Give Mum the gift she deserves this Mother’s Day
From popcorn parties to walks along the Jurassic Coast, give mum the gift she deserves this Mother’s Day (Sunday 22 March), with these thoughtful holiday ideas from Travel PR:
Pamper & Popcorn Party in your PJs – from £170 pp at Seaham Hall, County Durham
Five-star Seaham Hall, a different kind of five-star hotel on Durham’s magnificent coast, has an appropriately unusual offer. Mothers and daughters can enjoy a 60-minute ‘Pamper & Popcorn Party’ in their pyjamas. A Temple Spa expert will deliver therapy, champagne, popcorn, chocolate truffles and a gift each to your suite. Available Sunday to Thursday throughout March, the overnight stay costs from £170 pp (two sharing a Junior Suite), a delicious breakfast and full use of the award-winning spa. Must be booked at least 14 days in advance. Call Seaham Hall on 0191 516 1400 (www.seaham-hall.co.uk).
Tea, tapping and pony trekking in the Brecon Beacons – £133 pp with holidaycottages.co.uk
Black Hill Barn (sleeps four, plus one dog), set on a pretty organic farm high in the Black Mountains, isn’t only a beautifully restored converted barn. It’s a place of unexpected opportunities for a lucky Mum. She could take afternoon tea in the on-site datcha (Russian cottage, complete with library and wood-burning stove), enjoy a Swedish massage, an Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT) tapping session in the spa, or go pony trekking across the Brecon Beacons. Arriving Friday 20 March, a three-night stay costs £133 pp (£530 total) with holidaycottages.co.uk (01237 459888, www.holidaycottages.co.uk). £20 supplement for a dog.
Spend Mother’s Day in Madeira – Portugal from £795 pp with Jules Verne
Share a slice of Madeira with mum this Mother’s Day, on a four-night sojourn of the sub-tropical ‘garden isle’. Witness dramatic scenery on the north-west coast, explore charming valleys and villages in the eastern corner and discover the cosmopolitan capital of Funchal. Then, take a trip to the Quinta do Palheiro and Monte Palace tropical gardens, enjoy wine tasting during a Madeira cellar tour, and head to Fabrica de San Antonio for a slice of scrumptious bolo del mel (Madeira honey cake). A Slice of Madeira costs from £795 pp (two sharing) including flights (Gatwick), transfers, four nights’ B&B, one lunch, excursions, guides & local reps. Departs 21 March. Call Jules Verne on 020 3553 3722 (www.vjv.com).
The gift of family time in the Alentejo, Portugal – from £637 pp with Sunvil
Enjoy an activity-packed escape for the whole family at the Torre de Palma Wine Hotel in the beautiful lesser-known Alentejo region of Portugal, which will be awash with glorious colourful flowers come spring. Mum can enjoy some ‘me’ time in the spa, a wine tasting experience or perhaps a horse-riding lesson through the picturesque olive groves, whilst the whole family can enjoy a cooking workshop or try a hiking trail to explore the local surroundings. Departing 20 March, the trip costs from £637 pp (four sharing – two adults and two children), including four nights’ B&B, return flights (Gatwick) and car hire. Call AITO* member Sunvil on 020 8758 4722 (www.sunvil.co.uk).
Mum’ll never walk alone, Dorset – from £575 pp with On Foot Holidays
Spend quality time with Mum over a long weekend of fresh air, delicious local food and walks in the wonderful Dorset countryside. Enjoy time in the quaint village of Evershot, staying in Hardy’s Acorn Inn – which you may know as ‘The Sow and Acorn’ – before strolling through ancient lanes and former parkland to the pretty market town of Bridport. The trip’s crescendo is the final day, walk along the stunning Jurassic Coast, a World Heritage Site, to the seaside fishing village of Lyme Regis. The four-night holiday costs from £575 pp (two sharing), including B&B, luggage transfers, route directions, maps and background information. Call AITO* member On Foot Holidays on 01722 322 652 (www.onfootholidays.co.uk).
*AITO is The Specialist Travel Association: more than 120 specialist travel companies providing an unrivalled collection of holiday ideas that cover every corner of the world. Consumers booking with AITO can be assured of high-quality holidays and excellent personal service. Visit www.aito.com for further information.