Have we left it too late to book a winter all-inclusive?

Simon Calder answers your questions on going away for Christmas, flying with Swiss and a Bordeaux rail jaunt

Life’s a beach: Virgin Atlantic Holidays currently has availability in Barbados (Getty/iStock)

Q Please can you help? We are a family of eight adults and six children. We want to go away for Christmas and new year to an all-inclusive holiday in the sun. We may have left it too late to book. Any ideas?

A Many people commit to Christmas and new year holidays as soon as they return from their yuletide break, and by now much of the capacity is booked. But the travel market will often keep some holidays back so that people like you will not be disappointed – and because they know that as availability dwindles, prices increase.

With Europe’s biggest holiday company, Tui, the lowest price for a fortnight in the Canary Islands departing on Saturday 21 December is £1,219 per person – from Bristol to Tenerife. For Manchester to Fuerteventura, the best deal is around £1,400. A total, then, of around £20,000 for the 14 of you.

If you are dreaming bigger, head for the Caribbean. Virgin Atlantic Holidays has availability at an all-inclusive in Barbados for £4,418 a head from London Heathrow on 21 December, returning on 4 January. That is north of £60,000, all told. A good travel agent will be able to talk you through other options, such as Egypt and Dubai. But it may be that the sums involved are simply prohibitive – in which case I shall try to steer you to the deep south of Italy and a rather different kind of holiday.

Ryanair has a new route this winter from London Stansted to Reggio Calabria on the “toe” of mainland Italy. As a new connection, fares are lower than they might otherwise be. Travelling out on 22 December, back on 5 January, is £342 per person return. That totals under £5,000 for the airfares – significantly less than the more established route to Palermo in Sicily, which shares the same latitude, and many other Mediterranean destinations.

You could then find a couple of villas, or a consignment of rooms in a family-run hotel, and enjoy the experience of sourcing picnic lunches from the local markets and dining out in a part of the world with superb cuisine. I believe it will be both cheaper and more rewarding.

Swiss is a good middle-order airline with dependable ground staff and cabin crew (AFP/Getty)

Q I plan to fly from London to Hong Kong and back early next year. The cheapest flights are with Swiss via Zurich, and Air China via Beijing, both about £200 less than Cathay Pacific and £300 below carriers such as Emirates, British Airways and Qatar Airways. I am a pensioner on a modest income and the cost of flying is more important than the time spent up there.

The Air China route includes a far-from-hassle-free stopover so that does not appeal. My question is about Swiss. I have read many reviews mentioning frequently delayed or cancelled flights and a refusal to pay compensation due to international treaties, rude staff, both on the ground and in the air, outdated and uncomfortable aircraft, and lost or damaged luggage. What has gone wrong with Swiss – and would you fly with them to Hong Kong?

Terry H

A I could find you reviews of other airlines saying much the same – but I would urge you to pay them little heed. Swiss, in my experience, is a perfectly good middle-order airline, and the Zurich hub is relatively well organised and stress-free. Furthermore as a subsidiary of Lufthansa, you can expect decent back-up if things go awry, with connections at Frankfurt and Munich possible alternatives.

To run through your concerns: if the flight is seriously delayed or cancelled for reasons within the airline’s control, you can claim compensation; and, if there is any difficulty obtaining what you are due, the alternative dispute resolution scheme is there to help free of charge.

I have never encountered impolite ground staff or cabin crew with Swiss. The average age of the Swiss fleet is about 10 years, which is in line with the median age of passenger aircraft worldwide; Middle East and Asian airlines tend to have slightly younger planes. And checking luggage in on any connecting flight increases the risk of loss compared with a direct flight or taking cabin baggage only.

So I would cheerfully book with Swiss. However, if the premium for a nonstop flight on excellent Cathay Pacific is only £100 each way I would consider that extra money well spent.

Our reader’s journey starts on the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow to London Euston (Getty)

Q I am trying to do the right thing and travel from Scotland to Bordeaux by rail. I will take the Caledonian Sleeper from Glasgow to London Euston, then Eurostar from London St Pancras to Paris and onwards by TGV from Montparnasse station to Bordeaux. Any recommendations for a stress-free trip?

John S

A With Ryanair selling one-way flights in September from Edinburgh to Bordeaux for as little as £15, your commitment to a less-damaging form of transport is commendable. My educated guess is that you will have spent about 20 times as much on your trip. The key, therefore, is to make the most of the adventure. Start with investing £10 in the Caledonian Sleeper lounge (unless you are travelling in “Club” in which case you get access included in the fare).

I imagine you have left a fair amount of time between arriving at London Euston and departing from St Pancras. The two are about 10 minutes’ walk apart. Take in at least one “sight” while you are waiting. If your train is later in the morning, visit the British Library – right next to St Pancras – which opens at 9.30am. The “Treasures Gallery” is open and free, and includes Magna Carta. Should you be leaving on Eurostar before then, I commend the open-all-hours churchyard of the 12th-century St Pancras Old Church, just to the north of the station. It includes the Soane Mausoleum in the grounds, whose shape inspired the red telephone box.

Changing trains in Paris can be stressful, but driverless Metro line 4 from Gare du Nord makes it fun (sit at the front). Your destination: Montparnasse Bienvenue, one of several Metro stations serving the terminus for southwest France. Exit onto the street, not the station, and you will track down the Chartier brasserie – an excellent place for lunch before the final sprint to Bordeaux.

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