Enjoy a September break at one of our top ten places to go now the kids are back in class
Now is a great time to go away to Dubai, Rome or Sri Lanka, if you don't have kids or can leave them with relatives
SCHOOLS have gone back after the summer, meaning holiday prices are plummeting.
Now the peak premium has gone from flight and hotel costs, there are bargains to be had all over the world.
If you don’t have kids, or you can leave them with relatives for a while, now is the perfect time to bag yourself a great deal.
Here are PETE BELL’s top ten back-to-school bargain breaks.
1. DUBAI
THIS is a seriously grown-up destination, with all the glitz you could want.
Visitors can hit the best shops, eat at the finest restaurants and stay in some of the world’s greatest hotels.
By late September and October the intense temperatures of summer are beginning to wane, but you will still be able to enjoy highs of at least 36C.
Destinology has deals that save up to 55 per cent on selected Jumeirah hotels, arriving between October 1 and 14.
There is free half-board with a choice of more than 50 restaurants and free access to the Wild Wadi Waterpark.
You can save £1,500 per couple at the Jumeirah Zabeel Saray, with five nights now from £1,165 per person, based on two sharing on half-board and including Wild Wadi Waterpark access, use of the Talise Ottoman Spa and complimentary movies and refreshments.
It includes return Emirates flights from Heathrow, Manchester or Birmingham and private transfers.
Book by September 30 at or call 01204 824 619 for more information.
2. NEW FOREST
EVEN without flights, prices can suffer from a kids’ premium.
This New Forest break is a great bargain. The 4star Bell Inn at Lyndhurst has real ales, great food and is a Grade II listed 18th-century coaching inn.
It is the perfect base for a couples’ trip for early autumn walks in the woods.
The bedrooms are a nice combination of rustic and modern, while the restaurant has an AA Rosette.
The world-famous Beaulieu Motor Museum is a short drive away if you enjoy cars alongside the New Forest’s natural charms.
And the Bell Inn has a “September Slumber” deal where you get dinner, bed and breakfast for £129 per room, per night, based on two sharing a classic room.
Call 023 8081 2214 or email [email protected].
3. ROME
WHERE could be more romantic for a child-free couple’s getaway than the timeless capital of Italy?
You can linger at the Trevi Fountain and the Spanish Steps, then stroll around the Trastevere before dining in one of the city’s numerous gorgeous squares.
Embrace autumn with a stroll in the Borghese park to see the colours turn or walk along the Appian Way.
City breaks also suffer from school-holiday inflation and flights, which make up a large part of the cost, are always more expensive.
But waiting until late September means you will pay about two-thirds of the school-holiday prices for three nights’ B&B at the 4star American Palace Eur, flying from Gatwick on September 25. It costs £198 per person.
See for details.
4. SRI LANKA
KALUTARA is a great city in Sri Lanka around an hour south of the capital Colombo.
It has almost impossibly perfect palm-lined beaches so you can combine the excitement of a big-city break with the total relaxation of flopping down on the sand.
If you are travelling that far, it is worth staying a bit longer than the standard week if you can – it will cost very little more and this time of year guarantees you hot weather.
There may be a little rain but showers are short and sharp and the sun comes back quickly.
Take ten nights’ half-board at the 4star Avani Kalutara Resort from £705 per person. Leaves Heathrow on October 12.
See or call 0208 705 0086.
5. MALAYSIA
PANGKOR Laut Resort is a very grown-up proposition – an idyllic private spa island with individual cabins on stilts in the ocean.
It has beautiful gardens and beaches and you can dine outdoors overlooking the shore as the sun sets into the the sea.
The resort also has 300 acres of jungle, so if you tire of being pampered there is plenty to explore.
Save £915 per couple on seven nights at Pangkor Laut Resort with free daily dinner – from £1,250 per person throughout September and October.
The price also includes BA flights, road and launch transfers to the island and B&B accommodation in a garden villa. Book by Thursday. See or call 01494 678 400.
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6. DOMINICAN REPUBLIC
THE Caribbean is made for couples and the Dominican Republic is one of the larger islands, with great variety in the landscape.
It is also the most-visited Caribbean destination.
Fringed by perfect white-sand beaches are mangrove lagoons, mountain peaks and waterfalls.
The 5star Grand Palladium Punta Cana Resort and Spa has a private beach for lazing on or trying your hand at watersports.
The hotel has four pools, spa and a casino for those guests who fancy their chances at the tables.
You can get seven nights’ all-inclusive at the hotel from £849 per person, flying from Gatwick on October 2.
For more information, see .
7. HAMPSHIRE
SAVE traditional camping for the kids – grown-ups go glamping.
Two Hoots is a quiet glampsite in the Hampshire hills with countryside views and woodland walks.
The Georgian town of Alresford, with its lovely pubs, great delis and cafes is nearby, as is Winchester, Petersfield and the Watercress Steam Railway.
Each new shepherd’s hut has a king-size bed, TV/DVD, heating light and sockets, as well as seating inside and outside, a built-in kitchen, log burner and a large veranda. Washrooms are nearby.
Shepherd’s huts cost from £95 per night and eco-friendly camping pods start at £60 per night. See or call 07599 837 880.
8. TOBAGO
TOBAGO is the slightly smaller partner island of Trinidad, but it packs in plenty of natural wonders to its small areas.
There are volcanic beaches inhabited by Hawksbill turtles, forests full of wildlife and the Nylon Pool, which locals say has rejuvenating powers.
Post-school holidays, you’ll pay about 30 per cent less to fly and stay there. Virgin Holidays offers seven nights at the 3star Grafton Beach Resort on this Caribbean island from £783 per person, based on two adults sharing on a B&B basis.
Includes return Virgin Atlantic flights from Gatwick on September 25.
See or call 0344 557 4321.
9. TENERIFE
IT’S still a British favourite, with sunbathing weather right the way through September and October.
Prices for Tenerife come tumbling down after the schools go back.
Give yourself a classic beach break, or get active by hiking to the top of the volcanic Mount Teide.
The 12,000ft summit is the highest point in Spain. There are plenty of golf courses and, naturally, all the bars, clubs and restaurants that make it such a great party island.
Stay at the 4star Aguamarina Golf Apartments in Santa Cruz from £242 per person B&B and £340 half-board. Includes flights from Luton on November 9.
See or call 0871 474 3000.
10. HALKIDIKI, GREECE
GREECE is still warm all the way through to October – and this deal will save you up to 67 per cent on the usual price.
The brand-new Miraggio is a 5star spa hotel in a secluded bay in Halkidiki.
There is a large thermal spa over two levels, two outdoor pools and a private marina.
Junior suites have sea views from the terrace, where there’s a private swimming pool.
Luxury touches include a pillow menu and evening turndown service.
Stay seven nights’ half-board from £499 with flights from Gatwick, Stansted or Manchester on selected dates from September 22 – to October 25. See .