1:21pm Monday 12th October 2009
Although Valentine’s Day is months away, romantic souls may already be searching for a special location to pop the question.
Ferry operator DFDS Seaways has an unusual suggestion: its two-day break, sailing from Newcastle to Amsterdam on February 13, includes two nights in an en suite cabin, morning arrival in Amsterdam, a two-course a la carte meal plus glass of champers, coach transfers from the ship into the centre of the city, coach sightseeing tour and live entertainment on board.
The package starts at £109 per person.
Boulogne, with its delightful old town, could also be in contention among romantic souls next February.
LD Lines has announced that its conventional ferry, Norman Spirit, will replace the high-speed catamaran Norman Arrow in making four crossings daily between Dover and Boulogne in November, The service promises to combine a short crossing time with fast loading/unloading of vehicles at the northern French city’s new Hub Port terminal.
On the LD Lines website, prices of a short-break return crossing on the Dover-Boulogne service start at £28 for car and up to five passengers, which leaves enough cash for a quality meal and hotel room before a walk around the historic battlements.
INFORMATION: DFDS Seaways (0871 8820886 and dfds.co.uk); LD Lines (0844 5768836 and ldlines.com).
l Here’s a thought to cut your holiday costs in the next couple of months: offer to pay the full price when you book, in return for a healthy discount.
Bath Travel, one of the most respected travel agents, with 67 retail branches across Southern England, offers a five per cent discount on winter holidays with Palmair, its own tour operator, to customers prepared to pay the full price straightaway.
For customers getting a minimal rate of interest on money deposit with banks or building societies, the scheme has obvious attractions.
Trade journal Travel Weekly says about 30 per cent of Bath Travel customers are taking advantage of the scheme, and the agency might extend it to cruise bookings and those for summer 2010.
However, critics of the scheme point out that customers who agree to the early-payment plan could face difficulties if travel agents subsequently hit financial problems.
So it might be prudent to ensure that money handed over is fully covered, either by bonding or alternative insurance schemes.
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