Under £200
Isle of Wight: Spend two nights at the Somerton Lodge Hotel, Shanklin, and enjoy its "Shanklin in Bloom" award- winning hotel garden. May Bank Holiday weekend costs £89 per person for two nights' half-board plus a return Wightlink car ferry crossing from Portsmouth or Lymington. Wightlink (0870 5820202, wightlink.co.uk).
France: Travelocity (0870 8769999, travelocity.co.uk) offers two nights' B&B at the three-star Ambassadeur Hotel in Paris from £149pp including flights.
Under £400
Spain: Stroll down the Ramblas, gaze at Gaudi's architecture and enjoy Barcelona's great shopping. Two midweek nights' B&B at the three-star Hotel Wilson costs £249pp between May 13 and 23 including return flights from Gatwick. Travelscene (020-8424 9648, travelscene.co.uk).
Egypt : Departing May13, seven nights' B&B at the five-star Movenpick Jollieville on Crocodile island in Luxor costs £299pp including return flights from Gatwick, taxes and transfers. Discover Egypt (020-7407 2111, discoveregypt.co.uk).
Lithuania: A May Bank Holiday short break to the Mano Liza, a cosy hotel in the heart of Vilnius Old Town, for £339pp includes return flights from Gatwick with Lithuanian Airlines, private car transfers to and from the airport, and three nights' B&B. Lithuanian Holidays (0161-286 0830, lithuanianholidays.com).
Sicily : Seven-night self-catering farmhouse holiday from Italian Journeys (020-7370 6002) for £349pp. Borgo Maisale is a set of restored 18th-century farmhouses 10 minutes from the beach at Marina di Patti, with pool and horses for hire. The estate offers its own olive oil and wine, fresh fruits and vegetables. The price is based on four people sharing and includes flight and car hire. Departures on May 4,11 and 18.
Under £1,000
Spain: A week of Arabic dance designed to enhance body image. Spend the first two days in the remote Alpujarras mountains above Granada (two-star hotel) with a further five days in Granada itself. Learn new dance steps, watch dance displays, tuck into delicious Arabic meals and, with an escort, enjoy nights out to the small hours. Price, women only, from Dance Holidays (01293 527722, danceholidays.com) is £439pp sharing, including flights and transfer and 10 hours of dance tuition for all levels.
France: Direct Travel (0870 7700370, directtravel.co.uk) has a choice of holiday homes on the south coast of Brittanny from £465. Prices are per week and include return short sea ferry crossings, with the option to pre-book baby-sitting and personal cooking services before departure.
Corsica: Seven nights at half-term at the Casa Fratacci, an apartment in the northern part of the island, departing Stansted on June 2 for £499pp, based on three sharing, with car hire. Limited availability on a small selection of half-term holidays to Sardinia is also on offer from Voyages Ilena (020-7924 4440).
Sri Lanka: A week's B&B at the Mount Lavinia Colonial Beach hotel, 90 minutes south of Colombo, is available from Gateway Holidays (0870 4423204 ) for £599pp between May 1 and June 30.
North Cyprus: One week in the harbour town of Kyrenia is the basis for a gentle walking tour with Travelbag Adventures (01420 541007, travelbag-adventures.com) for £599pp. The price includes flights, hotel, selected meals and a group leader.
Jordan: Nine nights' trip including Petra, the Dead Sea and sleeping under the stars from £775 with Imaginative Traveller (01473 667337) departing Heathrow May 12.
Portugal: The Villa Agency, (01392 424400, thevillaagency.co.uk) has a number of properties in the rural and lesser-known areas of the Algarve, with a week's availability throughout the summer. For example, Casa Madeira with pool in Budens sleeps six and is available from June 27 until the end of August from £956 (total price based on six sharing) and includes maid service twice a week. Flights and car hire can also be arranged on request.
Overland: Encounter (01728 862222, encounter.co.uk) is offering its 11-week London to Kathmandu journey for £995pp departing July 27. The itinerary includes Vienna, Budapest, Bucharest and Istanbul then into Iran and the Khyber Pass. Wildside activities include a camel safari into the Thar Desert and tiger and rhino tracking in the Royal Chitwan National Park in Nepal.
South Africa: Ten-night self-drive, including BA flights, car hire and hotels for £999 with Bon Voyage (0800 980 7090), departures May1 and July 15.
Over £1,000
Cruise: Royal Olympic Cruises (0800 3583535) is offering a free one-week stay on Rhodes or Patmos, or in the Turkish resort of Kusadasi, with its eight-day Golden Fleece cruises, which depart from April 25 until November 7. The two-week packages cost from £1,219pp when travelling off peak, or £1,283 in July and August. Included in the price are return flights from London Heathrow, a seven-night cruise (full-board) and a week's B&B in the Greek or Turkish resorts.
Brazil: Cox & Kings (020-7873 5000, coxandkings.co.uk) is offering five nights at Rio's Caesar Park Hotel in Ipanema, and two nights at the five-star Das Cataratas at the Iguanu Falls for £1,195pp. The price includes international flights with Varig from London Heathrow, internal flights, transfers and breakfast daily. The offer is valid for travel up to July 22.
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