utans (£10 for half a day), while at the Abama resort in Tenerife, there are complimentary cookie and pizza-making workshops. At least one child can stay free on family holidays booked before June 30. Carrier (01614 921374, carrier.co.uk) is also offering 15 per cent off baby essentials delivered by the Little Concierge Company to families on holiday.
Pop-up in Jamaica
If you like the Cove in Cornwall, you’ll love its sister property, opening as a pop-up in Jamaica. The Cove ’n Jamaica opens for six months in an existing hotel on November 1, but you’ll need to book well before that as it has only 11 rooms plus a handful of Jamaican beach shacks. Rooms cost from $105 a night, with thatched shacks on the cliff top overlooking the sea from $225 for three. Book at thecovejamaica.com.
Holiday for free
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Haven’t got the cash for a holiday? Try house-sitting and nab a free stay in anything from a French château to an English waterfront estate. Houses are available around the world, with Langkawi in Malaysia and Mexico among the more exotic options. Registration on trustedhousesitters.com costs £20 for three months or £40 a year. Flights cost extra. Registration on trustedhousesitters.com costs £20 for three months or £40 a year.
Bike and ride
Go farther on your bike, then bus back with a bike-and-ride service in the Lake District. The bus has space for 12 bikes and riders and goes through the heart of the lakes from Windermere to Keswick. Stagecoach Cumbria (bit.ly/JZAQec) runs the buses at weekends and bank holidays until July 8, then daily from July 14 to August 31. The service costs £1.50 a day for bikes, on top of the normal bus fare.