Penny Walker

Three Mile Beach near Gwithian, Cornwall, is praised for its scenic, relatively uncrowded location near St Ives, family- and dog-friendly beach, and bright, well-maintained beach houses. The resort has added Chomp, a relaxed restaurant serving sharing dishes and cocktails, plus a treatment room, while retaining amenities including private saunas, hot tubs, beach equipment and pizza-making. The review is highly positive overall, though it notes that beach access can be difficult at high tide for visitors with limited mobility and that some activities are expensive. A three-night stay in a two-bedroom beach shack starts at £619, including a welcome hamper.

Calcot & Spa near Tetbury is rated 8/10 for successfully combining a refined Cotswolds setting with extensive family facilities. The review praises its rooms, Playbarn childcare, gym, spa, pools and relaxation areas, while noting that dining service can be slow and the spa is not especially large. Rooms start at £442 per night including breakfast, with childcare and other amenities helping justify the premium for families.

Bedruthan Hotel & Spa in Mawgan Porth, Cornwall, receives an overall score of 8/10 for its dramatic cliffside setting, family-friendly facilities and proximity to the beach and Newquay Airport. The review praises the sea views, children’s activities, pools, spa, restaurants, breakfast and accommodating staff, while noting the steep access to the beach, basic bedrooms, a somewhat tired soft-play area and Ogo’s restriction on children under five. Double rooms start at £149 including breakfast.

Drayton Manor Resort offers a more affordable and less crowded alternative to Britain’s larger theme parks, with advance adult tickets costing £25.80 and popular rides generally having waits of 15 to 25 minutes. The park provides a good range of attractions for children of different ages, including Thomas Land, although some age and height restrictions seem inconsistent. Its themed hotel is clean, spacious and family-friendly, but food is expensive both in the park and hotel. Despite being smaller and somewhat dated, the resort delivers a friendly, enjoyable weekend with strong value for families who bring their own food and plan ahead.

Kéa, also known as Tzia, is presented as a relatively undiscovered Cycladic island near Athens, offering more than 30 beaches, hiking, diving—including the Britannic wreck—and historic sites without the crowds of better-known Greek destinations. The One&Only Kéa Island resort is praised for its secluded cliffside setting, private villas, pools, spa, dining and leisure facilities, though service at one restaurant is described as slow. Visitors are encouraged to explore Ioulida, Ancient Karthea and the Aegean beyond the resort. Cliff villas cost from £1,525 per night.

A luxury travel experience at Borgo Santandrea on the Amalfi Coast is highlighted through a new partnership with Riva, allowing guests to arrive by a rare Riva Cento yacht. The hotel’s cliffside design, bespoke interiors and locally crafted details complement its high-end dining options and private beach club. Guests can explore the coast by boat, with trips to nearby villages and Capri. The property emphasises Italian style, exceptional service and unique maritime access, catering to travellers seeking an elevated, cinematic arrival and stay.

After her family’s overseas half-term holiday was cancelled, Penny Walker chose a last-minute UK break to avoid the expense, queues and travel complications associated with Europe during a heatwave. She booked a three-bedroom cottage in Mevagissey, Cornwall, through kate & tom’s and found the village’s fishing heritage, nearby beaches, wildlife trips, food and family-friendly atmosphere made it a successful alternative. Despite difficult roads and a very hot kitchen, the accommodation’s patio, views and outdoor space helped the family enjoy the stay, which she felt may have been better than the original overseas plan. The midweek stay at Penpol cost from £1,625.

The feature highlights Spain, especially Marbella, as a dependable summer favourite while recommending cooler alternatives in Austria, Scandinavia and Scotland as heatwaves and wildfires affect traditional Mediterranean destinations. Austria’s Moar Gut resort is praised for family facilities and childcare, while Sri Lanka’s east coast is presented as an affordable long-haul option offering beaches, wildlife and cultural attractions from July to September. The EU’s Entry/Exit System is flagged as a potential source of border delays, with Greece and Turkey suggested as alternatives for travellers seeking to avoid it.

Penny Walker describes taking her two- and four-year-old children from the UK to Dalaman, Turkey, for a three-night break. Despite the stress of an early four-hour flight, the family found the short trip worthwhile because XO Cape Arnna offered extensive child-friendly facilities, pools, entertainment and all-inclusive dining, while also providing adults-only areas, a spa and other ways to relax. The resort’s kids’ club was less appealing because of limited supervision and heavy indoor screen use, but keeping the children on UK time helped with late dinner hours. Overall, the brief resort stay provided a meaningful mental break without the pressure of extensive sightseeing.

Intrepid’s Uncommon Day Trip offers an alternative to crowded Paris landmarks by exploring the quieter Passy area in the 16th Arrondissement. The itinerary includes Passy Cemetery, Art Deco streets, Maison de Balzac, local food markets and the Bir-Hakeim Bridge, while also highlighting the history and wealth of the district. The experience is positioned as a sustainable response to overtourism and costs from £48.

The UK is presented as an especially attractive holiday destination in 2026 because domestic travel avoids geopolitical disruption and volatile flight and fuel costs while offering strong scenery, cultural events and improving transport links. Scotland receives particular attention for the Edinburgh Fringe, Commonwealth Games, Caledonian Sleeper and new or refurbished hotels. The article also highlights the expansion of wellness tourism, family-friendly countryside stays, the King Charles III England Coast Path, luxury hotel openings and film-inspired travel linked to productions such as Wuthering Heights and Peaky Blinders.

Chessington World of Adventures’ new World of PAW Patrol cost £15 million and includes four rides, a play area, character meet-and-greets, a shop and themed food outlet. The land is visually impressive and especially enjoyable for children around four and older, with Zuma’s Hovercraft Adventure and Chase’s Mountain Mission receiving the strongest praise. However, all four rides require children to be at least 90cm tall, leaving younger toddlers with relatively little to do compared with Peppa Pig World. The new PAW Patrol hotel rooms are exceptionally detailed and memorable, but weekend prices approaching £700 for one night exclude theme-park entry and are roughly twice the cost of a standard room, making them a costly indulgence despite attractive extras.

A practical guide recommends using long weekends for shorter, lower-stress breaks while optimizing costs through flexible flight and booking dates. Expedia data is cited to suggest that Fridays are now the cheapest days to fly, with domestic flights best booked 31–45 days ahead and international flights 15–30 days before departure. Destination ideas include an early New York trip for the 2026 Fourth of July, lower-cost spring family packages in Turkey, shoulder-season Barcelona, a Cotswolds stay, and early planning for the 2027 America’s Cup in Naples. The guide emphasizes avoiding peak demand, comparing accommodation options and using shoulder seasons to reduce prices and heat.