How to maximise your May Bank Holidays – without paying a premium

Spring should herald the arrival of better weather, but it’s not until May that temperatures really start to whisper of summer, and sunshine starts to become reliable enough to relax our winter-scrunched shoulders. It’s tradition to holiday during the months of July and August, but with prices at their highest and airport queues set to return to pre-pandemic levels, there’s a strong case to be made for May, instead, being the prime time to escape.

It is the only month of the year with not one, but two, bank holidays to craft long weekends from. Added to this, parents with school-age kids have a half term that, happily, doesn’t clash with other European school holidays. So, while flights from the UK may be more expensive, the cost of the holiday on arrival at your destination is likely to be cheaper. Meanwhile, travelers tied to neither half term, nor the bank holiday dates will benefit from discounted shoulder-season prices. Tour operators bank on making their profits in July and August, so will slash prices to fill beds and plane seats during these less-busy periods. Such savings can open up the possibility of exploring destinations further afield that might be beyond your budget in high season.

We all need a chance to exhale after a long winter, so pick your perfect destination, and grab some good-value sunshine this May.

Big-saver Okavango Safari

Renowned for documentary-worthy wildlife sightings, Botswana’s Okavango Delta is deservedly billed as the gold star of safari destinations. However, it can be notoriously expensive – often up to £4,000 per person per week. May is the last month before peak-season rates kick in, but it also marks the start of the dry season when the tall grasses won’t obscure wildlife sightings, meaning you can have a first-rate safari while making big savings.

Book it: Intrepid (0808 274 5111; intrepidtravel.com) has the 10-day Okavango Experience trip from £1,179 per person (including all meals and activities), with prices reduced by 10 per cent for departures between May 10-19.

New York, US

A character from the TV show Mad Men described August in New York as “a great, big, melting wax museum”. But in May, the city shines. Coats are being shed, Central Park is in bloom and offering free Shakespeare performances, Broadway reanimates in time for the Tony Awards season, uniformed sailors fill the bars for Fleet Week, and celebrity sightings are guaranteed at the fashionable Met Gala fundraiser.

Book it: First Choice (020 3451 2690; firstchoice.co.uk) can arrange seven nights at the Hilton Garden Inn in Midtown from £1,078 per person, based on two adults sharing a double room. Departing from London Heathrow.

From mid-March to the end of May, lambs are a-leaping. Families with preschool-aged little ones can bottle-feed orphaned individuals and take them for a walk around North Hayne Farm, in addition to riding on one of the resident donkeys, and helping to feed the farm’s chickens, rabbits, goats, ducks, alpaca and pig. Set in 11 acres on the outskirts of Exmoor National Park in North Devon, North Hayne Farm won a Visit England Excellence Gold Award in 2020 for its eight self-catering child-safe cottages, each with its own hot tub.

Book it: North Hayne Farm Cottages (01769 550 807; northhaynefarmcottages.co.uk) offers a three-night self-catering weekend in May from £633, including accommodation in the two-bedroom Katie’s Corner cottage (sleeps up to four).

Malta

Once the wildcard of the Mediterranean Sea, word about Malta’s historic architecture and family-friendly hotels is out. Midsummer is a fine time to visit, but travel in May, and you’ll find clement weather, fewer crowds, a gently warming sea and, most importantly, the final weeks of the island’s inaugural Art Biennale (until May 31) with its plethora of performances and workshops.

Book it: Broadway Travel (020 3368 6221; broadwaytravel.com) offers a three-night B&B stay at the four-star Hotel Santana from £268 per person, based on two people sharing. Includes a return flight from London Stansted. Departs May 9.

Amalfi, Italy  

Come summer, Italy’s glitzy Amalfi coast is awash with oiled bodies, but travel in May and you’ll beat the crowds, avoid inferno-hot days, and find sites like Pompeii and the postcard town of Positano quieter. Best of all, it is peak lemon-harvesting season, so you can cool off after following the ancient mule four-mile route between Bomerano and Nocelle called the “Path of the Gods”, with tart iced granitas, or perhaps a moist slice of lemon cake.

Book it: Mountain Kingdoms (01453 844400; mountainkingdoms.com) offers a seven-day Trails of Capri and the Amalfi Coast from £1,980 per person, including flights and full board accommodation.

British Columbia, Canada

With orchards and vineyards in blossom and farm-to-table family restaurants starting to offer alfresco dining, May is a top-notch time to wheel around British Columbia’s lesser-known Okanagan Valley and one of the world’s leading producers of organic wines. In Kelowna, combine a walk up an extinct volcano with an après-hike tipple or two.

Book it: Trailfinders (020 7084 6500; trailfinders.com) has a brand-new 14-night fly-drive Rainforest to Rockies tour from £2,015 per person (based on two adults sharing). The tour weaves around the wineries of the Okanagan Valley and includes a wine-tasting tour. Excludes international flights.

Sardinia, Italy

May heralds the start of Sardinia’s festival season and a chance for travellers to gain authentic insights into the island’s culture. Our pick is the Cavalcata Sarda, celebrated in Sassari on May 12 this year. This centuries-old pageant features a 300-horse procession during which participants hand out cakes and local treats to onlookers, followed by the pariglie, where riders perform daring acrobatic stunts on the backs of galloping horses.

Book it: Citalia (01293 765055; citalia.com) has a four-night B&B stay at the four-star Su Gologone Experience Hotel from £1,418 per person (based on two adults sharing a junior suite), including return flights from London Gatwick. Departs May 10.

Alentejo, Portugal 

An hour and a half north of the Algarve – but a world away – is the rugged Alentejo coastline, one of Portugal’s least visited regions. Follow the Trilho dos Pescadores (Fishermen’s Trail), a tourist-free path that stretches 69 miles from Porto Côvo to Odeceixe and provides access to harbour hamlets, remote sandy bays and lighthouse-guarded peninsulas populated with birdlife. In May, there’s a good chance of spotting migrating fin, blue and sei whales, too.

Book it: Walks Worldwide (01962 302085; walksworldwide.com) has six nights’ B&B from £1,345 per person, including return flights, lunches, luggage transfers and transfers to the trail head, walking notes and GPS.

Yorkshire, UK

Unplug at the award-winning Broughton Sanctuary, which sits amid 3,000 acres of Yorkshire woodland, moors and, come May, meadows ablaze with wildflowers, sprightly lambs and good spring birdwatching opportunities. The UK’s leading retreat centre, Avalon Wellbeing, sits on site, and its “Wellbeing Bundle” add-on includes wild swimming with views across the Dales, a forest sauna, yoga classes and a range of treatments, from meditation pods to crystal light therapy to “encourage the reconnection of your inner and outer natures”.

Book it: Broughton Sanctuary (01756 799608; broughtonsanctuary.co.uk) offers a three-night stay for £630, with accommodation for two at Ivy Cottage during the early May bank holiday.

Barcelona, Spain

May 18 marks International Museum Day, and Barcelona is one of 120 European cities taking part. All of its museums – including the esteemed Museu Picasso – grant free entry for the day and host a hoopla of shows, guided visits and live music. This all culminates in Museum Night: a unique chance to explore them after dark.

Book it: British Airways (0344 493 0787; ba.com) offers a three-night stay at the swish Nobu Barcelona from £782 per person, based on two people sharing a premium double room on a room-only basis. Includes return flights from London Heathrow. Departs May 16.

St Lucia, Caribbean

May coincides with the St Lucia Jazz and Arts Festival, a week-long celebration of jazz, R&B and calypso featuring local and international musicians – ideal for those seeking sun and some sensual beats. The most iconic place to stay is Sugar Beach, a former 18th-century sugar cane plantation on the south-west coast, overlooking an arc of white sand and backed by tropical forested hills. It’s quintessential Caribbean perfection.

Book it: Red Savannah (01242 787800; redsavannah.com) offers a week in a Grand Luxury Villa at Sugar Beach from £5,750 per person, based on two people sharing, including international flights and airport transfers.

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Five affordable family holiday ideas

This year, the May half term for England and Wales begins on Friday May 24 and ends on Sunday June 2. Alas, because they break for summer in June, Scotland’s schools get only two days (May 6-7).

Frustratingly for parents, it’s well known that tour operators cash in on these bottleneck travel periods and hike prices accordingly, but despite this, it’s still generally cheaper than travelling during the Easter, summer and Christmas holidays, and still possible to grab some good deals. Here’s a round-up of our top five half-term holidays suitable for families with school-age children.

Self-drive through fire and ice in Iceland

Don’t let Iceland’s recent volcanic activity deter you from an action-packed trip to the Land of Fire and Ice. With many tourists currently steering clear, you’re likely to find bucket list routes, such as the Golden Circle, to be far quieter than they normally would be. This self-drive itinerary around the island’s south-east coast includes whale watching, horse riding, snowmobiling, a super-jeep safari and the opportunity to explore an ice cave. What stories they’ll have with which to regale their classmates.

Book it: Discover the World (01737 428595; discover-the-world.com) has the seven-night Family Explorer the Icelandic Way from £3,478 (for a family of two adults and two children). Includes self-catering accommodation and car hire, but excludes flights. Departs May 25.

Bears and Dracula’s Castle in Romania

Travel in a pack on this group tour for families through the myth-laden landscape of Transylvania. City stops in Bucharest and Brasov are combined with kid-friendly days at Therme Spa, one of Europe’s largest indoor water parks, a forest adventure park with zip line and assault course, plus the turreted towers of Dracula’s Castle, and the chance to peep at brown bears from a hide at the Libearty Bear Sanctuary.

Book it: Untravelled Paths (untravelledpaths.com) has an eight-night Family Transylvania group tour from £764 per person, based on two people sharing (children half price). Includes all accommodation, meals and activities, but excludes flights. Departs May 25.

Walking with dinosaurs in Utah

Bring your children’s homework to life on your very own Jurassic Park fly-drive holiday, exploring the fossil-studded Badlands of Utah. Start at the famous Dinosaur National Monument in Vernal – where more than 1,500 dinosaur bones are partially exposed in the mountain – marvel at dinosaur eggs at Price’s Prehistoric Museum, and explore Utah’s newest state park, Utahraptor, named after the state’s official dinosaur and home to more bones than Dinosaur National Monument.

Book it: Bon Voyage (0800 316 3012; bon-voyage.co.uk) has a 12-night Utah Walking with Dinosaurs fly-drive from £2,195 per person, based on a family of four travelling during the May holidays. Includes direct flights from London Heathrow, accommodation and a 4×4.

Canal boat escape in Scotland

Steeped in Celtic mystery, myth and legend, Scotland is the ideal landscape to set young imaginations alight. Sail the 60-mile-long Caledonian Canal, which stretches from Inverness in the north east to Fort William in the south west, passing through a series of natural lochs (including Loch Ness, for a Nessie-spotting pit stop). You’ll traverse the eight locks of Neptune’s Staircase, spy castles and Ben Nevis and, nearby, the Jacobite Steam Train – aka Hogwarts Express from the Harry Potter films.

Book it: Le Boat (023 9222 2177; leboat.co.uk) offers a three-night self-catering stay aboard the Mountain Star (sleeping up to six) from £958 per boat. No experience required.

A slice of Pura Vida in Costa Rica

A circular tour from San José that hits all the Costa Rican highlights, from paddling a canoe through the Tortuguero National Park rainforest and searching for anteaters in Manuel Antonio National Park to hiking up Arenal volcano and zip-lining through the jungle. Includes lots of socials for the kids, including a make-your-own pizza party evening.