Good to go: 22/12/2010

Back to Belfast

Third time lucky? Belfast City airport certainly hopes so. After Air Berlin and then Ryanair abandoned the route from Stansted, Bmibaby has decided to give it a go. From 28 March the no-frills airline will offer 16 flights each way, every week, between the Essex airport and the most convenient airport for downtown Belfast. One-way fares from £24, when you book at Bmibaby.com.

Sail away

Before Christmas, almost every travel company looks despairingly at the rate of bookings and tries to stimulate sales. Brittany Ferries is offering discounts on ship-plus-accommodation packages to France and Spain, so long as you book by the end of December. Peak-season holidays (27 May-5 June and 22 July-28 August) qualify for a 10 per cent reduction; if you can avoid school holidays, the price cut is better still, at 15 per cent (0871 244 0131; Brittany-ferries.co.uk).

Villa value

Escape for some winter sun in Gozo, where Vintage Travel is offering seven nights' rental of the luxurious Hamlet II villa for £1,650. Sleeping eight guests, the modern villa features a heated indoor/outdoor pool, Jacuzzi, shared gym and sauna, hi-tech entertainment system and terrace with a barbecue (daytime temperatures are currently hovering around 17C). The offer is available for selected dates in January, February and March 2011 (01954 261431, Vintagetravel.co.uk).