NEWS: SPECIAL OFFERS & LATE AVAILABILITY

MacDonald Hotels (£) are offering up to 50% off January - March stays, plus a guaranteed 50% off a second stay in 2010. Choose from properties in the UK and in Spain, and add dinner to your hotel stay for £15 extra per person per night. Quote promotion code: WTX

Bookings must be made before 30th December 2009 for stays taken between 2nd January and 8th March 2010. Offer is subject to availability and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or promotion.

The Travelodge £9 Easter / spring sale starts at 6am on Thursday 26th November 2009, with 50,000 x £9 rooms, 100,000 x £19 rooms and 50,000 x each of £22 and £25 rooms at over 380 Travelodge hotels across the UK, Ireland and Spain. (Spanish Travelodge room rates start at 19 Euros per room and Irish Travelodge room rates start from 10 Euros)

Stay dates are from 21st March to 6th June 2010.

SAS Scandinavian Airlines are running a Super Sale (£) to Scandinavia and beyond.

The sale runs until 30th November and includes lots of destinations from London Heathrow, City, Gatwick, Manchester, Birmingham, Aberdeen, and Newcastle, for the following travel periods:

Short-haul 05 Jan 2010 - 15 Mar 2010
Long-haul 11 Jan 2010 - 25 Mar 2010
Bangkok 01 May 2010 - 15 Jun 2010

ITC Classics (01244 355 527) is offering 50% off accommodation at the Sainte Anne Resort & Spa in the Seychelles, and 50% off flights with Air Seychelles, so that 7 nights at Sainte Anne in a Garden Villa starts from £1,699pp - a saving of £1,710pp. The price includes Half Board, economy flights with Air Seychelles from London Heathrow and private transfers. Bookings must be made by 31 December 2009 and the offer is valid for travel 9 January - 26 March 2010.

ITC have a set of similar offers at the Colony Club, Barbados, saving ; Raffles Canouan, The Grenadines, saving £1,035pp; Taj Exotica Resort & Spa, Maldives, saving £1,050 pp; and the One&Only Royal Mirage, Dubai, saving £659pp.

Holiday Autos (£) are offering up to 20% off all car hire in Portugal at all locations and for all car types. The offer applies to bookings and rentals until 17 December 2009. Prices start at £72 per week for November pick ups (£11 per day).

British Airways winter sale (£) starts tomorrow (Thursday, November 5), with the Caribbean and Latin America featuring heavily. Prices to Antigua, Barbados, Bermuda and Mexico City start from £399 (saving up to £156, £172, £127 and £260 respectively).

Boston and New York are on sale from £299 (saving up to £93 and £62 respectively) and Miami and Tampa start from £399 (saving up to £33 and £32 respectively).

Travellers can also create their own holidays with ATOL protected deals that deliver real savings. Examples include: return flights and seven nights at the 3-star Rooms on the Beach in Montego Bay from £529 per person or return flights and seven nights at the 3-star Ramada Plaza Gateway in Orlando from £429 per person.

Flights to Africa start from £259 to Sharm El Sheikh (saving up to £93) and £379 to Nairobi (saving up to £144) or £499 to Accra (saving up to £177). Alternatively, customers can again buy their flights and hotel together with deals including return flights plus seven nights at the 5-star Maritim Jolie Ville Golf and Resort in Sharm El Sheikh from £419 per person.

South Africa is expecting a surge in travellers in 2010 and prices to Cape Town start from £589, whilst Johannesburg is on sale at £639 (saving up to 143). Mauritius remains a hot favourite at £619 (saving up to £80).

The Middle East features with flights to Dubai starting from £324 (saving up to £69), Muscat from £359 (saving up to £60), and Abu Dhabi from £344 (saving up to £79).

Further East, BA’s new route to The Maldives is on sale from £529 (saving up to £119). Mumbai starts from £329 (saving up to £60) and Delhi from £339 (saving up to £70) whilst both Beijing and Shanghai cost from £509 (saving up to £89 each).

For those looking for a shorthaul break, prices to Europe begin at £49 one way to new route Innsbruck, as well as Salzberg and Catania (saving up to £6, £10 and £10 respectively).

Again, packaging flights and hotels together offers great savings with two nights at the 3-star Blyss hotel in Amsterdam costing from £159 per person.

Mid range flights to destinations such as Moscow, St Petersburg and Bucharest begin at £109 one-way (saving up to £16, £18 and £17 respectively). Thessaloniki is available from £55 one-way (saving up to £7) and Vienna from £69 one-way (saving up to £9).

Small Print:The sale starts on November 5, 2009 with selected travel dates between November 5, 2009 and March 31, 2010. All longhaul ticket prices quoted are return fares and include all taxes, fees and charges. All shorthaul prices are one-way fares including all taxes, fees and charges. All tickets purchased by phone will be subject to a £5 offline booking charge. All fares are subject to availability.

Acacia Africa (020 7706 4700) have just posted a number of deals...

1. Save 20% on any of Acacia Africa's overland itineraries departing before 01 January 2010. EG. Save £99pp on the 11-day Highlights of Tanzania. Big Five games drives in the Serengeti and the Ngorongoro Crater are included in the itinerary, a beach break on Zanzibar and guided walk to a local Masai village also featuring on the tour. New price is £396pp + local payment from £101pp.
   
   
2. Adventures looking to touch down in Africa before 01 April 2010 can save 15% on all Acacia Africa’s overland itineraries. EG. Save £44pp on the 11-day Cape Desert Safari which visits some of the continent’s most evocative landscapes, the Fish River Canyon, the Namib Naukluft National Park and Spitzkoppe featuring on the itinerary. Wildlife enthusiasts will also be treated to 24/7 game viewing in the Etosha National Park. The new price is £251pp + local payment from £180pp.
   
   
3. Acacia Africa is discounting several of its accommodated small group safaris departing before 01 January 2010 by 15%. EG. There's a saving of £104pp on the 10-day Delta and Chobe Waterways tour which offers a snapshot of South Africa, Botswana and Africa, including adrenaline fixes at the Victoria Falls, game cruising on the Chobe River and opportunities to explore the watery paradise of the Okavango Delta by Mokoro (dug out canoe). Accommodation: twin share with ensuite facilities (7-nights), bush camping with basic facilities (2-nights). The price is £591pp + local payment from £452pp.
   
   
4. 10% discounts are also available on several other accommodated small group safaris departing before 01 January 2010. EG. Save £46pp on the 7-day Coast To Cape Town tour - an off the beaten track adventure taking in South Africa’s rugged wild coast. It includes optional horse riding across the beaches of Cinsta, game drives in the Addo Elephant Park, bungy jumping in Tsitsikamma National Park and opportunities to marvel at the spectacular stalagmite and stalactite formations on a visit to the Cango Caves. Accommodation is based in twin share rooms with ensuite facilities. The price is now £414pp + local payment from £223pp.

The small print: Unless otherwise stated all prices include tour highlights as listed in the brochure, transport, roads tolls and taxes, camping (overland)/accommodation and cooking equipment, most meals and services of tour leader and driver (overland no single supplement/small group safaris based on two sharing). Excludes return international flight, visas, departure taxes, transfers and optional payment excursions. Discount excludes local payments and gorilla permits. Booking period from now until 30 November. Discounts cannot be taken in conjunction with any other Acacia Africa discount.

Tropical Locations (0845 277 3310) has reduced the price of a 7 night stay at Tanjong Jara, Malaysia, by £255 per person for travel before 15 December 2009.

And if it rains during the week, there's a rain guarantee: if it rains for more than 4 hours continuously between 7am and 7pm, guests will get a £60 voucher for each day it happens!

Tanjong Jara sits on the east coast of Peninsular Malaysia, in the Terengganu province - famous for kite-flying - which should tell you that the South China Sea, doesn't always look as calm as the photo above. (But don't let that put you off. I've had some of the best beach resort fun ever in the warm waves of Tanjong Jara - Ed)

"The emphasis is on purity of spirit and health, with programmes for relaxation, reinvigoration and stress relief dating back more than a thousand years. Facilities include two swimming pools, library, two tennis courts, Spa Village Tanjong Jara with wide range of experiences. The spa was voted #2 Best Spa in the World by Condé Nast Traveller in 2008."

The price for 7 nights now starts from £1,039 per person based on two sharing. It includes room only accommodation in a Bumbung Room, international flights with Malaysian Airlines to Kuala Terengganu via Kuala Lumpur and private airport transfers to the resort.

British Airways (£)has some special deals on 'club class flight + 5-star hotel' packages, if booked by 24 November 09...

• Geneva - 3 nights at the 5-star Mandarin Oriental in Geneva from £549 per person departing 11 January-28 February 2010. Includes return Club Europe flights from Heathrow and accommodation with breakfast.
  
  
• Lisbon - 3 nights at the 5-star Tivoli Lisboa in Lisbon from £559 per person departing 19-30 November and 4 January-31 March 2010. Includes return Club Europe flights from Heathrow and room only.
  
  
• New York - 3 nights at the 5-star London NYC in New York from £1849 per person departing 12 January-10 March 2010. Includes return Club World flights from Heathrow and room only.
  
  
• Dubai - 3 nights at the 5-star Ritz-Carlton Dubai from £2099 per person departing 10 January-12 February 2010. Includes return Club World flights from Heathrow and room only.

The above offers are subject to availability, based on two adults sharing and include all UK taxes. Book by 24 November

(£) on bookings made between 2nd and 16th November 2009 for travel until 31st March 2010...

All destinations are available from KLM's 15 UK departure airports. All fares are inclusive of all taxes and subject to availability. Fares correct on 02.11.09 

The AA 3-star (gold award) Porth Veor Manor (01621 784 666) in North Cornwall has dropped short break bed and breakfast prices through November by 40 %. This offer brings the per night rate down from £54 per person per night to just under £33.

The charming mid-19th century Porth Veor Manor sits on terraced lawned gardens overlooking the beach at Porth and is just a 30 minute drive to the Eden Project.

In November the price starts from £99 per person including 3 nights accommodation on bed and breakfast basis, based on 2 adults sharing a room. The offer (quote "PRL/518") is valid for stays of a minimum of 3 nights and meal and room supplements are charged at standard prices.

Icelandair is offering a Northern Lights City Break package including flights from London Heathrow, Manchester or Glasgow, three nights accommodation and Northern Lights tour from £269.

The Northern Lights tour takes place the evening following the day of arrival and is operated by Reykjavik Excursions. Passengers are picked up at their hotel and driven to an area outside of Reykjavik to search for the natural phenomenon. Every tour is different since the leader takes the group to the area where they are most likely to see the lights that day based on weather. The tour generally lasts three hours and makes for an exciting evening out exploring the rugged Icelandic wilderness.

There are also free days to enjoy exploring Reykjavik, or other activities such as the 'must do' visit to the Blue Lagoon. Also Iceland's banking crisis means that, right now, their currency is one of the only currencies to have dropped more than our own so the extremely favourable exchange rate means UK visitors can enjoy Christmas shopping and gourmet dining at affordable prices.

The Northern Lights reach their peak activity levels from November to March in Iceland and this offer is good for 1st November 2009 to 31st March 2010 travel, with blackout dates of 14th December 2009 to 7th January 2010. It must be booked online at www.icelandair.co.uk by 30th November. Hotel upgrades are available at an extra cost.

Ski Power (01737 30 60 29) has reduced the prices to all of its chalet-hotels this Christmas.

For example, "nestled in pine trees and just a few minutes’ walk from the centre of Val D'Isere, The Hotel Gelinotte has just been completely renovated. With views overlooking the town centre, the chalet-hotel is ideal for those looking to get away for a relaxing break before the hectic festive season starts (facilities include a sauna)".

A week's stay this Christmas, commencing 19 December, now costs £399 per adult and £352 per child - reduced by £340 pp. Prices are based on two adults and two children under 12 sharing two rooms and include seven nights' catered chalet-hotel accommodation (daily breakfast and a five-course evening meal six days a week). Flights and transfers extra.

Cox & Kings (020 7873 5000) are offering savings up to £450 per person on selected luxury Oberoi Nile cruises booked before 30 November.

• Oberoi Philae - Save Up To £350 per person
  Save up to £350 per person on the ten-night Oberoi Philae Nile Cruise on selected dates between January and April 2010, now from £1,825 per person. Spend three nights at the Mena House hotel, facing the pyramids, and visit the Pyramids, Sphinx and the Egyptian Museum before taking a six-night cruise down the Nile. A final night is spent in Cairo before returning to the UK.
  
  The price includes flights with British Airways / Egyptair, four nights’ accommodation in Cairo with breakfast and sightseeing, six nights on the Oberoi Philae with all meals and excursions, and all transfers.
  
  
• Oberoi Zahra Nile Cruise - Save Up To £450 per person
  The company is offering savings of up to £450 per person on the 11-night Oberoi Zahra Nile Cruise itinerary, which includes seven nights on the luxurious cruiser and four nights in Cairo, combining the ancient wonders of the Nile with the sites of the capital, including the Cairo Museum, the Pyramids and the Sphinx.
  
  Now from £3,545 per person including flights with British Airways / Egyptair, three nights B&B in a pyramid view at the luxurious Oberoi Mena House Hotel, seven nights’ full board on Oberoi Zahra plus a night at the Fairmont Heliopolis in Cairo, with all transfers, sightseeing and excursions.

Offers must be booked before 30 November 2009.

AA Travel Insurance (£), together with The Good Ski Guide and Aer Lingus, have set up a competition for a luxury family ski holiday .

The competition winner will receive a £3,000 family winter sports holiday in Soll, Austria. The prize includes:

• 7 nights half-board accommodation in the 4-star Bergland Apartment Hotel, right by the slopes
• Daily ski or snowboard instruction for all the family.
• The hire of top-of-the-range ski / snowboard equipment.
• 6 day ski passes for four people.
• Flights from London Gatwick to Munich for 4 people with Aer Lingus.

The competition runs until the 30th of November.

British Airways (£) in cahoots with Avis, have a 7-for-5 price offer on car rental in over 30 countries worldwide.

Eurolines (£) are offering 10% off single or return journeys from London to...

• Cluses
• Chamonix
• Moutiers
• Aime
• Bourg-St-Maurice
• Tignes-Le Lac
• Tignes-Val Claret

The offer is available on bookings made before 15th November for travel between 8th January 2010 - 12th March 2010 (excluding 12th Feb 2010 to 19th Feb 2010). To claim the discount, use/quote voucher code: SKITEN

Campsite holiday specialists, Canvas Holidays, have a Buy-1-Get-1-Half-Price offer if you book a main holiday of seven nights or more before 10 December.

To qualify, your first night on site must be on/after 1 July and your last night on site must be on/before 18 August. Your second holiday must be taken in April, May, June, September or October.

Haven Holidays (0871 230 1900) new brochure will be released on November 1st. So they're suggesting you might want to book next year’s holiday at 2009 prices whilst the current brochure is still valid.

Blue Chip Vacations (£) are offering 10% off the cost of breaks of 3 nights or more arriving between the 23rd and 31st October 2009 at their self-catering properties in Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and Somerset.

To claim discount use promotional code 'HT10' when booking. This offer applies to new bookings only and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer or discount.

If you can get away pretty much instantly (today or tomorrow), Blue Chip have a £100 saving on any 3-day plus booking worth over £400 departing by 23 October.

Tickets for French trains running on the new winter timetable are on sale now through Rail Europe (£)

Bizarrely (unlike airlines, which switch from summer to winter schedules in October) 'winter' doesn't start for the French railway system till Sunday 13 December 09, creating some early booking opportunities.

Normally, French trains can be booked a maximum of 3 months in advance of the date of travel, but the change over to the winter timetable means that the booking horizons change slightly for a couple of months.

Since 5am UK time on 14 October, passengers have been able to book rail travel in France for dates between 13 December 09 and 13 January 2010 inclusive.

The 3 month rule applies again from 15 October until 5 November 09, when sales open for trains running between 5 February and 8 March 2010 inclusive.

For any trains running after 8 March 2010, the usual 3 month booking horizon will apply, so anyone wanting to book a train on 9 March will need to wait until 9 December ’09.

The winter timetable features increased services on routes popular with skiers, such as the Paris to Bourg St Maurice overnight service, which runs every night throughout the winter ski season.

Bridge & Wickers (020 7483 6555) are offering 7 nights B&B for the price of 5 at Six Senses Hideaway, "set in 20 acres of natural vegetation with stunning views of the surrounding sea and outlying islands. The resort has 66 villas, most with private pools and an indoor/outdoor spa".

The offer price starts from £675pp, saving £270pp. Flights extra. Valid 11 Jan - 1 April and 11 April - 15 July 2010.

P&O Ferries (£) have a special fares offer on their Hull-Zebrugge service available on bookings made from now until 10pm on Tuesday 20th October - 20% off fares for crossings made before 16th December 2009.

Prices for a car and 2 passengers start from £88 each way for up to 5 days away, including ensuite cabin.

Red Sea Holidays (0845 313 9949) are offering all-inclusive family holidays in Egypt with child prices from £399.

At 15 of its featured hotels in the resorts of Makadi Bay, Hurghada and Sharm el Sheikh, there's a standard charge of £399 per child (two-12 years) sharing parents' room for seven and 14-night all-inclusive holidays.

The lead-in price for a family of four for a seven-night, all-inclusive Christmas holiday, is £2720 at the 4-star The Sharm Resort in Sharm el Sheikh.

Facilities at the hotel include outdoor pool and children’s pool, private beach, choice of bars and restaurants, children’s playground, playroom and ‘kids club’. Accommodation is on an all-inclusive basis and includes breakfast, lunch and dinner, afternoon snacks, soft drinks and local alcoholic beverages, plus evening entertainment.

The price also includes return flights from Gatwick, departing 24 December, with in-flight meals, return hotel transfers and guaranteed late room check-out.

Responsible Travel (£) is offering 15% off the tour price only of the 30/10/2009 & 20/11/2009 departures of their small group 15-day Central America Tour, visiting Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua. The new price is from £410 excluding flights, plus local payment US $300. There is also an optional £10 carbon offset donation.

The tour must be booked and deposit paid by 31 October.

Virgin Holidays (£) weekly offers include...

• Dubai from £450
  
  
• Antigua from £499. Save over £240 per couple on all Antigua holidays departing between 16 September 2009 and 31 July 2010. Offer valid for bookings made between 15 September and 15 October 2009, minimum stay 7 nights.
  
  
• Flydrive Holidays offers from £375. All fly drive holidays include return Virgin Atlantic flights and car hire for the duration of your stay.

BookDirectRooms.com have some special offers on UK accommodation...

• Save up to £341 on a 2-night stay in Belgravia
  Tophams is a luxury 48 roomed boutique hotel in the heart of Belgravia in central London. A two night stay for two on a room only basis arriving on 26 October costs £318 per couple, saving £232 and a two night stay for a family of four is £409, saving £341.
  
  
• Save £290 on four nights at Shieldhill Castle, Lanarkshire, Scotland
  Shieldhill Castle is set in large landscaped gardens in the Upper Clyde Valley, 30 minutes from Edinburgh and 40 minutes from Glasgow. The 12th century hotel has just 26 rooms and offers a restaurant and bar offering light snacks and full meals. A four night stay for two with a full Scottish breakfast arriving on 23 October costs £390 per couple, saving £290.
  
  
• Save £116 on four nights at Hardwick House, B&B in Tewkesbury, Gloucesterhire
  Hardwick House is a fine example of the country house style favoured in Victorian England. Situated at the northern end of the Cotswold Hills, its family-friendly environment combines relaxed and luxurious country living with easy access to the many attractions available in this beautiful corner of England. Facilities include heated swimming pool, guest lounge with Sky Sports TV and a snooker and games room. A four night stay for two with breakfast arriving on 26 October costs just £280 per couple, saving £116. Family rooms are also available.
  
  

I wouldn't normally do this, but Directski.com (0800 358 0448) have come up with an, in some cases obvious but mostly good, list of budgeting tips for ski holidays. So I'm going to reproduce most of it and include their own promotional examples - Ed

1. SKI WITH FRIENDS. Take a ski apartment for 6 or more and the cost per person tumbles. Fill it with friends, set up a Facebook page or ask around for people to share.
   (A week's stay in the Residence Cybele in the Meribel Valley costs from £199 per person from Manchester and £209 from Gatwick, based on 8 sharing an apartment on a self-catering basis and including return flights and transfers.)
   
   
2. VALUE BY TRAIN. Travel by train and save on airline excess luggage costs. The ski train from London to the Alps every Friday night also gives you an extra day’s skiing.
   (8 nights for the price of 7 by ski train costs from £419 for a week’s self-catering stay for 4 friends in the French Alps, including return train travel from St. Pancras and transfers.)
   
   
3. SKI WITH A GRANNY. Bring a relative to look after kids as it’s often cheaper to take an extra person than to use local nannies and kindergartens.
   (A week's half board stay in a family room -2 Adults, 2 Children under 15 years - in the Hotel Schneeberger, Niederau, Austria costs from £395 per person, with flights and transfers.)
   
   
4. DIY MOUNTAIN LUNCH. Pop into the local supermarket or bakery for an inexpensive alternative to mountain restaurants.
   (A week's skiing in Les Menuires in France, the home of the hypermarket, costs from £509 per person, with half board accommodation at the 3-star Neige et Ciel, including buffet breakfast and dinner, return Gatwick flights and transfers).
   
   
5. PAY AS YOU GO. Book early and pay in instalments to break up the cost into affordable chunks.
   (A self-catering holiday to France booked in October 2009 costs around £70 per person per month for travel in March 2009, based on a week's stay for 4 in the Residence Cybele Apartments in the Meribel Valley, France including return Gatwick flights and transfers).
   
   
6. SKI an UPCOMING DESTINATION Ski a less well-known, less expensive ski destination such as Slovenia.
   (A week’s skiing in the Slovene resort of Kranjska Gora costs from £429 per person with half board accommodation in the Hotel Alpina in Kranjska Gora, including Gatwick flights and transfers. Lift passes and après ski in Slovenia are also up to a third cheaper than mainstream Europe).
   
   
7. THINKS SMALL, SKI BIG. Choose a less well-known resort that rubs shoulders with the glitzy, big ski areas. Think Kirchberg not Kitzbuhel, Meribel Valley rather than Meribel town.
   (A week’s stay in Kirchberg costs from £309 per person, with return Gatwick flights and transfers. Manchester £339).
   
   
8. BEGINNERS’ BARGAINS. Learn to ski away from the bright lights of a top resort. Pick somewhere like Pas de la Casa in Andorra for cheaper equipment and learn to ski packages.
   (A week’s stay in the Sandi IV Apartments in Pas de la Casa costs from £249 per person, based on 4 sharing on a self catering basis, with return Gatwick flights and transfers. A learn to ski pack costs from £247, including 5 half days tuition, ski and boot hire and lift pass, compared with £379 for the ski pack in a more glamorous resort, such as Kitzbuhel).
   
   
9. PRE-BOOK SKI EQUIPMENT HIRE. Pre-book ski tuition and equipment to save time in resort and get a fixed price on skis, boots, sticks and lift passes.

Ski Power (01737 30 60 29) have a number of special offers available for those looking to get away for an early season ski this December.

For example, set among pine trees a few minutes' walk from the centre of Val D'Isere is a traditional savoyarde hotel, The Hotel Gelinotte. "With views overlooking the town centre, the hotel is ideal for those looking to get away for a relaxing break before the hectic festive season (facilities include a sauna)".

A week’s stay commencing 5 December, now costs £189 pp (based on two sharing) – reduced by £100 pp. The price includes seven nights’ catered chalet hotel accommodation (daily breakfast and a five-course evening meal six days a week). Flights and transfers can be added for £154 pp.