British Isles
A tantalising taste of the high life awaits young gourmets at Le Manoir aux
Quat' Saisons this month. Children up to and including the age of 12 stay
free and have dinner on the house at Raymond Blanc's two Michelin-starred
restaurant in Great Milton, near Oxford. Their parents have to foot
their own food bill, however. The package costs from £395 a night per room
for two adults and two children. Dinner costs from £95. Before eating, the
youngsters can explore Le Manoir's grounds or play croquet, while their
parents relax with an aperitif. After tucking in, the young diners can be
tucked up in bed with a teddy bear each, which they can take home, along
with free bathrobes. A French breakfast for the whole family is also
included. 01844 278881
More foodie treats are in store during a luxury break in the Scottish
borders. A seven-course tasting menu served with wines to match is one
of the highlights of a two-night stay at turreted Cringletie House, set in
28 acres of gardens and woodland in Peebles, near Edinburgh. The break,
which includes breakfast and dinner both days, costs from £235 midweek or
from £275 on Fridays and Saturdays - a saving of £100 on both prices - until
the end of September. Pride of Britain Hotels, 0800 0893929
A welcoming farmhouse tea will be served to guests on arrival at Lower
Treluggan cottage in the grounds of an historic manor house near Looe, Cornwall.
The cottage, which sleeps four, is surrounded by 35 acres of gardens and
orchard and has an all-weather tennis court. It has been reduced by £190 to
£445 for the week beginning August 22 and by £108 to £251 for the week
starting August 29. Contact Toad Hall Cottages, 01548 853089
If you are trying to resist temptation, however, check into the Mercure
Brandon Hall Hotel and Spa in the quiet Warwickshire village of
Brandon, near Coventry. Rooms in the four-star country house hotel, which
was originally a shooting lodge dating back to the 1300s, cost from just £59
for two people until the end of the month. Accommodation is free for one
child under 12 years sharing with its parents. 0871 7029471
An 18th-century former mill worker's cottage at Buckfastleigh, Devon,
is still available for the Bank Holiday week starting Saturday, August 23.
The beamed cottage, which is on the southern edge of Dartmoor, sleeps four
and costs £572 through Helpful Holidays. Pets are welcome. 01647
434063
A timed entrance ticket to see the Hadrian: Empire and Conflict exhibition at
the British Museum in London is included in a one-night package deal
with Superbreak. The price of £66.50 covers accommodation at the four-star
Grafton Hotel, in nearby Tottenham Court Road, with full breakfast and is
valid at weekends throughout the month. 0871 2223055
Short haul
A week-long Nile cruise in Egypt costs from £449 full board with
Voyages Jules Verne, departing September 1 or 8 on a four-star vessel. A
five-star upgrade costs from £549. The tour operator is also offering seven
nights at the five-star Steigenberger Nile Palace Hotel in Luxor from £469,
flying out on September 1, 8 or 15. Flights from Gatwick are included in the
cost of both holidays (£25 supplement for Manchester). 0845 1667035
The cost of a 17-day grand voyage to Venice has been slashed by almost
half. Passengers taking the Voyages of Discovery cruise from Harwich on
September 4 pay £1,299, including full board and entertainment, a saving of
£1,280. The ship calls at Lisbon, Gibraltar, Almería, Nice, Livorno and
Sorrento before reaching Venice, from where passengers fly back to Gatwick
(or Manchester for an additional charge). 01444 462150
A charming cottage with views over the vineyards outside Bergerac in France
is available for seven nights, departing August 23, from £1,075 or £269
based on four sharing. The hideaway, close to the village of
Gageac-et-Rouillac, has a pool and is a good base for walking, cycling and
tasting the local wines. Flights are not included.
www.simply-perigord.com
Motor racing fans keen to see Lewis Hamilton compete in the Belgian Grand Prix
on September 7 can cross the Channel for just £35 each way for a car and up
to five passengers with SeaFrance Dover-Calais Ferries. The
Spa-Francorchamps course in the Ardennes hills is a three-hour drive
from Calais. Three-day tickets for the practice run and race cost from £142
through formula1.com. 0871 2222500
Long haul
Escape to the Maldives for seven nights from August 31 and save £368
per couple. Kuoni is offering a B&B break at Kuramathi Village resort,
for £699, flying from Gatwick on Monarch Airlines. 01306 747008
Seven nights at the four-star Mercure Pattaya in Pattaya, Thailand,
costs £669, a discount of £195, for departures between August 21 and 31.
Premier Holidays, 08444 937542
Book by August 15 to save £588 per couple on five nights' B&B at the
five-star Shangri-La Rasa Ria resort in Kota Kinabalu, Borneo. Prices
are from £1,199 for September 24-30 departures from Heathrow with Malaysia
Airlines. 01306 747008
All prices are per person and based on two sharing a room unless stated
otherwise.
