Due for release on 6 February, the latest Woody Allen movie puts Spain’s enigmatic second city well and truly in the celluloid spotlight.
‘Vicky Cristina Barcelona’ stars Scarlet Johansson and Penelope Cruz as female buddies who both fall for the charms of the same charismatic male painter.
If you fancy replicating some of this romance you could treat your other half to a big screen-style romance this Valentine’s Day with a short break to Barcelona, staying at the superior four-star Gran Hotel Havana.
Close to the action on the Placa de Catalunya, Kirker Holidays is currently offering three nights for the price of two at this elegant property.
Prices now from £413 pp (two sharing) include flights (London), three nights’ B&B, private transfers, Kirker’s guide notes to restaurants and sightseeing and a complimentary bottle of Cava in your room on arrival.
Rembrandt revealed: An artistic attraction in Amsterdam – from £209 pp.
2008 marks the 125th anniversary of the Rembrandt Association, which was set up to safeguard the finest Dutch works of art and keep them in their country of origin.
Festivities will include a major exhibition starting this October at the Van Gogh Museum, bringing together, for the first time, 125 of the Association’s most acclaimed works from over 30 Dutch museums, including many by Rembrandt.
A two-night break at your chosen hotel in Amsterdam costs from £209 pp (two sharing).
The price includes return travel by Eurostar via Brussels, two nights’ B&B accommodation and entry to the temporary and permanent exhibitions at the Van Gogh Museum.
Via VFB holidays.
They’ve all got the cutest, fluffiest little faces, so it’ll be hard to choose which seal pup to adopt at The National Seal Sanctuary in Gweek.
With over 50 years experience in seal rescue, rehabilitation and release, the centre looks after these babies until they’re ready to fend for themselves again.
For just £20, you receive a Free Season Pass, a Certificate, and two e-Newsletters about all their rescued pups. Stay in nearby Falmouth at Quayside (sleeps four), an incredibly stylish quay-level apartment with use of an indoor, glass-walled, heated swimming pool.
A week’s stay from 27 September is £118 pp (£471 total).
Available via Classic Cottages.
Jet off to Basel exhibition for a Venice vision – from £309 pp.
This autumn, Basel’s Fondation Beyeler houses a very special exhibition devoted to the many vistas of Venice, as depicted in masterpieces by Canaletto, Turner and Renoir, among others.
Monet will take centre stage, with a dozen of the 36 paintings he produced during his time there in 1908 going on public display for the first time in almost a century.
VFB is offering a two-night break at the three-star Hotel Schweizerhof from just £309 pp (two sharing).
The price includes two nights’ B&B accommodation, return flights (Heathrow), a travel pass for use on public transport and entrance to the temporary and permanent collections at Fondation Beyer.
Via VFB holidays.
From 8 October, the Grand Palais hosts a prestigious exhibition devoted to Pablo Picasso.
With paintings on loan from the Louvre, the Orsay and Paris’ Picasso Museum, this is a major retrospective of this master’s work, starting at the very beginning of his career.
A two-night break at your chosen hotel in central Paris costs from £159 pp (two sharing), including return travel by Eurostar, B&B and entry to the exhibition.
Via VFB holidays
