Five of the Best Bank Holiday Escapes
19 February, 2020
- Words by
- Fleur Rollet-Manus
Spring is one of our favourite times to travel: it’s the start
of summer in southern Europe, cities are sunny again, snow-sure
resorts are still skiable and
Britain is blooming. So with a slew of
bank holidays coming up on the horizon, now is the perfect time
to float some getaway plans with your friends – as this year you’ve
promised not to spend all the long weekends in a pub,
remember?
Five alternative destinations for a long weekend
Isles of Scilly
Cornwall, UK
With a sub-tropical microclimate, uncrowded beaches and water
the same shade as the Caribbean‘s,
the Isles of Scilly off the Cornish coast deliver island vibes in
spadefuls, making them the perfect alternative to crowded
Cornwall. Freewheel past honesty stalls selling fudge and eggs,
scoff (proper) fish and chips on empty beaches and snorkel with
seals. There are plenty of stone-walled, sea-view cottages strewn
across the main isles of St Mary’s, Tresco and St Martin’s, meaning
you can pick one according to your budget and group size – the
views from Rosmarinus are particularly dreamy.
Otranto
Puglia, Italy
Scoot along from Bari – which often resembles Bournemouth during
Easter and has about as much allure – to the sun-faded palazzi
of Otranto. Sweeps of (empty) sandy beaches sit alongside
whitewashed houses sporting Capri-blue shutters and an Old Town
stacked with family-run delis, which are the place to pick up
steaming hot panzerottis. Mix
beach days with hikes to the Cava di Bauxite, an otherworldly
landscape of fiery red rocks and lagoon-like lakes, and sate
cultural appetites with tours of Otranto Castle. The whole brigade
can bed down at Janela
Blue, a spacious two-bedroom townhouse in the centre of the Old
Town.
Check out our other favourite hotels in Puglia here.
Val Thorens
The Alps, France
Time to squeeze in one last ski
trip for the squad. Vast and fast with runs to suit everyone
from the Bambi-on-ice to the black-diamond bonafides in the group,
Val Thorens’ high-altitude pistes are snow-sure until late April.
For après-ski, eschew slamming Jägerbombs at La Folie Douce in
favour of Rhum Box, a dinky dive bar that serves 30 types of rum.
Check in to
Le Val Thorens; it’s ski-in/ski-out, the fondue is exceptional
and the
spa will suit those who only came for the après.
Essaouira
Morocco, Africa
With its cappuccino-coloured, windswept beaches, fishermen’s
shacks and mellow, manageably sized medina,
Essaouira is Marrakech‘s
blissed-out, beachy sibling. Musicians flocked here in the 60s –
the likes of Jimi Hendrix, Frank Zappa and Cat Stevens – and you’ll
still find an infectious artistic spirit winding through the
rampart walls, the smart boutiques stocked with up-and-coming
African designers, the galleries on every corner and the
vintage stores full of eclectic finds. Spread over two
18th-century, vine-covered merchant houses,
Villa Maroc is an easy ramble from the port, harbour and beach,
and makes an ideal base. Surrounded by desert scrub and decorated
with traditional archways, courtyards and mosaic tiles,
Dar ZINZIN sleeps 12 and is our pick for total seclusion.
Amsterdam
Netherlands
After two years of frantically changing at Brussels Midi to make
the 20.22 train back to London,
Eurostar has finally launched its direct return train from Amsterdam.
Once there, paddle the canals, shop at clean-lined concept stores –
source
eco-conscious beauty buys at newbie CODA – and sample and sink
Japanese whiskeys in Taiko Bar, before hitting the sack at
Boat & Co, a darling aparthotel that has racked up a trophy
cabinet of accolades for its pioneering sustainability
initiatives.