Here are a small selection of ideas to help inspire you with our friends at Kirker Holidays, from self-drive to Normandy with Eurotunnel or Eurostar to Paris, to the Venice Simplon-Orient-Express and some tailor-made holidays by air. Prices are based on 2020 rates and subject to dates of travel and availability:
Reid’s Palace ***** Deluxe, Madeira
One of our favourite hotels, Reid’s has been looking after our clients for decades, and remains one of the most elegant historic hotels in the world. Autumn and winter are sublime in subtropical Madeira, when you can enjoy the island’s spectacular gardens and dramatic landscape in warm sunshine, and restore the spirit with a glass of the eponymous wine.
3 night price from £998 per person including flights, transfers and a Madeira tasting at Blandy’s Wine Lodge
Pavillon de la Reine **** Deluxe, Paris
In the heart of the atmospheric Marais district of central Paris, in a secluded courtyard off the mediaeval Place des Vosges, this is the perfect base for a long weekend enjoying delicious Parisian cuisine at our favourite al fresco bistros and restaurants.
3 night price from £836 per person including Eurostar, transfers and a Paris Museum Pass
Chateau Le Cheneviere **** Deluxe, Normandy
With the D-Day landing beaches and historic Bayeux nearby, as well as delicious Normandy cuisine, this elegant 18th century chateau is a wonderful destination for a few days away. Take your own car and cross by ferry from Portsmouth to Caen, which is just 40 minutes from the hotel, or Cherbourg, just over an hour’s drive away.
3 night price from £798 per person, self-drive including ferry crossing
Le Mas Candille ***** Deluxe, South of France
There are few more idyllic settings than the hills above Cannes, where this beautifully-restored Provencal farmhouse offers an elegant rural escape with exceptional cuisine (there are two restaurants, including one with a Michelin star) , a spectacular infinity swimming pool, and a state-of-the-art ESPA spa with a jacuzzi and Japanese garden.
3 night price from £598 per person including flights and private transfers
The Venice Simplon-Orient-Express
If you have a special occasion to celebrate during 2021 – or perhaps a deferred celebration from 2020 – now is the perfect time to book a journey on the legendary Venice Simplon-Orient-Express between London and Venice. Travel back to the 1920s on board immaculately restored ‘wagons-lit’, with exquisite cuisine served in the dining cars, cocktails around the piano in the famous bar car, and view of the soaring Alps from your private compartment.
3 night holiday prices start from £2,998 per person including one night on board the VSOE with all meals included, two nights in a selected hotel in Venice, a one way flight and private water taxi transfers in Venice
Highlights of Puglia – a ten night tailor-made holiday
The ‘heel’ of Italy’s boot is one of its most beautiful and unspoilt regions, with historic towns and villages, golden sandy beaches and swathes of ancient olive groves and vineyards. To enjoy the best of Puglia, we recommend staying in two or three different areas and this ten night tailor-made itinerary combines three unique hotels in the most fascinating locations – from ancient cave dwellings to a spiral-shaped village and Lecce, the ‘Florence of the South’.
10 night holiday price from £1,998 per person including flights and private transfers throughout (car hire available on request)
Norway in a Nutshell – a seven night tailor-made holiday
Enjoy the best of Norway’s spectacular coastal scenery with this seven night tailor-made holiday, which includes a fjord cruise, a journey on the scenic Flåm railway, and three nights each in the vibrant modern capital Oslo and the charming harbour city of Bergen (pictured).
7 night holiday price from £1,998 per person including flights, transfers, rail and ferry tickets
Hotel Londra Palace **** Deluxe, Venice
A favourite of ours, the Londra Palace has been looking after our clients for many years and remains one of the best hotels in the city – perfectly located with spectacular views of the lagoon from its elegantly-appointed rooms and just a few moments from St Mark’s Square. Open now, it is also filling up swiftly for the most popular dates in 2021 so we recommend booking early to enjoy Venice before the crowds return.
4 nights for the price of 3 all year – price from £996 per person, saving £298 including flights, private water taxi transfers and tickets for the Doge’s Palace, Accademia Gallery or Peggy Guggenheim Collection.
Borgo Scopeto Relais **** Superior, Tuscany
There is no more romantic landscape than the Tuscan countryside with its rows of cypresses, traversing the rolling Chianti hills – draped with vines and interspersed with perfect mediaeval hilltowns. This former private estate overlooking Siena is the perfect retreat from which to explore the area, or to simply relax and enjoy the grounds, the outdoor swimming pools, tennis courts and fine Tuscan cuisine including the estate’s own olive oil and wines.
3 night price from £618 per person including flights to Pisa and car hire
Ask about special offers including 3 nights for the price of 2 and 4 nights for the price of 3 in October
Royal Champagne ***** Deluxe, Champagne
Celebrate the opportunity to escape again with a short break in Champagne country, staying at the recently reopened Royal Champagne – the most stylish and luxurious hotel in the region. Set in the hills just outside Epernay, the hotel offers 47 modern rooms with views of the valley, two excellent restaurants, a fabulous spa and of course, an exceptionally well-stocked champagne bar…
3 night price from £1,195 per person including Eurostar and TGV via Paris to Epernay and private transfers, or self-drive including Eurotunnel or ferry-crossing. Ask for details of the latest special offers for summer and autumn 2020 including free nights and complimentary dinner at the hotel
Gran Hotel Miramar ***** Barcelona
Barcelona is blissfully free of mass tourism at the moment, and this autumn could be the perfect time to enjoy the Catalan capital in a moment of rare tranquility. We recommend this stylish hotel on the slopes of Mont Juic, which offers the perfect retreat from the city centre with private gardens and an outdoor swimming pool, but just a few minutes by taxi or a gentle stroll downhill into town.
3 night price from £829 per person including flights, private transfers and entrance tickets for the Sagrada Familia
Belmond La Residencia ***** Deluxe, Mallorca
One of our favourite rural retreats in Europe, La Residencia is an exquisitely restored Mallorquin farmhouse in the artists’ village of Deia, surrounded by the dramatic Tramuntana Mountains of Mallorca’s unpoilt north-west. There are few better places to relax and enjoy warm autumn sun, delicious cuisine served under the shade of ancient olive trees, and a swim in the open-air swimming pool.
3 night price from £1,128 per person including flights and private transfers
