San Francisco, US
How to get there: Virgin Atlantic, BMI, British Airways (BA) and Continental fly direct from Heathrow.
Who to sell it to: Cultured foodies who don’t mind a long flight. Los Angeles may trump its northern sister for sunny days and beach stays, but for a cosmopolitan short break, San Francisco is Californian gold – as recognised by Thomson, which has introduced it this year.
And unlike car-jammed LA, San Francisco’s excellent public transport system makes it easy for visitors to negotiate.
What’s it like? Hilly. It sits on a peninsula jutting into the Pacific, and is reputedly built on seven hills, though after a day walking around a visitor may feel like it’s more.
Happily, the famous tram system provides a fun way to avoid the gradients. The architecture is an absorbing mix of modern and Victorian – the brightly decorated townhouses dating back to the latter era are known as ‘painted ladies’, the most famous group of which border Alamo Square Park.
There’s green space in abundance, including the famous Golden Gate Park, which is 20% larger than New York’s Central Park.
Highlights: The iconic Golden Gate Bridge (recommend clients head for Pacific Heights for the best photo opportunities) and the legendary island prison of Alcatraz, accessed by ferries from Fisherman’s Wharf, Union Square for shopping, and Fisherman’s Wharf for seafood restaurants.
Gourmets will be happy here – the locals are obsessed with good food and the wide ethnic mix means there is a huge variety on offer – Chinese, Mexican, Italian, Japanese. Those with more time may fancy the two-hour drive out to Sonoma and Napa to visit the wineries.
Where to stay: The Fairmont San Francisco is a five-star option on top of Nob Hill, one of the city’s most famous hills. It offers superb views over the city and the Pacific Ocean and is in the middle of a plush neighbourhood full of bars, restaurants and shops.
Sample product: Thomson offers the Fairmont on a room-only basis from £175 per person per night twin-share in May. thomson.co.uk, 0871 231 5595
Lucca, Italy
How to get there: British Airways, easyJet and Ryanair fly to Pisa, 18 miles from Lucca. A direct bus runs from the airport, and a train from Pisa central station. A cab will cost about €50.
Who to sell it to: Brits tend to fall in love with Tuscany, and Florence, Siena, Pisa and San Gimignano have hordes of fans – and so hordes of tourists. Lucca, newly offered by Cresta Holidays this year, offers a quieter alternative for those in search of a classically Tuscan, terracotta-tiled, beautifully preserved historic town.
What’s it like? The town’s network of winding streets is circled by Roman walls, and visitors can walk a 2.5-mile loop of tree-lined ramparts for a bird’s eye view of the well-preserved palaces and churches to one side, and mountain scenery on the other.
Highlights: Tell clients to look out for the 145ft Torre Guinigi, built by a local wealthy family, with a roof garden of young oak trees on top.
Classical music fans may want to visit between May and August for the Puccini Festival when performances of the composer’s works are held in an open-air theatre by the lake. Even if they miss the dates they can visit the house in which Puccini was born, now a museum dedicated to him.
There are a wealth of frescoed churches and grand historic villas to visit. The area around Lucca is famed for its high-quality olive oil, bottles of which make great souvenirs.
Where to stay: The four-star Ilaria started life as the stables of an opulent medieval villa, but is now a sleek hotel with modern classic furnishings. There is a sun terrace and Jacuzzi, and despite its setting in the heart of the city, it is unusual in offering off-street parking.
Sample product: Cresta offers three nights’ bed and breakfast in Lucca from £425 per person twin-share including flights with BA from Gatwick, travelling on selected dates between April 1-August 31. bctagent.co.uk, 0844 800 7019
Beirut, Lebanon
How to get there: BA and BMI.
Who to sell it to: New for Kirker Holidays this year, and reintroduced by Cox and Kings after the Foreign Office lifted its advice against travelling to Lebanon, this cosmopolitan city looks set to be a new star in the Middle East.
Beirut is a great option for well-heeled, stylish clients looking for something a little bit different from an average city-break destination.
What’s it like? Known as ‘the Paris of the Levant’, it combines slick European-style shopping, cuisine and sophisticated nightlife with its Middle Eastern history and culture. Its seaside position and cool clubs and bars give trendy Beirut a similar air to Tel Aviv.
Highlights: Visitors should amble down the corniche and visit Pigeon Rock, a huge, arching piece of limestone just off the swanky Raouche seaside district. History
is on the streets, (the Roman baths and the Place des Martyrs), and in museums – the National Museum is particularly renowned.
Clients can head away from the city to see many of Lebanon’s iconic sights, including the Roman ruins at Baalbek, the wineries of the Bekaa Valley and the limestone caves of the Jeita Grotto.
Where to stay: The new Four Seasons Beirut. This sweeping 25-storey tower sits on the corniche with views of the Mediterranean – its rooftop terrace and bar is the place to see and be seen.
Sample product: Cox and Kings offers four nights’ bed and breakfast at the Four Seasons from £1,395 per person including flights with BMI and private transfers. coxandkings.co.uk, 020 7873 5000
Three to watch this year
- Istanbul: The 2010 Capital of Culture is being namechecked as a big seller this year by Superbreak, Cresta and Cox and Kings.
- Las Vegas: BA’s direct daily flights have increased capacity hugely, and proactive hoteliers have been offering free night incentives. Getabed.co.uk reports bookings are up 89% year on year.
- Marrakesh: With new luxury properties on offer and the spotlight cast as a location for the second Sex and the City movie, Thomas Cook Signature predicts short breaks to Morocco will do well this year.
What operators are adding in 2010
- Cox and Kings: Cologne, Cordoba, Dresden, Munich, Seville plus more European cities later in the year.
- Cresta: Amman, Cairo, Carcassone, Funchal, Llubjana, Lucca, Oman.
- Hotels4u.com: Budapest and Edinburgh.
- Kirker: Aleppo, Amman, Beirut, Bergen, Damascus, Ferrara, Gdansk, Jerusalem, Modena, Petra, Salina, Tel Aviv.
- Regent: Aleppo, Berlin, Damascus, Gdansk, Tashkent, Tbilisi, Vilnius, Warsaw, Zagreb.
- Shearings: Edinburgh, twin-centres of York and Chester, Durham and Lincoln, and Irish city breaks.
- Thomson: Antwerp, Cannes, Copenhagen, Los Angeles, Miami, Milan, Munich, Naples, Reykjavik, Riga, San Francisco, Tallinn, Warsaw.
- Youtravel.com: Cannes, Nice, Sicily, Tuscany, Las Vegas and Orlando.
