British Isles

Properties for family gatherings or party groups are on offer at reduced prices. Near Bude, North Cornwall, Bluebell sleeps ten and guests have the use of an indoor heated pool and a games room, and extensive grounds to explore. It costs £683 for a week from September 19 with Classic Cottages. 01326 555555

Lakeside Lodge, a luxury log cabin in a leisure park that slopes down to the shore of Windermere in the Lake District, is available for a week from September 18. It sleeps eight in four bedrooms, has two bathrooms and is reduced to £640 with Cumbrian Cottages. 01228 599960

A quirky stone cottage for four in a hamlet of period properties near Coldstream on the Scottish Borders is on offer until October 4 with holidaylettings.co.uk. It is set in large grounds which attract wildlife, has views over the River Tweed and costs £250 for a week. 01865 312000

A traditional English fête marks the start of Agatha Christie week in and around Torquay on Sunday, with a tour of poisonous plants at Torre Abbey and visits to Greenway, her former home, among other events. Blue Chip Vacations has properties available in the area, with the best deal a top floor flat for four, next to Preston Sands beach and the town green in Paignton, for £436 for the week. 01803 855282

A few miles from Wigan Pier and a little farther from Manchester and the Lancashire coast is the four-star Macdonald Kilhey Court & Spa at Standish. Two nights’ B&B and dinner on the first night at the Victorian house with added conservatories and set in ten acres of landscaped garden is £75 with Superbeak until the end of October. 0871 2223055

Tours of the Ring of Kerry and south to Bantry Bay or north to the Dingle Peninsula and including Dublin and Killarney are on offer until early October with Shearings Holidays. They cost from £669 for a week with flights from a choice of UK regional airports and half-board. A five-night trip to Cork and Kerry with half-board and flights on September 20 is from £499. 0844 2097143

Short haul

See Naples and save money with this deal with Expedia.co.uk. A week from September 23 at the three-star Mercure Napoli Garibaldi with a flight from Stansted costs from £282. If the city’s castle, cathedral and crime is not enough for you, the Circumvesuviana railway runs to Herculaneum and Pompeii and ferries sail to Capri and the Amalfi Coast. 0871 2260808

Here is another bargain break: a week on the Côte d’Azur for up to six for a total of £247. It does involve driving there, with a Dover-Calais ferry crossing included, and staying in a two-bedroom mobile home on La Baume site, with a waterpark and many sports facilities at Fréjus. The deal with Keycamp is for a week from September 18. 0844 4060319

For those seeking a little more luxury, Kirker Holidays has a wide choice of autumn offers, including three nights in a boutique hotel in Seville, in a beautiful Salzburg hotel, in a five-star hotel in Barcelona and in a catered villa with a pool above Spoleto in Umbria. Prices with flights from the UK, car hire or transfers and B&B range from £460 to £530. 020-7593 2283

A week’s self-catering from Tuesday in Marmaris, Turkey, from £188, based on four sharing and with a flight from Gatwick — and a week’s half-board from September 22 on the Costa Brava from £177, with a flight from Liverpool — are this week’s lead-in offers with Lowcostholidays.com. 0800 1116271

Puerto Pollensa in north Majorca is one of the island’s prettier resorts, with a horseshoe bay backed by the Tramuntana mountains and fishing village atmosphere. Holiday Jewels has a choice of hotels in the area with flights from Gatwick on September 26 and half-board: the two-star Panorama Golden Beach and four-star Pollentia Club Resort. Prices are from £299 and £491. 01293 533338

A rustic villa for two and a spacious house for four in a stunning position on the Greek island of Paxos are on offer at a discount for a week from September 28 with CV Travel. Prices are £535 for Villa Faye and £550 for Villa Filoxenia, based on four sharing, with flights from Gatwick to Corfu, transfers, maid service and welcome food hamper. 020-7401 1026

Long haul

Swap the Tube for the new Dubai Metro, unveiled today, on a five-night break with Premier Holidays from £599. The company offers the choice of Le Royal Meridien Beach Resort & Spa, by the Persian Gulf, or the more central Grosvenor House West Marina Beach. Virgin Atlantic flights from Heathrow, transfers and B&B included. Please note Ramadan continues until September 20. 0844 4937542

A week’s all-inclusive at the Diani Sea Lodge on Diani beach, south of Mombasa, Kenya, is on offer for £599 with Hayes & Jarvis. The deal includes a flight from Heathrow on September 22 — and the hotel has a pool, tennis and evening shows. 0871 6640246

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

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