Scarborough, Whitby & York. Short Break - 5 Days / 4 Nights
Monday, 05 July 2010
Discover sunny seaside attractions and great shopping on a five-day break that combines the wonderful scenery and sights of North Yorkshire with the historic city of York. Your base will be in the popular seaside resort of Scarborough, renowned for its beautiful beaches, colourful promenades, tourist shops and historic sights.
Your Itinerary
Day 1 – Journey to your hotel in Scarborough via the historic city of Lincoln for lunch.
Day 2 – After breakfast, join the coach for the transfer to York for your free time. There are great museums, excellent shopping with many speciality outlets including Maxwell & Kennedy and Mulberry Hall. The magnificent gothic cathedral, York Minster, took 250 years to complete and is one of the largest of its kind in Europe. We return to the hotel in time for dinner.
Day 3 – This morning we head north following the coast road to Whitby, the famous fishing port which was once the home of Captain James Cook. High above the harbour stands the 7th century Whitby Abbey, the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula. We have time to wander around the narrow streets and busy harbour side, before travelling on through the scenic North Yorkshire Moors to the historic market town of Pickering and then back to Scarborough.
Day 4 – A free day to explore the varied attractions of Scarborough. Enjoy the delightful promenade in the attractive Belvedere Gardens, take a short walk across the Spa footbridge to the town centre and shops, or the cliff lift down to the golden beaches of the South Bay, or the busy little harbour. Explore the town’s indoor markets and antique shops. Or take a walk up to Scarborough Castle and enjoy the wonderful views across both North and South bays.
Day 5 – Reluctantly we depart after breakfast for the return journey home with a comfort and lunch stop en route, returning around 6.00pm.
Your Hotel
Located in one of the most popular seaside resorts in England, The Grand Hotel is an astonishing building overlooking the harbour and South Bay. Originally constructed in 1863, it was one of Europe’s first purpose built hotels with a design based on time: 4 towers representing the 4 seasons, 12 floors for the months, 52 chimneys for the weeks and 365 bedrooms for the days in the year! It is a beautiful example of grand Victorian architecture and totally dominates its surroundings. www.scarboroughgrandhotel.co.uk
What’s included
Four nights Half Board Accommodation (Bed, Breakfast and Evening Meal)
Full use of hotel facilities
Excursion to York
Excursion to Whitby
Live entertainment
Return executive coach travel
5 Days / 4 Nights
£249 per person sharing double or twin en-suite rooms
£309 per person in single en-suite room (limited availability)
Departure Code: D
Isle Of Wight. Short Break - 4 Days / 3 Nights
Friday, 30 July 2010
Back by popular demand, the Isle of Wight is the perfect place to enjoy a relaxing break. It is a stunning island with unspoilt scenery, home to the most diverse countryside and a wealth of fascinating attractions. Our base for the short break is the Shanklin, situated in beautiful ‘Sandown Bay’ which is fringed by a wonderful six mile stretch of sandy beach.
Your Itinerary
Day 1 - We journey to Shanklin via the ferry from Portsmouth, a thirty minute crossing to Fishbourne. Our journey to the hotel will take us via Arreton Barns Craft Village, where we will take lunch (not provided) and browse the unusual craft shops before continuing to the Shanklin Hotel, arriving after 3.00pm. The evening meal will be provided after 7.00pm.
Day 2 - After breakfast we journey to Osborne House, arriving around 10.00am, the former seaside holiday home of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert (admission included). The afternoon will be your free time to spend in Cowes, the Isle of Wight’s main port and well known as the world’s premier yachting centre at this time of year, Cowes yachting week will be in full swing. Cowes remains a small town with a friendly, cosmopolitan atmosphere.
Day 3 - After breakfast we travel across the island to the Needles & Alum Bay, returning to the hotel, via a scenic coastal tour.
Day 4 - We depart from the hotel after breakfast by 10.30am from the hotel for a lunchtime visit to Ryde, a pleasant Victorian town, before beginning our journey home via the ferry which is booked for an afternoon sailing.
What’s included
Three nights / Four days half board accommodation
Excursion to Arreton Barns Craft Village
Excursion to Osbourne House
Excursion to Cowes & Ryde
Excursion to Needles & Alum Bay
Return executive coach travel
Your Hotel
The gloriously art deco Shanklin Hotel overlooks the bay with great panoramic views of the surrounding countryside yet just a few minutes walk from the busy town centre. The gently sloping sandy beach provides great swimming opportunities and for enjoying the sun. The hotel is within 100 metres of the cliff lift which takes you down to the esplanade and lovely sandy beaches. All bedrooms have en-suite bath and shower, direct dial phones, television and hospitality tray. The restaurant looks out over Sandown Bay. A varied and quality menu is provided where modern and traditional influences are blended to suit all tastes. Unwind in the beautiful indoor heated pool room, take a swim or relax in the sauna and bubbles of the spa pool. www.shanklinhotel.co.uk
4 Days / 3 Nights
£228 per person sharing a double or twin en-suite room
£248 per person in a single room ensuite (limited availability)
Departure Code: D
Lake District. Short Break - 4 Days / 3 Nights
Friday, 17 September 2010
The Lake District, also know as The Lakes or Lakeland, is a popular holiday destination famous for its lush-green hillsides, fells, dales, mountains and picturesque lakes. Its stunning scenery inspired the writings of William Wordsworth, John Ruskin & Beatrix Potter in the 19th century, and today is second only to London in the UK tourist popularity stakes.
Your Itinerary
Day 1 – Travel to the Lake District via the M6 toll road, Britain’s first privately funded tolled motorway which stretches for 27 miles, enjoying the scenery with lunch and comfort stops, arriving at the Shap Wells Hotel in time for dinner.
Day 2 – Tour of Lake Windermere by coach, enjoying England’s largest and arguably, prettiest lake, more than ten miles long, located at the southern end of the Lake District. Many of the area’s best loved mountains are visible from the lake and its shores. We take a leisurely cruise from Lakeside to Ambleside (subject to weather conditions) before enjoying free time in Ambleside to explore its specialist shops, galleries and museums and then onto Bowness, returning to the hotel in time for dinner.
Day 3 – Free time to explore the area at your own pace - the coach will take you into Kendal after breakfast and collect you mid-afternoon. Be sure to purchase some of the local Mint Cake. After the special “Fish and Chip” dinner in the hotel, we travel to Blackpool to enjoy the traditional Illuminations. At ten kilometres long and using over one million bulbs the Blackpool Illuminations are an awesome spectacle, consisting of almost every kind of light display you can imagine: lasers, neon, light bulbs, fibre optics, searchlights, floodlighting, three-dimensional illuminated scenes and set pieces where the characters and objects portrayed seem to “move” by way of the winking lights.
Day 4 – Reluctantly we depart after breakfast for the return journey home, with a comfort stop at the M6 Toll Road Services at Norton Canes in South Staffordshire, which claims to be the best service area on Britain’s motorway network.
Your Hotel
Located half way between Kendal & Penrith in the heart of the Lake District, the Shap Wells Hotel overlooks the River Birkbeck and neighbouring fells. The hotel has undergone a continuous programme of expansion and refurbishment over the last 40 years and is Cumbria’s largest family owned hotel. First time guests will not fail to notice the unique friendliness, informal atmosphere and exceptional hospitality. All rooms have private bath and/or shower, toilet, television, telephone, radio and tea & coffee making facilities. Their reputation for food is envied by other hotels in the Lake District, serving fresh, wholesome, well presented menus, specialising in serving large numbers with meals that are enjoyable and are served efficiently, with as little fuss as possible. www.shapwells.com
What’s included
Three nights Half Board Accommodation (Bed, Breakfast and Evening Meal)
Coach tour of Lake Windermere & Lake Cruise
Coach transfer to/from Kendal for free time then evening at Blackpool Illuminations
Return executive coach travel
4 Days / 3 Nights
£199 per person sharing double or twin en-suite rooms
£249 per person in single en-suite room (limited availability)
Departure Code: D
Bournemouth Turkey & Tinsel. Short Break - 5 Days / 4 Nights
Monday, 06 December 2010
With seven miles of golden sands and sparkling sea, the cosmopolitan town of Bournemouth offers something for everyone, and at this time of year it is transformed into a winter wonderland, overflowing with Christmas atmosphere. You will stay at the Ullswater Hotel, a family-run hotel situated on the Westcliff which will be decorated throughout for Christmas. The programme includes excursions to Dorchester and Poole Quay, the Ullswater Hotel Quiz Night, traditional Christmas Dinner and New Year’s Gala Dinner with evening entertainments.
Your Itinerary
Day 1 - (Christmas Eve) – Journey to your hotel in Bournemouth via the historic city of Winchester for lunch. In the evening complimentary pre-dinner cocktails are served before a Christmas Eve candlelit dinner followed by music, dancing and entertainment.
Day 2 – (Christmas Day) – A free day to discover the varied attractions of Bournemouth – be sure to visit the Global Christmas Market, a multicultural mix of stalls selling arts, crafts, food and gifts from around the world not generally available in high street shops. In the evening we enjoy a traditional Christmas Dinner with all the trimmings followed by music, dancing and entertainment.
Day 3 – (Boxing Day) – Today we travel to the historic market town of Dorchester which boasts elegant 18th century houses and is still very much the ‘Casterbridge’ of Thomas Hardy’s novels. Visit the town’s shopping arcades or the shops along the high street. Wednesday is Market Day where you can find an abundance of locally-grown produce and hand-made gifts just in time for Christmas. This evening we enjoy a Boxing Day candlelit dinner followed by the Ullswater Hotel Quiz Night with a bottle of Asti for the winner!
Day 4 – (New Year’s Eve) – After breakfast, we join the coach for a half day at Poole Quay where you can explore the Dolphin Shopping Centre (over 100 shops under one roof). On Thursdays Poole Street Market is held on the High Street and a Farmers Market selling the best local produce takes place just outside the Dolphin Centre. Be sure to visit the Poole Pottery Working Studio to see artists at work, browse in the shop, or simply enjoy a light lunch in the cafe. We return to the Hotel for afternoon tea served with hot mince pies, before a New Year’s Gala Dinner with music, dancing and entertainments.
Day 5 – (New Year’s Day) – Reluctantly we depart after breakfast for the return journey home, via the Wilton Shopping Village, returning around 6.00pm.
Your Hotel
Located in one of the most popular seaside resorts in England, the Ullswater Hotel offers a warm and friendly welcome with a relaxed atmosphere and an emphasis on good food and personal service. The Hotel is located 150 yards from the beach - a peaceful location just a few minutes’ walk from the town centre.
www.ullswater-hotel.co.uk
What’s included
Four nights Half Board Accommodation (Bed, Breakfast and Evening Meal)
Full use of hotel facilities
Excursion to Dorchester
Excursion to Poole
Return executive coach travel
5 Days / 4 Nights
£199 per person sharing double or twin en-suite rooms
£249 per person in single en-suite room (limited availability)
Departure Code: W
