Credit-crunch friendly holiday ideas

Book by end of March for a £50 per person saving - courtesy of specialist, Belle France - on an independent cycling holiday in July or August around the dramatic scenery of the Dordogne.

See castles teetering on cliff tops, while pedalling through honey-coloured stone villages, deep gorges and alongside shady riverbanks. Rest tired legs by swapping pedals for paddles and making a canoe trip down river or visiting a prehistoric cave or a tucked away garden open to the public.

With the special offer the trip costs from £829 for departures up to 16 July and £859 for the rest of July and August including seven nights' half board at hand-picked hotels on route - some with swimming pools - cycle hire, luggage transfers between overnight stops, plus route notes. For return ferry add from just £32 per person.

For more information, visit Bellefrance.co.uk.

A special offer from holidaylets.net means an Easter saving of £55 at Emily's, a four-star rated, family-friendly cottage, near Camelford on the popular north Cornwall coast.

The modern four-bedroom/two-bathroom property, sleeping seven, is on a gated community - with a tennis court and landscaped picnic area. It has a riverside location and is built in the style of a fisherman's cottage.

Easter week - from 11 April - now costs just £495. For more information and bookings, visit holidaylets.net/prop/25544.

Bag a bargain-priced break in Jersey this April - where one pound is still worth one pound - courtesy of Modern Hotels.

Throughout the month (excluding Easter), the company is highlighting three-night breaks at the special twin share rate of £149 per person - saving £68 - inclusive of return Fastcat crossing from Weymouth, transfers and accommodation with breakfast at the Mayfair Hotel. Children, two-11 years and sharing with two adults, pay £86 each.

Facilities at this three-star property - centrally located in St Helier - include heated indoor pool, gym, sauna and solarium.

For more information and bookings, log on to Modernhotels.com.