Maldives

IF the bright blue waters and white sands of the Maldives are a little out of reach, then apparently you should head to Scotland instead.

The archipelago of Orkney happens to be one of Lorraine Kelly’s favourite holiday destinations, and even compared it to far-flung hotspots.

Talking to The Times, Lorraine Kelly revealed: “One of my favourite places is Orkney, where I’ve been going annually since 1985 and I still haven’t seen everything.

“It’s fascinating if you’re interested in prehistory, with Skara Brae — a stone neolithic settlement — Maeshowe tombs and wonderful ancient sites.”

She added: “I hosted the opening ceremony of the Orkney International Island Games last year and the sun shone like it was the Maldives.

“You need to pack your bikini and a balaclava. It can be sunshine in the morning and snow in the afternoon but it’s beautiful and I would live there in a heartbeat.”

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Orkney is an archipelago of around 70 islands and scattered across them are some incredible Maldives-like beaches.

Some of the top ones are Rackwick Bay on the north west of the island of Hoy.

The beach is surrounded by cliffs and heathery hills – and on the beach is fine sand and boulders.

The island of Sanday is known for extensive white sand with popular beaches including Backaskaill Bay and Whitemill Bay.

Another of the islands, Stronsay, is known for its quiet, untouched coastline with one of the standout beaches being the Sands of Rothiesholm.

Aside from beaches, there are small towns dotted around the island that can be explored too, starting with Kirkwall.

Kirkwall is the capital and of the Orkney Islands and a few years ago was declared the friendliest place in the country.

It was so friendly that locals even left their doors unlocked.

In 2023, it was voted the number one most welcoming destination by Booking.com, Kirkwall climbed from its previous second position.

When it comes to where to stay, Lorraine’s hotel of choice is the Foveran – just a few miles outside of Kirkwall.

Visitors can stay at the hotel with a bed & full Orcadian breakfast stay from £135 per night (single), or £175 (double).

A full Orcadian breakfast typically includes sausages, bacon, fried eggs, and black pudding, along with Orcadian bere bannocks (a rustic barley bread), smoked fish, and Orkney cheddar.

Each room has a TV, tea and coffee making station, free Wi-Fi and luxury Scottish Fine Soaps products in the bathrooms.

When it comes to other spots to explore, visitors often head to The Old Man of Hoy – on the island of Hoy.

The Old Man of Hoy is a 449ft sea stack made of Old Red Sandstone – it’s the UK’s tallest sea stack and a popular spot for rock climbers.

Visitors can get to Lamb Holm from one of the causeways in the Orkney islands.

Orkney is also a popular place for wildlife. And while you might not spot all the marine life that you get in the Maldives – there are some, like dolphins.

There have been over 12 species seen in Orkney over the years, like the bottlenose, white-beaked and Risso dolphins.

If you want to see them – peak viewing season is May to September.

Orkney is a prime destination for whale watching, with 90 per cent of orca sightings occurring there.

You’re likely to see lots of birds there too like puffins, guillemots, and razorbills.

The island of North Ronaldsay is home to its own breed of sheep with the same name.

They live on the rocky shores and exist on a diet that is made up of seaweed – which is incredibly rare.

When it comes to getting to Orkney, you can fly directly to Orkney with Loganair – the airline has direct routes to Kirkwall from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow and Inverness.

There are three main ferry routes to and from Orkney – NorthLink Ferries sail between Aberdeen and Kirkwall.

Here are more of the UK’s best islands that have been named, and they look more like the Caribbean and Maldives.

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AH, Ibiza. Those heady days of raving until dawn, no kids, and a lot of cocktails.

Take. Me. Back.

Well actually, two kids, slightly less dancing and a few less Espresso Martinis later, Tui might just have done it.

We’d tried once before, when our daughters were three and six, with less success, but with Lyla and Martha now 10 and 12, could we have finally hit the sweet spot?

Tui’s Holiday Village Seaview Ibiza is designed for kids, there’s no doubt about it.

With the busiest entertainment, sports and club programme I’ve ever come across, there’s literally about one hour in the day (after breakfast, before 10am) that they’re not catered for.

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Along with an onsite water park, three pools, snooker tables, an aerial walk, table tennis, arcades, paddle boarding and kayaking, there are also kids’ clubs, and stage, swimming and football academies.

There’s plenty of daytime fun and free games around the resort, too.

And all that is before an entire evening of child-friendly entertainment that begins as the pools close at 6pm.

In fact, it’s so busy, there’s a whole app devoted to the hotel, where you can book slots in advance for anything and everything your children could want to do on holiday.

As you squinted in the sunshine from your sunlounger (which, happily, the resort doesn’t let you reserve with your towel until after 8am) it was almost like watching a group of excitable Oompa Loompas rushing around Willy Wonka’s factory.

But instead of chocolate, they were squealing about the variety of fun they could have.

Although, it’s worth pointing out that as part of the all-inclusive, you can help yourself to free ice creams and afternoon cakes — so it pretty much is like Wonka’s factory.

Children zoomed around the resort, which is like a mini city — and because it felt so safe, my girls could dash between pools and the snack bar unaccompanied, while my husband David and I watched from the loungers.

We had to accompany the girls to the waterpark until we decided that as they were such good swimmers, and there were almost as many lifeguards as kids, we didn’t need to.

‘But what about the adults?’ I selfishly asked myself as we arrived, and I saw what the girls had in store.

Well, that’s exactly where Tui has played its trump card.

Favourite nights ever

Research conducted last year found that 60 per cent of parents miss their child-free clubbing days (like me) and regularly relive them with family kitchen discos (yes I do).

Inspired by this, Holiday Villages called on the youngest ever DJ duo — the brilliantly named Half Punk — to grace the island and give families enjoying their first summer holiday weekend a night to remember.

When I heard that the pair were 12 and 10, I wondered if they were actually going to DJ or just play at it.

But lo and behold. To mark 25 years since their namesakes Daft Punk released One More Time, the two properly mixed.

I’m not sure the hordes of children standing staring at the front fully embraced the old-school house music blaring out by the two helmeted youngsters — but the parents certainly did.

Eyes shut in ecstasy and arms were held aloft as confetti cannons blasted, glow sticks shimmered and the bass speakers reverberated around the resort.

You could instantly spot the old ravers who had allowed themselves to be taken back to those carefree days of thumping tunes and dancing like no one was watching.

And then after, a silent disco got all the youngsters involved again — wide-eyed at the adults belting out chart-toppers and throwing shapes like loons.

I’m not sure there’s anything better than properly dancing with your children on a dancefloor — and as we finally sank into our beds, we all decided it had been one of our favourite nights abroad ever.

And don’t think the fun stopped there. We also managed to get up the energy for a Neon Nights disco and an Ibiza Sunset dance while we were there.

The resort is right next to the beautiful sandy Port Des Torrent beach — with ­pedalos for hire and tavernas to relax in while watching the fabulous Ibiza sunsets.

We were lucky enough to get invited on a Meet The Sea boat trip, which aims to educate kids about the oceans.

Having sailed out to just off an uninhabited island, you snorkel with a marine specialist, who teaches you why the sea is nothing to be scared of.

He’ll even pick up sea anemones and cucumbers from the sea bed and let you hold them, while back on board the chef cooks paella. It’s a truly magical experience.

Plus, you’re just across the bay from San Antonio, so if you do feel the urge for nightclubs, you’re literally a bus ride away.

The hotel’s buffet restaurant was also ­perfect for the pickiest of eaters, with every kind of food a child could possibly ask for, and theme nights as well, so it didn’t get too samey.

You also get two free meals per week at the speciality restaurants, with Italian, American and grill options.

And as for the reps, I’m not sure I’ve ever seen anyone more smiley and enthusiastic, even as they did the dance routine to Bruno Mars’ APT for the 19th time that day.

Like Butlins on steroids, I knew Tui had hit its mark when our eldest daughter, without any word of a lie, turned to me and said: “This is better than the Maldives.”

Our writer Becky Ward packed in double the fun on a twin-centre break to Dubai and the Maldives, as multi-destination holidays rise in popularity

There are three big advantages to a twin-centre holiday. The first is that instead of one long, tiring flight, you get a midway break. Then there’s the fact that when you come to the end of your ‘first’ holiday, you don’t get that sinking feeling on the way back to the airport, because instead of going home you’re going on ‘another’ holiday. And the third is that it feels like you’re away for longer because you see so many different things.

I kicked off my two-stop trip in Dubai. It’s just shy of an hour’s drive from the airport to JA Resorts Palm Tree Court and you get to see a few of the sights, such as the iconic Burj Khalifa, on the way. The resort does feel quite a distance from the hustle and bustle of the city, but that only makes it more relaxing when you arrive.

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I was shown straight to my room after a speedy check-in – a bright and airy sea view suite with the biggest bed I’ve ever seen. There’s no danger of kicking your partner in the night here! Then it was off to explore the resort, which has eight temperature-controlled pools (so no shivering at the side for 10 minutes before you get in), a wide sandy beach and an impressive 25 restaurants and bars.

What to do at JA Resorts Palm Tree Court

You will never get bored at this resort – it offers everything from water sports and golf to tennis and beach volleyball. There’s even an equestrian centre, where I signed up for the Swimming With Horses experience.

After wading waist-deep into the sea, my guide helped me onto my horse’s back and we started off with some bareback riding with the pleasantly warm water lapping around my legs. But my new four-legged friend was keen to get swimming so the guide led us further out and advised me to lift my legs and lie flat on her back as we reached deeper water. She whinnied happily as the guide swam alongside us – I’m not sure which of us enjoyed it more.

If you want to explore beyond the resort, there are complimentary shuttles to the nearby shopping malls. You’ll need a taxi if you want to go further afield and visit the gold souk or see the view from the top of the world’s tallest building. As my short visit was all about relaxation, I took myself off to the Calm Spa instead for a wonderful massage that was the perfect way to recover from six hours on a plane.

The food at JA Resorts Palm Tree Court

My favourite meal was at the White Orchid restaurant, which serves Thai, Vietnamese and Indonesian cuisine. My sea bass baked in a banana leaf with a lightly spicy papaya salad was delicious, and the experience was elevated by the velvety-voiced singer in the bar next door, who I could see and hear from my table near the entrance.

Over at Kinara, the Indian restaurant with a pretty outdoor courtyard decorated with flaming fire pits and fairy lights, I tried the jumbo prawn masala on my waitress’s recommendation and it was just the right mix of spicy and flavoursome. You can also find Spanish, Italian and Levantine cuisine around the resort.

JA Manafaru Maldives

My trip was off to an excellent start, but it was about to get even better. A four-hour hop to Malé followed by a short domestic flight and 10 minutes in a speedboat and I arrived at JA Manafaru, my home from home in the Maldives.

My sunset villa was breathtaking, with a spa bath in the bathroom, a plunge pool and double-seated swing on the terrace and steps leading straight into the sea. It also had a bike for getting around the island, which has a 1.5km circular shady trail that’s ideal for cycling or walking.

The resort has six fantastic bars and restaurants, a well-equipped fitness centre and a lagoon-style pool complete with waterfall, massage jets and bubble beds. There’s also a deluxe spa, which is so tranquil that my full-body massage almost sent me to sleep. And of course the beaches are stunning, with white sand and palm trees. One thing was certain from the minute I arrived – I was not going to want to leave.

What to do at JA Manafaru Maldives

You can’t visit the Maldives and not go snorkelling or diving – although you can see plenty of fish just looking over the edge of the jetties here as the water is so clear. We had a private tour of the house reef and saw turtles, sharks and hundreds of rainbow-coloured fish. There are also guided group trips throughout the week.

Next up was my paddleboarding lesson and it’s so much nicer falling in when the water is warm and crystal clear. I did eventually manage to find my balance once my legs had stopped feeling like jelly. Other activities on offer include a jet ski snorkel safari and a sunset and dolphin experience.

The food at JA Manafaru Maldives

There’s little that can beat freshly grilled fish served at a table on the beach with your feet in the sand, the moon above you and the sound of the sea as a backing track. Or so I thought when I enjoyed my fantastic first night dinner at Ocean Grill. It certainly set the bar high.

But my second night’s dinner was just as special, served in a private subterranean wine cellar, surrounded by bottles and with heated pebbles to warm my feet. The carefully curated wines were perfectly paired with the exquisite dishes – crab with caviar and mango to start, steak and grilled veg for the main and a chocolate and berry dessert to finish.

I had one last catch-of-the-day lunch at open-air restaurant Kakuni before it was time to head back to Malé. The seaplane transfer was a really fun way to end an altogether unforgettable trip.

How much does it cost?

Rooms at JA Resorts Palm Tree Court start from approx £150 per night in low season. Rooms at JA Manafaru start from approx £445 per night in low season. Emirates return flights from London to Malé with a stopover in Dubai start from approx £749.