FANCY grabbing a last-minute break during May half-term?
There are lots of late deals offering adventures and attractions galore.
Cruise on a fabulous liner, escape to the countryside, explore a city or bed down in a zoo. Trisha Harbord selects ten top getaways for all budgets, at home and abroad.
FRENCH FANCY
OOH la la! The French seaside resort of Le Touquet will be holding a British Week from May 25 to 31.
There will be a host of activities delivered in English, such as guided horse rides, while the seven miles of coastline and dunes make Le Touquet perfect for sand-yachting.
The resort, an hour’s drive from Calais, has over 70 restaurants, for all tastes and budgets.
GO: Two nights’ room-only at the 3* ibis Styles, for two adults and two children, is from £366. See all.accor.com. Return ferry from Dover costs from £118. See irishferries.com.
CRUISE CONTROL
YOU can’t beat a cruise for having everything on tap, and we really rate the no-fly MSC voyages on super-modern Virtuosa.
Enjoy five pools, a waterpark, clubs for kids, superb shows and an indoor promenade with restaurants, bars and shops.
The ship, sailing from Southampton, also has the first humanoid robotic bartender at sea, who shakes and stirs cocktails.
GO: Two nights’ full-board from May 23 costs from £265pp. Five nights from May 25, visiting four ports including Bruges and Rotterdam, costs from £541pp. See cruise.co.uk.
MINT IMPERIAL
SPOIL yourself at the 5* Imperial Island Resort in Paphos, which reopened this week. Everything has been upgraded, from the rooms to the food, spa and kids’ clubs.
There are new outdoor play areas at the Cyprus hotel and numerous sports on offer.
Soak up the sun on the adjacent beach or head to Paphos Archaeological Museum and the medieval fort that overlooks the harbour.
GO: Seven nights’ all-inclusive, based on two adults and two children sharing a superior family room, plus Gatwick flights on May 24, is from £1,072pp. See easyjet.com/en/holidays.
ITALIAN JOB
THERE aren’t many kids who don’t like pizza, pasta and ice cream – and they can have all those on a cultural trip to Rome.
The Vatican museums, beautiful Sistine Chapel, St Peter’s Basilica and the Colosseum amphitheatre are all must-sees.
There are also many children’s attractions, including interactive museums about everything from video games to illusions.
GO: Three nights’ B&B at the 3* Hotel Morgana, including flights from Birmingham on May 25, costs from £469pp, based on a family of four. See jet2holidays.com.
STAR PLAYA
MENORCA may be one of the quieter Balearic Islands, but you won’t be bored here.
Choose from lying on the beach or going hiking, cycling or horse riding.
The 3H Vibra Caleta Playa apartments, surrounding a pool with kids’ area, all have air-con, kitchenettes and a balcony or terrace.
They are close to a sandy cove in Santandria and the historic former capital, Ciutadella.
GO: Five nights’ self-catering in a one-bed apartment for two adults and children, including flights from Gatwick on May 24, costs from £442 per person. See firstchoice.co.uk.
GO FOR ’BROKE
THERE’S a great deal from Pembrokeshire’s 4* Ty Hotel Milford Waterfront, with kids staying free during half-term.
The offer at the hotel, which overlooks the Milford Haven marina, runs rom May 22 to 31.
If the children love dinosaurs, be there on May 27 when Dinomania comes to town.
You can also rent kayaks from the beach activity centre, visit the maritime heritage museum, go hiking or enjoy ten-pin bowling.
GO: A family room for two adults and two children, including breakfast, is from £104. See ty-hotels.com and milfordwaterfront.co.uk.
RURAL SAVINGS
GET back to nature with up to 30 per cent off countryside breaks with Landal, which has resorts in areas including Yorkshire, Cumbria, Northamptonshire and Scotland.
Woodland Lakes, near Thirsk, North Yorks, has indoor pool, kids’ play areas, archery, fishing and a wellness centre.
It’s close to the North York Moors and the Yorkshire Dales and only a half-hour drive from the historic city of York.
GO: Four nights’ self-catering in a lodge sleeping four people from May 25 costs from £639. See landal.co.uk.
PIER WE GO
IT should be a great week in Great Yarmouth, with plenty to do in the Norfolk resort.
A pantomime of The Wizard Of Oz is being performed at Britannia Pier’s theatre between May 28 and 31, and the town has a festival of circus and arts from May 28 to 30.
Stay at Richardson’s Hemsby Beach holiday park and you’ll be spoiled for family-friendly activities, too.
GO: Four nights’ self-catering in a two- bedroom chalet from May 25 costs from £419. Details at richardsonsholidayparks.co.uk and visitgreatyarmouth.co.uk.
SHOW STOPPERS
TELLY favourites are appearing at Butlin’s, and there are three-night late deals from £48pp. Headline acts include The Masked Singer Live and the new Maximum Pro Wrestling show.
The resorts – in Skegness, Lincs, Somerset’s Minehead and Bognor Regis in West Sussex – also boast Splash Waterworld pools with slides, unlimited fairground rides and soft-play areas for kids.
GO: Three nights for four people sharing a two-bedroom Comfort room in Minehead from May 29 costs from £192. For more information or to book, see butlins.com.
WHERE THE ART IS
HELP Whipsnade Zoo roar into the Guinness World Records book as one of more than 14,000 people taking part in a paint-by- numbers challenge from May 23 to 31.
The masterpiece featuring 200 animals will celebrate the 200th birthday of ZLS – the conservation charity behind the Bedfordshire zoo.
Families picking up a brush will need to register on the GWR Verify app. Stay overnight in one of the zoo’s lodges and enjoy zoo tickets, private tours, breakfast and dinner.
GO: A lodge for two adults and two children is from £520. See whipsnadezoo.org.