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Stay at a Christmas cracker
Enjoy some festive travel with our rundown of UK breaks
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Your support makes all the difference.Metropolitan magic
For seasonal swagger, the Mandarin Oriental on Hyde Park is hard to beat. The luxury London hotel has teamed up with Harrods to offer families of three a night's B&B stay, with a teddy bear and Christmas candle, plus tickets to meet Santa at the department store for £565 per night, before 24 December (020 7235 2000; mandarinoriental.com).
There's also the chance to stay amid the grandeur of Blakes Hotel (020 7370 6701; blakes hotels.com) in South Kensington, which has a two-night "Snowed In" package with B&B, Christmas cake and half a bottle of wine from 15–30 December for £214pp.
Room for two
If you're keen to get away from it all this year, Canopy & Stars (0117 204 7830; canopyand stars.co.uk) has a range of snug self-catering properties. Options include the cute-as-a- button Home Orchard Cabin in Wiltshire, which comes with a double bed, wood-burning stove and a well-stocked bookshelf. A four-night stay is £500 from 23 December.
Seasonal spa
Hop across the Irish Sea to Co Antrim where the Galgorm Resort & Spa (028-2588 1001; galgorm.com) has a two-night package from Christmas Eve for £375pp. It includes use of the spa, festive treats such as mulled wine and mince pies, and most other meals.
Winter wonderland
The open fireplaces and sweeping staircases of Edinburgh's opulent Nira Caledonia (0131 225 2720; niracaledonia.com) make a grand setting for a Christmas escape. From 23-26 December, it is has three-night B&B stays for £175pp, with Christmas meals available from £55pp.
Alternatively, head to Loch Lomond, where Cameron House (0871 222 4681; devere-hotels.co.uk), with its Michelin-starred restaurant, has three-night B&B packages from £699pp, with dinner each evening, Christmas Day lunch and a Boxing Day ceilidh.
Yuletide ride
Horse-racing fans can spend Christmas on the grounds of one of the country's top courses, with a three-night stay at the Goodwood House Hotel (01243 775537; goodwood.co.uk/hotel) in West Sussex. The package comes with all meals, a trip to Midnight Mass on Christmas Eve, a private tour of Goodwood House and an evening at the races on Boxing Day for £525pp.
Wassail in Wales
In Dylan Thomas's former home town of Laugharne, you can stay at The Corran Resort & Spa (01994 427 417; thecorran.com). Its three-night package costs £330pp from 23 December, with B&B, Christmas lunch and a Boxing Day banquet, with live music and comedy.
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