Bournemouth & Dorset 'Holly + Ivy'

4 days / 3 nights’ departing Friday 22nd November 2024
Return Coach Travel departing from selected national pick-up points
3 nights ‘Holly & Ivy’ package at the 4* Marsham Court Hotel Bournemouth– all ensuite rooms + porterage
Included excursion package – see itinerary

Price with a minimum 25 passengers £499pp Twin / double share – Inland rooms
Single supplement £39pp for 3 nights – limited availability – inland twin/doubles for sole use
Deposit £100pp (non-refundable/non-transferable) Balance due in full by 07.10.24
Optional Travel Insurance £35pp – NO upper age limit but conditions apply.
100% Cancellation charges after balance due date

4* Marsham Court Hotel is situated in a stunning location on East Cliff, overlooking Bournemouth’s Pier, bay and beaches, the family-run award-winning hotel offers free Wi-Fi. Stylish bedrooms are individually decorated and have modern bathrooms, many featuring a large walk-in shower. A flat-screen TV, laptop safe, ironing facilities and tea and coffee are available in every room. The property features award-winning gardens, with sun terraces overlooking the bay and offering sea views. The hotel is just metres from the seafront. Bournemouth centre, shopping streets, Pavillion Theatre are all just a short walk from the property.

Itinerary
Friday (Christmas Eve theme) – Departing your allocated pick-up point we journey west, making a stop in Winchester where there will be free time to visit the Cathedral’s Christmas Market recognised as one of the best in Europe. Its bustling atmosphere, stunning location and handpicked high quality exhibitors is a firm favourite with visitors, who come to shop at the pretty wooden chalets situated within the historic grounds. Continuing on to Bournemouth and the hotel, tea/coffee is included on arrival. Also included is a drinks reception with Mulled wine/Cranberry juice before your ‘Christmas Eve’ candlelit dinner which is followed by entertainment.

Saturday (Christmas day theme) - Breakfast included.
Today’s visits begin with an included visit to the adjacent Russell-Cotes Art Gallery & Museum, usually fully decorated for Christmas. In 1901, Merton Russell-Cotes gave his wife Annie a dream house on a clifftop overlooking the sea. It was an extraordinary, extravagant birthday present – lavish, splendid, and with a touch of fantasy. Between them, they filled this exotic seaside villa with beautiful objects from their travels across the world and lined the walls with a remarkable collection of British art, creating a unique atmosphere in a most dramatic setting. It is not only a home and, an art gallery but also a museum sealed in time. Today also includes a visit to nearby Swanage where there will be free time and a 70-minute Poole harbour cruise with commentary. Enjoy fantastic views from the open deck as you pass picturesque Brownsea Island, Sandbanks Peninsula, Studland Bay and more.
Arrangements at the hotel today include: Afternoon tea/coffee biscuits & mince pies and a visit from Santa with a token gift for all. Tonight includes a traditional Christmas dinner followed by entertainment.

Sunday (New Year’s Eve theme) – Breakfast included
Today begins with an included visit to Athelhampton House and Garden which dates from 1485. This is a magnificent example of early Tudor architecture, showing fascinating interiors with heraldic glass, linen-fold panelling and antique furnishings. The gardens around the main house and the formal gardens were built in 1891 with Elizabethan style ham stone courts and the famous 30-foot-high pyramids dominate the Great Court. Water forms a recurring theme, with pools, fountains and the River Piddle running through the grounds. Returning to Bournemouth you might choose to relax in the hotel or take a stroll to see the town’s Christmas Tree Wonderland, a spectacular Christmas trail with enchanting illuminations within easy reach from the hotel. Full of magic, sparkle and wonder, the Christmas Tree Wonderland trail will come to life with regular light shows, animated characters and live music along the route. Standing at 60ft high with 30,000 lights, the Bournemouth Wonderland Tree is a spectacle you will not be able to miss!

Catch one of the spell-binding light shows, accompanied by Christmas music, before walking right through the centre of the tree! There is also a small Christmas Market worth exploring with a great atmosphere and plenty of festive fare.
Arrangements at the hotel today include: Afternoon tea/ coffee + biscuits, A Christmas Prize Bingo or Quiz at tea time & a Gala New Years Eve dinner followed by entertainment and ‘Auld Lang Syne’.

Monday - Checking out of the hotel after breakfast, there is one final included visit to Beaulieu, best known as the home of the world-famous National Motor Museum. This museum houses more than 280 vehicles and includes legendary motor vehicles from all over the world, including the record-braking Bluebird. Permanent and temporary exhibitions add to your visit including the World of Top Gear, featuring vehicles from the popular BBC show. Entry to the Motor Museum also gives you access to Beaulieu Abbey, where you can step back in history to the times of the monks and not forgetting Palace House, the home of the Montagu family. Here, costumed guides are on hand to give you the flavour of what life was like in Victorian times. Continuing the journey, you will be returned to your original departure points later today.

Simply Groups reserves the right to make minor changes to this itinerary due to circumstances beyond our control.
The hotel reserves the right to make amendments to their scheduled entertainment programme.