How to holiday like a member of the Royal Family
YOU won’t see their holiday snaps on Instagram, but when members of the Royal Family are ready to kick back and relax they usually follow the sun.
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THE Royal Family traditionally takes their holidays in August.
The Queen is currently relaxing at Balmoral, Prince William and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge went to Mustique, Princess Eugenie and Jack Brooksbank lived it up in Italy and Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall and Prince Harry and Meghan, Duchess of Sussex are also reportedly jetting off.
If you fancy winding down with the Windsors – here’s where to have a HRH holiday.
MUSTIQUE
William and Catherine have been in Mustique, their favourite Caribbean island retreat, with Catherine’s parents Carole and Michael Middleton. The couple enjoyed a date night out at the 50th birthday party of Basil’s Bar, owned by their friend Basil Charles.
The family are regular visitors to the exclusive island which is made up of private villas with a couple of small hotels, including The Cotton House. William and Catherine have previously rented Aurora House. The island was made famous by Princess Margaret, who honeymooned there and subsequently built a villa, Les Jolies Eaux.
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You can visit: Cotton House has rooms from $780 per night, cottonhouse.net; Aurora House rents from $30,000 per week, aurorahousemustique.com; Les Jolie Eaux villa rents from $28,000 per week, mustique-island.com
BALMORAL, SCOTLAND
The Queen has never been one for resort-style escapes, preferring to spend every summer at her beloved Balmoral. She stays in Craigowan Lodge on the Estate, until the castle closes to the public for the summer, then moves to the main house.
Other members of the Royal Family usually join her — it’s expected Harry and Meghan will too. Balmoral, which was bought by Prince Albert in 1852, is open to the public when the Queen is not in residence. You can even rent a holiday cottage on the estate, for a fairly modest charge. Prince Charles and Lady Diane Spencer were famously photographed at Craigowan Lodge before their wedding.
You can visit: Day admission is $20, adults. Holiday cottages start at $958 per week, balmoralcastle.com.
KENYA
Kenya has been a favourite destination of the royal family for years. It was while The Queen was staying at Treetops with Prince Philip in 1952 that she discovered she was the new monarch, following the death of her father. She visited again in 1983.
It was also in Kenya, at the Lewa Safari Camp on the Laikipia Plains, where William proposed to Catherine.
You can visit: Treetops has rooms from $178 per night, treetops.co.ke; Lewa Safari Camp has luxury tents from $323 per person sharing, per night, full board, elewanacollection.com
AMALFI COAST, ITALY
Eugenie and fiance Jack were spotted this week on an “earlymoon” on the Amalfi Coast in Italy. They were photographed enjoying lunch on the seafront before heading off on a boat trip along the coast.
The beautiful stretch of coastline is an A-lister’s playground. One of the most famous restaurants in the area is Lo Scoglio da Tommaso, which also has a boutique hotel attached to it.
You can visit: Rooms at Lo Scoglio start at $160 per night, hotelloscoglio.com
BOTSWANA
Botswana is a special place for Harry – he holidayed there with Meghan in 2016 and the pair returned the following year. He even made Meghan’s engagement ring using a diamond from Botswana. They have stayed in Meno a Kwena, a small luxury camp on a clifftop above the Boteti River and the isolated retreat Mapula Lodge on the edge of the Okavango Delta, in a thatched cottage.
You can visit: Meno a Kwena starts from $600 per person per night, Mapula Lodge from $750 per person per night, both naturalselection.travel
SEYCHELLES
When William married Catherine in 2011, they honeymooned on the private North Island in the Seychelles, in the Indian Ocean. The island has 11 super-luxurious villas with private pools and guests arrive by helicopter.
You can visit: For an eye-watering $9600 per night, you’ll certainly feel like royalty, north-island.com
CYPRUS
At the other end of the budget, Zara and Mike Tindall went to the Mediterranean island of Cyprus for their 2011 honeymoon, typically keeping it real by staying at the five-star Columbia Beach Resort in Pissouri Bay alongside regular holiday-makers.
The hotel has 169 suites and a huge spa.
You can visit: Columbia Beach Resort has rooms from $280 per night, columbiaresort.com
CORFU
Prince Charles and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall have holidayed on the Greek island of Corfu in the Rothschild Villa — where Diana, Princess of Wales also enjoyed staying.
While the public can’t stay in the private home, Corfu is full of high-end villas and luxury hotels. One of the newest is Ikos Dassia, an enormous resort with rooms and villas, many with pools, a private beach and spa.
You can visit: Ikos Dassia starts at $334 per night, ikosresorts.com.