None of us have a generous vacation allowance, but there are 104 weekends a year. That means, technically, you can spend more time resting if you use your weekends wisely. It’s nice to spend your weekends at home enjoying the mundane goodness of it all—brunch, some online shopping, maybe a quick workout to make you feel better about the upcoming Monday. But with a little planning (and saving money on brunch), you can throw darts at a map and plan your next weekend getaway.
So where to go? Well, whether you’re looking for a budget-friendly staycation, a family-friendly holiday or some time with the kids in your next Ibiza, allow us…
Weekend Getaway Budget
Belgrade, Serbia
You can’t criticise these studies, especially when they are done by the dapper men at the British Post Office. They found that this 2,000-year-old Serbian river city is so cheap that only those who avoid it because Primark is a bit pricey can really appreciate it. Tickets to top museums are just £3, while a fancy meal for two costs what a London gentleman would pay for a sandwich (£35).
True, Belgrade is a strange mixture of ancient history (think bits and pieces of the Ottomans and Habsburgs) and socialist barbarism, but once you’re done sightseeing, you’ll discover what you really came for The reason – lively nightlife. If you go there in the summer, hop aboard one of the water clubs along the Danube; just remember to devise some sort of buddy system in case you get stuck in one.
Stay: At around £120 a night, the luxury boutique hotel Saint Ten may be out of your reach, but if you can afford around half that, try the four-star Tesla Hotel. Still a bit steep? There are many hotels with rooms for under £20.
Cardiff, Wales
The Welsh capital has been named the UK’s sixth cheapest city for a weekend break in a budget-conscious study by TripAdvisor. The extremely stingy among you may be wondering why we picked Cardiff instead of the winner of this survey, and we’ll tell you: it’s because the winner is Sheffield, that’s why.
Cardiff is a great weekend getaway: not only does it have a bustling and picturesque city centre that (especially after a night of drinking) you might say looks more like a city in mainland Europe, but it also has a cool waterfront area called Mermaid Quay where you can sit and pretend you’re in Barcelona. Castle Emporium on Womanby Street is a little slice of fashion heaven, with an art gallery, hairdresser and more, and if you like big old buildings (and who doesn’t?), check out Cardiff Castle, a medieval majesty with some interesting Victorian flourishes.
Stay: In the city centre, the Sleeperz Hotel offers modern, budget accommodation from around £50 per night.
Pondicherry, India
You may know it as Pondicherry (the name was recently changed, but people still call it “Pondi”) and people like to call it the Cote d’Azur of India. The French brought a touch of the Mediterranean to this (slightly) European-style jewel on the southeast coast, 130 kilometers from Chennai, as Gallic colonists helped shape the place in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Their town planning and architecture – some of which is still evident today – really gave it more of a Nice or Cannes vibe rather than the dingy crazy hustle and bustle you usually associate with India, whereas Pondicherry Has some of the best diving in the world. There is one on the east coast too. Plus: you’re in India – so it’s cheap! However, if you are planning to travel to Antibes in May, you may want to spend some money for an expensive weekend in Antibes, when the pondy thermometer hits 40 degrees.
Stay: The luxurious five-star resort Le Pondy has its own private beach and double rooms cost less than £100 a night. A bit pricey? The four-star Ocean Spray resort has rooms for half the price of Le Pondy.
Family-approved holiday destination
Portsmouth and Gosport, UK
The two towns are right next to each other, but many idle tourists never make the trip to the more famous Portsmouth – probably because it’s a 500m swim from one to the other (not recommended for families) or a 28-minute drive around Portsmouth Harbour. But the kids won’t thank you if you miss Gosport – especially when they point out that the ferry is the easiest route, taking just four minutes – because the main attractions there are the Royal Navy Submarine Museum and the Naval Firepower Museum, where they can admire some of the mechanical innovations that inspired the modern killing machines they’re so good at in Fortnite.
Portsmouth itself has a rich naval history, including the chance to see the wreck of Henry VIII’s favourite ship, the Mary Rose, and there are also stunning views from the 170m high Spinnaker Tower at the harbour front.
Stay: The Portsmouth Marriott Hotel has a cool bar, swimming pool, gym and rooms with two double beds for around £150 a night.
Romania Bran
In Transylvania, an ancient town in the Carpathian Mountains (you can see where this is going), you’ll find a corner of Europe that’s sure to excite the whole family. The most famous attraction here is Bran Castle, known around the world as Dracula’s Castle, which towers over the surrounding forest like an evil fortress.
Of course, it’s more than just a castle, and the legendary Vlad the Impaler – the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula – may never have actually set foot here. But you can’t help but laugh when the kids look back at you as they wander through the castle, and a chill runs down your spine when you open the creaky door of a roadside inn to be greeted by a woodcutter in a plaid shirt and a huge mustache. Bran is 100km from Bucharest and is serviced by regular trains – just pray you need a return ticket (insert maniacal laughter here).
Stay: Pension Casa Medievala is a quaint little hotel just a stone’s throw from the castle, where a two-bed apartment costs around £65 per night.
Sanibel, Florida
Yes, of course those fun-loving types want to go to Disney—but why make them feast on corporate America’s crap when you can show them a less-visited side of Florida? Sanibel Island is a small island connected by a road bridge off the state’s southwestern coast that gives it a Caribbean feel.
In addition to the stunning sandy beaches, there are also shell-filled beaches, meaning mum and dad can relax while the kids hit the beach to find former mollusk abodes to sneak home. If you venture into the island’s Darling National Wildlife Refuge, be sure to keep an eye on the kids—there are alligators there, and not the mechanical ones from Disney.
Stay: Set on 23 acres overlooking the Gulf of Mexico, Casa Ybel is a stylish retreat. A one-bedroom suite can accommodate four guests and costs around £220 per night.
Men’s vacation
Scottish Highlands
In the latest season of The Grand Tour, Clarkson, Hammond and May speed around the roads of northern Scotland in three classic cars, gleefully declaring it the best driving experience they’ve ever had. It’s not because they drank whiskey: no, the Scottish Highlands are so picturesque and peaceful that… well, it moves you.
This is the perfect place to hunt with a couple or two, because as well as cozy pubs and fishing villages where men in stout sweaters battle with fishing nets, there’s some really enjoyable sea kayaking, especially along the It has a rugged west coast with numerous islands and lakes. Stay: You can’t beat the luxurious Torridon Resort in Wester Ross (rooms from around £185). If you want an all-inclusive trip, head to Wilderness Scotland for a five-day kayaking adventure in the West Highlands, from £1,325.
Scottsdale, Arizona
Yes, it’s a hop and a skip from Las Vegas. But that’s only half the price, and we’d happily trade the Las Vegas Strip for ATVs in the Sonoran Desert, Arizona’s growing wine industry (you read that right) and mouth-watering modern Mexico. It’s a combination of the Wild West and a booming metropolis, with more waterways than Venice, Amsterdam and Paris combined (again, not a typo).
The dry climate and year-round sunshine (310 sunny days per year on average) also make Scottsdale a top spot for golf, while the 200-mile Lower Salt River that runs through the desert is perfect for kayaking. Of course, you can’t miss hiking the Echo Canyon Trail at Camelback Mountain. When you’ve had enough, take a break and accept that Arizona is, after all, cowboy country, and head to the Buffalo Chip Saloon, famous for its after-get off work parties with bull riding, line dancing and live music. John Wayne would be proud.
stay: Boulders Golf & Spa Resort is located on 1,300 acres in the foothills of the Sonoran Desert, about a half-hour drive from downtown Scottsdale. The resort’s 2 golf courses are carefully built around 12-million-year-old rock formations. Rooms start from around £105 per night.
Lisbon, Portugal
He’s a simple beast, a weekend getaway seeker: he thinks he wants cheap beer, shooting ranges and all the nasty vices that Eastern Europe can throw at him, but he’ll probably be better suited to Portuguese sophistication. Lisbon is a really cool city with a great nightlife and great food – in fact, Phil Rosenthal, star of the lovely Netflix show Somebody Feed Phil, had a really good time in the city. He particularly likes Time Out Market, which is a collection of 24 restaurants, eight bars and a great music venue. You can also surf on the beaches near Lisbon.
Stay: Check into the Altis Belem Hotel & Spa – a five-star luxury hotel with a rooftop pool (rooms from around £180).
couple vacation
Tresco, Isles of Scilly
Once you’ve explained for the 11th time that you won’t be going to the supermarket over the long weekend, you find yourself boarding a small plane from Lands End or Newquay, or perhaps a passenger ferry from Penzance – — and look forward to a place so beautiful you may never want to leave.
It’s basically like England, only less populated and with a better climate. Although Tresco Island is ridiculously small (just two miles from one end to the other), it’s home to stunning beaches and coves—and, once your ears adjust to the sea breeze and the sound of seagulls, you suddenly realize, There are no cars here – making this a great place to spend time.
Stay: The New Inn is a 19th-century building hewn from local stone and has a heated outdoor pool. Rooms start from around £120.
Bordeaux, France
If you had visited this riverside town in southwestern France 15 years ago, you might have felt that the city was once glorious, but now it has fallen into ruin. Then the mayor, Alain Juppé, a former prime minister, came in and cleaned up the place, kind of like a French version of Giuliani — except instead of kicking the drug dealers out of Washington Square Park, Instead, streetcars were installed and the smog-filled buildings were cleaned with sandblasters.
Bordeaux is beautiful today, a bit like a mini version of Paris, just without the Parisians (although they do come for the weekend, as it’s now only two hours by train), and Gordon Ramsay is in the most luxurious hotel in town There opened a restaurant. While we were eating there (yes, we sometimes go to luxury hotels too), a blond ex-football player was chatting with a colleague in the corner. Bordeaux’s newest attraction is a stunning building that looks a bit like a giant metal snail, which houses a state-of-the-art wine museum (la Cité du Vin).
Stay: Ramsay’s restaurant is in the luxurious InterContinental Bordeaux Le Grand (rooms from about £250), but if you’re really excited and fancy views of the city from across the river, stay at the equally upscale Le Saint- James, four miles away (rooms from about £180). One of their suites has a Harley-Davidson motorcycle.
