British Isles

Sports enthusiasts will benefit from special rates at the Celtic Manor Resort near Newport, South Wales, home to the 2010 Ryder Cup and 30 minutes from the Millennium Stadium, where Wales will play three rugby internationals over the next three weekends. Rooms for two in the Manor House Hotel cost from £98 a night with breakfast and from £138 in the five-star Resort Hotel, with rounds of golf from £30 a person with a buggy and bacon roll. 01633 410262

All manner of sports can be enjoyed at Center Parcs, where savings of up to £120 are on offer this month. For example, a three-night weekend break from November 21 for up to four people in a two-bedroom lodge at Longleat Forest, Wiltshire, costs £279. www.centerparcs.co.uk

Three characterful Rural Retreats cottages are available at a discount for three-night breaks this month and next. They are still not cheap but are wonderful places to stay. Tregadjack Barn, near Helston, Cornwall, features exposed beams, is furnished with antiques, sleeps four and costs from £397 until Christmas; Tarka Cottage, a thatched property for four in the Upper Deben Valley, Suffolk, costs from £338 until December 3 and Bearwood Cottage, a half-timbered house near Pembridge, Herefordshire, which sleeps five, is £277 between December 8 and 21. 01386 701177

Hotels.co.uk has rooms for two from £75 a night at the three-star Wheatland Lodge, set in pretty gardens, a short drive from Windermere and the Beatrix Potter Museum. Stay four nights or more for a further discount. 0871 2000171

Pumpkin Cottage, a romantic and cosy property for two in southern Scotland, is available with Ecosse Unique for five nights from November 17. It lies 100m from the River Tweed, is backed by the Cardrona Forest and is 8km from Peebles. Price: £225. 01835 822277

Short haul

Combine a cross-Channel shopping trip with a weekend break in a cosy retreat in the Course Valley, 64km from Calais. The package with Inntravel costs £159 with a ferry crossing with car from Dover on November 21 and half-board for two nights (with a third night's stay free) at the Auberge D'Inxent. 01653 617910

Enjoy luxury accommodation in two of Italy's finest cities with Citalia. Fly from Gatwick on December 10 for three nights' B&B at the five-star Hotel D'Inghilterra, Rome, and pay from £369, or leave from East Midlands on December 14 for three nights at the Starhotel Splendid, Venice, from £279. Combine the two, with first- class rail travel between the cities, from £655. 0871 6640253

A four-night break for the price of three at a guest house in the medina in Marrakesh is on offer between December 1 and 15 with Prestige Holidays. It costs from £440 with a flight from Gatwick, private transfer and B&B at Riad Kaiss. 01425 480400

A choice of hotels on the Algarve with heated pools and health clubs, is on offer at low prices with Holiday Jewels. Fly on December 6 from Stansted for a week's B&B at a four-star hotel in Quarteria and pay £152 or head to Alvor and its golf courses, pay £171 for a week at the Pestana hotel. 0870 0672352

Long haul

A week on the Cape Verde islands with the most beautiful beaches is available for £499, a saving of up to £300, with Holiday Options. The deal includes Friday flights from Gatwick between November 21 and December 12, transfers and B&B at the three-star Hotel Parque das Dunas on the 12km-long Chaves Beach. 0844 4770452

Have a happier time in Antigua than England's cricketers on a seven-night all inclusive break from £699. The offer with Thomson Worldwide is based at the three-star Coconut Beach Club, set on a white sand beach, and includes a BA flight from Gatwick on December 3. 0871 2302770

Head for Orlando and its many attractions and save money on this deal with Expedia.co.uk: a week from November 27 at the Fantasy World Club Villas for £480 with a flight from Heathrow via Detroit. 0871 2260808

A beach and city tour of Jordan with regular departures is available with Voyages Jules Verne. The beach is at the popular resort of Aqaba and the city is Petra, where a night-time event is included in the itinerary, as is Amman's archaeological museum. The trip costs from £628 with a flight from Gatwick, a week's B&B, tourist visa and a guide. 0845 1667035

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

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