You can still bag a bargain summer holiday for as little as £500: The 30 best deals available now – plus thrilling villas and cruises that won’t cost the earth
No one can pretend it’s been the best of British summers weatherwise. But the good news is that there are plenty of last-minute bargain getaways to warmer climes – and we’ve been scouring the market to pick deals for all budgets, ranging from under £500 a week to less than £2,000, all with flights included.
We’ve also highlighted some of the best villas still available, plus some great cruise offers. So if you’re looking for a blast of sun, read on…
UNDER £500 A WEEK (flights included)
GLORIOUS GREECE – SAVE 58%
Enjoy bathing on a Blue Flag beach while basing yourself at the charming Emerald Studios on the north Aegean island of Thassos. From the hotel, which comes with a pool and its own bar, it’s a short walk down a pretty olive tree-clad hillside to the shore. A week’s stay is from £371pp self-catering with flights from Birmingham on July 28 (tui.co.uk).
Enjoy the pool with its own bar at Emerald Studios on Thassos in Greece
Shoot some pool or indulge in a relaxing drink or two
After a comfy night’s sleep in your apartment it’s only a short walk down a pretty olive tree-clad hillside to the Blue Flag beach
CORFU CALM – SAVE 35%
Relax in the peaceful village of Peroulades close to the busy resort of Sidari, with its bars, restaurants and rocky headland famous for its Channel of Love waterway. The Marianna Apartments feature a delightful pool plus a smart cocktail bar for sundowners. Seven nights from £384pp self-catering departing from Gatwick on August 26 (tui.co.uk).
Marianna Apartments in Peroulades have a delightful pool
Enjoy the comfortable rooms and then head to the beach in Sidari
CRETE TREAT – SAVE £318
Facing the Mediterranean Sea and with arid mountains rising along the coast, Tasmania Village in Elounda on the north-east coast of Crete has basic rooms with whitewashed walls, small balconies and kitchenettes. There’s a decent pool with a snack bar beside it. Seven nights from £438pp self-catering with Manchester flights on July 28 (firstchoice.co.uk).
After a dip in the pool at Tasmania Village in Elounda, enjoy a bite from the snack bar beside it
Basic rooms with whitewashed walls, also have a balcony and a kitchenette
TENERIFE SURPRISE – SAVE £250
Set in lovely tropical gardens with a large main pool plus a rooftop pool, Parque Vacacional Eden in Puerto de la Cruz has a cosy feel with comfortable rooms. A week’s stay is from £447pp B&B with Glasgow flights on August 24 (firstchoice.co.uk). The hotel also comes with tennis and padel tennis courts.
Tropical gardens surround the large main pool at Parque Vacacional Eden
The resort also offers comfortable, cosy rooms
ALGARVE FOR ALL – SAVE 29%
Stay for seven nights at Alfagar Cerro Malpique, a simple but charming hotel with a pool terrace in the heart of Albufeira, a short walk from the fantastic sweep of sand at Praia dos Pescadores beach in Portugal’s Algarve. The price is from £489pp, based on two adults and two children staying on August 12. Flights are from Manchester (travelsupermarket.com).
Simple but charming rooms, with kitchen, make this a perfect bargain
Enjoy the pool terrace at Alfagar Cerro Malpique, or take a short walk to Praia dos Pescadores beach in Portugal’s Algarve
MAKE IT MAJORCA – SAVE £164
Escape to the Balearic Islands to stay at Hotel Amazonas in El Arenal, a short walk from Palma de Majorca beach, from £459pp room-only on August 24 with flights from Belfast (loveholidays.com); with breakfasts it’s from £515pp. Rooms are simply decorated and have balconies. It’s close to the marina plus restaurants and bars.
Enjoy the view from your room balcony at Hotel Amazonas in El Arenal, Majorca
UNDER £1,000 A WEEK (flights included)
CANARIES FOR LESS – SAVE 14%
Gaze out across the volcanic sands of Playa del Cura to the Atlantic Ocean on Gran Canaria while staying at the smart, modern, three-star Idyll Suites, surrounded by a dramatic rocky landscape. Seven nights is from £719pp self-catering on 8 August (travelsupermarket.com).
You can see the volcanic sands and rocky backdrop of Playa del Cura from Idyll Suites on Gran Canaria
Relax on your terrace or cool off in the resort’s pool
NICE IN CYPRUS – SAVE £100
Check into the three-star Makronissos Village on Nissi Bay in Cyprus for seven nights’ self-catering with flights from Glasgow and transfers on July 28 from £719pp. Makronissos has simply decorated, comfortable rooms, a big pool, tennis court, gym and spa with massage treatments (jet2holidays.com).
Enjoy the simple but modern rooms and pool at Makronissos Village in Cyprus from £719pp
CHARM OF SHARM – SAVE £180
Grand Hotel Sharm el Sheikh, by the Red Sea in Egypt, lives up to its name with no fewer than eight pools and a private beach terrace with a jetty for snorkelling by a reef. Rooms are simply decorated with little balconies. An 11-night stay for a family of four with Manchester flights on August 7 is from £3,070 all-inclusive, or £768pp (redseaholidays.co.uk).
Be spoilt for choice with the Grand Hotel Sharm el Sheikh’s eight pools and private beach terrace
Rooms at the hotel have their own balcony
CLASSIC GRAN CANARIA – SAVE £200
A seven-night stay at Sandy Beach Hotel, popular four-star hotel with a curving facade facing a circular pool in Gran Canaria is from £3,752 B&B based on a family of four, which works out at from £938pp. This is for departures on 28 July from Birmingham (jet2holidays.com). There’s a spa and it’s close to the golden sands of Playa Del Ingles.
Stay at the Sandy Beach Hotel on Gran Canaria from £938pp
A bedroom at the four-star resort which also has a spa
ALL-INCLUSIVE TURKEY – SAVE £100
White City Beach Hotel is an adults-only hotel (minimum age 16) in Antalya with a pool, hot tubs, hamman, beach bar, private beach and evening entertainment. Seven nights departing on August 29 is from £879pp all-inclusive with flights from Bristol (jet2holidays.com).
Get away from children’s chatter at the adult-only City Beach Hotel in Antalya
CHEAP IN CAPE VERDE – SAVE 37%
On the island of Sal on Cape Verde, deep in the Atlantic Ocean level adjacent to Senegal, Melia Llana is an adults-only, contemporary design hotel with smart rooms with balconies, four pools, four bars, three restaurants, spa and a gym. Seven nights is from £988pp all-inclusive departing from Manchester on August 1 (tui.co.uk).
Enjoy another adults-only stay at Melia Llana, which has four pools, from £988pp all-inclusive
UNDER £1,500 A WEEK (including flights)
LOVELY LANZAROTE – SAVE £189
Couples can save £189 when staying at the stylish, whitewashed H10 Timanfaya Palace in Playa Blanca in Lanzarote, the Canary Islands. The hotel comes with two pools, two restaurants, four bars, tennis courts and a fitness centre – and seven nights is from £1,284pp half-board with Gatwick flights and private transfers on 25 July (sovereign.com).
The H10 Timanfaya Palace in Lanzarote, has two pools, two restaurants and a fitness centre
Whitewashed and stylish, the interior exudes cool elegance
SUMPTUOUS CYPRUS – SAVE 15%
Columbia Beach Resort comes with an 80-metre lagoon-style pool, tennis courts, spa and gym on the coast at Pissouri Bay in south-western Cyprus. A week’s stay is from £1,219pp B&B based on a family of three departing before July 31, including flights and transfers (inspiringtravel.co.uk).
Luxurious comfort at the Columbia Beach Resort
It has an 80-metre lagoon-style pool giving you plenty of room to improve that front crawl
SOLO IN TURKEY – SAVE 16%
In the charming village of Golturkbuku on Bodrum Peninsula, Beyaz Suite Hotel is a stylish waterfront hotel with a pool, restaurant and bar. A week’s stay joining a Solos Holidays group trip is from £1,100 B&B with flights, transfers, some meals and a welcome drink (no single supplement). Boat trips and other excursions offered (solosholidays.co.uk).
Relax by the pool at the Beyaz Suite Hotel on the Bodrum Peninsula, Turkey, from £1,100 B&B including flights and transfers
GREEK STYLE – SAVE 22%
Parga is a delightful seaside town on the north-west coast of mainland Greece on the Ionian Sea. Stay at Parga Beach Resort, a sleek contemporary hotel from £1,235pp B&B for a family of four departing on August 25 with Stansted flights (loveholidays.com). Attractions include a top-class spa, pools, gym, seafood restaurant and beach bar.
Tuck into modern Mediterranean cuisine at the Alselea, Parga Beach Resort’s seaside restaurant
Relax in one of the contemporary bedrooms or stroll in the landscaped gardens
HOT IN MAURITIUS – SAVE £532
Relax in tropical splendour amid pools surrounded by palm trees at the swanky Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa, right by a beach and with a huge 20-treatment room spa, saunas and hamman, plus a nine-hole golf course and gym. The price for two adults and two children (under 12) is now from £5,625 half-board including flights on 29 July (beachcombertours.uk).
You couldn’t be closer to the beach at Shandrani Beachcomber Resort & Spa
Rooms at Shandrani exude Mauritian style
UNDER £2,000 PER PERSON A WEEK (including flights)
BEACH DREAM – SAVE 20%
Heritage Le Telfair hotel in Mauritius is offering seven nights from £6,199 B&B per family of four (with two children under 12), which works out as from £1,550pp, including flights and transfers in August. The hotel is on a white sand beach and includes complementary watersports plus green fees at a nearby 18-hole golf course (turquoiseholidays.co.uk).
The white sand beach is a glorious backdrop to your stay at Heritage Le Telfair
A four-poster bedroom at Heritage Le Telfair hotel in Mauritius
Enjoy the pool and complementary watersports
CLASSY IN CORFU – SAVE £1,200
Tropical Sky has slashed the price of a week’s getaway to Dreams Corfu Resort & Spa to £1,689pp all-inclusive (down from £2,289pp) for August 14, flights and transfers included. Expect infinity pools, four restaurants, five bars, live entertainment and direct access to a sandy beach at Gouvia Bay (tropicalsky.co.uk).
A fantastic deal awaits at Dreams Corfu Resort & Spa, which is £1,689pp all-inclusive for an August 14 stay
INDIAN OCEAN FUN – SAVE 35%
Windsurfing, snorkelling, kayak trips, sailing, tennis and golf (on a nine-hole course) are among the activities on offer at Constance Belle Mare Plage, a luxury resort in Mauritius. For stays this August, the price is from £6,889 half-board for a family of four, or £1,722pp, with flights and private transfers (turquoiseholidays.co.uk).
The pool and beach are cheek by jowl at Constance Belle Mare Plage in Mauritius
AMAZING ARUBA – SAVE £1,264
The peaceful, intriguing island of Aruba in the Caribbean Sea, officially within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, just north of the Venezuelan coastline, is tiny: 20 miles from north to south and six miles wide. Seven nights at the five-star Barcelo Aruba spa hotel on sandy Palm Beach is from £1,736pp all-inclusive with flights on 25 August (britishairways.com).
Spend seven nights at the five-star Barcelo Aruba spa hotel from £1,736pp all-inclusive
From your hotel base you can explore the island of Aruba
FAMILY ACTIVITIES – SAVE £150
The adventure travel company Explore has put together a brilliant, seven-night Family Pyranees Multi-Activity Adventure that includes white-water rafting, guided hikes, canyoning, abseiling and paddle-boarding. You stay at a first-rate spa hotel in the Spainish Pyrennes town of Sort. The price is from £1,845pp including flights on 10 August (explore.co.uk).
The thrill of white-water rafting is just one of the exhilarating family activities on offer
After a day of outdoorsy adventure, it’s time to relax by the pool in a spa hotel in the Pyrennes town of Sort
THRILLER VILLA DEALS
GREEK BARGAIN – SAVE £1,253
Villa Elaia in Corfu sleeps four and is on a hill above the Ionian Sea – a 900-metre walk to the nearest beach and a 20-minute walk from the popular Fisherman’s Haunt restaurant on the edge of Messonghi on the southeast coast. It comes with an 7.5m infinity pool and whitewashed, modern rooms; from £1,295 (down from £2,548) on July 26 (vintagetravel.co.uk).
Villa Elaia in Corfu is on a hill above the Ionian Sea but only 900 metres from the beach
Its modern whitewashed rooms are an inviting prospect
LEFKAS FOR LESS – SAVE 19%
Stay in the slick, modern Villa Earth on the lovely island of Lefkas in the Ionian Sea in Greece for £192pp less than usual for departures on 28 July, based on four sharing. The new price is from £798pp, with exclusive use of a pool plus a week’s car hire and flights from Gatwick (solmarvillas.com).
Explore the Greek island of Lefkas for £192pp less than usual, based at Villa Earth
One of the sleek and modern bedrooms at the villa
FANCY FRENCH ALPS – SAVE £1,185
Sleeping up to 12 adults, the five-star Chalet Argali on the edge of Le Grand Bornard, a commune that’s a ski resort in the winter in the eastern French department of Haute-Savoie, features a hot tub. sauna and a petanque court. Seven nights from 27 July 2024 is from £2,360, or £196pp (ovonetwork.com).
Picturesque Chalet Argali in the French Alps
It can sleep up to 12 adults in five-star style
RUSTIC FRANCE – SAVE 15%
The price of a week’s stay at Maison de la Côte in the commune of Parentis en Born, within the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region of in south-western France is from £2,450 (down from £2,894) on July 27. The elegant villa sleeps six and has a pool, table tennis and pétanque – and is close to Atlantic (vintagetravel.co.uk).
Maison de la Côte, in the commune of Parentis en Born, has its own pool and can sleep six people
STYLISH SICILY – SAVE £450
Villa San Lorenzo Rosmarino, sleeping six, is a gorgeous, modern bungalow-style property with a small pool and a sea view close to the sandy beach of San Lorenzo and the fishing village of Marzamemi in in the south of Sicily. The price for a week is from £4,050 on 17 August (sicily4u.co.uk).
Lap up the sun at Villa San Lorenzo Rosmarino which has a modern bungalow layout
CORFU HIDEAWAY – SAVE 10%
Tucked on a slope overlooking the sea, with an infinity pool and a wide terrace, Helidoni is a swanky villa sleeping six in a peaceful spot, but just half a mile from a Kerasia beach (with a taverna) and the pretty former fishing village of San Stephanos. A week on 5 or 12 August is now from £5,685 (cvvillas.com).
Slip into the infinity pool at Helidoni before making lunch in the spacious and modern kitchen-diner
PERFECT IN PORTUGAL – SAVE £1,488
Up in the rolling hills of Melides in the sleepy Alentejo region of portugal, Villa Boa Vista is a futuristic-looking, contemporary getaway with a marvellous, 14m infinity pool and maid service. The price for seven nights, sleeping 12, is from £13,392 on August 4, which works out at £1,116pp (welcomebeyond.com).
The futuristic Villa Boa Vista sleeps 12 and can be yours for £1,116pp from August 4
GREAT CRUISE DEALS
TAYLOR SWIFT TRIBUTE – SAVE 20%
Ambassador Cruise Line has reduced summer sailings by 20% including the 12-night Iberian Treasures & North Africa family cruise from London Tilbury on 10 August. Entertainment includes Taylor Swift tribute act Hannah Thompson and outside cabins are from £2,582pp with children sailing for £99pp (ambassadorcruiseline.com).
Taylor Swift tribute act Hannah Thompson will entertain passengers on board the Iberian Treasures & North Africa family cruise
VENICE FOR A SONG – SAVE £902
Save £451pp on CroisiEurope’s five-night Timeless Venice cruise through the Venetian lagoon to visit mask-making workshops and join a Venetian food tour. MS Michelangelo’s departures on 4, 14 and 19 August haver been reduced from £902pp to £451pp including all meals and drinks. Flights extra (croisieurope.co.uk).
See Venice for just £451pp with CroisiEurope, and enjoy a food tour and mask-making workshops
FAMILY DISCOUNT – SAVE £362
Fly from Exeter to Corfu for an all-inclusive seven-night sailing to Italy and Croatia on Marella Explorer. Depart 9 August, with all-inclusive prices for a family of four from £2,744 including £362 discount (tui.co.uk).
Head to Corfu on the Marella Explorer
TRANSIT THE CORINTH CANAL – SAVE 30%
SH Diana’s eight-night cruise from Sicily to Athens via the Corinth Canal departs on 28 August with fares from £3,393pp (was £4,880pp) including a one-night pre-cruise hotel stay, wifi and all meals and drinks. This Swan Hellenic deal can be booked by telephone only (swanhellenic.com, 020 7846 0271).
A cabin on the SH Diana, which will traverse the Corinth Canal that connects the Gulf of Corinth in the Ionian Sea with the Saronic Gulf in the Aegean Sea.
FAMILY FUN FOR LESS – SAVE £160
Children’s clubs and a splash aqua zone add to the family fun on P&O Cruises’ Arvia. Better still, balcony cabins on the 14-night Western Mediterranean cruise from Southampton on July 21 have been reduced from £999 pp to £959 pp (cruise.co.uk).
Have a poolside drink aboard the Arvia, which also has plenty to amuse the children
ARCTIC ADVENTURE – SAVE 39%
Join a 13-night Arctic Islands And Fjords voyage to the Arctic with Swan Hellenic, visiting Greenland, the Norwegian archipelago of Svalbard and Iceland departing on 28 July from £4,409pp (usually £7,297pp) including all meals on board, one night at a hotel before boarding, selected drinks and excursions (swanhellenic.com).
Enjoy stunning Arctic scenery and get two-thirds off the normal price
IBERIAN NIGHTS – SAVE £480
Meals, gratuities, theatre shows, use of the gym and children’s clubs are included in the cost of MSC Virtuosa’s 14-night sailing from Southampton to the Iberian peninsular departing on 27 July (cruise.co.uk). The price is now from £809pp calling at La Coruña, Cadiz, Malaga, Alicante, Mallorca, Barcelona, Valencia, and Lisbon (msccruises.co.uk)
Dine in style as meals are included in the cost of MSC Virtuosa’s Iberian Nights cruise
FLIGHTS FOR UNDER £40 THIS SUMMER
* LONDON-FRANKFURT, GERMANY: from £28 return, 1-28 August.
* LONDON-AARHUS, DENMARK: from £29 return, 11-18 August.
* BIRMINGHAM-PARIS, FRANCE: from £30 return, 10-17 August.
* BRISTOL-IBIZA, SPAIN: from £35 return, 31 July–7 August.
* MANCHESTER-RODEZ, FRANCE: from £31 return, 11–18 August.
* LONDON-RODEZ, FRANCE: from £35 return, 29 July–3 August.
All flights: Ryanair.com. Source: Skyscanner.net.
