For years, Caroline and I have been squabbling over where to spend our summer holidays. Her ideal is a family-friendly Mediterranean resort where she can lie on a beach reading a paperback, while mine involves renting a car and driving from place to place, staying in Airbnbs and packing in as many ‘fun’ activities as we can. Last year she got her way; this year it was my turn.
So we took an easyJet flight from Gatwick to Munich. Admittedly not perfect, given that we were going to Italy, but it was the cheapest deal I could find: £450 all-in, including the kids. A bargain, even factoring in a 6.25 a.m. departure and a return flight to Luton. We ended up sprinting to the departure lounge after I’d miscalculated how long it would take to get through security — the perfect adrenalin-fuelled start to the holiday as far as I was concerned, although Caroline took a different view.
At Munich we rented a Ford Galaxy and set off on the 200-mile trip to the Rosa Alpina in the Dolomites. I daresay some cosmopolitan readers will have heard of this hotel, which is about as luxurious as they come. It’s at San Cassiano, 1,500 metres above sea level, and prices normally start at £500 a night for a double room. However, I had managed to bag a ‘media rate’ (a perk of being a hack) which made it just about affordable, at least for four nights. It also meant Caroline was a bit less grumpy about going on a ‘Toby holiday’.
Hard to say what the highlight of this part of the holiday was, it was such a success. The hiking, mountain biking and rock climbing were all great fun, even if Caroline did shriek with anxiety every time one of the boys strayed from the prescribed route.
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