Holidays

Eilat will once again host the Red Sea Jazz Festival, August 25th – 28th this year. Attracting over 40, 000 people to the four open air venues, over 30 concerts are held over 4 days. The stunning backdrop of mountains and sea creates a beautiful setting that no other jazz festival can provide.

Ditch the tent and forget the fields of rain sodden England. For a truly authentic festival experience, why not head off on a cultural adventure to some of the world’s most fascinating festivals. Worldwide tour operator Travelsphere (travelsphere.co.uk) offer a great selection of ideas to some of the world’s most spectacular events without having to sacrifice any of your creature comforts.

Rising oil prices getting you down? Check out this juicy offer - book a holiday with Elite Island Resorts and the fuel surcharges are on them! Couples booking a minimum 10-night all-inclusive stay across Elite Island Resorts’ exclusive Caribbean portfolio are now eligible for an $850 (£428) discount specifically designed to cover airline fuel surcharges and taxes. Single travellers receive $410 (£206).

The UK’s leading provider of holiday cottages, cottages4you has today announced the first ever British Beachcombing Weekend on 25th – 27th July 2008 to encourage families of all ages to holiday closer to home by exploring Britain’s dramatic coastline and to help protect future marine life living off our shores.

Leading boating holiday specialist the Le Boat group has a great formula for exploring the magnificent Lot region of France by both horseback and boat. After collecting your self-drive cruiser from Le Boat’s base at Douelle you cruise upstream to meet your horses just outside the medieval town of Cahors. Here you take on board all the feed and equipment you’ll need, including stakes and electric fencing for corralling the horses overnight.

A mixed start to the UK summer has sparked off a holiday booking frenzy with Brits looking at departing in the next three weeks, says leading online travel and leisure retailer lastminute.com.

This year sees the exciting launch of Buddies 4 Travel (buddies4travel.co.uk) a brilliant new service that matches up women who love to travel with other like-minded female globetrotters seeking companionship on their trips.

Beach Retreats are offering some great deals for a 7 night holiday to Cornwall in a self catering property during July from just £21 per person, per night. Choose from chic beach apartments at Watergate Bay or a great range of one, two and three bedroom properties at Mawgan Porth with amazing views of the sea from your living room. The deal continues throughout August from just £26 per person, per night.

Mallorca is the place to be for music lovers next month, with both pop group Simply Red and jazz legend Diana Krall performing in Palma in the same week in August! What’s more, Mallorca Farmhouses has a fantastic selection of properties available with 20% discount the week commencing 2 August.

Italian food is almost always associated with Tuscan cuisine but the Lombardy region is fast becoming a culinary hotspot with a number of traditional local recipes of its own on the menu. New cookery holiday company Italian Hideaways aims to show guests that there is more to Italian food than just pizza and pasta.

This year the largest group of independently owned hotels is celebrating its 30th birthday - and what better way to celebrate than with the recruitment of three hotels into the Best Western portfolio.

Bring the family or holiday with friends in a VisitBritain-graded Edwardian terraced cottage in the middle of Padstow. Sleeping 6 in three bedrooms and welcoming pets, you might be tempted to brush aside the well-equipped facilities of 12 Netherton Road in favour of the foodie heaven created by TV chef, Rick Stein in this small Cornish fishing port.

Four exceptionally stylish UK-based family-friendly escapes have been added to babyfriendlyboltholes.co.uk - the definitive guide to family-friendly accommodation for the boutique hotel generation.

With the current bad weather hitting the UK set to last because of a weather feature known as the ‘Adores High’, an increased number of fed up Brits are packing their bags and heading for sunnier shores according to one tour operator.

Peak season holidays in the ‘car free’ alpine resort of Bettmeralp – a family friendly destination offering gentle hiking on pushchair friendly routes, downhill scooter and cycle trails, tennis and lakeside swimming – are being featured by the Switzerland Travel Centre.

Holiday Extras, the UK market-leader in travel add-ons, has joined forces with innovative holiday website travelguru.tv. This exciting initiative will attract new customers and increase loyalty among those already using Holiday Extras. Visitors to the Holiday Extras site will be tempted by a series of free to enter holiday prize draws, beginning with a fantastic trip for two to Thailand.

Discover the heartland of great American music on a 14-day musical adventure through America’s Deep South courtesy of Great Rail Journeys, the UK’s market leader for escorted holidays by rail. This Tracks of the Deep South itinerary explores American musical heritage together with southern USA culture as it journeys from Atlanta to Nashville, the home of Country Music, onward to Memphis with its remarkable musical history and finally to New Orleans – the ‘birthplace of Jazz’ – before returning to Atlanta.

InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG) today announces that Sovereign Hospitality Holdings, owned by M.A. Kharafi Group of Kuwait, has awarded IHG the exclusive management contract for Port Ghalib Resort, in Marsa Alam, Egypt.

Wildlife Worldwide offers an exceptional opportunity to explore one of Africa's most remote and rarely visited wildlife parks with the help of one of its best safari guides - amongst the open grasslands of Zambia’s Liuwa Plains. During December, when the first rains are falling, Robin Pope will be personally leading small-group explorations to experience the wildebeest migration for which the region is renowned, plus spot some of the numerous resident bird species and other mammals in this game-filled national park.

Explore the peaceful trails of India’s Western Ghats where the cool mountain air is heavily spiced with the sweet scent of tea, descend through valleys of cardamom, mango and coffee and cruise along the Keralan waterways, past rice paddies and rubber plantations, watching local fisherman catch supper.

Mention of Angola still provokes immediate associations with perpetual conflict, characterising yet another violent former colonial African basket case. However, it’s been six years since the civil war ended and Angola has been rebuilding – following the 2002 ceasefire over four million refugees have returned to their homes, agriculture is resurgent, rail and bus services are being restored.

Trips Worldwide’s new family adventure in Belize and Guatemala is set to be a big summer hit. Stay in famous film director Frances Ford Coppola’s trio of luxury lodges, see the real ‘crystal skull’, visit the Mayan site of Yaxha – location of the TV ‘Survivor’ series, go mountain biking, horseriding, kayaking, become an expert at making authentic corn tortillas and last but not least, get a complimentary ‘introduction to scuba diving’ lesson.

Last week, the world's largest annual garden and flower show, Hampton Court Palace Flower Show once again offered an abundance of green-fingered inspiration from the pretty cottage garden to the modern conceptual space.

With its golden light, stunning landscapes and rich cultural heritage Italy has inspired poets and painters for centuries. From the Villa de Colognole farm estate, ride deep into Tuscany’s spectacular countryside, experience the beauty of the Chianti Rufina wine region, the wilderness of the Monte Giove National Park, and the harmonious rolling plains, hills and mountains of the Mugello. Combine this with an excellent climate, superb food, fabulous wine and well-schooled horses - the epitome of a perfect riding holiday!

In need of a spectacular, life inspiring, guaranteed adventure but unsure of where to head? Dragoman Overland have the solution – relax on unspoilt Caribbean beaches, explore hot Amazon jungle, visit beautiful colonial towns, see the world’s highest waterfall and cross the oldest plateau, search for incredible wildlife, meet friendly people and on selected tours, save 20% – how could you go wrong?

Dive Worldwide, in association with the Whale & Dolphin Conservation Society (WDCS), offers a 10-day holiday exploring the waters surrounding the Azorean archipelago aboard the specially-chartered catamaran Physeter, accompanied by some of the world’s most experienced cetacean experts.

Beachcomber Tours can help holiday makers discover the magic of Mauritius with a fantastic ‘two for one’ deal on accommodation at the Trou aux Biches resort. The deal is valid from now until December 19, 2008 and selected dates in January 2009, and also includes complimentary lunches.

With the launch of its 2009/10 Polar programme, Peregrine Adventures is offering a ‘balanced’ experience of the High Arctic, with an exciting new 15-night expedition voyage exploring both ‘sides’ of the northern wilderness, sailing from Iceland around the southern tip of Greenland to Canada. Peregrine Adventures will be the only operator cruising in the wildlife-rich waters of Canada’s Baffin Island in 2009.

Palma is a fantastic destination to visit for a city break. With its fast emerging arts backdrop, thriving music scene and stylish shopping, it combines chic city living with culture and cuisine, so is perfect for a long weekend getaway. Once more, Mallorca Farmhouses offers a superb selection of luxury apartments and villas both in Palma and the surrounding area that makes for an ideal base.