Salvation is at hand! Many hotels find February a tricky month to fill beds and, as a result, there are some tempting offers around in locations ideal for a family getaway.
In the Lake District, Linthwaite House Hotel overlooking Windermere has big savings until February 22. A larger room with dinner, bed and breakfast is now £279 a night for a couple (saving £151), while children sharing the room are charged at £17 for a baby or £25 aged up to 12 years (meals extra).
Suffolk is a favourite county of mine and when my children were young we loved exploring its picturesque villages and coast – even in bracing winter weather.
Southwold and Aldeburgh are two grand old resort towns worth a visit and for wildlife lovers there’s lots to see at RSPB Minsmere wildlife reserve during half-term week (February 15-23). Watch the hundreds of wintering ducks in their finest plumage, the roosting harriers, swans and starlings, and join in one of the hands-on activities or special guided wildlife walks.
Just over half-an-hour away is the Salthouse Harbour Hotel, a contemporary four-star property on the quayside at Ipswich which recommends a trip to nearby Jimmy’s Farm, where youngsters are encouraged during half-term to feed the new-born lambs and cuddle the bunnies and guinea pigs.
The hotel has a Kids’ Amnesty offer for the week, where children under 12 sharing their parents’ room stay free. The adult price is from £145 per room with breakfast.
Under the same ownership, the Georgian four-star Angel Hotel in the heart of Bury St Edmunds has the same deal. Bury is an appealing Suffolk market town with lots of historic buildings, including the fine Regency Theatre Royal which is staging two shows for younger children: Hansel and Gretel, and Old MacDonald Had a Farm.
History buffs will enjoy the Museum of East Anglian Life and West Stow Anglo-Saxon Village, while active families can tackle roller skating and body zorbing at the CurveMotion centre. Body zorbing? It’s where you’re cocooned in a transparent plastic ball and spin somersaults bouncing into people.
Personally, I’d rather stick with Old MacDonald.
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