Sales kick off early

Keep some money back from your Christmas shopping, as the traditional Christmas/ new year sales for both long and short haul holidays have kicked off a fortnight early this year.
By Jeremy Gates
Published 24th Dec 2012, 00:00 BST

With major firms like Thomson, Thomas Cook and Kuoni preparing big TV campaigns to kick-start 2013 bookings, smaller rivals are bringing their discounts into the marketplace a bit earlier.

UK hotel groups want early bookings too. Best Western Hotels (www.bestwestern.co.uk) offers discounts of up to 50 per cent on all stays in January, February and March, with Monday-Thursday night stays from £42 pp.

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But the real deals are in the Caribbean, where visitor numbers from Britain have been hard-hit by the Government’s hefty and controversial APD tax levied on flights leaving UK airports.

Tropical Sky (www.tropicalsky.co.uk) offers seven nights all-inclusive at St James’s Club Morgan Bay Hotel, Saint Lucia, in a garden view room from £1,069, saving £510. While in Antigua, seven nights’ all-inclusive at the Verandah Resort & Spa is offered 
from £1,419, saving £530, with 
return flights ex-Gatwick departing January 3-25.

The “Be Inspired” sale from Hayes and Jarvis (www.hayesandjarvis.co.uk) flags savings up to 40 per cent off brochure prices on winter sun and long-haul trips booked by January 31. The sale includes all-inclusive breaks, city and beach twin-centre trips, safaris and far-flung tours in Costa Rica and China.

Their Biggest saving is seven nights’ all-inclusive for £899 (saving £866) at four star Coconut Bay Beach Resort & Spa on the beach at Vieux Fort, St Lucia, in June. The package includes Virgin Atlantic flights ex-Gatwick June 4, plus transfers.

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Italian holiday specialist Citalia (www.citalia.com) has also made an early launch of its sale, with savings of up to 35 per cent available on bookings made by the end of January.

Three-night city breaks start from just £189, while other offers include free nights, free room upgrades, free meals, early booking discounts, free child places and even free child flights.

On breaks of at least seven nights (and sometimes more), Citalia offers a guaranteed discount of £150 on all bookings made during the sale period, and £100 on breaks of three nights plus.

One offer includes seven nights’ half-board at the four star Hotel Olivi, Lake Garda, in early May, including return flights ex-Gatwick from £675, saving £450 per couple.

Related topics:CaribbeanThomson