Each week, our holiday hero, Neil Simpson, delves into a brilliant holiday topic and does all the legwork so you don’t have to. This week: Bus travel with a touch of luxury.
A new generation of luxury coaches is now taking holidaymakers across the UK and Europe in considerable style. Passengers can expect recliner seats, backrest touchscreen TVs, WiFi, coffeemakers, refrigerators, lounges, and of course, restrooms. Itineraries have also been updated to match the sophisticated rail equivalents and include fine dining, hotels with pools and exclusive access to attractions not open to the general public.
Groundbreaking new vehicles include Luxuria and Silver Service coaches developed by Leger Holidays.
A new generation of luxury coaches is now taking holidaymakers across the UK and Europe in considerable style. The groundbreaking new vehicles include the Luxuria (pictured) and Silver Service touring coaches developed by Leger Holidays
The layout of Luxuria buses gives travelers more space to spread out
Do you like to mingle? An onboard lounge area with a coffee table and seating for four is a key feature of the larger Silver Service coaches
Leger Holiday’s six-night Elegance and Charm of the Italian and French Riviera tour includes a day trip to Monte Carlo (above)
Leger Holidays is offering a four night trip ‘Discover Salisbury, Stonehenge (above) and the Dorset Coast’
Luxuria buses have three seats in each row instead of the usual four, allowing more space to spread out, with each row consisting of a pair of seats and a single seat across the aisle.
The tours offered incorporate a six-night elegance and charm of the Italian and French Rivieras.
After a night in northern France, guests are driven south to spend four nights in a hotel on the sweeping beaches of Diano Marina in Italy. Daily tours include trips to Nice, Cannes, Monte Carlo and the pretty hilltop village of Eze. From £769 per person (leger.co.uk).
The luxury vehicles will be used on dozens of Leger’s UK and European bank holidays, including a four-day ‘Discover Salisbury, Stonehenge and the Dorset Coast’ trip, which includes full days in Bath and Bournemouth. From £599pp
Do you like to mingle? An onboard lounge area with a coffee table and seating for four is a key feature of the larger Silver Service coaches.
Travel on a premium Gold coach with Grand UK Holidays and get extra space as the seats move a few inches into the aisle once everyone is on board.
The vehicles also have USB ports at each seat, WiFi, a coffee maker and a fridge.
Travel on a top-of-the-range Gold coach with Grand UK Holidays – it offers extra space as the seats move a few inches into the aisle once everyone is on board
The Gold coaches have USB ports at every seat, WiFi, a coffee maker and a refrigerator. To the right are the picture windows on board the Grand UK Holidays Gold Coach
Trips to Coniston Water, Grasmere (above) and Keswick are part of Grand UK Holidays’ In the Heart of the Lakes tour
Tours offering the Gold Experience include the 4 day ‘In the Heart of the Lakes’ holiday with welcome drinks at the Damson Dene Hotel near Bowness-on-Windermere. Excursions to Coniston Water, Grasmere and Keswick follow. From £639 per person (grandukholidays.com).
Fine dining and first class accommodation can be found in Shearings latest signature collection for coach travel.
The Redworth Hall and Delightful Durham short break includes four nights’ accommodation at Redworth Hall, a Jacobean mansion-turned-four-star hotel with pool and spa set in 60 acres of manicured grounds.
Passengers can look forward to finer dining and first-class accommodations with Shearings’ latest signature collection for coach travel (above).
Explore Durham Castle (pictured) at Shearings’ Redworth Hall and delightful Durham short break
The holiday includes day trips to Durham and Barnard Castle and a visit to the Beamish Museum which has a 1.5 mile tramway.
Also included is a visit to the Bowes Museum, where works by Goya and El Greco hang, while a new gallery showcases the mechanical Silver Swan sculpture that made a splash at the 1867 Paris International Exposition. From £479pp (shearings.com).
Crowd-free, exclusive access is the luxurious extra on select coach trips with tour operators like Just Go Holidays.
Take a private tour of Highclere (pictured) where Downton Abbey was filmed and take a short break with Just Go Holidays. The company specializes in exclusive access to attractions without the crowds
Book now for next year’s Downton Abbey short break: Behind the Scenes and visit Highclere Castle on a day when the ITV hit series’ star location is closed to other visitors.
The two-day break includes pickup from pickup points across the country, and dinner and breakfast at a three- or four-star Berkshire hotel. Guests are whisked to Highclere’s famous front doors to begin a full day of private tour of the home, grounds and key filming locations.
From £159 per person (justgoholidays.com).
