The best holiday deals for summer and beyond, from Malta to Montreal
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Highland Coast Hotels is offering 10 per cent off the overnight Summer Escapes package — which includes £25pp dining credit — at six of its elegant, characterful properties around northern Scotland. As well as options near Skye, on the outskirts of Inverness and overlooking the Kyle of Tongue, the contenders include Brora's Royal Marine Hotel. Above a knock-out sandy beach on the northeast coast, close to lochs, distilleries, glens and great links golf courses, this 21-room affair pairs bold, colourful design with a high-quality Scottish restaurant. B&B doubles now start from £260 (highlandcoasthotels.com).
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The cottage specialist Isle of Wight Hideaways has discounts of up to 20 per cent across three rentals this month. All have space for short breaks now but there is also availability in the second half of August at 16 Beatrice Avenue, close to Shanklin's sandy beach. With an attractive, modern kitchen, two decks and two lawned gardens, this three-bedroom home is well placed for trips to Ventnor Botanic Gardens, Carisbrooke Castle or Blackgang Chine, the UK's oldest theme park. Seven nights' self-catering for six costs from £2,199 (isleofwighthideaways.co.uk).
Corinthia Palace, one of Malta's best hotels, is opposite the presidential palace and nicely shielded from Valletta's busy streets, yet guests are only a free shuttle from the buzzy capital's Unesco-listed limestone lanes and handsome harbour. Set around a restored 19th-century villa, there are beautifully landscaped gardens, the sanctuary-like Athenaeum Spa, an outdoor pool and four restaurants, headlined by the Michelin-starred Bahia. With a saving of £135pp, seven nights' B&B in mid-August costs from £1,219pp, including flights, transfers and luggage.
• Corinthia Palace Hotel review: a plush getaway in the quiet heart of Malta
Reduced by £300pp to celebrate its launch, Inntravel's new self-guided cycling holiday crosses Tuscany from Pisa to Florence, riding on quiet, not-too-hilly routes. Stopping at a series of good hotels — including historic city stays and a family-run agriturismo among vineyards — it introduces lesser-known highlights such as beautiful Lucca, where you can ride along the Renaissance ramparts, and unspoilt Vinci, the medieval town where Leonardo was born. Seven nights' B&B starts from £1,270pp, including bike hire, route notes and one dinner; book by October 23 (inntravel.co.uk). Fly to Pisa.
French-flavoured Montreal enchants in summer. The Canadian island-city thrums with festivals and concerts on outdoor terraces; picnickers fill parks as kayakers pootle along the Lachine Canal. Also worth seeking out is Cité Mémoire, an art installation projecting 80 images of bygone days onto old buildings. Close to downtown galleries, the luxurious Hotel Omni Mont-Royal affords fine views from its skyscraper and throws in a bistro and spa for good measure. Saving 15 per cent if you book by the end of tomorrow (August 3), five nights' room-only in August costs from £1,339pp, including flights and luggage.
Until August 15, AE Expeditions is knocking up to 40 per cent off the price of 14 of its Antarctica voyages next season. Cheapest — not that trips to Antarctica are ever cheap — is the Antarctic Explorer cruise, which spends a week on the peninsula, illuminated by expert lectures on board your comfortable expedition ship. You'll fly out over the Drake Passage before sailing back across it. Departing on March 17, 2026, 11 nights' full board costs from £9,420pp, including activities, wi-fi and one night in Punta Arenas (aexpeditions.co.uk). Fly to Punta Arenas.
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I've been going to the south of France for more than 20 years now, and in that time I've gathered together all the places, people and things I wished I'd known about before I arrived. They look hilarious but are also weirdly cool. Sure, they won't get you very far but that's not the point. Throw a couple of dogs in the back and you'll be the envy of every tourist in town. Hire from Yes Provence, the most universal car hire company in Provence. 914 CD 29 Route de Cavaillon, Saint Andiol; The Saturday fruit and veg market on Place Richelme is a total vibe and it sells the best strawberries from every part of Provence. Carpentras strawberries have the sweetest perfume and are best eaten on a bench in the sun. Place Richelme, Aix‑en-Provence Lovely little town in the far north of the region, close to Mont Ventoux. We stay at an excellent hotel called Le Clair de la Plume. 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Arles amphitheatre, 1 Rond-point des Arènes, Arles; The best are in Aix-en-Provence on a Saturday morning, when the entire town is in market mode, with a brocante near the bus station, clothes near the giant fountain and the aforementioned fruit/veg/flower market in Place Richelme. Also: Marché de Forcalquier — very arty (Place du Bourguet); Banon — very hip; Coustellet — good organic produce; Marché de Lourmarin — really busy, but worth seeing once as it's so pretty; Carpentras — fabulous, low-key Sunday brocante with cheap prices; Apt — the Saturday market is good for everything, but there's also a giant one on the second Sunday in July every year (Place Gabriel Péri). Didn't think I'd find this on a list of suggestions, but I took a Zou! bus from Cavaillon to Aix this summer and, well, I was blown away. Big comfy seats, air conditioning, gets you to a lot of those fiddly places that are hard to reach unless you drive. So much better than the buses back home. Provençal lavender honey is incredibly floral and sweet. There's always a local seller at one of the many markets, so stock up. Veggie soup made with pesto and seasonal vegetables/beans. Incredible. If you see it on a menu, just order it. Not unique to Provence — maybe more of a French thing — but this fizzy, slightly fruity soft drink is the one thing we bring home every year. Track it down in the local supermarket. Everyone knows Cannes. Most people have an opinion on St Tropez (too flash in the summer, too quiet in the winter, bliss in the spring); while Nice, Antibes and Cap-Ferrat are all well-worn stops on the Riviera tour. But Hyères is the new place to rest your head. Once famous with the British aristocracy — and the Twenties literary crowd (Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald famously partied here) — this seaside town is now having a moment. Last year Lilou Hotel opened its stylish doors — 37 cool rooms across 4 floors. 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It sells great homewares, linen napkins, lovely teacups, but also beautiful chocolates to take back home, especially the little muettes, which come in multiple flavours. 5 Avenue des Quatre Otages, L'Isle-sur-la-Sorgue; It's easy to miss the beautiful home of the surrealist photographer and Picasso muse, who spent every summer here before her death in 1997. It is now a residential centre for artists and writers, but on Tuesdays and Saturdays you can tour the interior and garden. 58 Rue du Portail Neuf, Ménerbes; Quite possibly the best garden in the world. I go almost every year for a private tour with the head gardener. You will be smitten. Le Jardin de la Louve, Chemin de Saint-Gervais, Bonnieux A slightly surreal experience where, as well as a tour of the Hollywood director's vineyard (and a lovely tasting session afterwards), you get to see dozens of the original costumes and props from his many films, including Gladiator and Alien. One for the movie nerd in your life. 1575 Route du Four Neuf, Oppède; High in the hills above St Tropez, this rustic restaurant (it does big portions) was the favourite of the late, great AA Gill. You will need to book. 2 Place de l'Église, La Môle This hotel-restaurant needs no introduction. There are Picassos on the wall, lanterns in the fig trees and probably a Hollywood director lurking at one of the tables. Place du Général de Gaulle, Saint-Paul-de-Vence; The former childhood home of Paul Cézanne just opened this summer and is an absolute treat, with the remains of Cézanne's paintings on some of the walls. It's quite possibly better than his studio in nearby Lauves (see no 33) — but if you are in Aix, why not see both? 4 Rue de Valcros, Aix-en-Provence; Out in the wilds of the Camargue you'll find this superchic restaurant, which has a green Michelin star. Almost all the produce comes from the organic garden. A perfect way to spend a long, lazy Sunday lunch. Mas de la Chassagnette, D36 Route Sambuc, near Arles; Alain Ducasse bought this place in the Nineties from a local potter and it still feels like a little country house not far from the green Verdon Gorge for which this part of Provence is famous. We spent the most beautiful couple of nights here many years ago. 511 Chemin de Quinson, Moustiers-Sainte-Marie; Sort of like Soho House but smaller and with a storied past (everyone from Brigitte Bardot to Jackie O used to hang here). It was renovated a couple of years ago and is now one of the chicest places to stay just outside St Tropez. Route de l'Épi, Ramatuelle; This hotel has fabulous interiors and it's right next door to a really cool bakery. The same company also owns the Nord-Pinus round the corner, which is very romantic, especially if you can get the room with the balcony on the corner. 20 Rue du Sauvage, Arles; I've been buying simple, good-quality leather sandals from this place in St Tropez for years. The Sahariennes design is a dead ringer for The Row, but will last longer. 18 Rue Georges Clemenceau, St Tropez; If money is no object, this super-swanky medi-spa in Ramatuelle is heaven. 736 Chemin des Crêtes, Ramatuelle; It was here that poor Vincent van Gogh was carted off after severing his ear in Arles. While in residence he completed 150 paintings. You can visit the room where he lived and see the big skies and olives trees that he painted each day. Part of the hospital is still in use. Saint-Paul de Mausole, Place Saint-Paul, Saint-Rémy-de-Provence Chic waterfront hotspot in Les Goudes, outside Marseille. Hard to get a reservation, so book early. Oh, and some new rooms have just opened if you'd like to stay the night. 2 Boulevard Alexandre Delabre, Marseille; In the teeny village of Villars, just outside Apt, you will find this buzzy bar/restaurant. Closed Monday and Tuesday and booking is essential. 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Rue Saint-Just, Banon; Farrah Storr's newsletter, Things Worth Knowing, is on Substack
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