Five nights from 30 December costs £937.Hideaways (01747 828170; www.hideaways.co.uk) also offers short breaks over the Christmas and New Year period, with a minimum three-night stay. This is dependent on availability, however, and you will have to call two weeks prior to departure to reserve a short break. At present, one of its more historic properties is available, Sterndale Cottage in Melbury Osmond, Dorset. A 400-year-old Grade II-listed thatched cottage, Sterndale also has exposed wooden beams and an inglenook fireplace. The kitchen and dining room could fit up to eight guests, with space for children in the adjoining sitting room, and there are three bedrooms. Dorset's Heritage Coast and South West Coastal Path are an easy drive away, and there are country walks accessible from the cottage's garden; maps are provided.
The rental date begins on 30 December and, depending on availability, the price for a three-night break is £597.Finally, Classic Cottages (01326 555555; www.classic.co.uk) began booking for its Christmas and New Year short breaks this week, offering a minimum two-night stay. One of its featured properties is The Old Byre near Dartmouth in Devon. A large, detached property, its garden leads to a footpath to Blackpool Sands and it has a raised sitting room overlooking the coast. The house easily sleeps six, and has a snug kitchen opening on to a wooden-floored dining area with a large dining table. Picturesque Dartmouth is a short drive away, where the New Year is seen in with an impressive firework display.
The price for a four-night stay is £625, or £667 for five nights; start dates depend on availability.Send your family travel queries to The Independent Parent, Travel Desk, The Independent, 191 Marsh Wall, London E14 9RS or e-mail crusoe independent.co.uk. Ronaldsway airport on the Isle of Man is usually quiet, with a handful of arrivals and departures from England, Scotland and Ireland. But this month, three airlines are set to launch services to the Irish Sea island, with return fares from London below £50. Two of them are foreign carriers taking advantage of the "open skies" policy - and the third is a new start-up created by a teenager.