Easter 2010 (Sunday 4th April) may be late in the ski season but it is a great time to take a second ski holiday, and as Easter is a long weekend, means no days out of the office!  The sun should be warm, the ski clothes shops and ski equipment stores are having their end of season sales, and the ski resorts have a party atmosphere.

We can’t guarantee snow for Easter but look at high resorts and resorts with glaciers, and you’ve got the best chance for plenty of the white stuff!
If you are looking for a chalet complete with cosy log fire in the Alps, an all inclusive ski holiday in the Dolomites, or a ski hotel in Canada, there is still cheap Easter ski holidays available.

Courchevel in France is a world class resort built over four villages of different altitudes (4160ft to 6069ft), well linked by ski lifts and a bus service (free); well used for ski weekend breaks and longer ski or snowboarding holidays. Part of Trois Vallees, Courcheval offers superb après ski facilities, many excellent restaurants, shops galore and two cinemas.

The ski resort of La Plagne in the Tarentaise Valley is a high altitude resort with the added bonus of skiing in the Bellecote glacier. There is the large Paradiski area between La Plagne and Les Arcs, linked by the Vanoise Express cable car. If you fancy something a little different, how about trying your hand on the Olympic bobsleigh run at La Plagne?

Skiing in Obertauern in Austria often doesn’t end until May and snowboarders will love the Longplaypark with its rails, big kickers, kinked boxes, quaterpipe and more…  There is a great choice of bars and restaurants in Obertauern and the resort is in full swing during Easter.

At the foot of the Matterhorn in Switzerland yet on the Italian border, is Zermatt. A car free zone, the streets are cobbled and the favored mode of transport, horse drawn sleighs!  Also boasting a ski season until May, Zermatt is surrounding by a massive 29 mountains and even in the summer ski season has at least nine ski lifts running. Resort facilities are very good and Zermatt has lots of character.

Some of the deepest snow in Canada at the moment is in Whistler Blackcomb with nearly 3 metres at the highest point.  The western resorts and mountains of Whistler and Blackcomb are linked by the Peak to Peak Gondola and are just 75 miles from Vancouver.  Follow in the footsteps of Great Britain Winter Olympic Gold Medalist, Amy Williams, and visit Whistler! You may not win on the skeleton, but with magnificent snowboarding and skiing facilities, three snowboard parks and a super pipe, high speed gondolas and wide open runs, you are sure to have a winning Easter ski holiday!

One of the most spectacular sporting events on the world’s horse racing calendar is the Grand National at Aintree near Liverpool, North West England.

Jumping some 30 fences over a four and a half mile course, the Grand National is indeed tough!

This year, the event will take place at 4.15 in the afternoon of Saturday 10th April with the final declarations being made by 10am on 8th April.  One hundred eleven horses were originally submitted to run, but that has already been reduced to 98 – and anything could happen between now and the 10th!

The winner of the Grand National 2009 was Mon Mome ridden by L Treadwell at odds of 100/1. Such odds were last matched by Foinavon ridden by J Buckingham in 1967, which really goes to show that you can’t always forecast a winner!  The most famous winner has to be Red Rum who won three times, ridden by Brian Fletcher in 1973 and 1974, then Tommy Stack in 1977.

So how will you choose your winner? By the horse (age, weight), the jockey (weight, experience) or trainer (results)? Or may be after the weather we’ve had recently you’ll pick “Snowy Morning”;  your desire to buy may make you pick “Niche Market”; you may pick a fun name like “Big Fella Thanks” or “Don’t Push It” – or may be last year’s winner?  At 260/1, you could choose “Offshore Account” or a possible force’s favourite, “Air Force One”?  You may pick an Irish horse such as “Can’t Buy Time” or “Gone to Lunch”, or a horse from French stables like “My Will” or “Back Stage”.  At 26/1 Great Britain/UK has “State of Play” and “The Package”.  You may just close your eyes and let your fingers do the talking!

Although the Grand National race is held on the 10th, there are many other races on the Saturday, as well as Thursday 8th being Liverpool Day at Aintree, and Friday 9th April being Ladies’ Day.

Should you wish to fly to the Grand National, the nearest airport is Liverpool John Lennon Airport a 20 minute drive away with Manchester Airport around 45 minutes by road.  If hiring a car or driving to Aintree, the postcode for SatNav users is L9 5AS.

Enjoy!

City breaks or seaside breaks, countryside, mountains or historic breaks? There is still plenty of availability for Easter Short Breaks in Europe!

If you wish to keep the price of your European short break holiday down, how about booking your car on the Eurotunnel, where you will board the car onto a train at Folkestone, resurfacing in Calais just 35 minutes later? Alternatively a car ferry departing from Dover arrives in Calais 90 minutes later, which is usually cheaper.  You don’t need to travel far from the French port; a gite break in Reims, a hotel shopping break near Calais or a sandy beach holiday in Le Touquet are all within a few hours’ drive of Calais.

For a cheap short break in Europe, you could dynamically package your own holiday with lowcostholidays. Book your flights and accommodation separately and add your transfers.  Lowcost has an excellent choice of low cost hotel and self catering accommodation in Benidorm on the Costa Blanca in Spain, close to the popular Levante Beach, from £34.75 per person for 7 nights (from Easter Monday). Cheap flight seats from Stansted to Alicante start from £179.25 per person including taxes.

Romantic at any time of year, Venice is a superb location for an Easter city short break.  Wander through St Mark’s Square and Campo San Polo, over Rialto Bridge and The Bridge of Sighs, gaze at the magnificent Grand Canal palaces and stunning churches, and wind through the extensive waterways by gondola or Venice water taxi; a city of 117 islands, 177 canals and nearly 500 bridges!

In northern Switzerland is the historic city of Basel, on the border with France and Germany. Take a cruise down the Rhine, visit the Marktplatz and City Hall, then onto the Cathedral (closed on Good Friday) before exploring Basel’s stunning Old Town.  For views over the Old Town, head up to the Basler Pfalz then follow the stairs down to the Basel Cathedral Ferry landing stage to cross the Rhine. At Easter the temperature in Basel should be similar to the UK, so go prepared for the cool, the warm, the wet, and even snow!

Europe is warming up in April, with smaller resorts starting to open after the winter lull; buds are opening, and many trees are laden with beautiful coloured blossom…

Paris in April is beautiful with the parks awash with cherry blossom and a carpet of colourful flowering bulbs.  Pack a suitcase for the warm, wet and chilly weather, slip on your walking shoes and discover spring time in the French capital.  Book ahead for Le Grand Monde d’Andy Warhol, and visit the annual Foire du Trone, a huge market and funfair combined.

For beach holidays in Europe, look at Cyprus and the resorts of Limassol and Paphos, the southern Greek islands of Crete or Rhodes, the unspoilt Cape Verde Islands off Africa, southern Italy or the Canary Islands.

Travel in April to the Cayman Islands south of Cuba in the Caribbean Sea, and stay on the stunning islands of Grand Cayman, Cayman Brac or Little Cayman, where the fauna and flora is spectacular. Relax on Seven Mile Beach and visit the Pedro St James Castle; sail around the islands and swim with the stingrays.

For the active and fit, a trip to the Mount Everest base camp in Nepal at the beginning of April is an experience never to be forgotten.  Fly into Kathmandu, then onto Lukla a Sherpa village before a 10 day return trek to Base Camp.

Travel in April to explore Egypt, and combine a Red Sea holiday relaxing on the beach and scuba diving amongst the beautiful coral reefs around Sharm el Sheikh, with a Nile Cruise between Cairo, Aswan and Luxor, visiting the spectacular pyramids and Sphinx, bazaars and temples.

Easter is celebrated in India with the territory of Goa, particularly popular.  As the Arabian Sea laps Goa’s shores, spend time on the endless warm sandy beaches and take time discovering the delights of the”North”  capital of Panjim, Fort Aguada and Candolim. Colva and Bogmalo are popular resorts in South Goa.  Make sure you pack lots of high factor sun lotion!

The Easter school holidays, at the end of March/beginning of April, is the perfect time for day trips in the UK.  You don’t need to spend a fortune, you can return home if the weather is too bad and you can usually make plans at the last minute!

If you love movies, how about visiting the National Trust properties used for filming? Ham House in Surrey is where The Young Victoria was filmed, whilst a White Rabbit Easter trail will be held 2nd to 9th April at Antony, six miles from Plymouth where Walt Disney’s quirky Alice in Wonderland, directed by Tim Burton was filmed. During the Easter school holidays visit Cliveden in Berkshire where Robert Downey Jr and Jude Law played Holmes and Watson, or Lacock Abbey in Wiltshire; the location of two Harry Potter films.

In London take a flight on the London Eye. With spectacular views over London’s many landmarks, book a 10am Standard Flight and the cost is a mere £10 per adult compared to £17.88 at any other time of day, as the London Eye celebrates 10 years. During the Easter school holidays, take the kids to Kew Gardens on Easter Sunday morning for an Easter Egg Hunt or to the Bank of England Museum for a treasure trail through the Museum.  Enjoy roller skating? Join the Bunny Stroll on Easter Sunday, which covers a relaxed 8 miles of London’s West End.

Easter holiday thrill seekers may prefer the delights of Thorpe Park (opens 18 March at 10am) or Chessington World of Adventures in Surrey; in the heart of England, Thorpe Park opens on 20 March as does the award winning Drayton Manor Theme Park.  In the north of England, Blackpool Pleasure Beach on the west coast of Lancashire is great for the whole family, whilst younger children may prefer the exciting yet sedate Legoland Windsor (Berkshire), with plenty for the young ‘uns at both Chessington and Drayton.

On the 27 March, the Cardiff International White Water in Cardiff Bay, south Wales is opening which will offer courses and activities for all levels of water sports persons wishing to white water raft, hotdog, hydrospeed, canoe or kayak.  Also in Cardiff over Easter, Techniquest has an eggsciting show all about the egg, with fun and science explaining how to cushion a fragile spacecraft – amongst other exhibits!