The Sunday Times April 24, 2022 19Travel Charity auction
£4,390
E
M
eaningful travel is the buzz
phrase on everyone’s lips
these days. Well, here’s
your chance to get that off
to a flying start. A new
campaign launching exclusively in Sunday
Times Travel today has brought together
more than 40 luxury holidays for you to
bid for, with proceeds going directly to the
Disasters Emergency Committee Ukraine
Humanitarian Appeal (dec.org.uk).
Worldwide trips going under the virtual
hammer include castaway-style retreats in
Thailand, the chance to meet Santa in
Sweden and a spa break in the foothills
of the Himalayas. Closer-to-home options
range from a hotel stay in Marylebone,
central London, to a week on a luxury
narrowboat at a private lake in north
Devon. To spur on the bidding, the
minimum price for all the lots is about 40
per cent of their real value, with reserve
prices starting from just £200.
The project hopes to raise tens of
thousands of pounds for the 11 million
people who have fled the conflict in
Ukraine. Every pound counts: £100 could
provide emergency food for two families
for a month; £50 could pay for blankets
for four families.
Kathryn Brierley, the founder and
managing director of the Healthy Holiday
Company and in:spa retreats, is behind
the initiative. She has rallied friends in the
travel industry, who have proved eager to
donate. “Like everyone, I’ve been
watching the news and feeling helpless,
but the #cookforukraine movement gave
me the idea to reach out to travel industry
colleagues to see if they wanted to
collaborate,” Brierley says. “Many showed
an immediate desire to contribute. The
response is especially heart-warming
given these are all businesses hit hard in
the last couple of years by the pandemic.”
We’ve outlined 12 of the most eye-
catching trips below; details of the
others are on uk.givergy.com/
travelforukraine. You have until
midnight on Sunday May 8 to get your
bids in. In the meantime, if you’d like to
comment about the auction on social
media, use #travelforukraine and get in
touch with us on Twitter at @TimesTravel.
Good luck!A CASTAWAY IN THAILAND
Worth — £13,000
Koh Kood is one of Thailand’s less-visited
islands, which means more dazzling
beaches, pristine jungles and waterfalls to
yourselves. Soneva Kiri, on the northwest
coast, embraces the barefoot luxury vibe,
with guests asked to remove their shoes
on arrival. Wood-clad villas offer private
pools and outdoor bathrooms, while
experiences include yoga, Pilates, dining
in a “treepod” and movie nights in front of
a floating cinema screen.
Details Five nights’ B&B in a two-
bedroom villa for up to four, with a
Koh Kood Discovery package that
includes a visit to Klong Chao waterfall.
Donated by Soneva Kiri (soneva.com).
Fly to Bangkok with Thai Airways.
Reserve price: £5,200B HEALING IN THE HIMALAYAS
Worth — £5,500
There’s no better place to soothe body
and spirit than Ananda Spa, an estate in
the foothills of the Himalayas in northern
India. The wellbeing oasis focuses on
traditional Ayurvedic practices that
include massages and dietary tweaks to
rebalance, reduce stress and bolster your
immune system. The menu at the treetop
deck restaurant, built into the sal tree
forest, encompasses Indian and western
dishes and changes every four months.
Details Five nights’ full board for two in
a Deluxe Palace View room, including
the Foundation wellness programme,£13,000
D SEE SANTA IN SWEDEN
Worth — £4,000
It doesn’t matter whether you still believe
in the big man or not, this break is
guaranteed to offer a sprinkling of magic.
You’ll stay at the Grand Arctic Resort in
the Swedish Lapland town of Overkalix,
90 minutes’ drive from Lulea. From here
you’ll zip along in a snowmobile to a
remote cabin to meet Santa, although the
reindeer rides, husky sledging and high
chance of seeing the northern lights will
be just as unforgettable.
Details Three nights’ full board for a
family of four at the Grand Arctic Resort.
Donated by Discover the World
(discover-the-world.com). Fly to Lulea
with Scandinavian Airlines.
Reserve price: £1,600E GET FIT IN FRANCE OR ITALY
Worth — £4,390
Whoever wins this lot will have a toughchoice: do you opt for a health and
fitness retreat at a château in Homps,
in the Gers department of southwest
France — or at an estate in Radicondoli,
15 miles southwest of Siena in Tuscany?
Either way you’ll return transformed
thanks to a gourmet detox that includes
yoga, hiking, fitness sessions, massages
and personal training.
Details Seven nights’ full board
including accommodation, transfers
and activities. Donated by in:spa retreats
(inspa-retreats.com). Fly to Toulouse or
Pisa with British Airways.
Reserve price: £1,800F CRETE ESCAPE
Worth — £1,750
The area around Agios Nikolaos in the
east of Crete teems with adventure, from
watersports to Rib rides. But there’s one
thrill that’s just for Daios Cove’s guests:
riding the in-house funicular down to the
private beach. When you’re not on a
lounger, the five-star hotel offers six bars
and restaurants, a spa, tennis courts and
an infinity pool, plus accommodation,
from sea-view rooms to villas.
Details Three nights’ half-board in a
Deluxe Sea View room with individual
pool. Donated by Daios Cove
(daioscovecrete.com). Fly to Heraklion
with easyJet or British Airways.
Reserve price: £700G HISTORIC SOMERSET
Worth — £1,695
A stay at the Grange, a four-bedroom 13th-The chance to
relax, refresh or
just sit back and
enjoy the view
can be yours in,
clockwise from
top, Crete, the
Himalayas,
Tuscany or
Thailandtreatments and transfers. Donated by
Ananda (anandaspa.com). Fly to New
Delhi with Air France or Air India.
Reserve price: £2,200C SOJOURN IN ST LUCIA
Worth — £4,850
Perched on the hillside, overlooking a
crescent-shaped beach on the Caribbean
Sea, Windjammer Landing resort is a
luxurious collection of villas and hotel
rooms. Facilities such as a spa and five
restaurants, including an Italian outpost
and a steakhouse, will make it hard to
leave the 60-acre estate, but don’t miss
out on visiting cocoa plantations, rum
distilleries and the Pitons either.
Details Seven nights’ B&B for two in
a one-bedroom Ocean View Villa.
Donated by Windjammer Landing
(windjammer-landing.com). Fly to St Lucia
with Virgin Atlantic or British Airways.
Reserve price: £1,940£5,500
B
HEINZ TROLL; KRAUSE JOHANSEN; SANDRO BRUECKLMEIER; RYAN COWAN£1,750
HOLIDAY
FOR
UKRAINE
Continued on page 20→F
A
Today we launch the Travel for
Ukraine auction: 46 amazing trips,
worth £100,000, with every penny
raised going to support refugees