The Breakaway Travel Blog

Wednesday, March 28, 2012

Introducing Breakaway's Luxury Collection

Everyone's idea of "luxury" is different: for some, it's splashing out on a luxury 5-star hotel, offering state-of-the-art facilities; for others, it's forgetting about domestic chores, and enjoying fine dining in the evenings; for many, it's simply spending quality time with loved ones, trying out new experiences, and re-discovering things you value most in life. Whatever your idea of "luxury", you can find it in Breakaway's 2012 program.

Walking in Davos
In the fashionable Swiss resort of Davos, Headwater walkers stay at the elegant C19 Hotel Meierhof. Highlights include an indoor swimming pool and wellness centre (saunas, steam bath, whirlpool and mini gym) as well as exquisite cuisine, fine wines and complimentary wine tasting.

Gastronomic Barolo Cycling
This scenic cycling holiday explores the sun-drenched, highly sophisticated northern Italian region of Piedmont. Here, you'll stay in a fabulous range of hotels, including a country house and a beautifully restored C19 family villa, complete with its own frescoed chapel. Gastronomic menus are included throughout.
Heart of Portugal Walk
Ever thought about exploring the Portuguese Beira – an outstandingly beautiful, and totally undiscovered, region of magnificent mountains, lush gorges, turquoise lakes and pretty white villages unchanged over the years? Our base for the week, the 24-room exclusive **** Convento de Belmonte is pretty special too and offers sweeping valley views from the candle-lit dining room.

Walking in the Italian Dolomites
The **** Park Hotel Bellevue in the beautiful Italian Alpine village of Dobbiaco offers fabulous walking by day and luxurious accommodation by night. With over 1000kms of well-marked trails, the Dolomites are a Mecca for high level walkers – and, with a 7-day travel card included, you can use the excellent network of local buses and trains to really explore the surrounding area in depth.

Connoisseurs Tuscany Walk
Nestled between the olive-studded trees and vineyards of south-west Tuscany, the luxurious Agriturismo Acquaviva offers panoramic pool, tennis, exquisite cuisine and wine from its private vineyard. Many of the walks follow the ancient Etruscan pathways that link immaculately preserved mediaeval villages with fortified towns and ancient woodlands. The great art cities of Orvieto and Siena are easy day trips.

Contrasts of Catalunya Cycling
Re-designed for summer 2012, this gentle 6-night holiday explores Catalunya's beautiful unspoilt coast, taking in olive groves, citrus orchards, pretty villages and colourful fishing ports. Accommodation highlights include a C14 gothic castle - now a gastronomic boutique hotel - overlooking the Emporda plain. An 8-night version of this holiday, which includes 2 nights in seafront Palamos, is also an option.

Aspects of Avila Walk
Just west of Madrid, the Sierra de Gredos offers spectacularly varied walking with exceptional bird spotting opportunities. Your base for the week is the gastronomic Hotel Milano Real (translates as "Red Kite"!) situated in the tiny Spanish village of Hoyos del Espino. With over 500 wines and outstanding gourmet menus, a stay here is a fabulous choice for those looking to combine fabulous walking by day with fine dining every evening.

Walking in the Floating Garden of Madeira
Surging from the Atlantic Ocean, Madeira is like a giant botanical garden with tropical flowers, plants and birds from all over the world. Headwater guests stay for 7 nights at the luxurious ***** Quinta da Bela Vista, one of the mot exclusive hotels on the island, offering heated swimming pool, sauna, jacuzzi, tennis and established gardens. There are two fine dining restaurants, and a complimentary shuttle service (8 mins) is provided to and from Funchal.

Heart of Sardinia Walk
Best known for its millionaire yachts and stunning Mediterranean coast, Sardinia's wild and beautiful interior is just as spectacular. This twin centre walking week starts in the heart of the island's countryside, exploring the shepherds' huts, traditional villages and tranquil valleys, before heading down to the deserted white beaches of the Gulf of Orosei. Throughout you'll stay in **** hotels, with high comfort levels, and great regional cuisine.

Islands of Bermuda Walk
There can be few places in the world as romantic as the sub-tropical unspoilt island paradise of Bermuda! Famed for its crystal-clear waters, sugar-pink sands and stunning quality of hotels, it also offers superb gentle walking on traffic-free trails taking in sea grottoes, crumbling forts and pastel villages. The kaleidoscope of colour is unforgettable and the diversity of flora and fauna amongst the best in the world.

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Walking in the South of France





Most tourists heading south to the Cote d'Azur will make for the known hotspots of Nice, Cannes, Monaco and St Tropez. But head a little further west, and you'll find the less glitzy but equally stunning landscapes surrounding Marseille, Aix-en-Provence, coastal Cassis and her famous Calanques.

New for summer 2012, Breakaway's 7-night Cassis and Les Calanques independent walking holiday starts in the beautiful university town of Aix-en-Provence. From here, you'll ascend its emblematic Montagne Sainte-Victoire before heading south to the bustling seaport of Marseilles.

A stunning boat ride takes you out from the Vieux Port and on to the Frioul Archipelago where you've a choice of several stunning walks: the views back over Marseille are remarkable. The final section of your holiday follows the coast through the Calanques National Park, and down to the postcard-pretty fishing port of Cassis where you'll spend your final 3 nights.

The hotels on this trip are modern and stylish and have been specially chosen for their wonderfully central locations. Evening meals are included in Marseilles, but in Aix and Cassis we've left you free to choose from the multitude of restaurants on your doorstep.

Tour departs on selected Sundays from March 4 to October 28, 2012 with prices starting from $2,739 per person, based on 2 people sharing a double room.