Skip to content

Home
About
Blog
Resources
Work with me
Contact

Home
About
Blog
Resources
Work with me
Contact

Search

Destinations

Where do you want to go?

Short breaks and longer trips, sorted by where they are. Start close to home or head further afield.

Close to home

The UK

Winter wine dinner at Rookery Hall: a four-course Burgundy pairing

January 21, 2026

Winter wine dinner at Rookery Hall: a four-course Burgundy pairing

What to expect from a wine dinner at Rookery Hall in Cheshire, with four courses paired with La Croix de Brully Burgundy and a Master

Rookery Hall Hotel review: a luxury Cheshire spa stay with festive charm

December 19, 2025

Rookery Hall Hotel review: a luxury Cheshire spa stay with festive charm

My Rookery Hall Hotel review, covering a Junior Suite, a Burgundy wine dinner, the spa and the festive atmosphere at this Cheshire country house.

Alpaca Annex review: a cosy Airbnb with alpacas in Northamptonshire

January 21, 2025

Alpaca Annex review: a cosy Airbnb with alpacas in Northamptonshire

My Alpaca Annex review: a quirky Airbnb in Gayton, Northamptonshire, where you can feed three friendly alpacas, with things to do nearby.

The Coach House Cottage review: a cosy Bakewell staycation

December 1, 2024

The Coach House Cottage review: a cosy Bakewell staycation

My review of The Coach House Cottage in Bakewell, a dog-friendly Peak District retreat, with how to get there and the best things to do

Where to eat and drink in York: a guide to the city’s food scene

June 23, 2024

Where to eat and drink in York: a guide to the city’s food scene

Where to eat and drink in York, from Brew York and Pairings Wine Bar to Shambles street food, Spark York and afternoon tea at Bettys.

The Alan Hotel review: a stylish Manchester stay with a great restaurant

March 27, 2024

The Alan Hotel review: a stylish Manchester stay with a great restaurant

My review of The Alan Hotel in Manchester, with an industrial-chic Signature Suite, a surprising open-plan shower and a restaurant worth staying in for.

All posts from UK

A short hop away

Europe

A passenger plane flying above the clouds at sunset

November 9, 2026

Cheap weekend flights to Europe: best deals for 13 November to 3 January

The cheapest weekend flights to Europe I found from UK airports for late November to New Year, with Friday evening flights out and Sunday flights

Francesinha sandwich with a fried egg, a Porto speciality

November 9, 2026

Where to eat and drink in Porto: francesinha, port tastings and pastéis

Where to eat and drink in Porto: a francesinha, pastel de nata, market grazing at Bolhao and port tastings in Gaia, with what to skip.

The Sandeman sign above the Gaia waterfront across the River Douro from Porto

November 2, 2026

A weekend in Porto: a 2-day itinerary with port, pastéis and the river

Plan a weekend in Porto with this 2-day itinerary: Bolhao market, pastel de nata, a 7 bridges boat tour, port tasting in Gaia, where to

View over Lucerne

December 30, 2024

8 free things to do in Lucerne, Switzerland

Eight free things to do in Lucerne, from the Old Town and Chapel Bridge to the Lion Monument and Musegg Wall, plus how to save

Christmas in Lucerne: how to spend two festive days in Switzerland

December 13, 2024

Christmas in Lucerne: how to spend two festive days in Switzerland

How to spend Christmas in Lucerne, with a two-day itinerary covering the festive markets, Chapel Bridge, a lake cruise and panoramic mountain views.

How to spend 4 days in the Dubrovnik Riviera: the perfect itinerary

June 19, 2024

How to spend 4 days in the Dubrovnik Riviera: the perfect itinerary

My four-day Dubrovnik Riviera itinerary, with ATV rides, the Old Town walls, private island dining, quiet beaches and farm lunches, based in Cavtat.

All posts from Europe

Further afield

The Caribbean

The solarium bar on Royal Caribbean's Harmony of the Seas

June 4, 2020

Harmony of the Seas review: a week on a Royal Caribbean cruise

My Harmony of the Seas review, covering cabins, activities, shows, food and bars, and whether there's really enough to do on a week at sea.

All posts from Caribbean

Get the next weekend sorted

New guides, hotel finds and seasonal ideas, sent once a month. No spam, just trips you can actually fit in.

X/Twitter

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

Email address(Required)

One email a month. Unsubscribe any time. See the privacy policy.

A UK travel blog based in Cheshire. Weekend trips, short breaks and the odd long-haul adventure, all planned around a full-time job.

Explore

Destinations

All destinations

Work together

Copyright 2026 Weekends and Away

Affiliate disclosure

Cookie settings

Cookies on this site

This blog works without optional cookies. With your OK, booking tools, maps and videos can load, and partners can see when a booking came from here. You can change your mind at any time using Cookie settings at the bottom of each page.

Functional Functional Always active

The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network.

Preferences Preferences

The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user.

Statistics Statistics

The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for anonymous statistical purposes. Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you.

Marketing Marketing

The technical storage or access is required to create user profiles to send advertising, or to track the user on a website or across several websites for similar marketing purposes.

Manage options
Manage services
Manage {vendor_count} vendors
Read more about these purposes

View preferences

{title}
{title}
{title}

Scroll to Top