The Azores... buy one, get one free with Sunvil

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...gains?page=all


The best of the January sales
It's been a slow year for travel companies, so there are some amazing
bargains to be had. Benji Lanyado scours the web and comes up with
half-price holidays and savings of £600

* Benji Lanyado
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 January 2009 00.01 GMT
* Article history

Azores, Portugal

The Azores... buy one, get one free with Sunvil

Conventional wisdom dictates that holidays are best value when they
are DIY - finding cheap flights online and then pairing them with
decent hotel offers. But if you've given packaged options short shrift
in the past ... now might be the time to have a rethink. It's been a
slow year for tour operators, so they are trying harder than ever to
get bums on seats.

The industry is awash with deals, and we've scoured the internet to
find some of the biggest reductions out there.
St Lucia for a song

Packages to the Caribbean have been great value all year, and Expedia
currently has savings of up to 40% on breaks to St Lucia. Seven nights
all-inclusive at the three-star Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in
Vieux Fort cost £1,121pp, based on two sharing a deluxe room with a
garden view. The price includes return American Airlines flights
departing from Heathrow on 6 May. It's always worth checking out some
of the voucher code websites for a final snip - vouchercodes.co.uk has
a £50 reduction code on any Expedia trip that costs over £500.

• For bookings, visit expedia.co.uk or call 0871 226 0808
Malaysian freebies
Malaysia boat Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP

The further you are willing to go, the more they are willing to
discount. Kuoni is currently offering seven nights for the price of
four at the four-star beach front Meritus Pelangi hotel in Malaysia, a
10-minute transfer from Kuala Lumpur airport. The price for a couple
travelling on 1 April, including flights via Abu Dhabi with Etihad and
Malaysian Airways and private transfers is £1,833 all in, which is a
saving of just under £600. The hotel is on a room only basis.

• Kuoni Offers
Miami flier

The British Airways Holidays' winter sale runs until 27 January, with
reductions of up to 50% on certain holidays. The Miami fly-drive deal,
which includes flights and seven days' car hire (not including
insurance) is available from £309pp travelling between 13 January and
31 March, representing a reduction of almost £300 on peak rates.
Couple this with one of the 50% off deals at hotel site bookit.com's
Miami listings, and you can do a full week, with flights, car and
three-star accommodation, for £428pp.
Luxury Europe
De Russie Hotel Photograph: PR

With the average holidaymaker shifting down a notch (the travel
equivalent of the Waitrose-to-Lidl downgrade), the top end of the
hotel spectrum is feeling the squeeze. On top of this, the wilting
pound is putting UK travellers off Eurozone trips. Add this up and
what do you get? Some rather tempting deals on luxury city breaks in
Europe - if you've been waiting for the right time to splurge, this
might be it. Kirkers has a number of good deals, including a three-
night break at the Madrid Ritz for £619pp, including return BA flights
from Heathrow or Gatwick. If you were to try to do this without a
package, the cheapest you could get is £904pp, meaning a saving of at
least £285pp. Elsewhere, Kirkers' £829pp three-night Rome deal staying
at the five-star De Russie, pictured, would be at least £280 more if
booked independently.

• kirkerholidays.com, 020 7593 1899
Azores

The Azores may be similarly blighted by the strength of the Euro, but
two rather nice statistics might grab your attention: 50% (the current
reductions at sunvil.co.uk) and 21C (the temperature yesterday
afternoon). Surprisingly, the accommodation options packaged up in
Sunvil's deals are pretty good considering the bargain basement
prices, with the Talisman Hotel on the island of San Miguel currently
part of a two-for-one deal, with seven nights' B&B, flights from
Gatwick and car hire now just £230pp (travelling on saturdays until 21
March). Late offers on packages, including seven nights at the
heritage property Hotel do Colégio, are also discounted by 50%, with
Saturday departures up until 7 February currently £371pp on the same
basis.

• sunvil.co.uk, 0208 568 4499
Last-minute ski
Austria skiing Photograph: Alessandro Trovati/AP

As always, last-minute deals will offer particularly good value, and
some of the snips on skiing holidays in January are worth exploring.
Mark Warner has cut over a third off the price of a seven-night half-
board (including three-course evening meals) escape to St Anton. The
package, with flights from Gatwick, accommodation, ski hosting and
transfers, now costs £529. It's also worth keeping an eye on the
"deals of the day" at skideals.co.uk, with daily offers regularly
trimming up to 40% off packages, especially some of the Austrian
resorts.

• markwarner.co.uk, 0871 703 3880
Bali (next) winter sun

Savvy budgeteers will be booking ahead to next winter, with early
purchases offering significant incentives. Bailey Robinson is offering
a range of packages with free nights thrown in, including seven nights
for the price of five at the swanky Spa Village Resort Tempok, a
secluded retreat on Bali's north-east coast. The deal is reduced by
30% to £1,200pp, and includes three meals a day, daily massages and
(non-obligatory) fitness activities, plus return flights from Heathrow
with lounge access.
Iceland, quick
Blue Lagoon Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

One country's economic plunge is another's budget holiday opportunity.
Iceland's economy might be in the brown stuff, but its flag carrier
airline is doing a roaring trade; Iceland's notoriously expensive
prices have halved, and Icelandair has seen a 50% increase in package
bookings compared to this time last year. With demand high, prices are
low, with three-night breaks with flights and accommodation coming in
at £259pp... £199pp if booked with an American Express card. Also
currently: three nights for the price of two at the Reykjavik Hitlon
starting from £279 in between January and March.

• Icelandair packages
Cape Verde classic

Cape Verde is the classic mid-haul destination, whereby flight times
don't exceed the dreaded seven-hour tax hike. Holiday Options is one
of the best Cape Verde operators on the web, and currently has seven-
night packages reduced by 40% to £449pp, including return Gatwick
flights departing 6 February, transfers, and B&B accommodation at the
Dunas hotel on Sal. Crucially, there's another number worth taking
into consideration - when we checked yesterday, it was 24C.
Post-Christmas Cook-ing
Atlantis Hotel, Antalya

The bigger the operator, the more latitude they have for sales. Thomas
Cook has a number of great deals at the moment - including 15-night
breaks in India for as little as £509pp flying from Manchester to Goa
on 2 March , and 14-night breaks in India reduced by 22% to £1,099pp
flying from Gatwick to Goa in the first two weeks of May. Its Turkey
breaks also look tempting, especially considering that the Lira is one
of the few currencies that sterling has been holding its own against.
Seven nights at the five-star Atlantis, pictured, in Belek, Antalya,
has been reduced by 22% to £365pp, based on 1 March flights from
Manchester.

• thomascook.com, 0844 412 5970

"Karole Singeur" a écrit dans le message de
...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...gains?page=all


The best of the January sales
It's been a slow year for travel companies, so there are some amazing
bargains to be had. Benji Lanyado scours the web and comes up with
half-price holidays and savings of £600

* Benji Lanyado
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 January 2009 00.01 GMT
* Article history

Azores, Portugal

The Azores... buy one, get one free with Sunvil

Conventional wisdom dictates that holidays are best value when they
are DIY - finding cheap flights online and then pairing them with
decent hotel offers. But if you've given packaged options short shrift
in the past ... now might be the time to have a rethink. It's been a
slow year for tour operators, so they are trying harder than ever to
get bums on seats.

The industry is awash with deals, and we've scoured the internet to
find some of the biggest reductions out there.
St Lucia for a song

Packages to the Caribbean have been great value all year, and Expedia
currently has savings of up to 40% on breaks to St Lucia. Seven nights
all-inclusive at the three-star Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in
Vieux Fort cost £1,121pp, based on two sharing a deluxe room with a
garden view. The price includes return American Airlines flights
departing from Heathrow on 6 May. It's always worth checking out some
of the voucher code websites for a final snip - vouchercodes.co.uk has
a £50 reduction code on any Expedia trip that costs over £500.

• For bookings, visit expedia.co.uk or call 0871 226 0808
Malaysian freebies
Malaysia boat Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP

The further you are willing to go, the more they are willing to
discount. Kuoni is currently offering seven nights for the price of
four at the four-star beach front Meritus Pelangi hotel in Malaysia, a
10-minute transfer from Kuala Lumpur airport. The price for a couple
travelling on 1 April, including flights via Abu Dhabi with Etihad and
Malaysian Airways and private transfers is £1,833 all in, which is a
saving of just under £600. The hotel is on a room only basis.

• Kuoni Offers
Miami flier

The British Airways Holidays' winter sale runs until 27 January, with
reductions of up to 50% on certain holidays. The Miami fly-drive deal,
which includes flights and seven days' car hire (not including
insurance) is available from £309pp travelling between 13 January and
31 March, representing a reduction of almost £300 on peak rates.
Couple this with one of the 50% off deals at hotel site bookit.com's
Miami listings, and you can do a full week, with flights, car and
three-star accommodation, for £428pp.
Luxury Europe
De Russie Hotel Photograph: PR

With the average holidaymaker shifting down a notch (the travel
equivalent of the Waitrose-to-Lidl downgrade), the top end of the
hotel spectrum is feeling the squeeze. On top of this, the wilting
pound is putting UK travellers off Eurozone trips. Add this up and
what do you get? Some rather tempting deals on luxury city breaks in
Europe - if you've been waiting for the right time to splurge, this
might be it. Kirkers has a number of good deals, including a three-
night break at the Madrid Ritz for £619pp, including return BA flights
from Heathrow or Gatwick. If you were to try to do this without a
package, the cheapest you could get is £904pp, meaning a saving of at
least £285pp. Elsewhere, Kirkers' £829pp three-night Rome deal staying
at the five-star De Russie, pictured, would be at least £280 more if
booked independently.

• kirkerholidays.com, 020 7593 1899
Azores

The Azores may be similarly blighted by the strength of the Euro, but
two rather nice statistics might grab your attention: 50% (the current
reductions at sunvil.co.uk) and 21C (the temperature yesterday
afternoon). Surprisingly, the accommodation options packaged up in
Sunvil's deals are pretty good considering the bargain basement
prices, with the Talisman Hotel on the island of San Miguel currently
part of a two-for-one deal, with seven nights' B&B, flights from
Gatwick and car hire now just £230pp (travelling on saturdays until 21
March). Late offers on packages, including seven nights at the
heritage property Hotel do Colégio, are also discounted by 50%, with
Saturday departures up until 7 February currently £371pp on the same
basis.

• sunvil.co.uk, 0208 568 4499
Last-minute ski
Austria skiing Photograph: Alessandro Trovati/AP

As always, last-minute deals will offer particularly good value, and
some of the snips on skiing holidays in January are worth exploring.
Mark Warner has cut over a third off the price of a seven-night half-
board (including three-course evening meals) escape to St Anton. The
package, with flights from Gatwick, accommodation, ski hosting and
transfers, now costs £529. It's also worth keeping an eye on the
"deals of the day" at skideals.co.uk, with daily offers regularly
trimming up to 40% off packages, especially some of the Austrian
resorts.

• markwarner.co.uk, 0871 703 3880
Bali (next) winter sun

Savvy budgeteers will be booking ahead to next winter, with early
purchases offering significant incentives. Bailey Robinson is offering
a range of packages with free nights thrown in, including seven nights
for the price of five at the swanky Spa Village Resort Tempok, a
secluded retreat on Bali's north-east coast. The deal is reduced by
30% to £1,200pp, and includes three meals a day, daily massages and
(non-obligatory) fitness activities, plus return flights from Heathrow
with lounge access.
Iceland, quick
Blue Lagoon Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

One country's economic plunge is another's budget holiday opportunity.
Iceland's economy might be in the brown stuff, but its flag carrier
airline is doing a roaring trade; Iceland's notoriously expensive
prices have halved, and Icelandair has seen a 50% increase in package
bookings compared to this time last year. With demand high, prices are
low, with three-night breaks with flights and accommodation coming in
at £259pp... £199pp if booked with an American Express card. Also
currently: three nights for the price of two at the Reykjavik Hitlon
starting from £279 in between January and March.

• Icelandair packages
Cape Verde classic

Cape Verde is the classic mid-haul destination, whereby flight times
don't exceed the dreaded seven-hour tax hike. Holiday Options is one
of the best Cape Verde operators on the web, and currently has seven-
night packages reduced by 40% to £449pp, including return Gatwick
flights departing 6 February, transfers, and B&B accommodation at the
Dunas hotel on Sal. Crucially, there's another number worth taking
into consideration - when we checked yesterday, it was 24C.
Post-Christmas Cook-ing
Atlantis Hotel, Antalya

The bigger the operator, the more latitude they have for sales. Thomas
Cook has a number of great deals at the moment - including 15-night
breaks in India for as little as £509pp flying from Manchester to Goa
on 2 March , and 14-night breaks in India reduced by 22% to £1,099pp
flying from Gatwick to Goa in the first two weeks of May. Its Turkey
breaks also look tempting, especially considering that the Lira is one
of the few currencies that sterling has been holding its own against.
Seven nights at the five-star Atlantis, pictured, in Belek, Antalya,
has been reduced by 22% to £365pp, based on 1 March flights from
Manchester.

• thomascook.com, 0844 412 5970

On Jan 1, 5:54*pm, Karole Singeur wrote:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...avel-bargains?...

The best of the January sales
It's been a slow year for travel companies, so there are some amazing
bargains to be had. Benji Lanyado scours the web and comes up with
half-price holidays and savings of £600

* * * Benji Lanyado
* * * guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 January 2009 00.01 GMT
* * * Article history

Azores, Portugal

The Azores... buy one, get one free with Sunvil

Conventional wisdom dictates that holidays are best value when they
are DIY - finding cheap flights online and then pairing them with
decent hotel offers. But if you've given packaged options short shrift
in the past ... now might be the time to have a rethink. It's been a
slow year for tour operators, so they are trying harder than ever to
get bums on seats.

The industry is awash with deals, and we've scoured the internet to
find some of the biggest reductions out there.
St Lucia for a song

Packages to the Caribbean have been great value all year, and Expedia
currently has savings of up to 40% on breaks to St Lucia. Seven nights
all-inclusive at the three-star Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in
Vieux Fort cost £1,121pp, based on two sharing a deluxe room with a
garden view. The price includes return American Airlines flights
departing from Heathrow on 6 May. It's always worth checking out some
of the voucher code websites for a final snip - vouchercodes.co.uk has
a £50 reduction code on any Expedia trip that costs over £500.

• For bookings, visit expedia.co.uk or call 0871 226 0808
Malaysian freebies
Malaysia boat Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP

The further you are willing to go, the more they are willing to
discount. Kuoni is currently offering seven nights for the price of
four at the four-star beach front Meritus Pelangi hotel in Malaysia, a
10-minute transfer from Kuala Lumpur airport. The price for a couple
travelling on 1 April, including flights via Abu Dhabi with Etihad and
Malaysian Airways and private transfers is £1,833 all in, which is a
saving of just under £600. The hotel is on a room only basis.

• Kuoni Offers
Miami flier

The British Airways Holidays' winter sale runs until 27 January, with
reductions of up to 50% on certain holidays. The Miami fly-drive deal,
which includes flights and seven days' car hire (not including
insurance) is available from £309pp travelling between 13 January and
31 March, representing a reduction of almost £300 on peak rates.
Couple this with one of the 50% off deals at hotel site bookit.com's
Miami listings, and you can do a full week, with flights, car and
three-star accommodation, for £428pp.
Luxury Europe
De Russie Hotel Photograph: PR

With the average holidaymaker shifting down a notch (the travel
equivalent of the Waitrose-to-Lidl downgrade), the top end of the
hotel spectrum is feeling the squeeze. On top of this, the wilting
pound is putting UK travellers off Eurozone trips. Add this up and
what do you get? Some rather tempting deals on luxury city breaks in
Europe - if you've been waiting for the right time to splurge, this
might be it. Kirkers has a number of good deals, including a three-
night break at the Madrid Ritz for £619pp, including return BA flights
from Heathrow or Gatwick. If you were to try to do this without a
package, the cheapest you could get is £904pp, meaning a saving of at
least £285pp. Elsewhere, Kirkers' £829pp three-night Rome deal staying
at the five-star De Russie, pictured, would be at least £280 more if
booked independently.

• kirkerholidays.com, 020 7593 1899
Azores

The Azores may be similarly blighted by the strength of the Euro, but
two rather nice statistics might grab your attention: 50% (the current
reductions at sunvil.co.uk) and 21C (the temperature yesterday
afternoon). Surprisingly, the accommodation options packaged up in
Sunvil's deals are pretty good considering the bargain basement
prices, with the Talisman Hotel on the island of San Miguel currently
part of a two-for-one deal, with seven nights' B&B, flights from
Gatwick and car hire now just £230pp (travelling on saturdays until 21
March). Late offers on packages, including seven nights at the
heritage property Hotel do Colégio, are also discounted by 50%, with
Saturday departures up until 7 February currently £371pp on the same
basis.

• sunvil.co.uk, 0208 568 4499
Last-minute ski
Austria skiing Photograph: Alessandro Trovati/AP

As always, last-minute deals will offer particularly good value, and
some of the snips on skiing holidays in January are worth exploring.
Mark Warner has cut over a third off the price of a seven-night half-
board (including three-course evening meals) escape to St Anton. The
package, with flights from Gatwick, accommodation, ski hosting and
transfers, now costs £529. It's also worth keeping an eye on the
"deals of the day" at skideals.co.uk, with daily offers regularly
trimming up to 40% off packages, especially some of the Austrian
resorts.

• markwarner.co.uk, 0871 703 3880
Bali (next) winter sun

Savvy budgeteers will be booking ahead to next winter, with early
purchases offering significant incentives. Bailey Robinson is offering
a range of packages with free nights thrown in, including seven nights
for the price of five at the swanky Spa Village Resort Tempok, a
secluded retreat on Bali's north-east coast. The deal is reduced by
30% to £1,200pp, and includes three meals a day, daily massages and
(non-obligatory) fitness activities, plus return flights from Heathrow
with lounge access.
Iceland, quick
Blue Lagoon Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

One country's economic plunge is another's budget holiday opportunity.
Iceland's economy might be in the brown stuff, but its flag carrier
airline is doing a roaring trade; Iceland's notoriously expensive
prices have halved, and Icelandair has seen a 50% increase in package
bookings compared to this time last year. With demand high, prices are
low, with three-night breaks with flights and accommodation coming in
at £259pp... £199pp if booked with an American Express card. Also
currently: three nights for the price of two at the Reykjavik Hitlon
starting from £279 in between January and March.

• Icelandair packages
Cape Verde classic

Cape Verde is the classic mid-haul destination, whereby flight times
don't exceed the dreaded seven-hour tax hike. Holiday Options is one
of the best Cape Verde operators on the web, and currently has seven-
night packages reduced by 40% to £449pp, including return Gatwick
flights departing 6 February, transfers, and B&B accommodation at the
Dunas hotel on Sal. Crucially, there's another number worth taking
into consideration - when we checked yesterday, it was 24C.
Post-Christmas Cook-ing
Atlantis Hotel, Antalya

The bigger the operator, the more latitude they have for sales. Thomas
Cook has a number of great deals at the moment - including 15-night
breaks in India for as little as £509pp flying from Manchester to Goa
on 2 March , and 14-night breaks in India reduced by 22% to £1,099pp
flying from Gatwick to Goa in the first two weeks of May. Its Turkey
breaks also look tempting, especially considering that the Lira is one
of the few currencies that sterling has been holding its own against.
Seven nights at the five-star Atlantis, pictured, in Belek, Antalya,
has been reduced by 22% to £365pp, based on 1 March flights from
Manchester.

• thomascook.com, 0844 412 5970

0o00o0o travel....interesting

No not interesting when it comes from you.
OT Kuala is not in Europe, did you know that ?
Old nuisance.

"Karole Singeur" a écrit dans le message de
...
On Jan 1, 5:54 pm, Karole Singeur wrote:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/200...avel-bargains?...

The best of the January sales
It's been a slow year for travel companies, so there are some amazing
bargains to be had. Benji Lanyado scours the web and comes up with
half-price holidays and savings of £600

* Benji Lanyado
* guardian.co.uk, Thursday 1 January 2009 00.01 GMT
* Article history

Azores, Portugal

The Azores... buy one, get one free with Sunvil

Conventional wisdom dictates that holidays are best value when they
are DIY - finding cheap flights online and then pairing them with
decent hotel offers. But if you've given packaged options short shrift
in the past ... now might be the time to have a rethink. It's been a
slow year for tour operators, so they are trying harder than ever to
get bums on seats.

The industry is awash with deals, and we've scoured the internet to
find some of the biggest reductions out there.
St Lucia for a song

Packages to the Caribbean have been great value all year, and Expedia
currently has savings of up to 40% on breaks to St Lucia. Seven nights
all-inclusive at the three-star Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa in
Vieux Fort cost £1,121pp, based on two sharing a deluxe room with a
garden view. The price includes return American Airlines flights
departing from Heathrow on 6 May. It's always worth checking out some
of the voucher code websites for a final snip - vouchercodes.co.uk has
a £50 reduction code on any Expedia trip that costs over £500.

• For bookings, visit expedia.co.uk or call 0871 226 0808
Malaysian freebies
Malaysia boat Photograph: Apichart Weerawong/AP

The further you are willing to go, the more they are willing to
discount. Kuoni is currently offering seven nights for the price of
four at the four-star beach front Meritus Pelangi hotel in Malaysia, a
10-minute transfer from Kuala Lumpur airport. The price for a couple
travelling on 1 April, including flights via Abu Dhabi with Etihad and
Malaysian Airways and private transfers is £1,833 all in, which is a
saving of just under £600. The hotel is on a room only basis.

• Kuoni Offers
Miami flier

The British Airways Holidays' winter sale runs until 27 January, with
reductions of up to 50% on certain holidays. The Miami fly-drive deal,
which includes flights and seven days' car hire (not including
insurance) is available from £309pp travelling between 13 January and
31 March, representing a reduction of almost £300 on peak rates.
Couple this with one of the 50% off deals at hotel site bookit.com's
Miami listings, and you can do a full week, with flights, car and
three-star accommodation, for £428pp.
Luxury Europe
De Russie Hotel Photograph: PR

With the average holidaymaker shifting down a notch (the travel
equivalent of the Waitrose-to-Lidl downgrade), the top end of the
hotel spectrum is feeling the squeeze. On top of this, the wilting
pound is putting UK travellers off Eurozone trips. Add this up and
what do you get? Some rather tempting deals on luxury city breaks in
Europe - if you've been waiting for the right time to splurge, this
might be it. Kirkers has a number of good deals, including a three-
night break at the Madrid Ritz for £619pp, including return BA flights
from Heathrow or Gatwick. If you were to try to do this without a
package, the cheapest you could get is £904pp, meaning a saving of at
least £285pp. Elsewhere, Kirkers' £829pp three-night Rome deal staying
at the five-star De Russie, pictured, would be at least £280 more if
booked independently.

• kirkerholidays.com, 020 7593 1899
Azores

The Azores may be similarly blighted by the strength of the Euro, but
two rather nice statistics might grab your attention: 50% (the current
reductions at sunvil.co.uk) and 21C (the temperature yesterday
afternoon). Surprisingly, the accommodation options packaged up in
Sunvil's deals are pretty good considering the bargain basement
prices, with the Talisman Hotel on the island of San Miguel currently
part of a two-for-one deal, with seven nights' B&B, flights from
Gatwick and car hire now just £230pp (travelling on saturdays until 21
March). Late offers on packages, including seven nights at the
heritage property Hotel do Colégio, are also discounted by 50%, with
Saturday departures up until 7 February currently £371pp on the same
basis.

• sunvil.co.uk, 0208 568 4499
Last-minute ski
Austria skiing Photograph: Alessandro Trovati/AP

As always, last-minute deals will offer particularly good value, and
some of the snips on skiing holidays in January are worth exploring.
Mark Warner has cut over a third off the price of a seven-night half-
board (including three-course evening meals) escape to St Anton. The
package, with flights from Gatwick, accommodation, ski hosting and
transfers, now costs £529. It's also worth keeping an eye on the
"deals of the day" at skideals.co.uk, with daily offers regularly
trimming up to 40% off packages, especially some of the Austrian
resorts.

• markwarner.co.uk, 0871 703 3880
Bali (next) winter sun

Savvy budgeteers will be booking ahead to next winter, with early
purchases offering significant incentives. Bailey Robinson is offering
a range of packages with free nights thrown in, including seven nights
for the price of five at the swanky Spa Village Resort Tempok, a
secluded retreat on Bali's north-east coast. The deal is reduced by
30% to £1,200pp, and includes three meals a day, daily massages and
(non-obligatory) fitness activities, plus return flights from Heathrow
with lounge access.
Iceland, quick
Blue Lagoon Photograph: Bob Strong/Reuters

One country's economic plunge is another's budget holiday opportunity.
Iceland's economy might be in the brown stuff, but its flag carrier
airline is doing a roaring trade; Iceland's notoriously expensive
prices have halved, and Icelandair has seen a 50% increase in package
bookings compared to this time last year. With demand high, prices are
low, with three-night breaks with flights and accommodation coming in
at £259pp... £199pp if booked with an American Express card. Also
currently: three nights for the price of two at the Reykjavik Hitlon
starting from £279 in between January and March.

• Icelandair packages
Cape Verde classic

Cape Verde is the classic mid-haul destination, whereby flight times
don't exceed the dreaded seven-hour tax hike. Holiday Options is one
of the best Cape Verde operators on the web, and currently has seven-
night packages reduced by 40% to £449pp, including return Gatwick
flights departing 6 February, transfers, and B&B accommodation at the
Dunas hotel on Sal. Crucially, there's another number worth taking
into consideration - when we checked yesterday, it was 24C.
Post-Christmas Cook-ing
Atlantis Hotel, Antalya

The bigger the operator, the more latitude they have for sales. Thomas
Cook has a number of great deals at the moment - including 15-night
breaks in India for as little as £509pp flying from Manchester to Goa
on 2 March , and 14-night breaks in India reduced by 22% to £1,099pp
flying from Gatwick to Goa in the first two weeks of May. Its Turkey
breaks also look tempting, especially considering that the Lira is one
of the few currencies that sterling has been holding its own against.
Seven nights at the five-star Atlantis, pictured, in Belek, Antalya,
has been reduced by 22% to £365pp, based on 1 March flights from
Manchester.

• thomascook.com, 0844 412 5970

0o00o0o travel....interesting