With the general election taking place on 4 July, you’ve got plenty of opportunities afterwards to take a summer holiday before schools break up later in the month and prices start to shoot through the roof. With the British spring doing its usual stop-start thing, you might want to look further afield for some summertime sunshine and warmth. Spend a week in one of Italy ’s quieter and lesser-known lakes in an elegant waterside hotel, or escape to a Greek island and feast on grilled meats by the Ionian Sea.
Hole up in a Turkish bolthole overlooking the Aegean, or follow in the BBC’s Race Across the World ’s footsteps in Malaysia . Stay closer to home with hikes in the Lake District or spend days on sandy beaches in North Devon . Whatever type of holiday you’re planning in July, some of these ideas will inspire you.
Read more on travel inspiration : While Lakes Como, Garda and Maggiore draw the crowds, head instead to little and less-known Lake Orta. Stay at the Hotel Giardinetto in the village of Pettenasco and soak up the romance of being right on the lake, with its own private boat and landing stage. There’s also an outdoor pool to go with a pretty restaurant terrace.
Citalia has a five-night break at the Hotel Giardinetto departing 5 July from £878pp, including flights and transfers; half-board is also available. Enjoy lovely views of Gaios, the diminutive capital of equally tiny Paxos, from one of the Theodora Apartments run by Sunvil . Each apartment comes w.