Escapism
The 20th edition of Charming Small Hotel Guides: Italy is out now. The 500-plus hotels, including Locanda Toscanini (pictured), near Chiusi in southern Tuscany, don't pay to be featured and are independently inspected. To buy a copy for £12.99 (rrp £16.99) with free UK p&p call 01903 828503 and quote reference KBDPI/G, or email mailorders@lbsltd.co.uk
What's new?
India tours
A new operator, Totally India, run by a founding director of Explore, Derek Moore, and Bashir Sheikh, the owner of a leading Indian Tour operator, is offering festival trips, tours of Kerala by vintage car, cycle treks and remote village adventures.
• 01992 579697, totallyindia.net
Yoga for mothers
Very few yoga courses let people bring their babies, but Holy Mama, run by Lotus Yoga Ibiza, is a week-long retreat (pictured) on the White Isle for mums with babies, and mums to be. Stretching and pampering will be accompanied by meditation, and holistic talks on topics such as getting kids to eat healthily, and natural ways to boost fertility. Two Montessori childminders will look after any pre-school-age children each morning, while their mums do yoga and relax at the Atzaro Spa. Organic and superfood meals are included. A week costs £990pp.
• +34 651 458587, lotusyogaibiza.com/yoga-detox-retreat.html
New beach
Half a million tonnes of sand have been moved from a sandbank 20 miles out to sea to create a new beach at Colwyn Bay, north Wales, as part of a sea-defence project. The new beach opens officially on next Saturday. There's also a new £3.7m watersports centre, Porth Eirias, on the prom, with changing areas and shops.
• colwyn.org.uk
Glamp watch
Leeds Castle in Kent has medieval- style "knight's glamping" in its grounds, in eight stripy tents with four-posters, wood-burning stoves and fur throws. Dinners are cooked on cast-iron griddles over a fire pit, and facilities nearby have chesterfields and showers.
• Available 25 May-29 Sept; tents sleep four from £120 per night, two-night minimum at weekends; 01622 767823, leeds-castle.campstead.com
How much?!
London's Grosvenor House hotel has launched a nursery suite "with a royal baby in mind". It has hand-crafted furniture such as a scroll-top cotbed with coronet and sheer voiles, a dolls' house painted to resemble the hotel, child-size chairs, a bed for parents and a baby concierge service. Surely your sprog is worth £2,230 a night!
• 020-7499 6363, marriott.co.uk
Where's hot now?
35C, Marrakech, Morocco
31C, Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia
30C, Belize City, Belize
24C, Gran Canaria, Spain
19C, Oporto, Portugal
Travel trash
Lazy campers can delight in cans of food that heat up automatically when you open the lid. Varieties include beans and meatballs, chicken curry with rice, tortellini bolognese and rice pudding. Classy.
• £5.99, firebox.com/product/2486/HotCans
Pack it up
Waterproof ponchos with tribal and animal prints, great for festivals – or any UK break – are available from a new pop-up shop called Rain Wave at Pop up Britain at 387 Kings Road, London, open from today until 23 May. The ponchos cost from £55, and are also available online.
• rain-wave.com
Holidays and breaks to book now
Masterpieces in Norfolk
A collection of paintings belonging to Britain's first prime minister, Sir Robert Walpole, and sold to Catherine the Great for display in St Petersburg in 1779, is being reassembled and shown in its original setting, Houghton Hall in Kings Lynn (houghtonrevisited.com, 17 May-29 September). Nearby Titchwell Manor hotel (01485 210221, titchwellmanor.com) has doubles for £115 B&B.
Spa break in Wales
Ruthin Castle has an unusual alfresco spa, called Moat. It's in a forest, with wood-fired outdoor hot tubs infused with seaweed, cocoon seats hanging from trees, spring water showers and a sauna. Until 30 June, spabreaks.com has 55% off a one-night stay, taking it to £149pp including B&B, two one-hour treatments and lunch with wine.
Venice by boat
Book a Venice break with Citalia before 22 May and you'll get a free half-day tour around three of the city's 117 small islands, Murano, Burano and Torcello. Three-night breaks cost from £345pp including flights from Gatwick and three-star hotel, departing 22 July. Or a six-night trip, that also includes three nights in Rome and rail travel between the cities, costs £749pp, departing 10 July.
• 0843 770 4443, citalia.com
Mauritius luxury
Virgin Holidays' current discounts include 50% off holidays to Mauritius on certain dates: until 18 July, a seven-night stay in a royal villa with private pool at the Oberoi hotel on the west coast (pictured) starts at £1,699pp, including flights.
• 0844 573 2752, vhiphotels.co.uk/hotels/mauritius/mauritius/the_oberoi
