22-03-2025
What's a quiet destination for a grown-up family?
Q We are looking to go on holiday in early July with our children, who are in their 20s. We ideally want no more than a 2h 30m flight, near a beach and pretty village or town. Also not too busy or touristy. A tall order?
Caroline H
A A tall order indeed, because all the places within 150 minutes' flying time of the UK are in peak summer mode by then. I have raced through the possibilities; Rovinj on the Istrian peninsula of Croatia; Grado, a beautiful Italian town at the very top of the Adriatic; on the other side of Italy, La Spezia, a fine city with much of interest along the Ligurian coast. But I have ended up on the Mediterranean coast of southwest France. Yes, half of Paris may be there (the other half will arrive in August), but somehow the stretch from Montpellier to the Spanish border remains charming and welcoming, without the monstrous traffic jams that afflict the Cote d'Azur further east.
Fly to Beziers or Perpignan – the former has better links from both Stansted and Manchester. Both are about five miles inland from the sea. Each is a beautiful city with deep history. They are excellent locations for wider exploration. Northwest of Beziers, the ancient town of Agde (10 minutes by train) offers the amazing Chateau Laurens: an Art Nouveau mansion created at the end of the 19th century by a collector captivated by Egyptomania and Orientalism. The grounds are beautiful, too. Heading southwest, Gruissan, on the coast close to Narbonne, combines beautifully the roles of fishing village and seaside resort – and also boasts the pink salt flat known as Le Salin. South of Perpignan, meanwhile, you can explore the resorts along the Cote Vermeille – or take a train into the foothills of the Pyrenees.
Q I am taking my two grown-up sons to Lisbon for the first time next week. I've never been there and I just wondered whether you'd suggest any must-sees?
Emily H
A Your timing is perfect. Late March in a year when Easter is late is ideal for visiting the Portuguese capital. The past month has been lousy, with lots of rain, but you can expect warm weather with plenty of spring sunshine. Starting with practicalities: Lisbon airport is close to the city centre. Ubers are reliable and cheap – perhaps €7 (£6) for the three of you.
Lisbon is a three-dimensional mosaic of distinct quarters. More than most European capitals, walking is the ideal way to see the city: through streets straight and winding, up and down endless flights of steps, past walls enlivened with azulejos (blue Portuguese tiles). Baixa is the low-lying heart of the city. Visit the old ferry port, Terreiro do Paco: a beautiful art deco terminal now reinvented as a hub for tourist boats. There's a free exhibition about how the Tagus has shaped Lisbon. A recent addition to the main square, Praca do Comercio, is the Cod Museum tucked into the southeast corner: lots of social history as well as seafood. To the east, Alfama and the castle of St George is worth a wander. I prefer, though, Bairro Alto, the hill rising steeply to the west, which has the best architecture and the finest views.
Controversially (given the presence of the Calouste Gulbenkian Museum and various other strong contenders), I think the one don't-miss cultural attraction is the Museu Nacional do Azulejo. The setting is glorious, in the Baroque 16th-century Madre de Deus convent. The building dates from the time when Portugal first adopted tiles, and has ceramic art on a spectacular scale including some striking modern creations.
My favourite place to drink is the pocket-sized triangular park, Jardim Fialho de Almeida. The Black Sheep bar is fun, but even more rewarding is to find a perch beside the kiosk in the park, which dispenses beer and wine to outdoor drinkers.
Eating out? It's hard to go wrong, as long as you bypass the huddles of tourist restaurants where waiters solicit passing tourists. But for a final meal, I recommend the Belmiro – slightly off-centre at Paco da Rainha 66. It's on the posh side, but (like everywhere else in Lisbon) well worth the money.
Q I am looking to book a return flight from London Gatwick to Bordeaux in the last 10 days of June. Two carriers have direct flights: British Airways and easyJet. Of these, easyJet offer more flights at better times for under £200 return. BA offer worse timings and a fare of over £500 return. What on earth is the BA game plan?
Bill McQ
A I have looked at fares on both airlines departing on 20 June and returning on 30 June. On easyJet, the cheapest I can see is £198 return departing from London Gatwick and returning to Luton. British Airways is not currently as expensive as you found, with a fare on its Gatwick EuroFlyer subsidiary at £296 return.
Even so, a discrepancy of almost £100 is significant. BA's short-haul offering and easyJet's service are directly comparable: both are excellent airlines with outstanding safety records, flying near-identical Airbus A320s from the Sussex airport. British Airways has a business class section. But this is the same as economy except with the middle seat in each row of three left empty – and at a substantial premium.
Unlike Ryanair, both airlines will actively try to sit passengers on the same booking together even if they choose not to pay for the privilege; easyJet does this from one month out, while British Airways allows free seat selection 24 hours ahead.
So why the big difference in fare? One reason is simply BA's extremely generous cabin baggage policy. As well as the small backpack that budget airlines allow, you can also take a hefty case with a capacity of 63 litres into the cabin free of charge. For exactly the same piece of hand luggage, easyJet wants an extra £58 for the return flight.
By now, the difference between the two is down to £40. Evidently BA's departure times (evening outbound, morning inbound) can't put that many people off. I speculate that the premium British Airways commands could be down to its loyalty scheme. Anyone who flies frequently with BA on business and has Silver or Gold status can enjoy a range of benefits on leisure trips, such as lounge access and free seat selection – including in those prized emergency exit rows.
Q My niece is due to fly from the US to the UK on Saturday for her grandad's funeral on Tuesday. We've secured a different flight which leaves before her original flight. If her original flight still leaves would we get a refund?
Name supplied
A My condolences for your family's loss. Yours is an example of why Friday's near-total shutdown of Heathrow caused so much distress to so many people. Around 300,000 passengers to and from the UK's busiest airport learnt in the early hours of Friday morning that their flights had been grounded due to a severe fire in an electricity substation.
In terms of air passengers' rights rules, this is a tricky case. It is instructive (and possibly useful to any subsequent claim) to note the wording of Heathrow's initial statement: 'We have no choice but to close Heathrow until 23h59 on 21 March 2025. We expect significant disruption over the coming days and passengers should not travel to the airport under any circumstances until the airport reopens.'
Given this pessimistic forecast, and the strong need for your niece to be able to travel, you bought another ticket. As we now know, Heathrow did not close until midnight on Friday; flights resumed around tea-time. And there is not significant disruption over the coming days. If both bookings are on the same airline, then you have a fair chance of cancelling the 'new' flight for a full refund. I imagine, though, they are on different carriers: British Airways and Virgin Atlantic were both highly vulnerable to continued disruption, and in your position I would have booked on a US carrier.
I suggest you contact both airlines – if you can possibly speak to a human – and explain the circumstances. If that fails, then your last resort is travel insurance, if your niece has some. Although this is not a typical insurable risk, I hope a good insurer would recognise the understandable reasons for your financial loss and compensate accordingly.
