Value and variety are the key attributes of Your Golf Travel.com’s newly launched 2010 brochure.

Europe’s largest golf travel company has focused on the continent’s wide range of first-class golf destinations, profiling 73 overseas resorts and hotels in addition to 52 resorts and 18 tour destinations in the UK.

With more than 1,500 venues available through its website, Your Golf Travel.com has selected a combination of its most popular locations and the best deals available, with trips starting from just £59.

For that low price, golfers can enjoy one night’s dinner, bed and breakfast and two rounds of golf at Abbotsley Hotel, Golf & Country Club, in Cambridgeshire.

And those wanting to travel further afield needn’t break the bank with three nights at the Aroeira Golf Resort, Lisbon, on a self-catering basis, with three rounds of golf starting at just £79 per person.

The new brochure also includes a dedicated supplement on golf in Ireland, produced with the support of the national tourist board.

Your Golf Travel.com’s director of product, Andrew Smith said: “Last year was tough for a lot of people, but the fact is that golf holidays have never been better value. We continue to provide exceptional value for money and a significant increase in 2009 sales is testament to the fact that golfers are willing to travel if the package is right.

“The new portfolio has a fantastic range of destinations and unbeatable value which will appeal to golfers everywhere. It’s a combination of some of the most popular venues from 2009, some customer favourites and the best deals around.

“The Irish supplement features a range of product from across the Emerald Isle and showcases a range of superb packages available at some of the prestige resorts and the country’s hidden gems.”

Your Golf Travel.com is committed to providing the lowest prices on golfing holidays and breaks on the internet and offers more than 1,500 venues through its website and brochure.

As Europe’s largest golf-travel company it offers trips worldwide – including major championship venues, allowing you to follow in the footsteps of the pros – and in the last year has sold breaks for as little as £1.

For more information visit www.yourgolftravel.com or call 0800 043 6644.

If the idea of having a picnic on the motorway seems strange, then you might be surprised to hear about ‘Still Life Ruhrschnellweg’, which is taking place on 18 July in the Ruhr region of Germany. On that day, the busiest motorway in the region, the A40, will be transformed into the largest picnic area in the world, with one direction of the motorway reserved for bikes and in-line skaters, and the other reserved for picnickers!

The event is part of the celebrations of the Ruhr region of Germany being the UNESCO European Capital of Culture for 2010. Ruhr is the largest urban development in Germany, bursting with museums, musicals, leisure parks and festivals.

Specialist tour operator to Germany, Dertour (020 7290 1111/ www.dertour.co.uk ) is offering a two night stay in the Ruhr region over the ‘Still Life’ event, priced from £269pp, based on accommodation in a four star hotel for two nights on a bed and breakfast basis, return flights from Heathrow – Düsseldorf and transfers. Priced based on two sharing. You can also book a table at the ‘Still Life’ event with Dertour starting at 180 euros for a table of ten.

Agriturismo is a form of holidaying in farm house resorts. This type of holiday is very popular with the Germans, French and Dutch and is slowly becoming an interesting holiday choice for the British. An agriturismo holiday is perfect for the whole family although many options can be very romantic and also very luxurious. An Italian agriturismo will usually serve food to guests prepared from produce direct from the farm or at least produced locally.

Essential Italy are pleased to recommend the following two agriturismo options in Sardinia.

Agriturismo Tenuta Pilastru http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/tenuta_pilastru.php

Situated in the middle of the beautiful ‘Gallurese’ countryside amidst the time-weathered rocks, Tenuta Pilastru is both stylish and comfortable in a real oasis of peace and tranquillity. With a superb fresh water swimming pool set below stunning granite rock formations (with their own grottoes) and just a 10 minute drive to the beach this is an ideal base from which to enjoy a Sardinian holiday. All 32 rooms are charmingly furnished to a very high standard with local and natural materials and are situated in the gardens in three groups.There area also 3 suites which comprise of a small kitchen and dining area plus a separate bedroom – perfect for families.

The restaurant offers a delicious selection of local dishes and delicacies. Choose from the hotel menu or to experience a true Sardinian meal, the restaurant also offers various hand made pastas and suckling pig roasted on the spit.

Location: Arzachena beach 10 km, Arzachena town centre 6km, Costa Smeralda 15kms, Olbia Airport 35kms, Alghero Airport 150kms

Prices: From £35 – £82 per person per night B&B (depending on season).

Lu Ciaccaru http://www.essentialitaly.co.uk/lu_ciaccaru.php -
This is beautiful accommodation and pretty upmarket for an agriturismo. The owner has converted her childhood home into a small and elegant residence with bed and breakfast accommodation so that she can share with guests the magnificent Mediterranean countryside that surrounds the carefully restructured buildings (2 villas) and suites / bedrooms. The spacious grounds are all grassed and roll over to the fantastic pool. All the local vegetation has remained untouched, and the whole ambience is one of peace and tranquillity.

The fantastic restaurant, with a vast terrace for al-fresco eating serves a tasty continental breakfast and local fare for evening dining. An à la carte menu is also available along with a comprehensive wine list.

Location: Arzachena 1.5 km, nearest beach Cannigione 10km, Pevero 18 hole golf course 15km, Olbia airport 35kms, Alghero airport 150kms.
Prices: From £95 – £172 per person per night B&B (depending on season)

Free Nights, Free Golf & Free Spa Access with Barwell Travel and InterContinental Hotels Murcia.

Holidaymakers can enjoy great savings this year at InterContinental’s five star hotels, Murcia, south east Spain with luxury tour operator Barwell Travel. A gastronomic and cultural melting-pot, Murcia is a much-loved favourite of the distinguished holidaymaker looking to enjoy year-round warm sunny days and natural beauty.

InterContinental La Torre Golf Resort Murcia offers a contemporary lakeside retreat in the heart of one of the region’s most esteemed developments. Superbly appointed rooms enjoy spectacular panoramic balcony/terrace views and state of the art technology and amenities. Guests can dine in one of the hotel’s 3 restaurants or take a pleasant stroll to the nearby resort town centre. All guests have complimentary access to the Wellness Zone with indoor heated pool, sauna and steam room as well as 6 spa treatment rooms managed by Thai Room Spa. Furthermore, Barwell guests receive a 10% discount on all pre-booked spa treatments.

With a minimum 3 night stay, Easter and summer stays (27 March-8 April and 24 July-21 August 2010) at the InterContinental La Torre offer fantastic ‘free night’ savings. A 7 night Easter break now costs just £447pp. Free nights are cumulative so guests staying 14 nights pay for just 12.

An intimate alternative to InterContinental La Torre is offered at the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort & Spa. Small but beautiful, the hotel offers exemplary service coupled with a tranquil atmosphere. An assortment of formal and relaxed dining options is available at the hotel’s 3 restaurants and 4 bars. Restful days can be spent at the ESPA spa incorporating indoor heated pool, fitness centre, sauna, steam & relaxation rooms plus 7 spa treatment rooms. Furthermore, Barwell guests receive a 10% discount on all pre-booked spa treatments.

Guests staying a minimum of 3 nights at the InterContinental Mar Menor Golf Resort and Spa from 01 March to 31 October 2010 will receive one free night meaning a 4
night break will cost from just £208 per person, saving £69 per person.

What’s more, clients taking advantage of the above offers and making a booking for either hotel before the 15th February 2010 will receive a free meal for two with a bottle of house wine in one of the resort’s restaurants.

Prices are based on two sharing a Deluxe room on a bed and breakfast basis. Half board and full board upgrades are available and the free nights include free half/full board (if original nights are booked on this basis). Flights and transfers available upon request.

Golf enthusiasts booking golf passes can also enjoy free rounds for example book 3, pay for 2. Each hotel offers an 18 hole course on its doorstep in addition to full access (by complimentary shuttle bus) to the celebrated Nicklaus Golf Trail. Unique in Europe and one of the continent’s best golf experiences, the Nicklaus Golf Trail currently offers five 18-hole golf courses designed by Nicklaus Design and all located within a 25km radius.

Children are equally well catered for with an ‘on-demand’ children’s crèche available at both hotels. The InterContinental Hotels exclusive Beach Bar Leon re-opens Easter 2010, after winter renovations, making it the ideal place to relax alongside the tranquil shores of the Mar Menor (seasonal opening dates apply).

Croatia is tipped to be one of the most popular destinations in 2010 for British holiday-makers with its non-Euro currency, high quality, good value tourist accommodation and excellent flying links from UK airports. Here is Hidden Croatia’s pick of some of the best hotels and holidays on Croatia’s islands and mainland:-

Easter on the cosmopolitan island of Hvar, 4* b&b £735

For travel over Easter 2010 Hidden Croatia has a 7 night b&b stay at the 4* Hotel Riva Hvar Yacht Harbour for £735 per person, based on 2 sharing and including return flights from Gatwick to Split, road and ferry transfers. The hotel is located on the chic harbour front of Hvar island, reminiscent of an upmarket French Riviera resort, and is a member of the Small Leading Hotels of the World, offering contemporary styling in a wonderful location. Contact Hidden Croatia on 0844 477 9999, www.hiddencroatia.com

Remote island off the tourist track, 3* b&b £599

The remote island of Vis is as impregnable as a Bond villain’s lair and as beautiful as Capri before the tourists. It has no big hotels, no big resorts, and despite its magnificent unspoilt scenery and deserted beaches has only recently opened up to tourism. The island’s Hotel San Giorgio is a charming 10 rooms boutique 3 star hotel and Hidden Croatia offers 7 nights bed and breakfast accommodation from £599 per person (April 2010), including flights from London Gatwick to Split and road and ferry transfers, based on 2 sharing. Contact Hidden Croatia on 0844 477 9999, www.hiddencroatia.com

5* Dubrovnik and drinks on the house!

Hidden Croatia are offering a complimentary bottle of wine with dinner each day for guests spending a week at the 5* Grand Villa Argentina, a classic water-front, Dalmatian building made up of three noble villas, renowned as the most exquisite hotel in Dubrovnik. A week’s half board stay costs from £675 per person (child £499) over Easter, including flights from Gatwick to Dubrovnik and airport transfers.

Croatia’s Makarska Riviera, boutique hotel

80kms south of Split is the tranquil town of Tucepi, with its turquoise fringed golden beaches, where the family-run, delightful boutique style 3* Hotel Villa Andrea offers a friendly and unpretentious welcome right beside the sea. Hidden Croatia offer a 7 night stay from £495 per person in April 2010, including b&b accommodation, return flights from London Gatwick to Split and airport transfers. Contact Hidden Croatia on 0844 477 9999, www.hiddencroatia.com

School holidays all inclusive 4* Grand Hotel Orebic

For those worried about family holiday `extras’ at the 4* Grand Hotel Orebic in a wonderful seafront location `all inclusive’ includes seasonal watersports, breakfast, lunch and dinner with house wine, beer, water and juices (lunch and dinner), a supervised children’s club with daily programme, adult entertainment programme and evening entertainment, boules, table tennis and use of multi-purpose sports ground, free pool sunbeds and loungers. Hidden Croatia offers 7 nights at the Grand Hotel Trebic from £505 (adults) and £345 (children) in April, (July / August prices £825 adult, £529 child) including flights from London Gatwick to Dubrovnik and transfers. Contact Hidden Croatia on 0844 477 9999, www.hiddencroatia.com

Boutique hotel on the shores of Lake Bled

On the shores of Slovenia’s Lake Bled Pension Mlino is a charming boutique hotel with just 11 rooms and a renowned home cooking a la carte restaurant, offering views of the lake, the castle and the island. Hidden Croatia has 7 nights b&b accommodation in spring 2010 for £489 (Easter) and £475 during May, including return flights from London Gatwick to Ljubljana and transfers. Contact Hidden Croatia on 0844 477 9999, www.hiddencroatia.com

Car free Croatian island, 7 nights £409

Croatia’s Kolocep island, the smallest of the Elafiti islands, is completely car free, has just one hotel, the Hotel Villas Kolocap, and a population of less than 150 inhabitants, which combined with its low-rise, unspoilt landscape makes for very good walking and cycling opportunities. Unusually for Croatia the island has a sandy beach. Hidden Croatia offers 7 nights room and breakfast at the 3* Hotel Villas Kolocep from £385 in April 2010 (children £285), including return flights from Gatwick to Dubrovnik, road and ferry transfers.

Why not banish those January blues at Fishmore Hall in Ludlow, Shropshire this winter by taking advantage of their fabulous buy one get one free offer on any dinner, bed and breakfast package.

Throughout January, Fishmore Hall will be offering everyone the opportunity to get over the indulgence of Christmas and New Year and start 2010 with two revitalising getaways for the price of one.

Located in the heart of the foodie hotspot of Ludlow the privately owned Georgian Boutique hotel offers guests a relaxing atmosphere with plenty of country walks on the doorstep, the perfect setting to start the New Year in style.

With stunning views across the beautiful snowy Shropshire countryside the hotel offers guests 15 intimate contemporary-styled bedrooms all with superb bathrooms. The hotel also features an award winning restaurant which prides itself on featuring seasonal, locally – sourced produce.

Fishmore Hall’s January sale offers guests a choice of any bed and breakfast or dinner bed and breakfast packages and must be taken on consecutive dates.

The price of a standard double, bed and breakfast room starts from £140. A standard double room with dinner bed and breakfast starts from £230.

Blackpool is taking on brighton and Southport will go head to head with Scarborough, Skegness and Southend as the World’s Original Marmalade Festival, based at Dalemain mansion and historic gardens near Penrith, encourages landladies nationwide to achieve marmalade supremacy for their seaside resort in what is being dubbed ‘The Battle of Tastings’.

Weapons will be drawn over the next few weeks, with pans, sugar and Seville oranges at the ready, in what will be a fiercely fought contest between Britain’s seaside resorts.

Landladies running bed and breakfast accommodation in any location can enter the B&B category of the World’s Original Marmalade Festival – one of Britain’s quirkiest events, sponsored by Tiptree, Robertson’s, Rose’s and Frank Cooper’s.

This is one of 11 competition categories and likely to be one of the most competitive, as the Festival wants to see which seaside resort’s landladies do best in the eyes of the judges who are scoring their location’s entries.

“If we were to run a book on this, we would probably put our money on Blackpool, as we know how the North West’s most famous landladies have great pride in their resort. They could also concoct a tangerine marmalade, in honour of their football team.

“However, we also reckon that Bournemouth might put up a good fight, along with Southport and feel that some of the less fancied places, such as Chichester, brighton and Torquay, could surprise us with some fabulous tasting marmalade.”

Taste, colour and set are the three things the judges will be looking for and now is the time to get the marmalade on the boil, to enter by the closing date of February 7. Artisan cooks have a deadline of February 1.

The Festival is all about raising money for charity, with Hospice at Home and Help for Heroes being the charities supported in 2010. Entering a jar of marmalade costs £5, with this money going to the charity. An artisan entry costs £25, but a double gold winner in that category can have their marmalade sold in Fortnum & Mason.

Landladies wishing to battle it out as ambassadors for their resort can visit www.marmaladefestival.com and download an entry form.

The Festival takes place on February 14, during National Marmalade Weekend. Until then, there’s a lot of peel to be chopped by Britain’s Shred and Breakfast contenders!

As the original home of the classic country house hotel, the county of Wiltshire is the perfect choice for a Valentine’s Day break. Not only is there a wide selection of these types of hotels but there are also numerous smaller, inexpensive properties offering delightful accommodation for couples.

Wiltshire is an ideal destination for a romantic break, the county is home to beautiful villages, complete with elegant shops, delis and pubs. These are all surrounded by rolling countryside where couples can enjoy a romantic relaxing walk before picking up some local goodies or enjoying an old fashioned pub lunch. Below is a selection of options for a romantic holiday:

Romance on a budget
-Castle Combe is arguably England’s prettiest village and a great location for a romantic break. Thorngrove Cottage, is a beautiful property located in a private lane in the centre of the village. The four star property offers bed and breakfast in three en-suite rooms. Prices start from just £35 per person, per night, based on two sharing. The local village offers two pubs, plus a Michelin starred restaurant meaning couples can save on accommodation yet splurge on dinner and drinks.

Romantic city breaks
-The city of Salisbury offers plenty of romantic locations for visitors from the famous water meadows through to the stunning Cathedral where a Tower Tour takes visitors on a journey up to the base on the iconic spire – a great location for a proposal! The Best Western Red Lion Hotel is located in a vine filled courtyard in the centre of the city and offers charming character filled accommodation. Double rooms start from £105 per night including breakfast. Dining is not a problem in Salisbury as there is a huge range of restaurants on the doorstep and some excellent pubs and bars for late night drinking.

Self-catering breaks for couples
-It’s hard to find a more romantic town than Bradford-on-Avon, with its Cotswold stone buildings, narrow streets and river winding right through the centre. Located near the centre of town is the lovely four star Kemble Cottage, a delightful self-catering property. The property features high quality furnishings, exposed beams, stone walls and a four poster bed – it’s ideal for a romantic break. Stay in February for just £395 per week.

Ultimate luxury romantic breaks
-Throw caution to the wind and book the ultimate romantic break at Lucknam Park Hotel and Spa. This five star hotel offers everything couples could wish for from a romantic retreat including spa with double treatment room, indoor pool, fine dining restaurants, luxury bedrooms and beautifully appointed public rooms complete with open fires. Rates in 2010 start from £280 per night, including breakfast.

A romantic meal, a huge carved mahoghany bed, a lay in with breakfast and the weekend British papers, a sunny warm day, just 2 hours low cost flight away and 35 minutes drive.

Make Valentine’s weekend any weekend – escape the UK freeze and enjoy some time in the South of France at a small British run home-style hotel.

Rooms from only €75 per night for two with breakfast. Low cost luxury has never been more deserved.

With over four acres of spectacular woodland and countryside to explore, gorgeous food and a home from home atmosphere, Trigony House Hotel in Dumfries, Scotland is a great place to grab a last-minute getaway this winter or an early bargain for next summer:

BEST FOR… Early Birds
Book before 31 January 2010 and receive complimentary chocolates, flowers and a half bottle of champagne on all midweek summer breaks at Trigony House Hotel. Valid for stays of three nights or more between 1 July and 30 September, this equates to a saving of up to £60 per couple!

BEST FOR… Bargain Hunters
Swap the hustle and bustle of the high street sales for a relaxing two night stay at a boutique country house hotel in Scotland – and still benefit from a bargain, with 30% discount on a two-night break for bookings made before 31 January. Save up to £42 per person, with accommodation on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis starting from £98 per person for two nights.

BEST FOR… Treating Your WAG
Scotland’s hidden gem, Trigony House Hotel has been voted sixth ‘most doggy friendly hotel in the UK’ by TripAdvisor and offers guests a Dog Welcome Pack which includes special treats, a map and all the best walks in the area. The hotel will also happily provide drying towels and a doggy bed, as well as dog food on request and even a breakfast treat of sausage and egg during their stay. Bess, the owner’s black labrador, is also on hand to act as the local guide.

Four-legged friends can stay free of charge during midweek breaks in January – it’s no wonder that 40% of guests visit the hotel with their dogs!

BEST FOR… Winter Getaways
For those dreaming of wrapping up for winter walks in the countryside, this boutique hotel has the perfect solution, offering a special midweek winter warmer walking break including local maps and guide books, recommended walks, a packed lunch and a hip flask filled with guest’s tipple of choice from £65 per person per night (a saving of £15 per person). Available for stays of two-nights or more until 31 January 2010, the price is based on two sharing on a dinner, bed and breakfast basis and dogs can stay for free during the week.

Walkers will receive a welcome glass of mulled wine on arrival, whilst the hip flask of warming tipple will ward off the winter chill. Afterwards, the hotel’s DVD library offers a choice of golden oldies to watch, whilst thawing in front of a roaring log fire.