Always the sun

Rebecca Dean hunts down some great late-summer holiday deals. July 2004

You'd have thought, getting towards the end of August, that there'd be more than a few good late-summer holiday deals flying around. Well, since the government blew it all by enforcing that fine which stops money-strapped families taking their sprogs out of science for a couple of weeks towards the end of term to enjoy a cheapie sojourn in sunny Skiathos, and since the weather's been as erratic as said government in a WMD press conference, the prices are and are looking to remain sky high throughout August and September. Nuts. However, with the help of some trusty friends and the internet, Venue has cobbled together a few suntan-tastic deals that'll see you getting that much-needed dose of UV rays while keeping the pennies in check.

STA, in their infinite knowledge and wisdom, came back to Venue with a thorough recommendation for much- and unfairly-maligned Rhodes. Bit of info? Alrighty then: it's the largest of the Dodecanese islands (Kos, Kefalonia and Corfu are three others) and one of the most popular islands in Greece.

However, STA assure Venue that Rhodes still remains relatively unspoilt. Southern Rhodes boasts a bounty of undiscovered beauty spots and long golden beaches. They recommend, particularly, the resort of Lindos, from which you can take a donkey ride through narrow, cobbled streets up to the Acropolis, or Pefkos, which, similarly, retains its traditional Greek charm and is home to crystal clear water and a beautiful beach. If it's a party you're after, make your way up north, to the likes of Faliraki. This resort is renowned for those Brits abroad tourist holidays that could see a certain teenage member of the family making front page headlines over here for having one too many sangrias and one too many Stavros's. STA are currently offering seven nights in Rhodes for £309 per person (based on two people sharing a three star self-catering apartment). Add £50 to that price and get seven more nights chucked in.

If you can spare yourself an hour or so of an evening, you can find some great deals online. Latedeals.com do just that, sorting you out with some fantastic discounts to destinations as far reaching as Goa, Thailand, Mexico and more. All you need to do is work out the dates you want to leave, set your budget, choose a place, and the website does the rest for you. At time of going to press, Latedeals.com were offering a whopping 14 nights in Jamaica for just £394. Similarly, you could give Florida a flutter for just £329 for the same amount of nights (both holidays are for the beginning of September). Easyjet's always a good bet if you want to bag a cheap, no-frills (but plenty of leg room, Venue find) flight. They've got links to cheap hotels on the web and even offer reductions on airport car parking. At time of going to press, Venue found flights from Bristol to both Alicante and Malaga for just £155 per person for seven nights. It is worth noting that most holidays outlined here are subject to availability. So what are you waiting for?

FFI: Useful websites www.easyjet.co.uk; www.latedeals.com.
STA Travel 43 Queens Rd, Bristol or University of Bath Campus, Bath.
Tel: (0117) 929 4399

Short break - Great Scot!

As far as city breaks go, this little laddie's got the lot, including even its own Fringe Festival. Yep, Edinburgh abounds with things to do, like visiting those beautiful castles, monuments, cathedrals and gardens for starters. Then there's the relentless offering of pubs and clubs to suit all tastes and tendencies, whether it be a swift half to shelter you from the afternoon drizzle or a long-haul alcoholic lock-in to see you through 'til the early hours. And we haven't even started on the restaurants yet (so many of the damn things, they even have their own version of Eating Out West - cute, eh?).

Now, if you're going to spend a weekend breathing, eating and drinking Edinburgh culture, you should stay in a hotel that screams 'Scotland' the minute you walk through the door. Melvin House Hotel does just that, or rather, it discretely murmers it with all the elegance you'd expect from the former home of the founder of The Scotsman newspaper. It has original features coming out of its sporran - oak paneling, achingly romantic carved grand staircase, gallery library, and fantastically stuffy restaurant - and the best breakfast you'll find north of the border. "This is the kind of house where you'd expect to find that Colonel Mustard did it in the study with the candle stick," says Time Out. Couldn't have put it better ourselves.

FFI: Edinburgh & Lothians Tourist Board visit: www.edinburgh.org.
Melvin House Hotel 3 Rothesay Terrace, Edinburgh. Tel: (0131) 255 5084

Back to Travel