1. travel
The hottest holiday destinations for 2012
su n
Whether you fancy soaking up some rays, sightseeing or an adrenaline-fuelled trip, here’s some inspiration to help you choose your big break
Best for…
Crete
Greece is the word for bargains this
year, and Crete, the biggest of all
the islands, has lots to offer. It’s known
for its nightlife and 24-hour party
towns such as Malia, but there is a
quieter side to the island – and of
course some stunning beaches,
particularly the palm-fringed curve
of golden sand at Vai. Well worth
visiting is the old Venetian harbour
of Chania (pictured), which has typical
tavernas and an old fortress, and
other must-sees include the Minoan
Palace of Knossos at Heraklion.
There’s a wide range of Getting there
accommodation to suit all Cosmos Holidays A white sandy beach
budgets, but for pampering offers breaks to at the Divi Aruba Resort
and total relaxation then the Crete from £669
all-inclusive Aldemar Royal per adult for seven
Mare resort is an oasis of calm. nights at the five-
star Aldemar Royal
Eating From delicious souvlaki
chilling
to freshly-caught fish, Greek
salad and very good wine,
Mare resort, based
on two people [TIP]
You can exchan
you’ll be spoiled for choice.
sharing on an
all-inclusive basis. Clubcard vouc
ge your
hers fo
Best for…
Money saver Take the local For more details, to 3x their valu r up
Aruba
e
buses – they’re easy to use and visit cosmos.co.uk. rewards tokens in brilliant way to see what it has September and October tend
to pay
a cheap way to get around. for holidays. Se to offer. Visitors can book a half- to be swelteringly hot months.
e
budge t
page 128. Ideal for families and couples, or full-day drive, with an off-road Eating Sample lots of fresh fish,
Aruba is one of the coolest trip along the rugged coastline such as grouper, mahi mahi and
Best for… Caribbean destinations right now. of the Arikok National Park that shrimp, plus delicious cocktails.
France Money saver There are lots of
PHOTOGRAPH ©ATOUT FRANCE/EMMANUEl VAlENTiN
at a supermarket and picnic on fresh For not only does it offer azure includes a swim in the hard-to-
bread, cheeses and meat. sea and white sand beaches, but reach Natural Pool. Or there are free events during the summer,
Probably one of the best all-round Money saver Camping or staying
destinations. This year’s hot spots in a holiday home is a brilliant-value
include Brittany, Aquitaine and the holiday, and fabulous fun for large
also its Dutch heritage and
proximity to Venezuela give it
an intriguing mix of Latin spirit
magical evening catamaran tours
where you can watch the sunset
out at sea. And a stay at the
which is also low season.
Getting there
➻
Loire Valley. groups or families. and European architecture. It’s all-inclusive Divi Aruba resort, Seven nights, flying from Gatwick
to Aruba staying at the Divi Aruba,
Eating The beauty of a trip outside the hurricane belt, too. which is ideal for both couples
Getting there on an all-inclusive basis in a double
to France is that you can eat No wonder so many UK tour and families, offers plenty of ocean-view room, starts at £1,252
Eurotunnel (eurotunnel.com) offers
astonishingly good food without operators are starting to offer watersports and diving. based on two people sharing.
channel crossings from as little as
spending a fortune. A top tip £22 per car. Siblu Holidays (siblu. package holidays there. At only With sunshine almost all year For details visit thomson.co.uk.
though is to go for the Prixe Fixe com) offers family mobile homes in 20 miles long, the island is easy to around, there isn’t really a bad To find out more about Aruba, go
(fixed-price menu), or stock up Normandy from £226 for a week. get around and a jeep tour is a time to travel to Aruba. But to aruba.com.
<#L#> Tesco magazine tesco.com/living tesco.com/living Tesco magazine <#R#>

2. travel
Best for… thrills
Toronto
Toronto is fast becoming one of the most exciting
destinations for a city break, with great shopping,
restaurants and sights. Thrill-seekers with nerves
of steel should try the Edge Walk on the top of the
CN Tower, where you are, literally, walking along
the edge of one of the world’s tallest structures.
And it’s just a few of hours from the city to the
magnificent Niagara Falls, where you can take a
boat ride on the Maid of the Mist through the
glorious spray or walk behind the Falls.
Kids will love Centreville Amusement Park
(centreisland.ca) with its carousel, and Canada’s
Wonderland (canadaswonderland.com), which
boasts amazing roller coasters. If you can, watch
baseball at the Rogers Centre. And make sure you
see the city at night – the skyline is spectacular.
Eating Toronto has a fabulous array of restaurants
in its ethnic neighbourhoods – there are five
Chinatowns, a Little Italy, Little Portugal, Little Breathtaking
India, Koreatown and a Greektown. Go easy Niagara Falls
on the maple sugar candy. are definitely
Money saver A Toronto CityPass saves money worth visiting
on top attractions. Visit citypass.com for details.
Getting there
The Sheraton Centre
(sheratontoronto.com) makes
a great base for touring the
city. Virgin Holidays has city
[TIP]
breaks to Toronto from Go online to fin
d the
cheapest airpo
£729, including flights with rt parking.
You can also ge
Air Canada (aircanada.com). t last-
minute car rent
For more on Toronto, visit al deals
that offer disco
foodies
seetorontonow.com. unts of
up to 60 per ce
nt.
Best for…
Lisbon
The Portugese capital, just two
fish and delicious cured meats
to port and wine, and of course
hours from the UK, has incredible scrumptious custard tarts.
architecture, great bars and Money saver The Lisboa Card
restaurants, fab shopping, golf, gives you savings on transport
and excellent beaches – many of and museum entry. For more
them Blue Flag – well worth a
visit are Cascais, Estoril, and
details, see visitlisboa.com.
Getting there
➻
Adraga. Must-sees include the The four-star Fontana Park Hotel
15th-century Belém Tower and (fontanapark-hotel.com), which is
the Oceanarium. located in the heart of the city,
Eating Basically it’s a foodie offers rooms from £80 a night.
paradise – from fresh seafood, Easyjet.com fly to lisbon.
tesco.com/living Tesco magazine <#R#>

3. travel
Best for… fu n
Florida
Florida, and particularly Orlando,
remains one of our favourite
destinations, and Walt Disney World
is probably the best-value option for
a family holiday. With four fantastic
theme parks, two water parks, daily
parades and nightly firework displays,
there’s zero chance of hearing ‘I’m
bored’ from anyone.
Get a free Fastpass where possible
for the most popular rides, as this
gives you an allocated time and means
you avoid queueing. And, if you really
want to push the boat out, take the
Disney Cruise, which visits its own
private island and includes clubs for
the kids and an adults-only pool, bar
and spa for you – the perfect chillout
after visiting the parks.
Eating There is lots of
Getting there
standard theme-park fare
ediTed by liz JARViS PHOTOGRAPHs GETTY Prices correct at time of going to press
Virgin Holidays
(virginholidays.com) but it is possible to eat
has holidays to Orlando healthily, too.
from £689, staying at Money saver Don’t
Disney’s Pop Century buy passes for every day
Resort. For tickets to of your stay because
Disney World and more you probably won’t
on the Cruise line, use them – better to
visit disney.go.com.
pace yourselves.
exploring
Best for… Use your Clubcard
rewards to go on holiday
Wherever you’re planning an escape
to, Clubcard rewards can help you get
Holland
The Netherlands is back in vogue –
there. You can exchange your Clubcard
vouchers for up to 3x their value in
rewards tokens to pay for your holiday
with favourite travel companies
close enough for a short break, but including:
with plenty of glorious beaches and ✽ Virgin Holidays
beautiful countryside for an extended ✽ Cosmos Holidays
stay. Amsterdam also makes a ✽ Park Resorts
fabulous city break. It’s a wonderful ✽ Eurotunnel
country to cycle around, too, New for 2012
particularly as it’s so flat. Getting there ✽ Virgin Flying
DFDS Seaways (dfdsseaways.co.uk) Club Now you can
Eating Delicious pastries, cheese, offers three-night breaks from
seafood, pancakes – sweet and exchange your Clubcard vouchers
Newcastle to Amsterdam from for Flying Club miles.
savoury – and speciality beer. £113 per person. For more ideas, For more information, go online to
Money saver In summer there visit holland.com/uk. tesco.com/rewards.
are loads of free outdoor festivals.
<#L#> Tesco magazine tesco.com/living