There’s still time! You haven’t quite left it too late to plan an Easter escape, but speed is now essential — whether you’re after an aparthotel in Edinburgh, a Spanish hiking tour or a Maldives resort, spaces are filling up fast. Read on for 15 options — most with flights included — that had availability during the school holidays (March 29 to April 14) at the time of writing.
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1. Foodie Lake District
In the quieter northern part of the Lakes, not far south of Penrith, handsome Askham Hall is a 12th-century country mansion turned hotel, with a Michelin-starred restaurant and a defensive peel tower, in which you can stay. Spend your days striding across green-brown fells or crossing nearby Ullswater aboard a steamer, then return to wander the hall’s kitchen gardens or inspect the art and antiques in its lounges. Tasting menus make the most of locally grown ingredients, the wine list is exceptional and the owners also have also a cosy, foodie pub in the village. All 19 bedrooms feature charming period details.
Details Half-board doubles from £400 (askhamhall.co.uk)
2. Sights and science in Edinburgh
Warming up but yet to be overwhelmed by peak-season crowds, Edinburgh is great in spring. Besides the main sights — the Royal Mile, Edinburgh Castle, the Royal Yacht Britannia and the view from Arthur’s Seat — this Easter you’ll find the city-wide Science Festival, which promises light-hearted workshops and trails on subjects such as morality, animal eggs and space satellites (March 30 to April 14; edinburghscience.co.uk). Stay in elegant New Town, where the urbane, spacious self-catering studios of the Native Edinburgh aparthotel — in a Georgian building opposite Queen Street Gardens — offer a flexible, private base.
Details Three nights’ self-catering for two from £537 (nativeplaces.com)
3. Seaside Cornish cottage
Specialising in seaside-ish stays across the southwest, Luxury Coastal has availability over the Easter holidays at three properties in Mousehole, the quaint and arty fishing village near Penzance, St Michael’s Mount and the fine white sand of Pedn Vounder beach. Among the options is the whitewashed Mariners Cottage, a converted, 17th-century fisherman’s house with a water’s-edge garden, sea-facing terrace and two bedrooms looking out to lonely St Clement’s Isle. The open-plan living area has a wood-burning stove in case spring hasn’t fully sprung.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £1,803 (luxurycoastal.co.uk)
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4. New Forest for families
Open spaces, pub walks and pony sightings await families in the New Forest, as do cafés that serve cream teas — such as the Buttery in Brockenhurst. It’s near the dog-friendly Balmer Lawn Hotel, which has an Easter offer for two adults and two children sharing a luxury family room. There are welcome gifts for the youngsters and use of the leisure facilities — not just the indoor pool, but a zip line too. Energetic kids will also enjoy nearby Mottisfont, where the Easter-egg hunt involves “welly wanging” and “bunny bowling” (until April 14; nationaltrust.org.uk).
Details B&B family rooms from £290 (balmerlawnhotel.com)
5. Skiing and sledding in Norway
Late-season snow coverage may be iffy in the Alps and Pyrenees, but Scandinavian ski resorts remain a good bet into April. Reached via the scenic Oslo-Bergen train line, the twin areas of Geilo and Geilolia suit beginners and families. Dog-sledding or ice-fishing excursions are on offer, and the skiing is undemanding; under-sevens ski for free. Save 30 per cent by staying slopeside, 20 minutes’ walk from most restaurants, at the timber Geilolia Forest Cabins, each of which has an outdoor terrace, boot warmers and underfloor heating.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £3,940, including flights and transfers, departing on March 31 (skisafari.com)
6. Corsican apartments
Administered by France but largely autonomous, Corsica is an appealingly diverse island, with green inland terrain ripe for walks, heaps of sandy shores — early April last year brought temperatures of 20C — and cosmopolitan towns. There’s still Easter availability at the sea-facing Apartments Santa Vittoria, which has spacious two-bedroom affairs beside a north-coast beach close to Calvi and its 12th-century citadel. From the harbour below, half-day cruises depart for the red rocks and dolphin colonies of the Scandola Nature Reserve (from £78pp; getyourguide.co.uk).
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £3,221, including flights and car hire, departing on April 2 (corsica.co.uk)
7. Splash parks and sandy beaches in Normandy
The good news: Eurocamp is discounting weeklong April breaks at its European parks by up to 20 per cent. The very good news: this includes the Easter holidays. Among many French options, and just 35 minutes’ drive from the ferry port at Caen, leafy La Vallée is a Normandy-coast estate centred around its jungle-themed splash park. There’s a pizza restaurant and a small grocery on site too. Staying in spacious mobile homes with decking, families are less than a mile from the long sandy beach at Houlgate.
Details Seven nights’ self-catering for four from £280 (eurocamp.co.uk)
8. Floral painting course in Greece
In Lafkos, a taverna-crammed village on the Pelion peninsula of mainland Greece, Lagou Raxi Country Hotel has spaces on its imminent botanical painting course. Led by Carol Woodin, who has won a gold medal from the Royal Horticultural Society for her creations, it will focus on orchids, irises and anemones. You’ll use the hotel’s bright atelier, with ample time to enjoy the scenic pool or play tennis before homemade dinners. The comfy bedrooms have pale colours and at least a partial sea view.
Details Seven nights’ full board from £1,120pp (responsibletravel.com). Fly to Thessaloniki
9. Hiking in northern Spain
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Vivid wildflowers carpet the uncrowded Picos de Europa mountain range in northern Spain during spring, making it even prettier for hikers. You also stand a good chance of seeing griffon vultures and golden eagles. Exodus’s small-group walking tour will take guests to limestone summits or through lush valleys from the family-run Hotel Torrecerredo, which has cracking views of the highest peaks from its bar and restaurant. The minimum age is 16 and decent fitness is required.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £1,545pp, including flights, transfers and most other meals, departing on April 6 (exodus.co.uk)
10. Cypriot all-inclusive near Roman mosaics
Perhaps you simply want a well-run resort hotel and ample chance of sunshine. If so, consider the King Evelthon Beach Hotel on balmy western Cyprus. The impressive Roman mosaics and buzzy boardwalk of Paphos are two miles away, but you may not even get that far. With a huge sea-facing pool, a seven-slide waterpark, a kids’ club, tennis and volleyball courts, themed evenings and an all-day buffet, as well as landscaped gardens to wander, there’s ample reason to just stay put.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £771pp, including flights, departing on April 7 (olympicholidays.com)
11. Desert to the Dead Sea in Jordan
This Highlights of Jordan group tour does what it promises, ticking off all the headline acts. You’ll float in the Dead Sea. You’ll laze by the Red Sea. You’ll stay overnight in a Bedouin-run desert camp amid the dry riverbeds, rock arches and red sand of Wadi Rum. And, of course, you’ll spend a day exploring Petra, the ancient city that Nabataeans carved out of rose-coloured sandstone cliffs 24 centuries ago.
Details Seven nights’ B&B from £1,259pp, including transfers and some extra meals, departing on April 1, 2 or 6 (gadventures.com). Fly to Amman
12. Free Maldives stays for kids
At the Fairmont Maldives private-island resort, under-12s stay and eat for free — however many you bring. Four restaurants, including those serving Japanese and contemporary western cuisine, have children’s menus. The kids’ club (for ages 4 to 12) lays on scheduled activities such as sandcastle-making. All the while, parents might snorkel, snooze on the alabaster beach or enjoy spa treatments. Sunset dolphin cruises are available and you can sleep in either a luxury tented villa with a private pool.
Details Seven nights’ half-board from £3,027pp, including flights and transfers (bestattravel.co.uk)
13. Luxury Mekong cruise
Taking passengers from the high-octane Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam to Cambodia, a Mekong River cruise aboard the 68-passenger Scenic Spirit includes suites with balconies, butlers and many other special perks. An exclusive dinner inside one of the jungle-swathed Angkor temples tops the bill, but champagne breakfasts, blessings from Buddhist monks and a tour of the Royal Palace in Phnom Penh should all thrill too. Time on board drifts by in open-air lounges or the sleek swimming pool.
Details Seven nights’ all-inclusive from £8,356pp, departing on April 2 (sixstarcruises.co.uk). Fly to Ho Chi Minh City
14. Rooftop bar and sugar sands on Aruba
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Temperatures in Aruba in April average 26C, but trade winds help to keep everyone comfortable and deter bugs. That’s good news for anyone clinking cocktails in the low-key Amsterdam Manor Beach Resort’s sea-facing rooftop bar — and for anyone swimming in its palm-lined pool or lounging across the road on the dreamy Eagle beach. The hotel’s 72 apartment-style rooms are cheerfully decorated and come with kitchenettes. A five-minute bus ride takes you into Oranjestad, the island’s brightly painted capital.
Details Seven nights’ half-board from £2,884pp, including flights and transfers, departing on April 2 (tui.co.uk)
15. Hat parade in NYC
As New York warms up, boats reappear on the lake in Central Park, the baseball season resumes at Yankee Stadium and outdoor markets start afresh. On Easter Sunday there’s a special parade along Fifth Avenue. Dating from the 1870s, the Easter Bonnet Festival welcomes hundreds of people wearing lavishly decorated or unusual hats. Anyone can participate, so pack your best titfer and stay close to the St Patrick’s Cathedral starting point at the vast New York Hilton Midtown, which has a gym and several bars.
Details Seven nights’ room only from £1,764pp, including flights, departing on March 30 (britishairways.com)
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