Just five minutes ago you were revelling in an early spring London heatwave, the promise of a long summer holiday season stretching endlessly ahead. Then you blinked, and now it’s almost August, and you still haven’t booked a summer trip yet. Oops.
Though if you’re not the organised type — fear not, we’ve done the hard work for you. Our last-minute travel guide is choc-full of deals and ideas that let you make the most of what’s left of summer, in style. Though you’ll have to act quick — availability is limited and prices (while correct at the time of writing) aren’t guaranteed to stay low.
The new hotel
The chicest design-forward stays can book up months in advance in high summer season – that is, unless they’ve just opened and are still flying under the radar. For example, take Mylos (mylos-hotel.com, rooms from £306): a minimalist and modern retreat built into a hillside overlooking sea in the Corsican village of Cargèse. Settle in on the panoramic restaurant terrace of the Greek-inflected Teos restaurant and congratulate yourself on being so disorganised.
The tropical steal
Dreaming of soft sandy shores, turquoise waters — and a cut-price deal? August is quiet in the Maldives, when even the most luxurious properties see plunging room rates. It’s technically wet season, but showers are often short and sharp, and many days can see no rain at all. Turquoise Holidays (turquoiseholidays.co.uk) has a 50 per cent discount and free room upgrade at luxe all-inclusive Dhigali Maldives, meaning you’ll pay from just £2,699pp for a whitewashed bungalow, including flights, transfers and all the piña coladas you can handle.
The wine cruise
Chilled glasses of Riesling, medieval old towns and an on-board swimming pool that transforms into a cinema — Emerald Cruises’ (emeraldcruises.co.uk) 11-day ‘Rhine Castles and Moselle Vineyards’ itinerary has it all. The 21 August departure date, which includes a cycling tour of Utrecht, a visit to Marksburg Castle and vino tastings at historic Schloss Johannisberg, has a last-minute discount of nearly 30 per cent, costing from £2,975 per person, including flights, transfers, meals and excursions. Bottoms up!
The restaurant with rooms
Sibling to Michelin-starred London eatery St. Barts, Nest Farmhouse (nestfarmhouse.co.uk) in Docking provides yet another reason to decamp to gorgeous North Norfolk. Expect homegrown produce in simple, stylish plates — steak tartare with fermented chilli dressing or doughnuts with gooseberry jam — plus country-cool bedrooms overlooking the East Anglian wilds. Get 30 per cent off the advertised room rate until 30 September (saving around £60 to £90) when you quote ‘Evening Standard’.
The active adventure
Act quick and a week from now you could trade a walk through Hyde Park for a real trek: to the summit of the highest mountain in North Africa. The seven-day ‘Climb Morocco’s Mt Toubkal’ trip with Exodus (exodus.co.uk) is discounted to £595 per person, including accommodation, most meals, touring and transport (but not flights). You’ll spend around six hours most days walking, tackling rocky terrain up to heights of 4,167m before ending the journey in scenic Moroccan city Marrakech.
The camper van experience
A camper van holiday in the UK offers flexibility, value and unique thrills (you’ve not lived until you’ve navigated hedge-lined roads in a motorhome). It’s also a great way to see the unsung corners of Scotland, home to lochs, mountain ranges and forested valleys. Hire through Camplify (camplify.co.uk) and you’ll get £50 off in August with code ‘SCOTLAND50’; you can self-drive from London or pick up the van on arrival (prices start from around £100 per day). Top Scottish campsites like Tatallon Caravan Park (meadowhead.co.uk), overlooking the Firth of Forth in East Lothian, still have availability too.
The party house
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Know 21 other people who have also failed to make summer holiday plans? Go in together for a last-minute bash at Rainbow House in Lincolnshire, an 11-bedroom party pad with multi-hued LED lighting, hot tub, games room, outdoor children’s play area and home cinema. The longer you stay in August the more you’ll save; last-minute discounts range from £860 on a two-night weekend (from £5,560) up to £1,990 for a week (from £7,960) with The Wow House Company (thewowhousecompany.com).
The brag-worthy family holiday
POV: You’ve been to London Zoo eight times already this summer and are desperate for a new family wildlife experience. Enter, an epic safari in Maasai Mara followed by a stay at on a traditional Kenyan ranch. You’ll get game drives, camel and horse rides, mountain biking and the chance to sleep out in a treehouse. Yellow Zebra (yellowzebrasafaris.com) has six nights split between Encounter Mara and Ol Malo for two adults and two children from £5,170pp, including flights, transfers, meals, drinks and some activities (a last-minute saving of 25 per cent).
The Grecian bolthole
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Even in the gold-standard, perennially busy holiday destinations like Greece, you can find a place to escape if you know where to look. Popular family-friendly resort MarBella, part of the Mar-Bella Collection in Corfu, still has availability, and if you book ASAP you’ll get up to 25 per cent off select dates into this September (what’s more, kids under 13 stay free). There’s a waterpark, sleek rooms sleeping up to four people and wellness programme to ensure grown-ups in the group return well-rested.
The Provençal retreat
Rolling hills and cooling surf, lazy sun-drenched lunches and hilltop towns scented with thyme and lavender… Provence sings in summertime. Hôtel Crillon Le Brave (crillonlebrave.com), a blond-stone hilltop enclave gazing across to Mont Ventoux and replete with pastel fabrics and parquet flooring, serves up the whole Gallic fantasy on a plate. It’s offering 15 per cent off suites throughout August, saving you around £80 per night — enough to fund a fabulous bottle of rosé (or two) at dinner.
The couples’ hideaway
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The National Trust isn’t just all grand old country houses. The extensive holiday homes portfolio (nationaltrust.org.uk) contains dozens of diminutive — but no less impressive — stays for just two people. Whether you choose Roseland Old School House (from £234 for two nights), overlooking the sea through a Regency Gothic window, or tree-cloaked The Chalet At Tan Yr Ogof (from £140 for two nights) by Snowdonia, until the end of August a top selection of ‘tiny cottages’ are available at 10 per cent off.
The family all-inclusive
Despite its reputation for winter sun, the Caribbean is very open for business this summer, offering value for a family break. With seven restaurants, seven bars, six pools and kid-friendly activities galore, all-inclusive Beaches Ochos Rios (beaches.co.uk) in Jamaica is a no-brainer for your base. A seven-night discounted stay from 26 August costs from £3,089 per adult and from £1,175 per child up to age 11, including flights and transfers. Quote ‘SUMMER’ and book by 29 July.
The wellness weekend
If you’re feeling the need to unplug per the phone-free travel trend, make for Careys Manor Hotel & SenSpa (careysmanor.com) in the New Forest, where a ‘Digital Detox’ (two nights from £493pp including breakfast and dinner dining credit) lets you literally lock your phone away in an amnesty box. Instead of scrolling you’ll fill time treading leafy walking trails dotted with New Forest ponies, soaking in the hydrotherapy pools, enjoying a couples’ spa treatment and raiding a hamper of wellbeing goodies (ie kombucha, aromatherapy balm) in your room.
The boating break
Bath gets pretty tourist-clogged in summer, so approach the city from a whole new, much-more-serene angle — that is, the stern of narrowboat, as you glide leisurely up the leafy Kennet and Avon Canal. It’s a 10-hour leisurely journey to the Georgian city from the Drifters (drifters.co.uk) base in Devizes, passing through locks, over aqueducts and (most essentially) via stop-offs at atmospheric pubs. A three-night break on a narrowboat sleeping seven costs £950 from 15-17 August, a saving of £1,101.
The solo getaway
Just ‘cause you’re travelling alone doesn’t mean you have to compromise on a last-minute break. On the north coast of Bodrum, Beyaz Suite Hotel will be your home for a seven-night group tour where you can swim, dine, enjoy a mountain jeep safari and explore a 16th-century castle with other solo travellers. The 1 September departure with Solos Holidays (solosholidays.co.uk) is going at a discounted rate, from £999pp, including flights, transfers, some meals and guiding.
The budget beach camp
When cash is tight and the beach is calling, a sand-side campsite ticks the boxes. Eurocamp has last-minute August discounts of upwards of £400 per family stay. For example, Le Beach Garden (eurocamp.co.uk) in Languedoc, next to the Bagnas nature reserve and the golden stretch of Marseillan-Plage, has three nights from £505 for up to six people in a three-bedroom holiday home.
