British Isles

Every winter hotels offer little extras to entice guests to come for an unseasonable stay. At the Three Ways House Hotel, home of the Pudding Club, in Mickleton in the Cotswolds, visitors on a two-night break receive a complimentary dinner on the first night and a club bag to take home filled with toffee apple pudding, farm cider, local apples and a recipe book. The price for two nights' B&B with the hotel or breakswithtradition.com is from £135. 01386 438429

A third night's stay and reduced green fees at the golf club are the extras on offer at the Penhelig Arms at Aberdovey on the coast in Wales. Room rates for a couple start from £70 a night with dinner and B&B; stay for two and the third is free with just dinner to pay for. Two-day green fees are £50 a head and the hotel is well-placed for walking and mountain biking. 01654 767215

Free stabling for your horse, by arrangement, is the bonus for guests staying at Manor Farm Lodge, near Crewkerne, Somerset. The Grade II listed gatehouse, in a district full of paths and bridleways, sleeps four and costs £241 for a four-night break from November 28 with Classic Cottages. 01326 555555

There will be plenty of goodies to sample on December 6 at the free Christmas Food and Drink Festival at Glengoyne, Scotland's most stylish distillery near Killearn, Stirlingshire. Stay at the Kirkhouse Inn, Strathblane, where rooms for two with breakfast are from £80 a night. 01360 771771

Guests are sure to feel safe in this holiday home: a 19th-century Martello tower with walls 13 feet thick on the seaward side of East Cliff, Folkestone, Kent. Good sea views exist from two original windows and extra ones added during conversion. The property is spread over three floors, sleeps six and is reduced to £475 a week with holidaylettings.co.uk . 01865 312000

Here is advance warning of a good deal for those planning last-minute shopping, partying or theatre-going in the West End of London before and over Christmas. The newly refurbished Strand Palace Hotel, within a short walk of several theatres and clubs, offers B&B in chic club rooms with plasma TVs from £60 a night from December 19 to 29. 020-7379 4737

Short haul

A bargain break to Malta, where temperatures are about 20C (68F), is enough to bring warmth to the heart. Dealchecker.co.uk offers a week's half board this winter at the four-star Bella Vista Hotel in St Paul's Bay from £189 with flights from Gatwick, Luton or Manchester. All-inclusive deals are from £249 and the hotel has indoor and outdoor pools, a restaurant and roof terrace with spa, bar and live music. 0800 0913176

Kirker Holidays, one of the UK's leading city break specialists, has ten winter short breaks on offer, each one under £500. All include transfers, briefing notes and Kirker's concierge service. Prices range from £329 for three nights' B&B in the comfortable and central Cason del Tormes hotel in Madrid with flights from the UK, to £399 for three nights in a family-run hotel in Rome and £499 for three nights in the five-star Pulitzer in Amsterdam. 020-7593 2288

Among low-cost deals on offer with First Choice Holidays is a week's self-catering in the Fuengirola Beach Aparthotel on the Costa del Sol from £119, with a flight from Gatwick on November 30. A fortnight at the Holiday Village Sun Tropical on Lanzarote is from £219, flying from East Midlands on November 27. 0871 6649011

It's your choice on a six-day break in Morocco whether to seek out the bustle of Marrakesh or continue relaxing in a rural setting. This offer with Fleewinter is based at Dar Tamazerte, a villa in the foothills of the Atlas Mountains, 18 miles from the city. Set in extensive gardens with a heated pool, it costs £150 for five nights' B&B, based on six sharing, until Christmas. Flights extra. 020-7112 0019

Take in dramatic ravines, fertile valleys and good hospitality on a week's walking tour of the mountains behind Alicante. This hotel-to-hotel trip with worldreviewer.com includes a delightful cluster of villages on the mountain slopes, with the chance to appreciate the Moorish culture that once dominated the region. Prices start from £470 with dinner, B&B, two picnics and detailed walking notes. Flights extra. 020-3137 0694

Long haul

An eight-night pre-Christmas Caribbean cruise is on offer from £629 through lglu.cruise.com . Ocean Village sails from Barbados on December 9 for St Barts, Antigua, Martinique and Grenada. The price includes flights from Gatwick, all meals and entertainment. 020-8544 6447

Las Vegas for a week for £468 is another good early December deal. It comes from expedia.co.uk and includes a flight from Gatwick via Charlotte on December 4 and a room at the three-star Riviera Hotel and Casino on Sunset Strip. 0871 2260808

Thomson Worldwide has a week in a beach resort in Thailand from £699. Fly from Heathrow on December 2 and stay in a room at the three-star Holiday Inn Resort Regent, set in 40 acres of gardens, south of Cha-Am. 0871 2302770

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

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