Ideas for a very special, UK based, short break for family

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eddiesteadygo
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Ideas for a very special, UK based, short break for family

Post by eddiesteadygo »

Sorry if this sounds left field, but I'm desperately seeking some expert holiday advice, so where better to ask but holiday professionals!

I am trying to think of a superb short break, probably somewhere in the UK, as a special gift for my mum and our family.

My mum is reaching 65, and I would love to take her away together with my family and her grandchildren for a 'one off' very special short break.

I'm looking for an idea which will be super special and will give lots of memories.

To give you an idea I was kind of thinking of in an ideal world;

I thought it would be great to hire a helicopter, fly to one of the Channel Islands like Sark, and hire a large house by the beach for 3-4 days.

Including my brother and his family, the party would consist of 6 adults and 5 children who range in age from 3 to 10 years old. I was hoping to do this next July at the start of the school Summer holidays.

The first problem with my idea is that I don't think you can fit 11 people in the kind of helicopter you can usually charter, so I'd probably need a small prop aircraft. Then I would need to find somewhere where it could land which limits options somewhat.

I was preferring a UK destination on the basis of keeping travelling time reasonable, bearing in mind the break would only be 3-4 days.

At this stage, I didn't have a particular budget limit in mind, but I am aware that the kind of ideas I have in mind could be expensive.

Any ideas or suggestions would be gratefully received :)
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

The Scillies would probably fit that bill?
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eddiesteadygo
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Post by eddiesteadygo »

That's a very nice idea!

Just looking at the options now. It looks like we could fly from Exeter to St Mary airport which would work I think.

Then we would just need to a find a nice holiday accommodation on the Island.

Do you happen to know somewhere you could recommend? To be honest, I am looking for the highest quality self catering accommodation I can find, ideally which would be close to the beach with nice views.
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PW in Polemi
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Post by PW in Polemi »

You'd have great difficulty in flying to Sark - no airport! It's a fantastic place for a quiet relaxing break, as is the much smaller island of Herm.
http://www.sark.co.uk/where-to-stay/
http://herm.com/

Hope you find somewhere that suits.
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kg1
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Post by kg1 »

Have a look at Alderney. Flights from Southampton in I believe a Trilander. Have spent many happy breaks there.
KathyG
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Post by KathyG »

The Island Hotel on Tresco is a very special place.
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Soupdragon
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Post by Soupdragon »

Scilly, scilly, scilly....can't be bettered I think.

But. No helicopter these days. And flights are cancelled at the drop of a hat if the mainland is fog bound. Leaving you going home on the Scillonian, which is not very glamorous.

But on the plus side - incredibly beautiful place (not just the beaches, the interiors of the island are moorland/gorgeous little flower farms), friendly and safe (check out the Scilly Isles Police Facebook page for typical attitude and hilarity).

St Mary's has few large houses on the beach but most places in Hugh Town are within 500 meters of Porthcressa, which is lovely. Customs House and White Horses both have capacity for 8 or more (Customs House has several apartments so could take more).

Tresco is fantasyland - which puts some people off - but it's a lovely fantasy and means there are more larger houses on the beach. Flying Boat club etc

Bryher and St Martins are two of my favourite places on earth but they are *really* quiet especially out of season and you might struggle to find a house big enough.

In fact that is likely to be your biggest problem if you want to do this soon. There's such a short supply of houses in Scilly that you might struggle to find anywhere. Good luck!
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