British Isles

From mid Cornwall to the west of Scotland, holiday homes are available for the start of the peak season, some at a discount. A 20 per cent saving is on offer at Tiddy Barn, one of three properties on a farm at Altarnun on the northern edge of Bodmin Moor and a 30-minute drive from the coast of north Cornwall. It sleeps four and costs £560 for a week from July 19 with Classic Cottages. 01326 555555

Stylish eco-friendly cottages in a riverside setting in mid Devon have also been reduced. Prices for a week from Saturday for Park Mill Farm cottages, sleeping two to six at Chulmleigh, range from £370 to £748 with Blue Chip Vacations. They rise slightly as the season progresses. Fishing and walks from the door are available. 01803 855282

A riverside flat with sea views at Whitby, North Yorkshire, is available for a week from Saturday with holidaylettings.co.uk. With bunk beds for children, it sleeps up to six and costs £400. The week coincides with an angling festival. 01865 312010

Enjoy a week on a private car-free island reached by motor launch from the mainland. White Cottage on Eilean Shona at the entrance to Loch Moidart on the west coast of Scotland sleeps up to three and costs £395 for a week from July 19 with Ecosse Unique. 01835 822277

A boutique hotel in a Grade II-listed building with a modern interior in Ruthin, North Wales, has a “credit crunch summer soother” package on offer. Three nights' B&B midweek, plus dinner with wine one night, at manorhaus costs £127.50. The hotel has a Finnish sauna and fitness suite and is well-placed for exploring local hills and forests. 01824 704830

The total cost of an activity break for a family of four has been reduced to £738 at PGL Travel's Barton Hall adventure centre in south Devon. The deal for two adults and two children aged six to eighteen is available for a week from July 19 or 26 and includes full-board in a family room plus a wide range of activities ranging from abseiling and raft-building to dry slope skiing. 0870 0507507

Stay for two nights this month at Channings, a popular small hotel in the West End of Edinburgh, and enjoy a third night at half-price. This brings the cost of a three-night break with breakfast and a bottle of wine down to £137.50. 0131-274 7418

Short haul

Self-catering for a week from Tuesday on Crete is on offer from £239 with Olympic Holidays. Fly from Gatwick or Manchester and stay in the family-run Pardalakis Studios in gardens with a large pool and close to the sea at Gerani. 0844 5762386

Packages to the Canary Isles with half-board in smart hotels are on offer this month with Portland Holidays. A week from July 21 at the five-star Hotel La Palma Princess costs from £415, flying from Gatwick, and a week from July 24 at the four-star Gran Canaria Princess is from £449, with a flight from Robin Hood Airport near Doncaster. 0870 5002200

A choice of deals are also available to Taormina on the east coast of Sicily, both with flights from Gatwick. Holiday Options has a week's B&B from July 19 in Il Piccolo Guardino with a rooftop pool in the historic old town and close to the cable car to the beach from £609. A week from July 30 in the Hotel Natalina, with coastal views and midway between the town and beach, is from £525 with Belleair Holidays. 0844 4770452/020-8785 3266

A new luxury villa with a pool - and doll's house and castle for small children- in the Algarve is available for eight nights from August 15. Quinta Amorosa sleeps eight, costs £995 and is set in countryside near Loule and a short drive from beaches and golf courses around Vilamoura. Flights are extra. 07917 417787

A ground-floor flat for two in a farmhouse on a hill two miles (3km) from San Gimignano in Tuscany is on offer for a week from July 26 from £249 with Citalia. Travel is extra. 0871 6640253

Three gîtes created from a stone farm building in western Brittany are on offer through Holiday France Direct for a week from August 16 and 23. They sleep from four to five, cost from £400 a week, are near the village of Fouesnant in the Finistère region and a short drive from sandy beaches. 00 332 98546827

Take the family to Disneyland Resort Paris for three days this month and enjoy an extra day free, with Iglu.com. Prices for a family of four start at £535, taking the car on the Channel Tunnel, and £1,054 by Eurostar and include three nights in a hotel at the resort and entry to all attractions for four days. 020-8544 3014

Walking holidays on offer include a week in Lycia in Turkey and a fortnight in the mountains of Bulgaria. The first, from July 21 with Explore, takes in ancient ruins and coastal views and costs £549 with B&B and a flight from Gatwick. The Ramblers Worldwide trip starts with a flight from Heathrow on August 10, visits Rila, Sofia and the Pirin mountains and Sofia and costs £940 with half-board. 0844 4990901/ 01707 331133

Long haul

An 11-day trip to Thailand with the Adventure Company provides the opportunity to do more than just sit on a beach in Bangkok. It starts with a flight from Heathrow on July 31 to see the golden Buddha in the capital and travel on its waterways before taking the overnight sleeper to Chiang Mai and Khao Sok National Park. The tour continues to the resort of Kah Lanta for snorkelling and diving. Price: £1,069. 0845 6090889

If you can stand the midsummer heat, here is a chance to stay in the best-known five-star hotel in Dubai at a reasonable price. From August 12, B&B for a week in the wave-shaped Jumeirah Beach Hotel, next to the Wild Wadi Water Park, costs £749 with Hayes & Jarvis, including a flight from Heathrow. 0871 6640246

All prices are per person and based on two sharing a room unless stated otherwise.

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