EASTER ESCAPE TO 15th CENTURY SWAN HOTEL AT LAVENHAM, SUFFOLK

Escape this Easter to the beautiful 15th century Swan at Lavenham, a country retreat in the heart of Suffolk’s rolling countryside. The historic hotel is offering two night Easter weekend breaks between 2 and 5 April from £240 per person including a delicious three course dinner in the two AA rosette Gallery Restaurant and a full Suffolk breakfast both days.

The special Easter offer is based on two sharing an enchanting double or twin classic room; guests staying a third night on Good Friday or Easter Monday can enjoy dinner B&B for just £60 per person.

Steeped in history, the Swan has served as a hostelry for nearly 600 years, ancient oak beams and inglenook fireplaces blend with rich furnishings and modern luxuries, while outstanding food is served in the restaurant, informal lounges and the historic Old Bar, which boasts a wonderful collection of World War II memorabilia.

To book call the Swan Hotel at Lavenham on 01787 247477 or email bookaroom@theswanatlavenham.co.uk; details can also be found on www.theswanatlavenham.co.uk.

The Columbia Beach Resort, one of Cyprus’s most exclusive hotels located in the secluded Bay of Pissouri, and sister Columbia Beachotel next door, are both offering a special five night short break for the Easter weekend. With selected spa treatments in its award-winning* Columbia Spa the packages also give visitors the chance to experience the celebrations and culture of the Greek Orthodox religious feast that is celebrated island-wide.

This year orthodox Easter is celebrated the same week as Catholic and Anglican Easter and it’s a great time of year to visit Cyprus when the weather is warm and the island vibrant with spring flowers.

Located on the south west coast of Cyprus the two hotels owned by Columbia Hotels & Resorts are close to the traditional village of Pissouri situated on the hills above the bay. Here visitors can get a taste of the cultural festivals of Easter week. Just as the UK celebrates with hot cross buns in Cyprus it’s customary to cook Easter breads such as Flaounes and Tsoureki. It is also the tradition to dye eggs red (in memory of the blood of Christ), also blue, yellow and green which are displayed in bowls and baskets throughout Easter.

On Good Friday in villages across Cyprus there is a candlelit procession through the streets and on to local churches. Then on Easter Saturday an open air mass takes place at midnight and visitors to either the Columbia Beach Resort or the Beachotel will have a complimentary transfer to the local church in Pissouri village to participate.

After Midnight Mass it’s back to the Columbia Beach Resort and Beachotel for a traditional Mayiritsa dinner. The 40 days of fasting of Lent are broken by eating a special Easter soup of lamb combined with the dyed-red eggs, the traditional breads and cheese pies. Then Easter Sunday is a time for fun and celebrations in all villages. Family and friends eat together on long tables through the streets and eat lamb cooked on a spit. Guests of both hotels will enjoy a similar Easter Sunday lunch prepared by renowned chefs.

The five night stay in Pissouri Bay concludes with a trip to the village of Omodhos, about 800 ms above sea level, founded in the Byzantine era and famous for its monastery and winery. Here a walk along the cobbled streets and little alleyways with their local arts and crafts is a good way to experience Cyprus off the main tourist trail.

Easter Packages:

• 5 nights accommodation in a Junior Suite (Resort) Standard Side Sea view Room (Beachotel)
• Transfer to and from Pissouri Village for Midnight Mass on Easter Saturday
• Traditional Mayiritsa Dinner after Mass
• Easter Sunday lunch
• 1 Relaxing massage or 1 Body Scrub per person
• A trip to Omodhos village (3 hours)

Price for two persons based on shared accommodation:
5 Star Columbia Beach Resort: £1,210/ €1345 (£605 per head)
4 star Columbia Beachotel: £850/ €950 (£425 per head)
Note prices do not include flights. Flights to Cyprus are available through British Airways www.ba.com, Cyprus Airways www.cyprusairways.com and EasyJet www.easyjet.com
The Columbia Spa features a hair salon and fitness facilities including squash and tennis courts, a well-equipped gym and an aerobics hall with regular workout and relaxation sessions. Guests can enjoy therapies from Daniele de Winter (specialists in anti-ageing), Molton Brown spa and the marine-based range Phytomer. The 80m lagoon style pool that flows from the spa through the heart of the Resort provides a place for exercise and relaxation.

Both the Columbia Beach Resort and sister Columbia Beachotel are of traditional Cypriot design with cool marble floors, shutters on the windows and reclaimed terracotta tiles on the roofs. Clever use of planting, wooden features and local stone mean that old and new blend together in a sympathetic but very elegant and luxurious style. For more information visit www.columbia-hotels.com.

Following the phenomenal success of its 2009 tour, Wild Things: Live! is back on the road for Easter 2010. If your kids are bored with the traditional Easter bunnies and chicks, then this roadshow is for them! The interactive experience, presented by SeaWorld and Busch Gardens in Florida, features animal educators bringing up close encounters with a variety of furry, feathered and fanged creatures from around the world including penguins, squirrel monkeys and exotic reptiles. Wild Things: Live! will visit selected shopping centres around the UK & Ireland between Friday 2nd April and Friday 9th April 2010.

The entertaining and educational roadshow gives families a chance to get up close and personal with amazing animals, learn about conservation and have the chance to win a family holiday to Florida to visit SeaWorld, Busch Gardens, Aquatica and Discovery Cove.

Wild Things: Live! is free of charge and will run during shopping centre opening hours at the following locations:

Good Friday 2nd April: WESTFIELD, London
Saturday 3rd April: ST DAVIDS, CARDIFF
Easter Monday 5th April: DUNDRUM, DUBLIN
Wednesday 7th April: BUCHANAN GALLERIES, GLASGOW
Thursday 8th April: TRAFFORD CENTRE, MANCHESTER
Friday 9th April: MERRY HILL, BIRMINGHAM

For further details visit www.seaworldparks.co.uk

Visit Paris this Easter to see the stunning attractions the French capital has to offer with the Paris Sightseeing Pass.

The Paris Sightseeing Pass gives access to over 60 top attractions including the iconic Arc de Triomphe, entry to the world-famous Musée du Louvre, and the awe-inspiring Notre-Dame Cathedral, which holds special Good Friday and Easter Sunday services over the Easter weekend (3-5 April).

Users have priority access at the busiest sights to avoid queues, a free guidebook, and many additional deals, discounts and free offers. A Paris Sightseeing Pass includes a metro pass giving you unlimited travel on the metro, buses and RER within central Paris.
A two-day Paris Sightseeing Pass costs €89 for adults, €45 for teens (between 12 and 17 years) and €24 for a child (between 4 and 11 years).
A four-day Paris Pass costs €126 for adults (€63 for teens and €32 for children), and a six-day option costs €154 for adults, €72 for teens and €41 for children.
Check out all the activities on offer with the Paris Sightseeing Pass at www.parispass.com. The website includes a map tool to plan visits, details on all the included attractions, and full details of exclusive special offers including restaurant deals.
For more information and to buy a Paris Sightseeing Pass visit www.parispass.com, call +44 (0)1664 485 020.

The five star Excelsior Hotel Ernst in Cologne would like to wish everyone a ‘Frohe Ostern’ by offering you the  opportunity to experience the cultural side to Cologne this Easter weekend with their musical extravaganza  package.

The Excelsior Easter weekend package combines the luxury of a 5* hotel with an array of musical city culture.

The package includes a one night stay in one of the hotel’s deluxe rooms, a traditional Excelsior breakfast buffet  and a delicious three-course meal with corresponding beverages at one of the hotel’s excellent restaurants,  including the traditional French restaurant Hanse Stube or the awarding winning Asian Taku Restaurant.
The package also includes tickets to the Gürzenich symphony Orchestra at Colognes Philharmonic Hall. Dinner will  be served before the concert on the Thursday night and after the concert on Good Friday.

The Excelsior Hotel Ernst is a member of ‘The Leading Hotels of the World’ and is centrally located in the heart  of Cologne, just foot steps away from the famous Dom Cathedral. The hotel is a two-minute walk from the main  shopping districts, the Cologne perfume houses and the famous breweries and beer kellers of the city.

Easter is one of the most popular holidays in Germany. Germans incorporate many traditions into their Easter  celebrations including the burning of a bonfire on Easter Saturday representing the welcoming of the warm season.
Also many of our holiday traditions originate from Germany including the chocolate bunny and the Easter egg hunt,  so where better to experience them, than in Cologne.

The Excelsior Easter weekend package is available on the 1st and 2nd April.
Prices start from €258 per person for a deluxe single room and €218 per person based on two people sharing a  deluxe twin or double room. Additional nights and can also be booked upon request.
The package can be booked at reservation@excelsior-hotel-ernst.de.

Corfu is one of the most popular destinations in Greece for experiencing Greek Easter and has a number of its own unique traditions, such as throwing 1m high specially made ceramic pots of water out of house windows and processing through the streets with sacred relics. CV Travel has a selection of Corfu villas available over the Easter holiday, including a magnificent villa for 12 which comes with its own chef on Easter Day to prepare a Greek Easter spread, a family house for 10 and smaller family villas in the heart of the Easter festivities.

Party sized villa with chef to prepare a Greek Easter feast
For a spectacular and traditional gathering of friends and family at Easter CV Travel is offering a private chef to prepare a Greek Easter feast in a glorious contemporary villa for up to 12 guests with a large, private pool on the island of Corfu. Villa Lefki Thea is set in a hillside location above the popular harbour of St. Stephano with far-reaching views over the water towards Albania’s mountains. A week’s rental is currently on offer for £4680 (usually £6060), including the Easter Day chef service (excluding food), a welcome champagne reception, welcome hamper, daily maid service and luxury toiletries. Flights available on request. Contact CV Travel, 020 7401 1026 and www.cvtravel.co.uk

http://www.cvtravel.co.uk/EN/Destinations/Europe/Greece/Corfu/St-Stephano/Accomodations/Pages/Lefki-Thea.aspx

Family house for 10 with pool and spa
A heated pool and central heating ensure a warm welcome over Easter, 4th April, at St. Nicholas Beach House, a spectacular detached cliff-top family house for up to 10 guests on Corfu’s north-east coastline, available for a week’s stay at Easter for £2800, excluding flights. The house has its own private pool and a virtually private beach, reached by steps down from the house, as well as and ozone therapy spa, a sauna/steam room and an indoor electric paddle pool with reverse swimming. Contact CV Travel, 020 7401 1026 and www.cvtravel.co.uk

http://www.cvtravel.co.uk/EN/Destinations/Europe/Greece/Corfu/Kalamaki-St-Spiridon–Perithia/Accomodations/Pages/St-Nicholas-Beach-House.aspx

Villa for 6, and take a trip to see the Easter pot throwing
Close to the popular harbour of Kassiopi on Corfu’s north east coast, Villa Lithari is a lovely family house for up to 6 guests, set in the middle of pretty lawned gardens, with views to Albania’s mountains and the coast. The house provides a convenient base in spring for walking, visiting Mount Pankrator and the inland ruined village of `Old Perithia’ or take a trip down to Corfu Town to witness the Easter Saturday pot throwing festivities. Villa Lithari is available for £1620 for up to 6 sharing for a week over Easter, excluding flights. Contact CV Travel, 020 7401 1026 and www.cvtravel.co.uk

http://www.cvtravel.co.uk/EN/Destinations/Europe/Greece/Corfu/Kassiopi–Kelia/Accomodations/Pages/Lithari.aspx

Villa for 4 on Corfu’s north east coast
Villas don’t have to be vast and Villa Mimosa near the harbour town of Kassiopi, is a lovely example of a small family villa for four in an exceptional location, close to the shingle beach at Coyevinas on Corfu’s north east coast. The house is available for a week’s rental of £1060 at Easter for 4 sharing (excluding flights) and is close enough to walk into Kassiopi to see the Easter parades and firework display. Contact CV Travel, 020 7401 1026 and www.cvtravel.co.uk

http://www.cvtravel.co.uk/EN/Destinations/Europe/Greece/Corfu/Avlaki–Coyevinas/Accomodations/Pages/Mimosa.aspx

EASTER IN CORFU
Corfu is one of the most popular destinations in Greece for experiencing Greek Easter and has its own unique traditions.

On Palm Sunday the holy relic of St. Spiridon, the island’s patron saint is carried through the streets of Corfu Town in a ceremony that dates back to the original Good Friday.

On Good Friday every parish parades its funeral bier through the streets, accompanied by orchestras and choirs, eventually merging with each other. In Corfu Town all the street lights are turned purple especially for the procession.

On Easter Saturday `pot throwing’ takes place in Corfu Town, when 1m high specially made ceramic pots, `botides‘, filled with water, are thrown out of the windows after the first bell of the Resurrection tolls at 11am. The noisy spectacle lasts 3 – 5 minutes and is a draw for thousands of people, mostly tourists.

Traditional Easter meals include `magiritsa’, a soup made from offal, kokoreti, skewered intestines, spit roast lamb, Greek pies, salads and sweets, and eggs dyed red to symbolise the blood of Christ.