Where to enjoy a crowd-free Easter break?

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1:20Easter weekend is on the horizon, but travel disruptions are pushing British holidaymakers to divert their holiday plans, and many have the same ideas. So, which destinations will be crowd-free? Hi, and welcome back to The Standard Podcast. I'm Tamara Kormornyk. For all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. Coming up, crowd-free Easter escapes.

1:54The clocks are going forward on Sunday and the long bank holiday is upon us next weekend but with major travel disruption in the Middle East where is safe to travel and book this spring? In this episode, The Standards Lifestyle Director Susanna Ramsdale sits down with travel writer Alicia Miller to discuss holiday destinations that won't be round with tourists in a couple of weeks, plus where you might find a good deal. Here's their conversation.

2:35Alicia Miller: Hello, hi Alicia, how are you doing? Yes, I'm well, thank you Susanna, how are you? Yeah, I'm good, thank you. Thanks for joining us on the podcast. Obviously, we are here to discuss all things Easter holidays, but with a quite alarming, obviously, development that there's a war on. And it sent a lot of people's plans into chaos. Yeah. What are you seeing? Are you seeing, you know, huge numbers of people rerouting their trips, changing their plans? How's it looking out there in the travel world? I mean, as we know, things are kind of changing every day. And it's a little bit crazy and unpredictable out there.

3:17Alicia Miller: I just received some stats in my inbox this morning saying the Canary Islands are seeing a huge surge, for example, in bookings. sovereign luxury travel has reported a 5000 % jump in holiday searches for the Canary Islands upcoming and lots of interest in last minute escapes in particular so I think a lot of people that obviously would have been thinking about Dubai other parts of the Middle East also Turkey and Cyprus which are classic places to go this time of year with reliably warm weather they're trying to think where else they might go instead. So moving, you know, towards Greece, of course, which is kind of just waking up for this time of year, southern Italy and Spain, and parts of North Africa, like Morocco and Egypt as well.

4:08It's a real shame for places like Cyprus and Turkey, isn't it, where they're not directly affected by this conflict, but they're really seeing a knock-on effect in terms of people willing to travel there.

4:19Alicia Miller: Absolutely. And also So anyone, you know, traveling through a hub like Dubai as well is also being affected. If you have flights with Emirates, the uncertainty around that and whether you'll be able to travel. So it is a tricky time. And I think a lot of people just right now want something that they know is going to be a safe bet. Maybe not as far away from home as they may have otherwise gone in April. Yeah, because it's it's quite remarkable, isn't it? Virgin Atlantic have suspended all their journeys between London and Dubai. And then British Airways as well are not operating to Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Doha until June, they've said at the moment.

4:59So, I mean, even if you were willing to, you just can't get there, can you?

5:03Alicia Miller: Yeah, exactly. So I think anywhere with direct flights is definitely appealing right now.

5:17so Spain Italy Greece do you think they're going to be uncomfortably crowded the sort of classic

5:23Alicia Miller: holiday spots this east are more than usual you know I think a lot of them are never quiet so it's hard to say exactly how the numbers are going to fall but I think like any time you can try to escape the crowds a little bit by looking beyond some of the more obvious tourist hubs and resorts maybe it's swapping that beachside resort for something quieter and land you know for example you could still go to Ibiza as the season is beginning in Ibiza but maybe stay away from the club hubs look more to the north or east in a self-catered property where you can get quite a remote feel, even if parts of the island might be quite busy.

6:07Alicia Miller: Or going more inland in the Algarve, say, rather than along the coast. And also trying some places that maybe would have fallen beyond your normal scope. Places like Madeira. It's a lovely time of year for Madeira. All the flowers are blossoming. They actually have some nice Easter celebrations there as well. And of course, Madeira wine. always always anywhere with wine I am in and Malta which we've spoken about previously on this podcast is having a bit of a moment there's some new hotel openings I think it's quite an exciting year to go to Malta and a lot of people still don't think of it as somewhere uh cool to head but it is Malta's cool yeah yeah no definitely I'm excited I'd quite like to go to Malta this year

6:58You wrote a wonderful piece for us last week that we published on our website, and it was under the radar places to go this spring. And one that caught my eye that was in Europe was Graciosa in the Azores.

7:13Alicia Miller: Well, the Azores, I think, on the whole are still rather unexplored. If you know it, you know it. And if you don't, you don't. But so this is the northernmost isle in the central archipelago of the Azores. It's known as the White Isle. And really, I think for spring, it's beautiful with the contrast of wildflowers against the volcanic landscape. Some really beautiful black sand beaches because, again, volcanic and natural pools that you can swim in. And just, you know, compared to a lot of the more well-known beach parts of Europe, it's going to be much, much quieter. I'm sold I'm sold another place um in your piece that caught my eye was eastern Slovenia if we're talking about going inland maybe away from the the more crowded beaches um tell us a bit about that it looks again more you know that time of year with the wild flowers looks very wholesome lots of outdoor activities yes it's lovely and I think people who have been to Slovenia perhaps which I think is still a minority of travelers um probably have been to the capital Ljubljana or the west coast but um the east of the country is a totally different flavor um marbor the capital was a capital of culture several years back and it has the oldest grapevine i think in the world i've been there it still makes wine it makes about like two little vials of wine here because it is so old that like the production of the grapes is very tiny and i have a beautiful old town a river running through and it's surrounded by these beautiful hillscapes and mountainscapes which in the winter months is very popular for skiing locally but in the summer um great for hiking cycling um and just yeah being outdoors without a million people around you uh river rafting you can take a raft on the river with like a sort of pub cruise vibe i did that when i was there it was loads of fun um so yeah really really different um kind of place to go beyond the beyond the norm yeah that sounds great and i imagine relatively cheap as well sort of for brits it's much more affordable than a lot of of the more classic destinations simply because the tourism is is quieter it's quieter

9:44we'll take a quick break coming up Susanna and Alicia discuss travel ideas for trips further afield and ideas for breaks much closer to home we'll be back here in just a moment

10:24We'll see you next time. confidence. Download the Jerry app or visit jerry.ai slash a cast today. Ryan Reynolds here from Mint Mobile. I don't know if you knew this, but anyone can get the same premium wireless for $15 a month plan that I've been enjoying. It's not just for celebrities. So do like I did and have one of your assistant's assistants switch you to Mint Mobile today. I'm told it's super easy to do at mintmobile.com slash switch. Upfront payment of$45 for three month plan equivalent to$15 per month required. Intro rate first three months only,

10:58Alicia Miller: then full price plan options available. Taxes and fees extra. Default terms at mintmobile.com.

11:14Welcome back. Let's get back to Susanna and Alicia. and what if you really had your heart set on some proper Dubai style heat and you just sort of wanted to bake by a swimming pool are there any safer alternatives that people could try and head to instead this Easter or spring?

11:35Alicia Miller: Of course and I think despite the feeling that the world is falling apart there are safe places to be heading it's a good time for the Indian Ocean still pretty dry weather lots of sunshine but that winter peak season is at its end now so Mauritius, Maldives, Seychelles etc you might even get some deals on some of the hotels moving into that sort of later spring early summer season which is traditionally the low season there it's also a great time for South Africa so you might get sort of 25 degree days which is perfect for lying on the beach in Cape Town. But it's also because it's the beginning of the dry season, a really good time for safari in the Kruger.

12:18Alicia Miller: So you can get the best of both worlds there with some activity and some relaxed time. And then also somewhere like Costa Rica, which is politically and economically stable and has gorgeous beaches, amazing wildlife, jungle, great food, coffee, and sort of high 30 degrees If you really want something hot, it's a really good time of year for it. So, yeah, there's places all over to be exploring still. Costa Rica, that's a great idea, actually. That's a good alternative because you might sort of instantly think, oh, I'll go to the Caribbean. But I've been looking at some figures this morning and that might be quite crowded, too.

12:57So TUI is saying that they've seen a huge spike in bookings to the Dominican Republic and Jamaica. and then BA is saying Antigua and Barbados are looking very lively as well. So actually, yeah, Costa Rica, somewhere like that, a bit quieter, a bit more chilled.

13:13Alicia Miller: Exactly. I think it's worth bearing in mind that for the Caribbean as well, a lot of North Americans are heading there right now. So it's not just the British market going. That's really popular for this time of year. Anyway, coupled with everything else. So, yeah, while lovely, we'll, as you say, be quite busy. And then in the luxury market, apparently demand for Canada is up 55 % now. And you are Canadian, so you're quite the expert. Where do you suggest in Canada if we wanted to go over there? Oh, all of it, Susanna. It's just magnificent. Now, Prince Edward County has got this real rural, charming feel.

13:57Alicia Miller: It's a great stop off too if you want to do a road trip from Toronto to Montreal. It's like, you know, sort of a third of the way or halfway. And it's got some really nice beaches, which will just be warming up. Freshwater beaches, lakes. So it will be a little crisp, the water, but the sunshine will be out nice and warm. Great food, breweries and spirits distilleries, as well as wineries. And it does get quite busy there in the actual summer months. But in the spring, it's still nice and quiet and you can take your time driving through the Rosevines and having nice long tastings at your leisure.

14:35Bliss, absolute bliss. And if hot weather is not so much the thing and you kind of want an activity holiday, is there any way you'd recommend? Of course.

14:48Alicia Miller: It's also the time of year that Scandinavia and the Nordic countries are waking up from their sort of winter. I don't want to say slumber because obviously the great winter, but it's that transition season, particularly for city breaks. If you're interested in like a culture break or city with some maybe hiking on the side or island visits, things like that. it's a really perfect time to go it's a nice time of year for Croatia a lot of people think of Croatia for a high summer but actually if you go in spring it's really nice for walking the islands which get quite busy in the summer are quiet and again you get that wildflower vibe sometimes nice greenery good for cycling boat trips those kind of things and historic sites and further afield I would maybe suggest South Korea.

15:43Alicia Miller: It's got beautiful cherry blossom. We all talk about cherry blossom in Japan all the time, which is obviously magnificent, but very busy. Japan is having a serious moment right now. And it's very, very busy if you want something a bit quieter, but just as beautiful from the foliage point of view and like really peeking around Easter. South Korea is where it's at. Wonderful. So is travel to South Korea unaffected by the Middle East travel hub and the conflict going on over there? So thankfully, there are lots of direct flights to South Korea now. So you don't have to worry about transferring in one of the big Middle Eastern travel hubs.

16:26Alicia Miller: There are direct flights with Korean Air and also launching literally on the 29th of March. So imminently, we've got direct flights with Virgin Atlantic. Excellent. That is a wonderful tip.

16:49From Seoul to Stolly Hall, I don't know. The obvious choice, I guess, is a staycation. if your travel plans really have gone up in flames with this conflict. Is there anywhere more locally in the UK that you think would be a good bet, the sea star? Of course.

17:06Alicia Miller: I think, you know, we have to remember, like, Britain is at its loveliest in spring and summer, I think. And all the classic places and all the unclassic places. I'm personally going to Cornwall, which is very classic. I've got a little apartment sort of place called Sea Space where I'm going to be on the water. My husband might be doing some surfing. I'm going to be doing some eating and drinking at their little restaurant. It's a family friendly spot. Are you going anywhere in the UK, Susanna? Have you been somewhere that you'd recommend? Yeah, so this weekend, actually, I went to a place called Lakes by You, which is in the Cotswolds.

17:49And it's a wonderful family place. It's 850 acres and it's all these sort of chalets and apartments dotted around the lakes. And there's great food and there's paddle boarding and there's a farm and there's bees and there's a quite scary zip line. And also it's obviously it's got the Cotswolds at its doorstep. So all the lovely pubs and walks and things that come with that. and then I will be going to Seville actually which is which is always a good a good hot sunny not for Easter because they have their their Easter week which gets very very busy and very very hectic so I wouldn't actually recommend traveling to Seville over Easter but maybe you know the weeks before or after you just can't go wrong.

18:33Fab I'll meet you there. Yeah well thank you so much for joining us and I hope you have a lovely time in Cornwall. Thank you and enjoy Seville. Thank you.

18:47And that's The Standard. For all the latest news, head to standard.co.uk. If you're new here, hit follow and give us a rating. If you'd like to get in touch, email us at podcasts at standard.co.uk. We'll be back here tomorrow morning. See you then.

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