No time left for a long holiday? A weekend break in Britain could be just the thing to recharge your batteries. We’ve got a few ideas to get you going places.
Enjoying a weekend away in the UK is easy, particularly if you have a theatrical streak. Whether watching a West-End show or throwing yourself into a murder mystery weekend you’ll be playing a part in making your weekend special. There are also tempting offers on Christmas breaks this year.
Not so Fawlty Towers
Spend a weekend with short-tempered Basil, scolding Sybil and constantly confused waiter Manuel on a Fawlty Towers themed break in Torquay (naturally), as well as other hotels around the country including historic Chester, Warwick and the spa town, Great Malvern. Manuel will serenade you with classic 70s songs, while the evening ends on a Spanish note with Basil and Manuel’s flamenco master class. Available through Superbreak, prices from £95pp, including one night’s dinner, bed and breakfast.
Theatre break
Treat yourself to an overnight stay in London and a West End show without breaking the bank. Superbreak’s theatre and hotel weekends provide a night away at a top show at a reasonable price. Rail travel can be included. They also include discount vouchers for London attractions to make the most of your weekend. Shows include Love Never Dies, the sequel to Phantom of the Opera, Mamma Mia, Enron and The Wizard Of Oz. A one-night bed and breakfast theatre break starts from only £69 per person.
Boogie on down
One sure way to indulge in nostalgia is to take a boogie break and go back into the musical era of your choice and dance the weekend away. Butlins offers a number of three-night weekend packages across its Minehead, Bognor and Skegness sites, from 90’s Reload – techno pop and the best in indie rock – to Disco Inferno and a trip back to the Swinging Sixties. A Boogie On Down break costs from £57pp for three nights, based on four sharing.
Bands, ballet and the Bard
Superbreak offers year-round music events and festivals with accommodation in a range of hotels. Choose from several big names appearing at the O2 arena including Jean Michel Jarre and JLS or from January, Strictly Come Dancing on tour. Superbreak also offers good deals on Royal Shakespeare Company theatre breaks in scenic Stratford-upon-Avon and other venues around the UK. The Royal Shakespeare Company’s current repertoire includes The Winter’s Tale and As You Like It.
Dastardly deeds and dire deaths
If you love playing the sleuth, a Murder Mystery evening is for you. Actors enact a murder and you then interrogate them and look for clues to find out Whodunnit. Superbreak’s Murder Mystery Weekends take place all over the UK, from Ballygally castle in Northern Ireland to Moorside Grange in the Peak district. Every evening has a different theme such as medieval, where guests can dress in costume if they wish.
Festive frolics
Christmas this year falls on a Saturday, which makes it the perfect opportunity for a weekend away. Warner Leisure Breaks is offering all-inclusive Christmas breaks at beautiful locations including Bodelwyddan Castle in Wales and Cricket St Thomas in Somerset, while Shearings Holidays will whisk you away to hotels across the UK from Oban to Torquay on a ‘Turkey and Tinsel’ break, which starts from only £149pp for five days. Shearings Holidays also offers a ‘First Noels’ package providing Christmas food, parties, entertainment and festive family cheer from October until Christmas day while Warner’s New Year Breaks promise a spectacular start to the New Year.
For more information on UK Breaks(link opens in a new window), visit the website www.co-operative.coop/travel(link opens in a new window) or call into your local branch of The Co-operative Travel(link opens in a new window).